Liquid Ejection Head Crosstalk Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

In liquid ejection heads, densely packed pressurizing chambers and laminated piezoelectric actuator substrates lead to crosstalk, resulting in insufficient recording accuracy and variations in ejection characteristics when driving signals are delayed.

Innovation Solution

The method involves transmitting driving signals with varying delay times to adjacent displacement elements, using a combination of main pulses, cancel pulses, and prepulses to optimize the timing and voltage changes in the pressurizing chambers, reducing crosstalk and maintaining consistent displacement element states.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If pressurizing chambers are densely packed to increase ejection hole density for high-resolution printing, then printing resolution is improved, but crosstalk between adjacent liquid ejection elements is generated causing recording accuracy to deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprinting resolutionVSAvoidrecording accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by transmitting driving signals with optimized timing to adjacent displacement elements before crosstalk affects ejection characteristics. Specifically, driving signals are transmitted with different timing to adjacent elements, and cancel pulses are sent after main pulses to preemptively counteract crosstalk effects, thereby maintaining recording accuracy while preserving high printing resolution achieved through dense pressurizing chamber packing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary anti-action by using cancel pulses that are transmitted after main pulses to adjacent displacement elements. These cancel pulses are specifically designed to counteract the crosstalk generated by the main pulses, thereby preventing the deterioration of recording accuracy while maintaining the high ejection hole density required for high printing resolution

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Measurement precision

If driving signals are delayed and transmitted to adjacent liquid ejection elements to suppress crosstalk, then recording accuracy is improved, but ejection characteristic variations occur due to signal overlap

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverecording accuracyVSAvoidejection characteristic consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by transmitting driving signals with different timing characteristics to adjacent displacement elements. Specifically, cancel pulses are transmitted with different timing to adjacent elements compared to the main pulse, creating locally optimized signal patterns that suppress crosstalk without causing harmful overlaps, thereby maintaining both recording accuracy and ejection characteristic consistency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements parameter changes by varying the timing parameters of driving signals transmitted to adjacent displacement elements. The cancel pulses are transmitted with optimized delay times and duration parameters that differ from the main pulses, allowing suppression of crosstalk while preventing signal overlap that would cause ejection characteristic variations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If piezoelectric actuator substrate is laminated to cover multiple pressurizing chambers, then device integration is improved, but crosstalk between adjacent elements is generated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice integrationVSAvoidcrosstalk
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by controlling adjacent displacement elements with different driving signal timing patterns. The piezoelectric actuator substrate is divided into independently controlled zones with customized signal transmission timing, where cancel pulses are sent to adjacent elements after main pulses to segment the crosstalk pathways, thereby maintaining high device integration while reducing harmful crosstalk effects

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

This approach reduces ejection characteristic variations and improves recording accuracy by minimizing crosstalk and maintaining consistent energy application to the liquid, leading to more uniform droplet ejection and improved image quality.

Implementation Method 1

a piezoelectric system in which a wall of a part of the ink channel filled with an ink is bent and displaced by a displacement element, the ink in the ink channel is mechanically pressurized

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPiezoelectric effect: Piezoelectric Effect

Data Source

PatentEP2832544B1Method for driving liquid-discharging head and recording device
Publication Date: 2020.11.18 KYOCERA CORP
  • EP2832544B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2832544B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2832544B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

[Object] To provide a method of driving a liquid ejection head capable of reducing liquid ejection characteristic variations when a driving signal is delayed and then driven and a recording apparatus. [Solution] In a method of driving a liquid ejection head which includes a channel member 4 including a plurality of ejection holes 8 and a plurality of pressurizing chambers 10, and a plurality of pressurizing units 50, the driving signals include a prepulse, and a main pulse and a cancel pulse ejecting a liquid, and at least one of the cases in which the signals that allow the volume of the pressurizing chambers 10 of the prepulse to be decreased are transmitted while the main pulse or the cancel pulse transmitted to the pressurizing units 50 corresponding to the pressurizing chambers 10 adjacent to one another in the row direction with respect to the pressurizing chambers 10 is transmitted, or signals that allow the volume of the pressurizing chambers 10 of the cancel pulse to be increased are transmitted while the main pulse or the prepulse transmitted to the pressurizing units 50 corresponding to the pressurizing chambers 50 adjacent to one another in the row direction with respect to the pressurizing chambers 10 is transmitted is satisfied.