Inkjet Recording Substrate Heater Layout for Uniform Ink Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet recording devices face issues with ink discharge failures and fluctuations due to insufficient heating by sub-heaters, particularly during high print duty recording where ink viscosity increases, leading to incomplete ink heating and discharge failures.
Innovation Solution
A recording element substrate design with a sub-heater configuration that includes heaters disposed along the peripheral edges of supply ports and interconnected wiring layers, ensuring uniform ink heating by varying heating times and paths for ink flow, enhancing temperature uniformity and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a sub-heater is disposed on the opposite side of the ink supply port with nozzles therebetween, then the substrate can be heated uniformly, but ink flow rate increases during high print duty recording causing insufficient heating and discharge failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heating function into multiple segments: a sub-heater for heating the substrate and ink supply port area, and additional heaters disposed on the outer side of the nozzle array for heating the ink passage and nozzle area. This segmentation allows different regions to be heated independently and optimally, ensuring uniform temperature distribution throughout the ink flow path while maintaining reliable ink discharge during high print duty recording.
2Productivity
If the ink flow rate is increased for high print duty recording, then productivity improves, but ink viscosity increases causing discharge failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary heating action by disposing heaters on the outer side of the nozzle array, which heat the ink in the ink passage and nozzle area before the ink reaches the nozzles for discharge. This preliminary heating ensures that even when ink flow rate increases during high print duty recording, the ink maintains appropriate viscosity and flows smoothly through the nozzles without discharge failures.
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 design effectively suppresses discharge amount fluctuations and failures by ensuring uniform ink temperature distribution, improving the reliability of ink discharge in high print duty scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
a heater to apply energy to discharge ink through the nozzles
Implementation Method 2
the sub-heater, to which voltage is applied, heats up to heat the entire substrate
Implementation Method 3
the sub-heater, to which voltage is applied, heats up to heat the entire substrate
Implementation Method 4
the ink supplied from the ink supply port is heated
Data Source
AI summary
A recording element substrate includes a plurality of discharging ports; a plurality of nozzles connected to the plurality of discharging ports, respectively; a passage forming portion in which a plurality of individual passages connected to the plurality of nozzles, respectively, and a common passage connected to the plurality of individual passages are formed; a plurality of supply ports disposed at positions corresponding to a plurality of nozzle groups on the common passage, respectively, along an array direction of the plurality of discharging ports; and a plurality of supply passages which extend from the plurality of supply ports to a rear surface of the recording element substrate in a direction intersecting with the rear surface. A plurality of heaters configured to heat liquid flowing through the common passage are provided for each of the plurality of supply ports along at least a part of a peripheral edge of the supply port.