Liquid Ejection Head with Movable Contact Cover for Liquid Ingress Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejection heads face durability issues due to liquid infiltration into electrical contact portions, leading to potential short-circuiting and breakdown, and are difficult to attach and detach from ejection apparatuses.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection head design featuring an opening/closing member that covers electrical contact portions, allowing easy attachment and detachment while preventing liquid ingress, using a configuration where the electrical wiring unit is sandwiched between the opening/closing member and the housing in a closed state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cover member is used to protect electrical contact portions, then liquid infiltration is suppressed, but the attachment and detachment operation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is designed as a movable component that can dynamically open and close based on operational needs. During attachment/detachment operations, the cover member opens to allow access to electrical contact portions. During normal operation, it closes to protect the electrical contact portions from liquid infiltration, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure is segmented into a separate cover member component rather than being integrated into the housing. This segmentation allows the cover member to be independently operated to open and close, providing protection when needed while allowing easy access during attachment and detachment operations.
2Ease of operation
If the electrical wiring unit is exposed, then attachment and detachment is easy, but liquid infiltration into electrical contact portions occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member acts as an intermediary protective element between the electrical wiring unit and the liquid environment. It allows the electrical wiring unit to be accessible during attachment/detachment operations while blocking liquid infiltration during normal operation, thus mediating between ease of operation and protection from harmful factors.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejection head includes an ejection element substrate, an electrical contact portion, a housing, and an opening/closing member. The ejection element substrate ejects liquid to perform recording. The electrical contact portion is electrically connected to an electrical wiring unit of an ejection apparatus to supply power to the ejection element substrate. The housing includes an opening portion into which the electrical wiring unit is inserted and to be provided with the electrical contact portion inside. The opening/closing member opens and closes the opening portion. In a closed state in which the opening/closing member closes the opening portion, the electrical wiring unit is sandwiched between the opening/closing member and a part of the housing.