Liquid Ejection Head Supply Port Dimension Variation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid ejection heads, the requirement for equal opening areas of supply ports to maintain ink supply performance leads to increased size and cost due to differences in etching rates, resulting in oversized or misshapen ports during dry etching, and larger supply ports are needed to ensure ink supply performance, which increases the overall size of the print head.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection head design with a first, second, and third supply port array, where the third supply ports have varying dimensions to maintain equal opening areas, allowing for stable ink supply while reducing the substrate size, and the ejection ports are arranged to ensure high-quality image printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If supply ports are designed with equal opening areas to maintain ink supply performance, then ink supply stability is improved, but substrate size increases due to oversized ports needed to compensate for etching rate variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the third supply ports have non-uniform dimensions along the second direction, with different portions having different sizes. Specifically, the third supply ports have a first portion, second portion, and third portion with varying dimensions, where the first and second portions are larger than the third portion. This localized variation compensates for etching rate differences across the substrate, maintaining equal effective opening areas and stable ink supply performance while reducing overall substrate size.
2Productivity
If supply ports are made larger to maintain ink supply performance, then ink supply capability is improved, but print head size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by designing the third supply ports with non-uniform dimensions where specific portions (first and second portions) are larger than the third portion. This localized enlargement maintains adequate ink supply capability in critical areas while avoiding unnecessary enlargement of the entire substrate, thereby reducing overall print head size and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes dimensional variation by introducing different portions along the second direction with varying sizes. Instead of uniformly enlarging supply ports in all dimensions, the invention varies dimensions selectively along the second direction, maintaining ink supply capability while minimizing the increase in substrate area and print head size.
3Manufacturing precision
If dry etching is used to form supply ports with equal opening areas, then manufacturing precision is improved, but etching time increases due to different etching rates for different port sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the third supply ports with non-uniform dimensions where different portions have different sizes. This localized variation compensates for etching rate differences across the substrate, allowing all supply ports to achieve equal effective opening areas through a single etching process, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while reducing total etching time.
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 design achieves stable and high-quality ink ejection with reduced substrate size, maintaining ink supply performance and preventing ink supply insufficiency, thus ensuring high-quality printed images.
Implementation Method 1
The ink in the ink path 77 is heated by an electrothermal conversion element (heater) 79 as an energy generation element to form a bubble, and thereby being ejected from the corresponding ejection port 78
Data Source
AI summary
The liquid ejection head capable of securing a high performance of supplying liquid through supply ports while reducing the size of the substrate is provided. The liquid ejecting apparatus using such a liquid ejection head are also provided. The third supply ports situated between the first ejection port array and the second ejection port array include a portion of a large dimension and a portion of a small dimension.