Ink Jet Head Discharge Path Segmentation for Air Bubble Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet heads face challenges in removing air bubbles from pressure chambers, leading to dead spaces with low or no flow speed, which can result in air bubbles remaining and affecting ink jet recording performance.
Innovation Solution
The design includes multiple discharge paths with equal or lower flow resistance and larger cross-sectional areas than nozzle-part discharge paths, communicating with pseudo pressure chambers to effectively remove air bubbles from pressure chambers, and an ink jet recording apparatus with an ink tank and transfer unit to manage ink flow and bubble removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single discharge path is used near the nozzle, then the structure is simple, but air bubbles remain in dead spaces with low flow speed
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge path is divided into two separate paths: a nozzle-part discharge path near the nozzle and another discharge path at a position apart from the nozzle. This segmentation allows each path to address different flow patterns and remove air bubbles from different regions of the pressure chamber, solving the problem of air bubbles remaining in dead spaces while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
2Productivity
If the discharge path has high flow resistance, then the nozzle performance is maintained, but air bubbles cannot be effectively removed from the pressure chamber
Solution Approach 1:
Different discharge paths are designed with different flow path resistances tailored to their specific functions. The nozzle-part discharge path maintains higher resistance to preserve nozzle performance, while the other discharge path has lower resistance to effectively remove air bubbles from regions apart from the nozzle. This local differentiation of quality allows both ink ejection performance and air bubble removal efficiency to be optimized simultaneously.
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 allows for efficient removal of air bubbles from pressure chambers, preventing ink wastage and sedimentation, ensuring reliable ink jet recording operations.
Implementation Method 1
two partition walls in an arrangement direction of each pressure chamber are piezoelectric elements that are the pressure generation means
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention may provide an ink jet head and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of satisfactorily removing remaining air bubbles from a pressure chamber. The present invention may include: a common ink chamber that stores ink; at least one pressure chamber that communicates with the common ink chamber and causes a volume fluctuation using pressure generation means; a nozzle that communicates with the pressure chamber; a nozzle-part discharge path that communicates with the pressure chamber near the nozzle inside the pressure chamber and discharges ink out of the pressure chamber; and at least one discharge path that communicates with the pressure chamber at a position apart from the nozzle inside the pressure chamber and discharges ink out of the pressure chamber.