Liquid Ejection Head Heat Dissipation via Segmented Thermal Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Liquid ejection heads with multiple head units suffer from positional misalignment due to manufacturing errors, leading to insufficient contact between common heat dissipators and driver ICs, which deteriorates heat dissipation performance.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of individual heat dissipators for each head unit, in addition to a common heat dissipator, ensures thermal contact between the driver ICs and the heat dissipators, improving heat dissipation by allowing efficient heat transfer and maintaining contact even with positional misalignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a common heat dissipator is shared among multiple head units, then the device complexity is reduced, but the heat dissipation performance deteriorates due to positional misalignment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipator structureVSAvoidheat dissipation performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The heat dissipator is divided into multiple independent heat dissipating portions, each corresponding to a specific head unit. This segmentation allows each portion to independently contact its corresponding driver IC without being affected by misalignment in other head units, thereby maintaining reliable thermal contact while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If individual heat dissipators are provided for each head unit, then the heat dissipation performance is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation performanceVSAvoidheat dissipator structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple independent heat dissipating portions are integrated into a single common heat dissipator structure. This merging approach provides the heat dissipation benefits of individual dissipators for each head unit while avoiding the complexity of completely separate dissipator assemblies, as all portions are part of one unified component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Manufacturing precision

If manufacturing precision is increased to eliminate positional misalignment, then the contact between heat dissipator and driver ICs is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehead unit positioningVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The heat dissipator structure is designed with multiple independent heat dissipating portions that can independently accommodate positional variations of driver ICs. This design provides a built-in buffer against manufacturing tolerances, eliminating the need for high-precision positioning while maintaining reliable thermal contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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 enhances the heat dissipation performance of the liquid ejection head by ensuring consistent temperature regulation across all head units, reducing operational failures and improving image recording quality.

Implementation Method 1

Each of the plurality of first individual heat dissipators is disposed between the first driver integrated circuit and the first common heat dissipator of the first corresponding head unit so as to be in thermal contact with the first driver integrated circuit and the first common heat dissipator

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal contact: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS11724496B2Liquid ejection head

Publication Date: 2023.08.15 BROTHER KOGYO KK

AI summary

A liquid ejection head includes: head units arranged in a first direction; first individual heat dissipators each corresponding to one of the head units and disposed on a first side of the head unit in a second direction; and a first common heat dissipator disposed on the first side of the head units in the second direction. The first common heat dissipator extends in the first direction and shared among the head units. Each head unit includes: a unit body including an actuator; and a first driver integrated circuit disposed on the first side of the unit body in the second direction. Each of the first individual heat dissipators is disposed between the first driver integrated circuit and the first common heat dissipator of the head unit so as to be in thermal contact with the first driver integrated circuit and the first common heat dissipator.