Liquid Ejecting Head Deflection Suppression via Biasing Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting heads face deflection issues due to their mass, leading to inaccurate droplet landing on recording media, particularly in line type heads where deflection in the gravity direction affects image quality.
Innovation Solution
A biasing force is applied to a deflection absorption unit, which is an elastic body, to counteract the deflection of the head module supporting member, using a spring or screw mechanism to adjust and stabilize the head module's position, thereby reducing deflection and improving landing accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a line type liquid ejecting head is made long in the width direction to cover the entire width of the recording medium, then the coverage area is improved, but deflection in the gravity direction occurs due to the increased mass and length
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid ejecting head is divided into multiple head modules arranged in the width direction, with each module having its own supporting member. This segmentation allows independent support and deflection control for each module, preventing overall deflection of the long head structure while maintaining full width coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
A deflection suppressing unit is introduced that applies a counteracting force to the head supporting member in the gravity direction. This unit includes a biasing mechanism (spring or elastic member) that generates an upward force to counterbalance the downward deflection caused by the weight of the long head structure, thereby maintaining positional stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the head supporting member is fixed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, then structural stability is improved, but deflection in the middle portion occurs due to the mass of the liquid ejecting head
Solution Approach 1:
A deflection suppressing unit is introduced as an intermediary component between the head supporting member and the fixed mounting structure. This unit includes a biasing mechanism that actively counteracts deflection forces, allowing the supporting member to maintain both fixed-end stability and middle-portion positional accuracy simultaneously.
3Manufacturing precision
If the liquid ejecting head is made rigid to maintain positioning accuracy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but deflection due to mounting stress and gravity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deflection suppressing unit changes the mechanical parameters of the head supporting system by introducing a biasing force. This allows the head supporting member to maintain its rigid structure for positioning accuracy while the biasing mechanism dynamically compensates for deflection caused by mounting stress and gravity, effectively decoupling these two requirements.
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 solution effectively reduces deflection in the gravity direction, enhancing the accuracy and quality of ink landing on the recording medium by stabilizing the liquid ejecting head, thus improving image formation in inkjet recording apparatuses.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing force is applied to a deflection absorption unit, which is an elastic body, to counteract the deflection of the head module supporting member
Implementation Method 2
using a spring or screw mechanism to adjust and stabilize the head module's position
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus, in which deflection in a direction including a component of a gravity direction is eased and preferable liquid ejecting is realized. A head module supporting member (110) that supports head modules (200) and has a structure in which a longitudinal direction of the head module supporting member is a first direction, and a deflection suppressing unit (112) that has a structure in which a longitudinal direction of the deflection suppressing unit is the first direction, and is disposed on a top surface of the head module supporting member are included. The deflection suppressing unit is an elastic body. A deflection absorption unit (114) connected to the top surface of the head module supporting member, a head module supporting member connection unit (116) connected to an intermediate position of the deflection absorption unit and to the top surface of the head module supporting member, and a biasing force applying unit that applies a biasing force which deflects the deflection absorption unit in a deflection direction of the head module supporting member are included.