Ink Jet Head Flexible Cable Protection Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet heads with flexible cables are prone to damage due to keen end portions of the sealing material, which can cause the cables to break when attached to an outer substrate, especially when the cables are thin and flexible.
Innovation Solution
An ink jet head design featuring a cover with a slit-shaped opening, a flexible cable with a band shape, and a protection member with a plate shape that protrudes outside the cover, providing a higher rigidity than the cable, and a sealing material like epoxy thermosetting resin to prevent damage by dispersing stress through inclined or curved end edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a flexible cable is used for electrical connection, then the routing space can be reduced and the device size can be minimized, but the cable may be damaged by keen end portions of the sealing material
Solution Approach 1:
A protection member is introduced as an intermediary component between the sealing material and the flexible cable. This protection member has a tapered shape with a wide base and narrow tip, positioned to contact the flexible cable before the sealing material does, thereby mediating the interaction and preventing the sealing's keen end portions from directly damaging the cable
Solution Approach 2:
The protection member is installed beforehand to cushion and distribute the stress that would otherwise be concentrated on the flexible cable. Its tapered geometry allows it to absorb and redirect forces during cable insertion and movement, preventing damage before it occurs to the cable
2Reliability
If the sealing surface has a keen end portion to ensure secure sealing, then the sealing effectiveness is improved, but the flexible cable may be damaged during attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The protection member serves as a mediator between the sealing material and the flexible cable. It maintains the sharp end portion of the sealing for effective sealing while simultaneously protecting the cable from direct contact with these potentially harmful edges through its own tapered geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The protection member converts the potentially harmful keen end portions of the sealing material into a beneficial feature. The sharp tip of the protection member can be used to guide cable insertion while its tapered shape prevents damage, transforming what would be a harmful sharp edge into a useful guiding feature
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
According to one embodiment, an ink jet head includes: a cover including an opening; a flexible cable extending from the opening toward an outside of the cover and having a rigidity lower than the cover; a protection member configured to have rigidity higher than the flexible cable, arranged between the flexible cable and the opening of the cover, and protruding toward an outside of the opening of the cover, while both end portions of an outer end edge of the opening are inclined or curved in a direction in which the flexible cable extends from the opening; and a sealing arranged in the opening in which the flexible cable and the protection member are arranged.