Inkjet Manifold Flow Passage Pressure Wave Attenuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In ink-jet heads, pressure waves generated during ink jetting are not adequately attenuated, especially in miniaturized designs with high nozzle density, leading to suppressed ink jetting characteristics and potential crosstalk between pressure chambers.
Innovation Solution
A liquid droplet-jetting apparatus with a common liquid chamber featuring a main portion, a connecting portion with a smaller cross-sectional area, and an extended portion with a larger cross-sectional area, where the pressure wave is reflected and propagated in a manner that attenuates the wave, preventing crosstalk between pressure chambers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of the ink storage chamber is decreased to achieve miniaturization and high nozzle density, then the device size is reduced and nozzle density is increased, but the damper effect is decreased and pressure wave attenuation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The common liquid chamber is divided into three distinct portions: a main portion, a connecting portion with smaller cross-sectional area, and an extended portion. This segmentation creates multiple boundaries for pressure wave reflection, enhancing attenuation without increasing the overall chamber volume. The connecting portion acts as a bottleneck that reflects pressure waves back toward the pressure chambers, preventing crosstalk while maintaining miniaturization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the cross-sectional area variation in different spatial dimensions to achieve pressure wave attenuation. By designing the connecting portion with a smaller cross-sectional area perpendicular to the arrangement direction of pressure chambers, the patent creates dimensional variation that enhances wave reflection and attenuation effects without simply extending the chamber length.
2Reliability
If the cross-sectional area of the connecting portion is made smaller to enhance pressure wave reflection, then pressure wave attenuation is improved, but the liquid flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting portion is designed with locally optimized dimensions where the cross-sectional area is reduced specifically at the boundaries between the main portion and extended portion. This localized quality change maximizes pressure wave reflection at critical interfaces while minimizing the overall impact on liquid flow resistance. The extended portion then provides a larger cross-sectional area that facilitates smooth liquid flow away from the high-reflection zones.
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
The described configuration efficiently attenuates pressure waves, ensuring consistent ink jetting characteristics and preventing crosstalk, even in miniaturized designs with high nozzle density.
Implementation Method 1
a part of the pressure wave is reflected at the boundary between the main portion and the connecting portion to be returned to the main portion
Implementation Method 2
the pressure wave, which is propagated to the extended portion, which is reflected in the extended portion, and which is returned to the connecting portion
Data Source
AI summary
An ink-jet head includes pressure chambers arranged in a row in a row-direction, and a manifold flow passage communicated with the pressure chambers and extending in the row-direction. An ink inflow port is formed at one end of the manifold flow passage. The manifold flow passage has a main portion, a connecting portion, and an extended portion which are arranged in this order from a side close to the ink inflow port. The manifold flow passage is communicated with the pressure chambers at the main portion. The main portion has a constant cross-sectional area greater than that of the connecting portion. A cross-sectional area of the extended portion is greater than that of the connecting portion. The pressure wave, generated in the pressure chamber and propagated to the manifold flow passage, can be efficiently attenuated by the manifold flow passage constructed as described above.