Patent ID: 7317276
Filing Date: 2008-01-08
Classification: B41J,F04B,H01L

Abstract:
1. A liquid delivering device comprising: (a) a cavity unit defining a plurality of cavities for accommodating a liquid which is to be delivered to an exterior of said liquid delivering device; (b) a piezoelectric actuator unit superposed on said cavity unit, and having a plurality of active portions which correspond to the respective cavities and which are selectively deformable upon application of a drive voltage thereto so as to deliver the liquid from the corresponding cavities to the exterior of said liquid delivering device; and (c) a backup plate superposed on said piezoelectric actuator unit such that said piezoelectric actuator unit is interposed between said cavity unit and said backup plate, wherein said backup plate is jointed, at least at portions thereof corresponding to peripheries of said cavities, to said piezoelectric actuator unit, wherein said piezoelectric actuator unit includes (b-1) a piezoelectric material layer which extends over said plurality of cavities and which is deformable upon generation of an electric field therein as a result of the application of the drive voltage to said piezoelectric actuator unit, and (b-2) a flexible layer which extends over said plurality of cavities and which is laminated on said piezoelectric material layer so as to be deformable together with deformation of said piezoelectric material layer, and wherein said piezoelectric material layer includes (b-1-1) a plurality of aligned portions each of which is aligned with a corresponding one of said cavities and each of which constitutes a part of a corresponding one of said active portions and (b-1-2) a plurality of interconnecting portions interconnecting said aligned portions.