Liquid discharge apparatus

摘要

A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a channel unit including: a discharge port; a first channel through which liquid to be supplied to the discharge port flows; and a second channel communicated with the first channel and the discharge port; an actuator including a first and second electrodes and a piezoelectric layer, and being configured to apply pressure to the liquid in the second channel; and a signal supply unit configured to selectively supply a discharge driving signal and a non-discharge driving signal to the actuator. The discharge driving signal includes a first voltage signal which drives the actuator to discharge the liquid from the discharge port, and the non-discharge driving signal includes a plurality of second voltage signals each of which drives the actuator not to discharge the liquid from the discharge port.

主权项

1. A liquid discharge apparatus configured to discharge liquid, comprising:
a channel unit including:
a discharge port through which the liquid is discharged;a first channel through which the liquid flows to be supplied to the discharge port; anda second channel which has one end communicated with the first channel and the other end communicated with the discharge port; an actuator including:
a first electrode;a second electrode; anda piezoelectric layer sandwiched between the first and second electrodes, and being configured to apply pressure to the liquid in the second channel by deforming the piezoelectric layer relative to the second channel due to a difference in electric potential between the first and second electrodes; and a signal supply unit configured to selectively supply a discharge driving signal and a non-discharge driving signal to the actuator, the discharge driving signal including a first voltage signal which drives the actuator to discharge the liquid from the discharge port, and the non-discharge driving signal including a plurality of second voltage signals each of which drives the actuator not to discharge the liquid from the discharge port; wherein each of the first voltage signal and the second voltage signals goes through a first state, a second state, and a third state in this order and goes back to the first state, the first state being a state in which a voltage between the first and second electrodes is kept at a predetermined voltage, the second state being a state in which the voltage between the first and second electrodes monotonically decreases from the predetermined voltage, the third state being a state in which the voltage between the first and second electrodes monotonically increases to the predetermined voltage; and the non-discharge driving signal is adjusted so that any two consecutive second voltage signals among the plurality of second signals satisfy a condition that:
T0≦Wb ≦T0+2*Tf;  where:
Wb is a length of time elapsed after the third state of the former second voltage signal is started until the second state of the latter second voltage signal is started;T0 is a proper vibration period of the second channel; andTf is a length of time during which the voltage of the first voltage signal in the discharge driving signal is in the third state.