JP2001293869A - Piezoelectric oscillator unit, liquid ejection head, method for manufacturing piezoelectric oscillator unit, and method for manufacturing liquid ejection head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a piezoelectric oscillator unit in which the period of characteristic oscillation of individual piezoelectric oscillators can be arranged even if they are irregular. SOLUTION: The piezoelectric oscillator unit 4 comprises a plurality of piezoelectric oscillators formed by laying inner electrodes 32, 33 and piezoelectrics 31 alternately in layers wherein the period of characteristic oscillation of the piezoelectric oscillator is adjusted by making a local recess, by trimming, in the surface of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric oscillator at the free end part thereof.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an industrial machine such as a microdispenser and an image recording apparatus such as a printer and a plotter. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus having a liquid ejecting head and a piezoelectric vibrator unit used for the liquid ejecting head, and more particularly, to a device in which the natural oscillation periods of the piezoelectric vibrators are made uniform.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some industrial machines and image recording apparatuses have a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid in the form of liquid droplets. For example, as an industrial machine, a manufacturing apparatus that manufactures an optical filter by landing a droplet-shaped color material discharged from an ejection head (a type of liquid ejection head) on a filter substrate,
A textile printing device that prints a design by arranging droplet-shaped color material discharged from the ejection head on a textile product such as cloth, or discharging a very small amount of liquid from the ejection head to place the liquid in a predetermined location There are known micro dispensers for supplying a liquid. Further, as an image recording apparatus, a printer, a plotter, or the like that records an image by landing ink droplets ejected from a recording head (a type of liquid ejecting head) on a print recording medium such as paper is known.

[0003] In these industrial machines and image recording apparatuses, high precision is required for the amount and speed of ejected droplets. For example, since the optical filter manufactured by the above manufacturing apparatus is used for a liquid crystal display or the like, high accuracy is required for the landing position of the color material and the amount of the color material (that is, the amount of liquid ejection). On the other hand, in an image recording apparatus, in order to improve image quality and speed up recording, high accuracy is required for the landing position and ink amount of ink droplets.

In a liquid ejecting head used in these industrial machines and image recording apparatuses, for example, by applying an electric field to a piezoelectric vibrator provided in a piezoelectric vibrator unit, its vibration characteristics (natural vibration period) are utilized. There is known a method in which a piezoelectric vibrator is displaced (expanded or contracted) to cause a pressure fluctuation in a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle opening to discharge a droplet from the nozzle opening.

[0005] The piezoelectric vibrator unit is manufactured, for example, in the following procedure. First, a common internal electrode and an individual internal electrode are alternately laminated with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween to produce a plate-like laminate, and a common external electrode connected to the common internal electrode and an individual external electrode connected to the individual internal electrode. An electrode is formed on the surface of the laminate. Then, the base end portion of the laminate on which these external electrodes are formed is joined to a fixing plate, and the distal end portion of the laminate is reduced to 50 μm or less by a wire saw, a dicing saw, or the like.
A plurality of piezoelectric vibrators are formed by cutting into extremely small widths of about 100 μm.

[0006]

As described above, the plurality of piezoelectric vibrators provided in the piezoelectric vibrator unit are mechanically cut into extremely narrow widths as described above.
Some variation occurs in the width of each piezoelectric vibrator.
Also, depending on the accuracy when joining the laminate to the fixed plate,
The length (free length) of the free end of the piezoelectric vibrator may vary. As described above, when the natural vibration periods of the individual piezoelectric vibrators become uneven, when the liquid ejecting head is manufactured, the droplets to be ejected are varied in accordance with the dispersion of the natural vibration periods of the individual piezoelectric vibrators. The amount and the landing position of the droplet differ at each nozzle opening.

However, conventionally, there has been no effective method for adjusting the natural vibration period of the piezoelectric vibrator after being joined and cut to the fixed plate. For this reason, in order to manufacture a liquid ejecting head in which the amount of liquid droplets to be ejected is aligned at each nozzle opening, the natural oscillation periods of the piezoelectric vibrators are uniform from among a large number of manufactured piezoelectric vibrator units. It is necessary to sort out the piezoelectric vibrator units that are present, and a reduction in manufacturing yield has been unavoidable.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a piezoelectric vibrator unit, a liquid ejecting head, a method of manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit, and a liquid ejecting head capable of aligning the natural vibration periods of individual piezoelectric vibrators with high accuracy. It is to provide a manufacturing method of.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode are connected to each other so that an active region is formed at a free end. And a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators each having on its surface a first external electrode connected to the first internal electrode and a second external electrode connected to the second internal electrode, and a first external electrode And applying a potential difference to the piezoelectric body in the active region through the second external electrode to activate the piezoelectric body and displace the free end of the piezoelectric body. In the piezoelectric vibrator unit, the free end of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator is A piezoelectric vibrator unit characterized in that it has a local mass adjusting portion composed of local irregularities on the surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first aspect, the free end of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator is a trimming portion for forming a local recess by trimming. is there.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first or second aspect, the outermost layer of the piezoelectric body is thicker than the other piezoelectric body layers. is there.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a mass adding member formed of a material having a higher density than the piezoelectric body is joined to the surface of the outermost piezoelectric body, and the mass adding member is used as a trimming portion. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the mass adding member is joined to both surfaces of the piezoelectric vibrator.
It is a piezoelectric vibrator unit of the description.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the surface of the outermost layer deviated from both the first external electrode and the second external electrode is a trimming portion. A piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of the above.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the free end portion of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator is a mass adding portion which forms a local convex by adding a mass point. It is a child unit.

According to the invention described in claim 8, the mass is formed by solidifying a mass material made of any one of an adhesive, a wax, and a solder in a fluid state. A piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 7, wherein:

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the piezoelectric vibrator, the piezoelectric vibrator is constituted by a vibrator group produced by dividing a laminated body in which piezoelectric bodies and internal electrodes are alternately laminated into a comb-like shape. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein:

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the piezoelectric vibrator is a piezoelectric vibrator of a longitudinal vibration lateral effect capable of displacing a free end in a direction perpendicular to a laminating direction. A piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the piezoelectric vibrator is a piezoelectric vibrator having a longitudinal vibration longitudinal effect capable of displacing a free end in a laminating direction. A piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of the above.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the piezoelectric vibrator includes a non-operating portion which does not expand and contract even when the piezoelectric body in the active region operates, and the non-operating portion is joined to a fixed plate. A piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, and an elastic plate forming a part of a sealing material for a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle opening. And a flow path unit provided with a piezoelectric vibrator unit, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator unit is mounted in a state in which a front end surface of the piezoelectric vibrator is joined to an elastic plate.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a case in which a storage space is formed in which the piezoelectric vibrator unit can be stored, and the case has an adjustment process for communicating the outside of the case with the storage space. 14. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 13, wherein an opening is opened facing each of the piezoelectric vibrators, and the local mass adjusting portion can be formed from the outside of the case through the adjustment processing opening. .

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, an electrode layer serving as a common internal electrode and an electrode layer serving as an individual internal electrode are alternately laminated with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween such that an active region is formed at a free end. After that, a common external electrode connected to the common internal electrode and an individual external electrode connected to the individual internal electrode are formed on the surface to form a plate-shaped laminate, and a laminate manufacturing step is performed. A unit manufacturing step of joining the fixed end of the laminated body to the fixed plate, a vibrator preparing step of cutting the laminated body attached to the fixed plate to produce a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators, A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit, which includes a step of forming a local mass adjusting portion formed of local irregularities on the outermost layer in the laminating direction.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, an electrode layer serving as a common internal electrode and an electrode layer serving as an individual internal electrode are alternately laminated with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end. After that, a common external electrode connected to the common internal electrode and an individual external electrode connected to the individual internal electrode are formed on the surface to form a plate-shaped laminate, and a laminate manufacturing step is performed. A unit manufacturing step of joining the fixed end of the laminated body to the fixed plate, a vibrator preparing step of cutting the laminated body attached to the fixed plate to produce a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators, A piezoelectric vibrator unit manufacturing method by trimming the free end of the outermost piezoelectric body that is the outermost layer in the stacking direction to adjust the natural vibration period of each piezoelectric vibrator. It is.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the adjusting step, the outermost piezoelectric body at the free end is trimmed by one of laser beam machining, mechanical machining, and electric discharge machining. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 16.

According to the present invention, an electrode layer serving as a common internal electrode and an electrode layer serving as an individual internal electrode are alternately laminated with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end. After that, a laminate production step of forming a plate-shaped laminate by forming on the surface a common external electrode conducted to the common internal electrode and an individual external electrode conducted to the individual internal electrode, and a lamination in which the external electrode is formed A unit producing step of attaching the fixed end of the body to the fixing plate, a vibrator producing step of producing a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators by dividing the laminated body attached to the stationary plate, and a free end of the divided piezoelectric vibrator And adjusting the natural vibration cycle of each piezoelectric vibrator by adding a mass point to the surface of the piezoelectric vibrator.

The invention according to claim 19 is characterized in that in the adjusting step, a mass is added by discharging a mass material made of an adhesive, wax, or solder onto the surface of the free end. 19. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit according to item 18.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode are alternately laminated with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end portion. A plurality of piezoelectric vibrators each having a surface on which a first external electrode electrically connected to the first external electrode and a second external electrode electrically connected to the second internal electrode are formed, and a potential difference is applied to the piezoelectric body in the active region through the first external electrode and the second external electrode. To actuate the piezoelectric body,
A piezoelectric vibrator unit whose free end is displaceable, a flow path unit having an elastic plate constituting a part of a sealing material of a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle opening, and a housing capable of housing the vibrator unit Empty portion, and communicates the accommodation empty portion with the outside,
A case in which an adjustment processing opening facing the free end surface of the vibrator unit housed in the housing space is formed,
A liquid ejecting head for joining a tip end portion of the piezoelectric vibrator to an elastic plate, deforming the pressure chamber by deforming the piezoelectric vibrator, causing a change in liquid pressure in the pressure chamber, and ejecting liquid from a corresponding nozzle opening; A natural vibration period for measuring the natural vibration period of each of the piezoelectric vibrators for each of the piezoelectric vibrators by applying an adjustment drive signal in a state where the tip end portions of all the piezoelectric vibrators are joined. In the measurement step, processing conditions for each piezoelectric vibrator are set based on the measurement result in the natural vibration period measuring step, and based on the set processing conditions, a local portion is formed on the surface at the free end of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator. A vibration cycle adjusting step of forming a local mass adjusting section made of irregularities through the adjustment processing opening and adjusting a natural oscillation cycle of the piezoelectric vibrator. It is a manufacturing method.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following embodiments, as a liquid ejecting head, a recording head mounted on an inkjet printer will be described as an example, but the present invention is also applicable to a recording head used in an image recording apparatus such as a plotter or a facsimile. The present invention can be applied to a jet head used in industrial machines such as a manufacturing apparatus, a textile printing apparatus, and a micro dispenser.

First, the overall configuration of the recording head 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The recording head 1 includes a case 2, a flow path unit 3, a piezoelectric vibrator unit 4, and the like. In the description of the recording head 1,
For convenience, the upper side in FIG. 1 is referred to as a front end side (front side),
The lower side is referred to as a base side (back side).

The case 2 is a block member made of a synthetic resin and provided with an accommodation space 5 whose both the front and rear ends are open.
The flow path unit 3 is joined to the front end surface of the case 2. Further, the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 is housed and fixed in the housing space 5 with the comb-tooth-shaped tip of the oscillator group 21 facing the opening on the tip side. Further, an ink supply pipe 6 communicating with the ink cartridge at the base end side is provided on the side of the storage space 5.

The flow path unit 3 is generally constituted by a flow path forming plate 7, a nozzle plate 8, and an elastic plate (pressure plate) 9.

The nozzle plate 8 has a large number (for example, 96) of nozzle openings 1 at a pitch corresponding to the dot formation density.
.. Are thin plate-like members in which 0... Are arranged in a row, and are made of, for example, a stainless steel plate.

In the flow path forming plate 7 laminated on the nozzle plate 8, a reservoir 11 into which the ink supplied through the ink supply pipe 6 flows, and an ink pressure necessary for discharging the ink from the nozzle opening 10 are generated. There are formed pressure chambers 12 to be used, and ink supply ports 13, 13, etc., for communicating these reservoirs 11 with the pressure chambers 12. In the present embodiment, these portions are formed by etching a silicon wafer.

In this embodiment, the elastic plate 9 is made of a polymer film such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide).
4 is a double structure laminated on a support plate 15 made of stainless steel. Then, the support plate 15 is connected to the reservoir 1.
The compliance portion corresponding to 1 and the diaphragm portion 17 corresponding to the pressure chamber 15 have been removed by etching, and these portions are only the elastic film 14. The island 16 is formed in the diaphragm 17 by removing the support plate 15 in an annular shape so as to leave a central portion.
The island portion 16 is a portion to which a distal end surface portion of a driving vibrator 29 described later is joined from the back side. In addition, this island 16
Are provided at a plurality of pitches corresponding to the dot formation density in the same manner as the nozzle openings 10, and have a narrow width corresponding to the nozzle arrangement direction and a long length corresponding to the laminating direction (described later) in the driving vibrator 29. It is formed in a shape.

Then, the nozzle plate 8 is connected to the flow path forming plate 7.
The flow path unit 3 is formed by disposing the elastic plate 9 on the rear side and sandwiching the flow path forming plate 7 between the nozzle plate 8 and the elastic plate 9 and bonding them together by bonding or the like. Have been. In addition, in this flow path unit 3,
The elastic plate 9 constitutes a part of a sealing material for sealing the ceiling surface of the pressure chamber 12 and the reservoir 11. Therefore, in this flow path unit 3, a series of ink flow paths (that is, a series of ink flow paths from the reservoir 11 through the pressure chamber 12 to the nozzle opening 10)
A liquid flow path in the liquid jet head is formed for each nozzle opening 10.

The above-mentioned piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 is roughly constituted by a vibrator group 21 and a fixed plate 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the vibrator group 21 is arranged in a comb-tooth shape, and dummy vibrators 28, 28 located at both ends in the direction in which the piezoelectric vibrators are arranged (arrangement direction) are provided. Are arranged between the dummy vibrators 28, 28. Here, the driving vibrator 29 is a piezoelectric vibrator involved in ejection of ink droplets.
It is cut into an extremely narrow needle shape of about 100 μm. And these drive vibrators 29 ...
The same number of pressure chambers 10 are provided. The dummy vibrator 28 is a piezoelectric vibrator that does not contribute to the ejection of ink droplets, and is formed to have a width sufficiently larger than the drive vibrator 29 so as to secure necessary rigidity. As shown in FIG. 3, the piezoelectric vibrators 28 and 29 according to the present embodiment have a so-called longitudinal vibration transverse effect that expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the laminating direction of the piezoelectric body 31 and the internal electrodes 32 and 33. I am a child.

Next, the driving vibrator 29 will be described with reference to FIG.

The driving vibrator 29 includes a common internal electrode (corresponding to a first internal electrode of the present invention) 32 and an individual internal electrode (corresponding to a second internal electrode of the present invention) 33 with a piezoelectric body 31 interposed therebetween. They are alternately stacked. Here, the common internal electrode 32 is an electrode that is set to the same potential level for all the driving vibrators 29.
This is an electrode for which a potential level is set every time. Then, from the tip of the vibrator of the driving vibrator 29 to about half of the longitudinal direction of the vibrator (direction orthogonal to the lamination direction) or 3
A portion up to about two-half is a free end 23a, and a portion from the base end of the free end 23a to the base end of the vibrator is the base end 2a.
3b.

An active region (overlap portion) in which the common internal electrode 32 and the individual internal electrode 33 overlap each other is formed at the free end 23a. These internal electrodes 32,
When a potential difference is applied to the piezoelectric element 33, the piezoelectric element 31 in the active region is deformed (operated), and the free end 23a is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator to expand and contract. The base end of the common internal electrode 32 is electrically connected to the common external electrode (corresponding to the first external electrode of the present invention) 37 at the base end face of the driving vibrator 29, and the front end of the individual internal electrode 33 is driven. The tip of the vibrator 29 is electrically connected to an individual external electrode (corresponding to a second external electrode of the present invention) 36.
The distal end of the common internal electrode 32 is located slightly before the distal end surface of the transducer, and the proximal end of the individual internal electrode 33 is located at the boundary between the free end 23a and the proximal end 23b.

The individual external electrodes 36 are electrodes formed in series on the tip surface of the driving oscillator 29 and the wiring connection surface (upper surface in FIG. 3) which is one side surface of the driving oscillator 29 in the stacking direction. In addition, the wiring pattern of the flexible cable 24 (corresponding to the wiring member of the present invention) and each individual internal electrode 33 are electrically connected. The portion of the individual external electrode 36 on the wiring connection surface side is formed continuously from the position on the base end portion 23b of the vibrator toward the distal end side. The common external electrode 37 is an electrode formed in series on the base end surface of the driving vibrator 29 and the above-described wiring connection surface, and conducts between the wiring pattern of the flexible cable 24 and the common internal electrode 32. The portion of the common external electrode 37 on the wiring connection surface side is continuously formed from a position slightly closer to the base end than the end of the individual external electrode 36 on the fixed plate 22 side toward the base end surface side. .

In this embodiment, the external electrodes 36,
The outermost piezoelectric body 31a (corresponding to the outermost piezoelectric body of the present invention, which is disposed at the free end 23a where no 37 is formed,
Hereinafter, the outermost piezoelectric body 31a) is used as a trimming portion. This trimming portion is a portion for forming a local recess which is trimming, that is, a local deletion (perforation or removal) of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a. Therefore, in the present invention, the trimming portion is a portion to be formed with a local mass-reducing portion composed of local irregularities.

With respect to the trimming portion, a local recess is formed by trimming a front end side of the free end portion 23a of the outermost layer piezoelectric body 31a, for example, a position of X1 before the front end of the free end portion 23a illustrated in FIG. When formed, the portion where the displacement of the driving vibrator 29 is large is lightened, so that the natural vibration period is shortened. On the other hand, when trimming the base end side of the free end 23a of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a, for example, the position of X2 from the tip of the free end 23a illustrated in FIG. 3 (the position just before the base end of the free end 23a). Since the rigidity of the driving vibrator 29 decreases, the natural vibration period becomes longer.

As shown by the line segment D in FIG. 4, the natural vibration period of the driving vibrator 29 is such that the trimming position of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a goes from the base end of the free end 23a to the tip end. Accordingly, the natural vibration period is shortened almost linearly. This indicates that the natural oscillation period of the driving oscillator 29 can be adjusted depending on the position where the outermost piezoelectric body 31a is trimmed. Further, fine adjustment of the driving vibration cycle is also possible by adjusting the trimming depth and range. Then, by the trimming of the trimming portion, the variation of the natural vibration cycle of each drive vibrator 29 can be kept within an allowable range, and the natural vibration cycle can be made uniform.

Further, in this embodiment, the external electrodes 36,
37 is not used as the trimming portion, but the external electrodes 36,
Since the outermost piezoelectric body 31a of the free end 23a deviated from 37 is used as a trimming portion, the external electrodes 36 and 37 are separated by carelessness at the time of trimming.
Does not impair the activity of the piezoelectric body 31 facing the surface.

The limit in the depth direction (stacking direction) to be deleted by trimming is limited to the thickness of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a. That is, the limit is set to a range that does not damage the individual internal electrodes 33 disposed on the back surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a. This is because the activity of the piezoelectric body 31 disposed on the back surface side of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a is not impaired.

By the way, the outermost piezoelectric body 31a
Has the same thickness as the other piezoelectric members 31, but the thickness of the outermost piezoelectric member 31a can be set arbitrarily. For this reason, the outermost piezoelectric body 31a is replaced with another piezoelectric body 31a.
It may be thicker. And the outermost layer piezoelectric body 31
a, that is, when the trimming portion is thickened, the amount that can be trimmed increases, so that the adjustment range of the natural vibration period is widened, and damage to the individual internal electrodes 33 arranged on the back surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a can be suppressed. As a result, even if the trimming portion is inadvertently deleted too much, the individual internal electrode 33 can be prevented from being damaged because the trimming portion is sufficiently thick, and the manufacturing yield can be increased.

The outermost piezoelectric body 31a is not limited to the trimming portion, but another member may be provided as the trimming portion on the outermost piezoelectric body 31a.

For example, in a first modified example of the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4a illustrated in FIG. 5, a mass formed of a material having a higher density than the piezoelectric body 31 is formed on the surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a of the driving vibrator 29. The mass addition member 40 is configured as a trimming portion by joining the addition members 40 in series. The mass adding member 40 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel or tungsten.

In this modification, since the mass adding member 40 joined to the outermost piezoelectric body 31a is used as a trimming portion, the natural vibration period of each of the driving vibrators 29 is adjusted by trimming the trimming portion. Can be aligned. In this case, the outermost piezoelectric body 31a to which the mass adding portion is joined functions as an electrode damage prevention material for suppressing damage to the individual internal electrodes 33 disposed on the back surface. It should be noted that the laminated two layers of the mass adding member 40 and the outermost piezoelectric body 31a may function as a trimming portion.
In this case, the thickness of the individual internal electrode 33 disposed on the back surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a is increased by the two layers of the mass adding member 40 and the outermost piezoelectric body 31a. Damage to the individual internal electrodes 33 can also be suppressed.

The mass adding member 40 is not limited to that of the first modification. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7,
The mass adding member 40 may be disposed shorter in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator than that of the first modification.

The piezoelectric vibrator unit 4b of the second modified example illustrated in FIG. 6 has a small space between the fixed plate 22 and the surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a up to the tip of the free end 23a.
It is provided with a driving vibrator 29 in which a mass adding member 40 is joined in series. Further, the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4c of the third modified example illustrated in FIG. 7 has the outermost piezoelectric body 31a from a position spaced a predetermined distance from the tip of the free end 23a to the base end of the driving vibrator 29. On the surface, a driving vibrator 29 having a mass adding member 40 joined in series is provided. These second and third modified examples also have the same operation and effect as the first modified example illustrated in FIG. 5 only by changing the arrangement of the mass adding member 40.

In each of the above-described modifications, the mass adding member 40 is joined to one side surface of the driving vibrator 29.
There is a possibility that a bending mode (flexure mode) may be excited during the expansion and contraction of the actuator. However, since the tip of the drive oscillator 29 is joined to the island portion 16, the vibration mode that expands and contracts in the oscillator longitudinal direction is hardly affected. .

However, by suppressing the excitation of the bending mode, it is possible to further suppress variations in the amount and speed of the ejected ink droplets. Therefore, the mass adding members 40 may be joined to the opposing surfaces of the driving vibrator 29 in the stacking direction to balance the rigidity of the driving vibrator 29.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4d of the fourth modified example is configured such that the drive vibrator 29 has a free end 23a from a position spaced a predetermined distance before the base end of the free end 23a. The mass adding members 4 are provided on the surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a and the surface of the individual
The driving vibrator 29 is formed by joining a series of 0s corresponding to each other. In other words, the same mass adding member 40 is joined to the surface of the individual external electrode 36 corresponding to the mass adding member 40 in the second modification illustrated in FIG. In this manner, by joining the mass adding members 40 to the opposing surfaces in the stacking direction of the driving vibrator 29 so as to correspond to each other, the rigidity of the driving vibrator 29 is balanced and the excitation of the bending mode is suppressed. can do.

In each of the above-described modifications, the thickness of the mass adding member 40 can be set and changed as appropriate, and may be set according to the adjustment range of the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4.

By the way, the driving vibrator 2 having such a configuration
In 9, the base end portion 23b is a non-operating portion that does not expand and contract even when the piezoelectric body 31 in the active region operates. And
In the present embodiment, this non-operating portion is used as a wiring connection portion and also as a fixed plate connection portion.

That is, the flexible cable 24 is arranged on the wiring connection surface side of the base end 23b, and the individual external electrode 36 and the common external electrode 37 and the flexible cable 24 are electrically connected on the base end 23b. Connected. Specifically, the connection end of the flexible cable 24 is placed on the common electrode wiring section 30 and the individual electrode wiring section 38 shown in FIG.
4 is implemented. And this flexible cable 2
4, the driving pulse is applied to each of the electrodes 32, 33, 36, 37.
Supplied to On the other hand, a fixed plate 22 is joined to the fixed plate mounting surface of the base end 23b opposite to the wiring connection surface. In short, the driving oscillator 29 is fixed to the fixed plate 22 in a state like a so-called cantilever.

The piezoelectric vibrator 4 having the above-described structure is similar to that of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the piezoelectric vibrators 28 and 29 are mounted with the distal ends facing the flow path unit 3. In this mounted state, the distal end surface of the free end 23 a of the driving vibrator 29 is attached to the elastic plate 9. Is in contact with the island 16 from the back side,
The tip surface and the island 16 are adhered by an adhesive. Therefore, when a driving pulse is supplied to the driving vibrator 29, the driving vibrator 29 expands and contracts in the vibrator longitudinal direction, and deforms the elastic film 14 constituting the diaphragm portion 17 in the front-rear direction. The pressure chamber 12 expands or contracts in accordance with the movement of the diaphragm portion 17 in the front-rear direction, and changes the volume.

When an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle opening 10, the driving vibrator 2 for ejecting the ink droplet
A drive signal is selectively applied to the pressure chamber 9, and for example, the pressure chamber 12 is once expanded and then contracted. In this way, the ink in the reservoir 11 flows into the pressure chamber 12 as the pressure chamber 12 expands, and the pressure of the ink in the pressure chamber 12 increases as the pressure chamber 12 contracts. Then, the ink pushed out from the nozzle openings 10 is ejected as ink droplets.

Next, a procedure for manufacturing the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 will be described.

First, a plate-like laminate is produced (lamination production step). In this step, first, the common internal electrode 32 and the individual internal electrode 33
The common internal electrode 32 and the individual internal electrode 33 are connected to the piezoelectric body 3 so that a non-overlapping region including only the common internal electrode 32 is formed at the base end portion serving as the base end 23b.
1 to form a plate-like laminate.

After the plate-like laminate is manufactured, the distal end face of the laminate and the front end 23 to the base end 23 of the wiring connection surface are connected.
b, and a common external electrode 37 is formed continuously in a range from the base end of the laminated body and the base end on the wiring connection surface to the base end 23b. To produce a laminate with external electrodes.

In the meantime, when manufacturing the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 of the above-mentioned modified example, in the manufacturing process of the laminated body,
The joining step of the mass adding member 40 is added. That is, at the stage when the laminate with external electrodes is manufactured, the external electrodes 36, 3
A laminated body is manufactured by adding a step of joining the mass adding member 40 to the surface of the outermost layer piezoelectric body 31a in which 7 is not formed. In addition, the joining process of the mass adding member 40 is not limited to after the production of the laminate with the external electrodes,
This may be performed after the laminates 2 and 33 and the piezoelectric body 31 are alternately laminated to produce a laminate.

After the laminate with the external electrodes is produced, the fixing plate 22 is bonded to the fixing plate mounting surface of the base end 23b of the laminate by bonding or the like (unit production step).
Then, after the fixing plate 22 is joined, as shown in FIG. 2, the plate-shaped laminated body is divided into comb-like shapes using a wire saw, a dicing saw, or the like. A plurality of vibrators are manufactured by cutting the vibrators 28 and 29 (vibrator manufacturing step). At this time, FIGS. 1 and 2
As shown in (2), the groove 39 is formed obliquely so that it is cut up to the distal end position of the fixed plate 22 on the fixed plate 22 side and to the base end surface portion on the wiring connection surface side. In addition,
The reason why the plate-shaped laminated body is fixed to the fixing plate 22 before splitting is to make the splitting stable and to facilitate the subsequent handling. Therefore, if it is possible to split the teeth stably, the laminated body after the splitting may be fixed to the fixing plate 22.

In the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 thus manufactured, the driving vibrator 29 has a size of 50 μm to 100 μm.
Since it is cut into a very small width of about μm, the driving oscillator 29
May vary. Further, the length of the free end 23a of the piezoelectric vibrator may vary depending on the accuracy when the piezoelectric vibrator is joined to the fixed plate 22.
Due to such circumstances, each of the driving vibrators 2 after the tooth splitting is performed.
9 may have irregular natural vibration periods.

Therefore, in this embodiment, after the piezoelectric vibrators 28 and 29 are manufactured by cutting the plate-shaped laminated body, the natural vibration periods of the driving vibrators 29 are made uniform by the above-described method (adjustment step). ). In this adjustment step, a laser beam is applied to the trimming portion of the driving vibrator 29 that needs to be adjusted to partially remove the trimming portion, so that each driving vibrator 2 can be adjusted.
9 have the same natural vibration period. This makes it possible to make the natural vibration periods of the individual vibrators the same as a whole.

Hereinafter, the adjustment process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In this adjustment step, first, each driving vibrator 2
9 are measured (S1). For example, the natural oscillation period of the driving oscillator 29 is measured using a laser Doppler vibrometer and an oscilloscope. Then, the difference between the measured natural vibration period of the driving vibrator 29 and the target value is calculated (S2), and the trimming position and the depth of the trimming portion are calculated from the difference (S3). This calculation is, for example,
A data table showing the relationship between the trimming position and the natural vibration period as shown in the graph of FIG. 4 is provided in the memory of the microcomputer constituting the control device, and the data table can be used by using the data table. .

After calculating the trimming position and depth, trimming is performed using a laser beam, a part of the trimming portion is deleted (S4), the adjustment is completed, and the next drive oscillator 29 is adjusted. Do. Further, after a part of the trimming portion is deleted, a confirmation process for measuring a natural oscillation period of the trimmed drive oscillator 29 and determining whether or not the trimmed portion is within an allowable range of a target value may be provided. If it is determined that the driving vibration cycle is not within the allowable range by this confirmation processing, the above-described processing (S1 to S4) is repeated again to improve the adjustment accuracy.

Here, as a processing method for trimming,
Although laser beam processing that can easily perform trimming with high precision is used, the invention is not limited to this, and other known mechanical processing methods and electric discharge processing methods can also be used. In particular, in the case of each of the above-described modified examples, since the mass adding member 40 is trimmed, the individual internal electrodes 33 are not damaged even if the trimming is performed by plasma processing with lower precision than laser beam processing. The natural oscillation period can be adjusted. That is, the selection range of the trimming device can be expanded.

The advantage of the above-described manufacturing method is that in the final stage of the manufacturing process of the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4, by adjusting the trimming portion, it is possible to eliminate irregularities in the natural vibration periods of the individual driving vibrators 29. It is possible. As a result, even if the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 has conventionally been treated as defective, it can be mounted on a product by adjustment, and the production yield can be improved.
In addition, since the variation in the natural vibration period of the piezoelectric vibrator can be suppressed, the ejection characteristics of the ink droplets (for example, the amount and speed of the ink droplets) can be accurately aligned between the nozzle openings 10. Thereby, the image quality can be improved. Furthermore, since the adjustment of the drive oscillation cycle is performed at the final stage of the manufacturing process, the possibility that the drive oscillation cycle of the drive oscillator 29 changes after the adjustment is low. Therefore, unnecessary steps such as readjustment are not required, and the efficiency of manufacturing can be improved.

In the first embodiment, the natural vibration period is reduced by trimming the trimming portion of the driving vibrator 29, that is, by reducing the mass and adjusting the position by forming a local concave. Although the adjustment was made, the mass of the
The natural vibration period may be adjusted by adding 1 to increase the mass and adjusting its position.

For example, the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4e of the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 has the surface of the free end 23a in the stacking direction of the driving vibrator 29 configured as a mass adding section for adding a mass 41. It is. Specifically, the mass point adding portion is formed on the surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a and the surface of the individual external electrode 36 in a range from the distal end to the proximal end of the free end 23a. Further, either one of them may be configured as a mass point adding unit. Then, the mass point 4 is added to the mass addition section.
By adding 1, the natural vibration cycle of the driving vibrator 29 is adjusted. Here, the mass point 41 is a liquid material having a certain mass such as an adhesive or wax kneaded with metal particles or a solder (hereinafter referred to as a mass material).
3a is solidified on the surface. Note that the mass 41 has a fastening force that does not separate after being added.

The piezoelectric vibrator unit 4e is manufactured as follows. First, a common internal electrode 32 and an individual internal electrode 33 are alternately stacked with the piezoelectric body 31 interposed therebetween such that a non-polymerized region of only the common internal electrode 32 remains to produce a stacked body. Next, the individual external electrodes 36 are formed in a series on the distal end surface of the laminate and in the range from the distal end of the wiring connection surface to the position above the base end 23b. The common external electrode 37 is formed in a series in a range up to the base end 23b.

After the external electrodes 36 and 37 are formed, the fixing plate 22 is attached to the fixing plate mounting surface of the base end 23b of the laminate.
Are joined, and the laminated body is divided into comb teeth, and then an adjustment step is performed to equalize the natural vibration periods of the divided driving vibrators 29. In this adjusting step, the mass material is ejected to the mass adding unit by using, for example, an ejection device having a hot melt inkjet head (hereinafter, referred to as an ejection device), and the mass material landed on the mass addition unit is solidified. By adding the mass point 41, the natural vibration period of each driving vibrator 29 is made uniform. Thereby, the individual driving vibrators 29 as a whole are
Can have the same natural vibration period.

The specific procedure for adjusting the natural vibration period is the same as that in the case of trimming illustrated in FIG.
The following procedure is different. That is, based on the difference between the measured natural vibration cycle of the driving vibrator 29 and the target value, based on the data table indicating the relationship between the position at which the mass point is added and the natural vibration cycle, the position at which the mass point of the mass adding section is added, This is a procedure in which the amount to be added is calculated, and from the calculated value, a mass point is added and adjusted by the ejection device.

In the case of the second embodiment, in order to add the mass point 41, that is, to partially add mass to the free end portion 23a, it is possible to adjust the natural vibration period in a direction to increase the natural vibration period. Therefore, when the adjustment is performed, the individual driving vibrators 2
9, the natural vibration period of each driving vibrator 29 is aligned with the longest natural vibration period as the target value.

Incidentally, the first embodiment and the second embodiment
In the embodiment, the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 including the piezoelectric vibrator of the longitudinal vibration and the lateral effect which expands and contracts in the direction orthogonal to the laminating direction of the piezoelectric body 31 has been described. However, as illustrated in FIG. Piezoelectric vibrator unit 4f provided with a piezoelectric vibrator of a longitudinal vibration longitudinal effect deforming in the direction along the lamination direction
The present invention can also be applied to

In the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4f according to the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, a common internal electrode 32 and an individual internal electrode 33 sandwich a piezoelectric body 31 so that an active area is formed in a driving vibrator 29. The common external electrode 37 electrically connected to the common internal electrode 32 is formed on one side, and the individual external electrode 36 electrically connected to the individual internal electrode 33 is formed on the other side. Then, the driving vibrator 29
The tip of the outermost piezoelectric body 31 a (the uppermost piezoelectric body 31) is joined to the elastic plate 9 constituting a part of the pressure chamber 12, and a potential difference is applied to the internal electrodes 32 and 33 so that the stacking direction (FIG. 11, the elastic plate 9 is actuated, and the pressure chamber 12 is actuated in conjunction with the actuation of the elastic plate 9 to eject ink droplets.

In order to adjust the natural vibration period of the driving vibrator 29, the outermost piezoelectric body 31 that is the outermost layer in the laminating direction is adjusted.
a is a trimming portion, and the trimming portion is trimmed. Also, the surface of the individual external electrode 36 and the surface of the common external electrode 37 serving as the surface of the free end 23a may be used as a mass point adding section, and the natural oscillation period may be adjusted by adding the mass point 41 to the mass adding section. it can. Note that the mass adding member 40 may be joined to the surface of the outermost piezoelectric body 31a to form a trimming portion.

In each of the above-described embodiments, in order to adjust the natural vibration period of the driving vibrator 29, trimming for the trimming portion and mass point 41 for the mass adding portion are performed.
Has been described above, but the adjustment method is not limited to this. For example, by configuring a trimming unit and a mass point adding unit in the driving vibrator 29 and performing trimming on the trimming unit and addition of the mass point 41 on the mass adding unit together, the natural vibration period of the driving vibrator 29 is adjusted. Is also good. Also, the mass point 41 for the trimming portion
Addition and trimming and mass 4
By adding 1 in addition, the natural vibration cycle of the driving vibrator 29 may be adjusted. In short, the fixed vibration period of the piezoelectric vibrator can be adjusted by forming the local mass adjusting portion composed of the local unevenness. When the trimming and the addition of the mass point 41 are performed in this manner, the driving oscillator 29
Adjustment range can be expanded.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the natural vibration cycle of each of the driving vibrators 29... Is adjusted by the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 alone has been described. The natural oscillation period of the sub-elements 29 may be adjusted. Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment employing this method will be described.

In the fourth embodiment, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 12, an opening 42 for adjustment processing for communicating the outside of the case 2 with the storage space 5 is opened in the case 2. The adjustment processing opening 42 is used for adjusting the natural vibration period of the driving vibrators 29, that is, for forming the local mass adjusting portion from outside the case 2. The drive vibrators 29 are opened facing the free ends. Therefore, by performing trimming on the trimming portion and adding mass point 41 to the mass point adding portion through the adjustment processing opening 42, a local mass adjusting portion can be formed with the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 assembled to the recording head 1. The natural vibration period of the driving vibrators 29 can be adjusted.

In the fourth embodiment, the recording head 1 is manufactured according to the following procedure. First, the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 is manufactured. Briefly, a plate-shaped laminated body is produced by alternately laminating the common internal electrodes 32 and the individual internal electrodes 33 with the piezoelectric body 31 interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at the free end 23a. Then, an individual external electrode 36 and a common external electrode 37 are formed on the surface of the laminate base material to produce a laminate with external electrodes. After the stack is manufactured, the fixing plate 22 is joined to the fixing plate mounting surface of the stack, and the stack is cut into a comb-like shape to manufacture a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators 28 and 29.

After the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 is manufactured,
The separately manufactured flow path unit 3 and the case 2 are joined,
The piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 is housed inside the joined body, that is, in the housing space 5. When the piezoelectric vibrator unit 4 is housed in the housing space 5, the natural vibration period of each drive vibrator 29 is adjusted. This adjustment includes a natural vibration cycle measuring step and a vibration cycle adjusting step.

The natural vibration cycle measuring step is a step of measuring the natural vibration cycle of the driving vibrator 29 joined to the island 16 by applying an adjustment drive signal to all the driving vibrators 29. is there. This measurement is performed using, for example, a laser Doppler vibrometer and an oscilloscope as in the above-described embodiment. The vibration cycle adjusting step is a step of making the natural vibration cycles of the respective driving vibrators 29. That is, the processing conditions for the individual driving vibrators 29 are set based on the measurement results in the natural vibration period measuring step,
Based on the set processing conditions, a local mass adjusting portion is formed on the free end surface of the driving vibrator 29. That is, the local concave due to the trimming or the local convex due to the addition of the mass point 41,
It is formed as appropriate from the outside of the case 2 through the adjustment processing opening 42.

According to this adjustment method, the natural vibration period of the driving vibrator 29 is adjusted in a state where the driving vibrator 29 is assembled to the recording head 1. For example, the adjustment can be performed including the variation in the joining state between the drive oscillator 29 and the island portion 16. Further, since the adjustment of the natural oscillation period is performed at the final stage in the manufacturing process of the recording head 1, useless processes such as readjustment are not required, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

In each of the embodiments described above, the ink jet recording head 1 used in the image recording apparatus is exemplified as the liquid ejecting head. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to the recording head 1. . For example, the present invention can be applied to an injection head for an industrial machine such as an optical filter manufacturing apparatus, a textile printing apparatus, or a micro dispenser. In addition, since any of the liquid ejecting heads uses a highly durable piezoelectric vibrator, it can be stably used for a long period of time.

[0090]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. By forming a local mass adjusting portion composed of local irregularities on the surface of the free end portion of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator, it is possible to adjust the natural vibration period of the piezoelectric vibrator. The natural vibration period can be made equal to other natural vibration periods. Therefore, the ejection characteristics of the droplets ejected from each nozzle opening can be made uniform. Since the natural vibration period can be adjusted, even a piezoelectric vibrator unit which had to be treated as a defect in the past can be mounted on a product by adjustment, and the production yield can be improved.

Further, since the adjustment of the natural vibration cycle is performed after the vibration is divided into the vibrators, it is unlikely that the natural vibration cycle of the piezoelectric vibrator changes after the adjustment. Therefore, unnecessary steps such as readjustment are not required, and the efficiency of manufacturing can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view showing a main part of a piezoelectric vibrator unit and an ink jet recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a trimming position of the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention and its natural vibration period.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a first modified example of the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second modification of the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a third modified example of the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a fourth modified example of the piezoelectric vibrator unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an adjustment step in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a piezoelectric vibrator unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a piezoelectric vibrator unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a main part of a recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording head 3 Flow path unit 4 Piezoelectric vibrator unit 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f Piezoelectric vibrator unit of a modification 7 Flow path forming plate 8 Nozzle plate 9 Elastic plate 10 Nozzle opening 16 Island part 21 Vibrator Group 22 fixing plate 23a free end 23b base end 24 flexible cable (wiring member) 29 drive vibrator 31 piezoelectric body 31a outermost layer piezoelectric body (outermost layer piezoelectric body) 32 common internal electrode (first internal electrode) 33 individual Internal electrode (second internal electrode) 36 Individual external electrode (second external electrode) 37 Common external electrode (first external electrode) 39 Groove 40 Mass adding member 41 Mass point 42 Opening for adjustment processing

Claims (20)

[Claims] A first internal electrode and a second internal electrode are alternately stacked with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end, and a first external electrode electrically connected to the first internal electrode. A plurality of piezoelectric vibrators each having a surface formed with a second external electrode electrically connected to the first electrode and the second internal electrode;
In the piezoelectric vibrator unit in which the piezoelectric body is actuated by giving a potential difference to the piezoelectric body in the active region through the external electrode to displace the free end, the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator has a surface at the free end, A piezoelectric vibrator unit, comprising a local mass adjusting portion composed of local irregularities. 2. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 1, wherein the free end of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator is a trimming portion for forming a local recess by trimming. 3. The piezoelectric device according to claim 1, wherein the outermost piezoelectric body is thicker than the other piezoelectric body layers.
4. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to item 1. 4. A mass adding member formed of a material having a higher density than the piezoelectric body is joined to a surface of the outermost piezoelectric body,
The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 1, wherein the mass adding member is a trimming portion. 5. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 4, wherein the mass adding member is joined to both surfaces of the piezoelectric vibrator. 6. The piezoelectric vibration according to claim 1, wherein a surface of an outermost layer that is separated from both the first external electrode and the second external electrode is a trimming portion. Child unit. 7. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 1, wherein the free end of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator is a mass adding section that forms a local projection by adding a mass. 8. The mass point may be an adhesive or a wax,
8. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 7, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator unit is formed by adding and solidifying a mass material made of any one of solder in a fluid state. 9. The piezoelectric vibrator according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator is constituted by a vibrator group produced by dividing a laminated body in which piezoelectric bodies and internal electrodes are alternately laminated into a comb shape. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 10. The piezoelectric vibrator according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator is a piezoelectric vibrator having a longitudinal vibration and a lateral effect capable of displacing a free end in a direction orthogonal to a laminating direction. 4. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to item 1. 11. The piezoelectric vibrator according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric vibrator is a piezoelectric vibrator having a longitudinal vibration longitudinal effect capable of displacing a free end in a laminating direction. Transducer unit. 12. The piezoelectric vibrator according to claim 1, further comprising a non-operating portion that does not expand and contract even when the piezoelectric body in the active region operates, and the non-operating portion is joined to a fixed plate. 12. The piezoelectric vibrator unit according to any one of the eleventh to eleventh aspects. 13. A piezoelectric vibrator unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a flow path unit provided with an elastic plate constituting a part of a sealing material of a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle opening. A liquid ejecting head comprising: a piezoelectric vibrator unit mounted in a state in which a front end surface of the piezoelectric vibrator is joined to an elastic plate. 14. A case having a storage space formed therein for accommodating the piezoelectric vibrator unit, wherein the case has an adjustment processing opening for communicating the outside of the case and the storage space in each piezoelectric vibrator. 14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the local mass control unit is formed from the outside of the case through the opening for adjustment processing.
3. The liquid jet head according to 1. 15. An electrode layer serving as a common internal electrode and an electrode layer serving as an individual internal electrode are alternately stacked with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end. A laminate forming step of forming a plate-like laminate by forming on the surface individual common electrodes electrically connected to the separated common external electrode and the individual internal electrode, and a fixed end portion of the laminate prepared in the laminate forming step A unit manufacturing step of bonding the unit to the fixed plate, a vibrator forming step of cutting the laminated body attached to the fixed plate to form a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators, and a localization in the outermost layer in the laminating direction of the separated piezoelectric vibrators. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit, which is manufactured through an adjusting step of forming a local mass adjusting portion made of irregularities. 16. An electrode layer serving as a common internal electrode and an electrode layer serving as an individual internal electrode are alternately stacked with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end. A laminate forming step of forming a plate-like laminate by forming on the surface individual common electrodes electrically connected to the separated common external electrode and the individual internal electrode, and a fixed end portion of the laminate prepared in the laminate forming step Unit manufacturing step of bonding the piezoelectric vibrator to the fixed plate, a vibrator preparing step of cutting the laminated body attached to the fixed plate to form a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators, and the outermost layer in the laminating direction of the cut piezoelectric vibrators. By trimming the free end of the outermost piezoelectric body,
A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit, which comprises manufacturing the piezoelectric vibrator unit through an adjusting step of equalizing the natural vibration periods of the respective piezoelectric vibrators. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein in the adjusting step, an outermost piezoelectric body at a free end is trimmed by one of laser beam machining, mechanical machining, and electric discharge machining. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit. 18. An electrode layer serving as a common internal electrode and an electrode layer serving as an individual internal electrode are alternately stacked with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end. A laminate forming step of forming a plate-shaped laminate by forming on the surface an individual external electrode electrically connected to the common external electrode and the individual internal electrode, and fixing the fixed end of the laminate on which the external electrode is formed A unit manufacturing process for attaching to a plate, a vibrator producing process for producing a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators by separating a laminated body attached to a fixed plate, and adding a mass point to a surface of a free end of the divided piezoelectric vibrator. And a step of adjusting the natural vibration period of each piezoelectric vibrator. 19. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the adjusting step, a mass is formed by discharging a mass material made of an adhesive, wax, or solder to the surface of the free end.
9. The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric vibrator unit according to item 8. 20. A first internal electrode and a second internal electrode are alternately laminated with a piezoelectric body interposed therebetween so that an active region is formed at a free end, and a first external electrode electrically connected to the first internal electrode. A plurality of piezoelectric vibrators each having a surface on which a second external electrode electrically connected to the electrode and the second internal electrode are formed, and a potential difference is applied to the piezoelectric material in the active region through the first external electrode and the second external electrode to thereby provide the piezoelectric material. A piezoelectric vibrator unit capable of displacing a free end portion, a flow path unit including an elastic plate constituting a part of a sealing material of a pressure chamber connected to a nozzle opening, and the vibrator unit. A housing cavity in which the housing space can be housed, and a case in which the housing space is communicated with the outside and an adjustment processing opening facing the free end surface of the vibrator unit housed in the housing space is provided. The tip face of the piezoelectric vibrator is joined to an elastic plate A method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head that deforms a pressure chamber by deforming the piezoelectric vibrator to cause a change in liquid pressure in the pressure chamber and ejects liquid from a corresponding nozzle opening. A natural vibration period measuring step of measuring a natural vibration period of each of the piezoelectric vibrators by applying an adjustment drive signal in a state where the end surfaces of the piezoelectric vibrators are joined; and Based on the measurement results, processing conditions for the individual piezoelectric vibrators are set, and based on the set processing conditions, a local mass adjusting portion having local irregularities on the surface at the free end of the outermost layer of the piezoelectric vibrator is used for the adjustment processing. A vibration cycle adjusting step of adjusting the natural oscillation cycle of the piezoelectric vibrator by forming through the opening.