Liquid Ejecting Head Bubble Discharge Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting heads face challenges in efficiently discharging bubbles from the filter during maintenance operations due to rib-shaped protrusions that prevent bubbles from spreading and clogging the filter, reducing the effectiveness of bubble removal.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting head design with a filter chamber featuring guides that extend from the inner wall surface towards the inlet, with a guide surface that inclines towards the outer periphery of the filter, allowing bubbles to spread and be efficiently discharged by creating a pressure difference, thereby increasing the degree of bubble discharging during maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rib-shaped protrusions are provided in the filter chamber to increase flow rate, then liquid flow rate is improved, but bubble spreading onto the filter is prevented and bubble discharging degree is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filter chamber is segmented into multiple regions by dividing walls that extend from the inlet toward the filter. These dividing walls create separate flow paths and bubble accumulation zones, allowing bubbles to be guided toward the filter while maintaining liquid flow rate through the segmented structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The dividing walls act as intermediary structures between the inlet and the filter. They mediate the flow of liquid and bubbles by creating guide surfaces that direct bubbles toward the filter while maintaining adequate liquid flow paths, thus serving as a transition element that achieves both flow rate maintenance and bubble spreading.
2Ease of operation
If the filter chamber cross-sectional area is made larger to facilitate bubble coverage, then bubble discharging is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The filter chamber has a non-uniform cross-sectional area where the area is enlarged specifically in the region where bubbles need to be guided toward the filter. This local enlargement is achieved through the dividing walls and guide surfaces, creating a bubble-friendly zone without unnecessarily expanding the entire chamber structure, thus maintaining device simplicity while improving bubble discharging efficiency.
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 enhances bubble discharging efficiency by guiding bubbles to cover the filter, increasing the pressure difference and facilitating their removal, reducing ink consumption during maintenance operations.
Implementation Method 1
the guide surface to guide bubbles which have entered from the inlet, and the guide guides the bubbles into the space by using the guide surface to spread the bubbles onto the filter toward an outer periphery of the filter
Implementation Method 2
This spreading produces a large pressure difference between the upstream side and the downstream side. Due to the pressure difference, the bubbles can be efficiently discharged in a short time.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid introduction member includes an inlet into which a liquid is introduced, a filter to filter the liquid introduced from the inlet, a filter chamber in which cross-sectional areas of the flow path increase from the inlet side to the filter side, and a supply flow path to supply the liquid that has passed through the filter to the nozzle side. The filter chamber has at least one guide extending from an inner wall surface of the filter chamber toward the inlet with a space between the guide and the filter, a bottom surface of the guide has a guide surface to guide bubbles which have entered from the inlet, and the guide guides the bubbles into the space by use of the guide surface to spread the bubbles onto the filter toward an outer periphery of the filter.