Liquid Ejection Head Damper Layout for Low Pressure Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejection heads face issues with crosstalk and pressure drop, leading to decreased image quality, while increasing chip size to accommodate sufficient damper, fluid, and joining areas is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection head design that includes damper members between common supply and collection channels, with minimal bonding on channel partitions and small minute communication portions, maintaining channel sizes and reducing pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If damper members are joined to upper portions of channel partitions with sufficient joining areas, then bonding reliability is improved, but damper areas and fluid areas become small leading to increased crosstalk and pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the damper member vertically downward from the upper portion of the channel partition into the common supply channel and common collection channel. This vertical extension into the third dimension (depth) provides sufficient bonding area without reducing the horizontal damper area or fluid area, thereby maintaining both bonding reliability and low pressure drop.
Solution Approach 2:
The damper member is nested within the channel structure, with its lower end positioned within the common supply channel or common collection channel. This nesting arrangement allows the damper member to utilize the vertical space within the channel, providing adequate bonding area without encroaching on the horizontal flow areas.
2Reliability
If joining areas are made small to prevent bonding layer from sticking out, then channel closure risk is reduced, but sufficient bonding area cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The damper member extends vertically into the channel depth, providing sufficient bonding area in the vertical dimension without requiring larger horizontal joining areas. This prevents the bonding layer from sticking out into the channel while ensuring adequate bonding surface area for reliable attachment.
3Area of stationary object
If chip size is increased to provide sufficient damper areas, fluid areas, and joining areas, then all area requirements are met, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The damper member utilizes the vertical dimension by extending downward into the common supply and collection channels. This three-dimensional configuration provides sufficient damper area and bonding area within the existing chip footprint, eliminating the need to increase chip size while meeting all area requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The damper member is configured as a thin-walled hollow cylinder that extends vertically, providing large surface area for damping and bonding functions within a compact volume. This thin-film structure achieves sufficient functional area without increasing the overall chip dimensions.
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 prevents a decrease in image quality without enlarging the chip size, facilitating circulatory flows and reducing pressure loss.
Implementation Method 1
damper members disposed between the common supply channel and the common collection channel
Implementation Method 2
liquid ejection heads to eject liquids in pressure chambers while circulating these liquids
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
An object is to provide a liquid ejection head (1) and liquid ejection apparatus (101) capable of reducing or preventing a decrease in image quality without increasing the chip size. To achieve this, a configuration is employed in which a bonding layer (19) is not provided between a liquid supply substrate (203) and channel partitions (16) between common supply channels (13a) and common collection channels (13b), and a minute communication portion (20) is provided there.