US 12,330,419 B2
Liquid discharge head and image forming apparatus
Masami Iwama, Ibaraki (JP); and Shiomi Andoh, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to RICOH COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Masami Iwama, Ibaraki (JP); and Shiomi Andoh, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on May 10, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/195,376.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-081107 (JP), filed on May 17, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0373212 A1, Nov. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. B41J 2/14 (2006.01); B41J 2/045 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/14233 (2013.01) [B41J 2/04541 (2013.01); B41J 2002/14258 (2013.01); B41J 2002/14491 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A liquid discharge head comprising:
a piezoelectric element; and
a flexible circuit board configured to supply a driving signal and a common-electrode signal to the piezoelectric element,
wherein the piezoelectric element includes:
multiple drive portions arranged in a first direction, the multiple drive portions having a comb-shaped structure with a groove between adjacent two of the multiple drive portions;
multiple non-drive portions at both sides of the multiple drive portions in the first direction; and
multiple dummy drive portions at each portion between the multiple drive portions and the multiple non-drive portions in the first direction, the multiple dummy drive portions having a comb-shaped structure with a groove between adjacent two of the dummy drive portions;
a first electrode on one end face of the multiple drive portions in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the first electrode configured to supply the driving signal to the multiple drive portions; and
a second electrode on another end face of the multiple drive portions in the second direction, the second electrode configured to supply the common-electrode signal to the multiple drive portions,
the flexible circuit board includes a third electrode configured to supply the common-electrode signal to the multiple drive portions, and
each of the multiple non-drive portions and the multiple dummy drive portions include a common-electrode joint connected to the third electrode of the flexible circuit board,
wherein:
the second electrode is on one end face of each of the multiple dummy drive portions in the second direction,
the common-electrode joint is on another end face of each of the multiple dummy drive portions in the second direction, and
each of the multiple dummy drive portions includes an internal electrode connected to the second electrode and the common-electrode joint.