Liquid Ejecting Head Bypass Flow Path Layering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid ejecting apparatuses with bypass flow paths formed in the same layer as the supply and discharge common liquid chambers tend to increase in size parallel to the nozzle surface, limiting their compactness and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting head with substrates stacked in a specific direction, featuring individual flow paths for nozzles, a supply common liquid chamber, a discharge common liquid chamber, and a bypass flow path where the bypass flow path is formed in a different layer, allowing for a more compact design by optimizing the flow path structure and chamber arrangements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the bypass flow path is formed in the same layer as the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the liquid ejecting head becomes larger in the direction parallel to the nozzle surface
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass flow path is relocated from the same layer (2D plane) as the supply and discharge common liquid chambers to a different layer (3D space), specifically the layer between the first and second substrates. This dimensional transition allows the bypass flow path to be positioned without increasing the footprint area parallel to the nozzle surface, while still maintaining manufacturing feasibility through multi-layer substrate integration
2Area of stationary object
If the bypass flow path is formed in a different layer from the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber, then the liquid ejecting head size is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass flow path is nested within the multi-layer substrate structure, specifically positioned in the layer between the first substrate (containing nozzles) and the second substrate (containing common liquid chambers). This nested arrangement integrates the bypass flow path into the existing three-dimensional architecture without requiring separate external components, thereby reducing overall device size while managing structural complexity through hierarchical organization
3Ease of manufacture
If the supply common liquid chamber and discharge common liquid chamber are positioned far apart, then ink flow management is simplified, but ink stagnation and air bubble retention increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass flow path acts as an intermediary connection between the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber, positioned in the layer between the first and second substrates. This intermediary structure enables controlled ink flow and air bubble management by providing a dedicated pathway that facilitates communication between chambers without requiring direct proximity, thereby improving reliability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting head that has substrates stacked, includes individual flow paths respectively communicating with nozzles, a supply common liquid chamber and a discharge common liquid chamber that communicate with the individual flow paths, and a bypass flow path coupling the supply common liquid chamber to the discharge common liquid chamber, in which the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber are formed in the same layer among the substrates, and the bypass flow path has a portion formed in a layer different from the supply common liquid chamber and the discharge common liquid chamber, among the substrates.