Liquid Ejection Head Reference Member Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejection head configurations for printing apparatuses, such as those described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-188057, suffer from unstable orientation and positioning due to direct support at two points, leading to potential improper attachment and deterioration of printing quality.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection head design featuring an ejection element substrate with multiple ejection ports arrayed in a first direction, supported by a support member and positioned using a reference member with three distinct reference points: two at one end and one between them in the second direction, ensuring stable attachment and accurate alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the liquid ejection head is directly supported by a support plate at two points, then the replacement work is simple, but the orientation becomes unstable and positioning is inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The reference member is divided into multiple reference points (first reference point, second reference point, and third reference point) positioned at different locations. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity while improving positioning reliability through distributed reference points that constrain orientation more effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the reference member are assigned different functions: the first and second reference points are positioned at one end while the third reference point is positioned at the other end. This local differentiation creates asymmetric positioning that stabilizes orientation while maintaining ease of replacement operation.
2Device complexity
If the liquid ejection head is directly supported by a support plate at two points, then the device complexity is low, but the positioning precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The reference member is segmented into multiple reference points distributed across different regions. This segmentation enables high positioning precision without significantly increasing device complexity, as the reference points are integrated into an otherwise simple support structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning system transitions from two-point support to three-point support by adding a third reference point in a different spatial arrangement. This dimensional change from planar to triangular configuration provides robust positioning accuracy while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Loss of time
If the liquid ejection head is directly supported by a support plate at two points, then the attachment process is fast, but the printing quality deteriorates due to improper attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The reference member is segmented into multiple reference points that work together to ensure proper attachment. This segmentation allows for rapid attachment while improving reliability, as the distributed reference points guide correct positioning without requiring complex alignment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference points are pre-positioned on the reference member in specific patterns before attachment. This preliminary arrangement of reference points ensures that proper attachment is achieved quickly and reliably, preventing improper installation while maintaining fast attachment speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus that can suppress a deterioration of the printing quality. To this end, in the liquid ejection head, as a reference member, a first reference member and a second reference member that are provided at one end portion in a second direction crossing a first direction in which ejection ports are arrayed so as to be in different positions in the first direction, and a third reference member that is provided at the other end portion in the second direction so as to be between, in the first direction, the first reference member and the second reference member are provided.