Ink Jet Head Common Supply Flow Path Refill Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet recording apparatuses face challenges in maintaining stable droplet discharge due to ink being pushed back into the supply flow path, leading to variations in discharge velocity and amount, which can result in failure to refill in time during high-speed discharges, affecting image quality.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a common supply flow path with varying cross-sectional areas and individual supply flow paths connected at positions of increased cross-sectional area, utilizing the Venturi effect to enhance refill efficiency and prevent ink from being pushed back into the supply path during discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the flow path resistance of the ink flow path on the supply side is increased to reduce the amount of ink pushed back, then the discharge efficiency is improved, but the refill time increases and may fail during high-speed discharge
Solution Approach 1:
The ink flow path is segmented into multiple chambers (first chamber, second chamber, third chamber) with different resistance characteristics. The first chamber has higher resistance to prevent ink push-back, while the second and third chambers provide lower resistance pathways for efficient refill, resolving the contradiction between discharge efficiency and refill speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the ink flow path are assigned different resistance properties according to their functional requirements. The supply side near the discharge element has higher resistance to minimize push-back, while the return path and storage areas have lower resistance to facilitate rapid refill, allowing each local region to optimize for its specific purpose.
2Reliability
If the flow path resistance is increased to prevent ink push-back, then discharge stability is improved, but refill performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path is divided into functional segments with different resistance characteristics. The first chamber provides high resistance for discharge stability, while the second and third chambers provide low resistance pathways that maintain high refill performance, allowing both reliability and productivity to be optimized simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The second and third chambers act as intermediary structures that mediate between the high-resistance first chamber and the ink storage system. These intermediate chambers provide alternative pathways that maintain discharge stability while enabling efficient refill, resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
3Loss of energy
If ink is pushed back to the ink flow path during discharge, then the discharge energy is wasted, but increasing flow path resistance to prevent push-back delays refill
Solution Approach 1:
The ink flow path is segmented into chambers with progressively different resistance values. The first chamber has higher resistance to minimize energy-wasting push-back, while the second and third chambers provide lower resistance pathways that enable rapid refill, thus reducing both energy waste and refill time simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The resistance parameter of the ink flow path is varied across different chambers rather than being uniform. The first chamber has higher resistance to prevent push-back and energy waste, while the second and third chambers have lower resistance to enable fast refill, using parameter variation to resolve the contradiction between energy efficiency and refill speed.
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 improves refill efficiency, stabilizes droplet discharge, and prevents ink from being pushed back into the supply path, ensuring consistent discharge and maintaining high-quality image formation.
Implementation Method 1
The common supply flow path has a shape in which a cross-sectional area is increased and decreased at a predetermined interval along an extending direction of the common supply flow path, and each individual supply flow path is provided at a position where the cross-sectional area of the common supply flow path is increased
Data Source
AI summary
An ink jet head is provided which includes: nozzles forming a predetermined array; liquid chambers respectively provided for the nozzles; pressure generation elements respectively provided for the liquid chambers which respectively discharge liquid in the liquid chambers; individual supply flow paths which respectively supply the liquid to the liquid chambers; a common supply flow path that is connected to each individual supply flow path and supplies the liquid into each individual supply flow path; and a liquid supply unit that circulates the liquid of the common supply flow path so as to make the liquid flow in one direction in the common supply flow path. The common supply flow path has a shape in which a cross-sectional area is increased and decreased at a predetermined interval. Each individual supply flow path is provided at a position where the cross-sectional area of the common supply flow path is increased.