Flexible Wiring Member for Liquid Ejection Head Voltage Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing liquid ejection heads face challenges with voltage drop in the common electrode due to limited wiring space, leading to fluctuations in drive voltage applied to piezoelectric elements, especially as the number of simultaneously discharging nozzles increases, which affects ink discharge consistency and requires a larger area for common electrode wiring.
Innovation Solution
The proposed wiring member for the liquid ejection head separates individual and common electrode wiring terminals and wires on opposite sides, allowing for a larger area for common electrode wires, reducing voltage drop and enabling a smaller head size by securing through-holes for connection and bending the wiring member to connect terminals effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the common electrode wiring is arranged on the same side as individual electrode wiring terminals, then the wiring space is limited, but the voltage drop increases and drive voltage fluctuates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by moving the common electrode wiring from the same plane to the opposite side of the wiring member, utilizing the third dimension (depth/thickness) of the flexible printed circuit board. This spatial reconfiguration allows the common electrode wiring to occupy a larger effective area without increasing the planar footprint, thereby reducing voltage drop while maintaining compact head size.
2Reliability
If the area for common electrode wiring is increased to reduce voltage drop, then the liquid ejection head size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the opposite side of the flexible wiring member to accommodate common electrode wiring, effectively doubling the available wiring area within the same planar footprint. This dimensional exploitation allows sufficient wiring area for low voltage drop without increasing the overall head volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible printed circuit board as the wiring member, which can be bent and folded to accommodate the common electrode wiring on the opposite side. This flexibility allows the wiring to be routed efficiently in three-dimensional space, providing adequate wiring area while maintaining a compact head structure.
3Productivity
If multiple nozzles discharge simultaneously, then productivity increases, but voltage fluctuation increases due to limited wiring area
Solution Approach 1:
By configuring common electrode wiring on the opposite side of the wiring member, the patent creates sufficient wiring area to handle the increased current demands of simultaneous multi-nozzle discharge. This spatial arrangement provides lower resistance paths that maintain voltage stability even under high-load conditions.
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 suppresses voltage drop in the common electrode, reduces the size of the liquid ejection head, and maintains consistent ink discharge from multiple nozzles by securing a larger area for common electrode wiring, thereby minimizing the size of the fluid ejection apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
This type of liquid ejection head discharges droplets from the nozzles using the change in pressure produced by applying a drive voltage (drive pulse) to drive the piezoelectric element to change the volume of the pressure chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A wiring member for a liquid ejection head enables reducing the size of the liquid ejection head. A flexible printed circuit has on one end a plurality of individual electrode wiring terminals corresponding to individual element electrode terminals of piezoelectric elements; individual electrode wires corresponding to the individual electrode wiring terminals; a common electrode wiring terminal corresponding to a common electrode terminal of the piezoelectric elements; and a common electrode wire corresponding to the common electrode wiring terminal. The individual electrode wiring terminals, common electrode wiring terminal, and individual electrode wires are disposed on one side of the flexible printed circuit, and the common electrode wire is disposed on the other side of the flexible printed circuit.