Liquid Ejection Head Inlet Arrangement for Rigidity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid ejection heads, the increased length and reduced inter-inlet distance of substrates lead to lower rigidity, causing the ejection port forming member to easily peel away from the substrate, especially under stress, compromising the reliability of high-quality and high-speed recording.
Innovation Solution
The arrangement of inlets on the substrate with varying inter-inlet distances, where the shortest distance is positioned away from both ends, reduces the stress concentration and deformation, thereby enhancing the substrate's rigidity and preventing peeling of the ejection port forming member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the substrate length is increased to accommodate more ejection ports, then the recording quality and speed are improved, but the substrate rigidity is lowered causing peeling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the inter-inlet distance at different positions along the substrate. Specifically, the inter-inlet distance is made shorter at both end portions and longer at the intermediate portion, creating non-uniform local characteristics that optimize both rigidity and ejection port density in different regions of the substrate
2Ease of manufacture
If the inter-inlet distance is shortened to reduce substrate width, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the substrate rigidity is lowered causing peeling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating different inter-inlet distances in different regions. The end portions have shorter inter-inlet distances for compactness and cost reduction, while the intermediate portion has longer distances to maintain rigidity and prevent peeling under stress
3Reliability
If the substrate and ejection port forming member are made more rigid, then peeling is reduced, but the inter-inlet distance must be increased reducing ejection port density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality principles: the intermediate portion maintains larger inter-inlet distances to provide rigidity and prevent peeling, while the end portions use smaller inter-inlet distances to maximize ejection port density without compromising overall reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejection head includes a substrate in which at least four inlets to which a liquid is supplied are arranged, and an ejection port forming member provided with an ejection port from which the liquid supplied to the inlets is ejected and provided in the substrate. The inlets are each formed along a first direction and are arranged in a second direction which crosses the first direction. A plurality of inter-inlet areas sandwiched between the inlets adjacent to each other has at least two types of areas different in distance between the inlets adjacent to each other, and, among the inter-inlet areas, an area positioned on each of both ends of the substrate is different from an area in which the distance between the inlets is the shortest.