Liquid Discharge Head Protrusions for Satellite Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge heads face challenges in controlling the landing positions of satellites, leading to image quality deterioration due to the difficulty in reducing the tail length of droplets, which results in mist formation and contamination of the recording medium.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge head configuration that generates a bubble in a pressure chamber to discharge liquid through a discharge orifice, where the bubble communicates with the atmosphere, reducing the tail length and suppressing satellite formation by controlling the atmospheric communication time and discharge orifice dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the distance between recording elements and discharge orifices is made shorter to reduce tail length, then satellite occurrence is reduced, but further reduction in tail length becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the discharge orifice by forming protrusions that extend into the discharge orifice from the outer surface. This modifies the effective discharge area and the bubble discharge characteristics, enabling further tail length reduction beyond what is achievable by simply shortening the distance between recording elements and discharge orifices.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of only reducing the distance in one dimension, the invention adds a new dimensional approach by forming protrusions that extend into the discharge orifice. This creates a three-dimensional modification of the discharge path, allowing tail length reduction while maintaining adequate spacing between recording elements and discharge orifices for high throughput.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If discharge orifices are formed as shapes other than circles to reduce satellites, then image quality improves, but tail length reduction is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality modification by forming protrusions at specific locations within the discharge orifice rather than changing the overall circular shape. These protrusions create localized modifications to the discharge path that effectively reduce tail length and satellite occurrence while maintaining a simple circular discharge orifice geometry.
3Productivity
If high throughput is demanded, then productivity increases, but satellite control becomes difficult leading to image quality deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions modify the discharge parameters by changing the effective discharge area and bubble discharge characteristics. This allows high throughput operation while controlling satellite occurrence, as the protrusions enable sufficient tail length reduction even when recording elements are positioned at optimal distances for high throughput.
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 solution effectively reduces the tail length of droplets, minimizing satellite formation and mist, thereby enhancing image quality and preventing medium contamination, while maintaining high throughput.
Implementation Method 1
A bubble is generated in the pressure chamber by the thermal energy, the generated bubble enters inside the discharge orifice portion
Implementation Method 2
The bubble that has entered inside the discharge orifice portion communicates with the atmosphere on the outside of the discharge orifice
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge head includes a recording element configured to generate thermal energy and a discharge orifice disposed at a position facing the recording element. A bubble is generated in liquid by the thermal energy, liquid between the bubble and the discharge orifice is discharged from the discharge orifice by the pressure of the generated bubble, and the bubble communicates with the atmosphere on the outside of the discharge orifice.