Drive Circuit Waveform Segmentation for Liquid Discharge Head Nozzle Consistency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The discharge speed of droplets in liquid discharge heads varies depending on the position of the nozzles, leading to inconsistent performance.
Innovation Solution
A drive circuit with first and second drive-waveform generator circuits and corresponding control circuits is used to generate and select drive waveforms for piezoelectric elements in the liquid discharge head, allowing for correction of discharge speed at nozzle ends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single drive waveform is applied to all piezoelectric elements in the liquid discharge head, then the device complexity is reduced, but the discharge speed consistency across different nozzle positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid discharge head is divided into multiple regions (first region with nozzles at one end, second region with nozzles at the other end, and third region in the middle). Different drive waveforms are applied to each region through separate drive-waveform generator circuits and waveform-selection control circuits, allowing discharge speed optimization for each region while managing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different drive waveforms with region-specific characteristics are applied to different regions of the liquid discharge head. The first and second drive waveforms are designed with different waveform shapes and/or frequencies to compensate for position-dependent discharge speed variations, ensuring each region achieves consistent discharge performance.
2Measurement precision
If correction voltages are stored in memory circuits for each region, then the discharge speed precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Correction voltage values are pre-calculated and stored in memory circuits associated with each drive-waveform generator circuit before operation. During discharge, these pre-stored correction values are automatically applied to compensate for positional discharge speed variations, eliminating the need for real-time calculation and reducing operational complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple drive waveforms are generated and selected for different nozzle regions, then the discharge speed uniformity is improved, but the productivity is reduced due to increased control complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The waveform-selection control circuits dynamically select between first and second drive waveforms based on the operational region, allowing the system to adapt discharge parameters to positional requirements while maintaining efficient operation across all nozzles.
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
This configuration ensures consistent discharge speed across all nozzles, reducing positional deviations of dots on the discharge surface and improving overall image forming quality.
Implementation Method 1
a first drive waveform to be applied to piezoelectric elements in a liquid discharge head
Data Source
AI summary
A drive circuit includes a first drive-waveform generator circuit, first waveform-selection control circuits, second drive-waveform generator circuits, second waveform-selection control circuits, and memory circuits. The first drive-waveform generator circuit generates a first drive waveform applied to piezoelectric elements in a liquid discharge head. Each of the first waveform-selection control circuits is connected to the first drive-waveform generator circuits, to select the first drive waveform. The second drive-waveform generator circuits generates a second drive waveform applied to the piezoelectric elements corresponding to nozzles at each end of the liquid discharge head. The second waveform-selection control circuits are connected in parallel with the second drive-waveform generator circuits, respectively, to select one of the first drive waveform and the second drive waveform. The memory circuits is connected to the second drive-waveform generator circuits to store a correction voltage value of the second drive waveform.