Resonator having a piezoceramic/polymer composite transducer

• US 6,385,429 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2000
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Weber, Scott D., Mashtare, Dale R., Snelling, Christopher, Leibman, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, HOAN H
• Application Number:
  US09/716,368
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 399/296, 399/297, 399/319, 399/390, 310/311, 310/313.A, 310/323.19, 310/325, 310/349, 310/357, 310/367, 310/369, 310/371, 347/27, 347/48, 347/68
• US Class Current: 399/319
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 3/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for transmitting mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/16 of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/202 using longitudinal or thickness displacement combined with bending, shear or torsion displacement
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/852 Composite materials, e.g. having 1-3 or 2-2 type connectivity

Abstract

A resonator for applying vibrational energy to a member, for example a photoreceptor belt or developer/donor member, includes an energy transmitting horn member having a platform portion and a horn portion, the horn portion including a contacting portion for contacting a surface of the member, and a piezoelectric material in association with the horn member for driving the horn member to vibrate, the piezoelectric material responsive to a voltage signal from a voltage source. The piezoelectric material is a composite of at least one piezoceramic material and at least one of a polymer or air, and has a 1-3 configuration. By the selection of a piezoceramic/polymer composite material having the specified configuration for use as the vibratory energy producing source, or transducer, of a resonator, improved piezoelectric material performance is achieved, particularly with respect to control and/or elimination of undesired transverse vibration, and manufacturing complexity is reduced.

Claims

1. A resonator for applying vibrational energy to a member, comprising:

an energy transmitting horn member having a platform portion and a horn portion, the horn portion including a contacting portion for contacting a surface of the member; and

a piezoelectric material in association with the horn member for driving the horn member to vibrate, the piezoelectric material responsive to a voltage signal from a voltage source, wherein the piezoelectric material comprises a composite of at least one piezoceramic material and at least one of a polymer or air, and wherein the composite has a 1-3 configuration.

2. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the at least one piezoceramic material is selected from the group consisting of lead zirconate titanate, barium titanate and lead titanate.

3. The resonator according to claim 2, wherein the at least one piezoceramic material is lead zirconate titanate.

4. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer is selected from the group consisting of epoxy, silicone resin and cyanoacrylate.

5. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer is epoxy.

6. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the 1-3 configuration comprises aligned lead zirconate titanate rods with one or more polymers or air.

7. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the composite is directly bonded to the horn member without a separate bonding layer.

8. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the composite is sandwiched between two metal electrodes, one of the electrodes being bonded to the horn member.

9. The resonator according to claim 1, wherein the horn portion of the horn member includes a plurality of linearly arranged horn elements, each horn element having a contacting portion for contacting the surface of the member, and wherein the piezoelectric material has a width extending across all the horn elements.

10. A method of making the resonator of claim 1, comprising directly injection molding the composite onto the platform portion of the horn member.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the platform portion of the horn member includes a track or dove tail.

12. An imaging apparatus comprising at least a non-rigid member with a charge retentive surface moving along an endless path, an image forming station for creating a latent image on the charge retentive surface, a development station with at least one developer member for imagewise developing the latent image with toner, a transfer station for electrostatically transferring the developed toner image to a substrate, and a resonator for applying vibrational energy to the non-rigid member, the resonator comprising:

an energy transmitting horn member having a platform portion and a horn portion, the horn portion including a contacting portion that contacts a surface of the non-rigid member, developer member or both; and

a piezoelectric material in association with the horn member for driving the horn member to vibrate, the piezoelectric material responsive to a voltage signal from a voltage source, wherein the piezoelectric material comprises a composite of at least one piezoceramic material and at least one of a polymer or air, and wherein the composite has a 1-3 configuration.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the imaging apparatus further includes a voltage source that provides a voltage signal to the piezoelectric material.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one piezoceramic material is selected from the group consisting of lead zirconate titanate, barium titanate and lead titanate.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one piezoceramic material is lead zirconate titanate.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one polymer is selected from the group consisting of epoxy, silicone resin and cyanoacrylate.

17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one polymer is epoxy.

18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the 1-3 configuration comprises aligned lead zirconate titanate rods with one or more polymers or air.

19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the composite is directly bonded to the horn member without a separate bonding layer.

20. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the composite is sandwiched between two metal electrodes, one of the electrodes being bonded to the horn member.

21. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the horn portion of the horn member includes a plurality of linearly arranged horn elements, each horn element having a contacting portion for contacting the surface of the member, and wherein the piezoelectric material has a width extending across all the horn elements.

22. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the horn member contacts the surface of the non-rigid member at or near the transfer station.