Damper Member for Liquid Discharge Head Pressure Wave Absorption

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In liquid discharge recording apparatuses with densely-arranged nozzles, pressure waves generated during droplet ejection from one nozzle can interfere with adjacent or nearby pressure chambers, affecting the accuracy and consistency of droplet ejection.

Innovation Solution

A liquid discharge head incorporating a damper member with damper chambers on the substrate surface between pressure chambers, designed to absorb and mitigate pressure waves, utilizing materials with specific acoustic impedance and reflectance properties to minimize crosstalk and ensure accurate droplet ejection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If densely-arranged nozzles are used to reduce head size and increase image resolution, then productivity and image quality are improved, but pressure waves generated during droplet ejection interfere with adjacent pressure chambers, worsening manufacturing precision and droplet ejection accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage resolutionVSAvoiddroplet ejection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

A damper member is introduced as an intermediary component between adjacent pressure chambers. This damper member includes damping portions positioned between the pressure chambers to absorb pressure waves, preventing them from propagating to neighboring chambers. The damper member acts as a mediator that isolates the pressure chambers from each other's pressure wave interference, thereby maintaining droplet ejection accuracy while allowing densely-arranged nozzles for high-resolution imaging

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the volume of pressure chamber is changed to eject liquid droplets from densely-arranged nozzles, then productivity is improved, but pressure waves propagate to other pressure chambers through common flow path, worsening droplet ejection consistency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedroplet ejection speedVSAvoiddroplet ejection consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The common flow path is segmented by introducing damping portions in the damper member that are positioned between adjacent pressure chambers. These damping portions divide the continuous flow path into isolated sections, preventing pressure waves from one pressure chamber from propagating through the common flow path to affect other pressure chambers. This segmentation maintains stable droplet ejection characteristics while enabling high-speed droplet ejection from densely-arranged nozzles

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The damper member effectively absorbs pressure waves, suppressing fluctuations in droplet ejection speed and volume, allowing for high-accuracy liquid droplet discharge from nozzles, thereby enhancing the precision and reliability of the liquid discharge recording process.

Implementation Method 1

The damper member is on a second surface of the substrate and configured to absorb a pressure wave

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure wave absorption: Acoustic Absorption

Data Source

PatentEP3789203B1Liquid discharge head and liquid discharge recording apparatus
Publication Date: 2023.03.15 TOSHIBA TEC KK
  • EP3789203B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3789203B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3789203B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

According to one or more embodiments, a liquid discharge head comprises a substrate, a nozzle plate, and a damper member. The substrate comprises a plurality of pressure chambers. The nozzle plate is provided on a first surface of the substrate and comprises a plurality of nozzles, each of the plurality of nozzles aligned with a corresponding one of the plurality of pressure chambers. The damper member is provided on a second surface of the substrate and comprises a pressure wave absorbing material.