Liquid Ejection Head With Partition Walls for Pressure Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejection heads with a common flow path for multiple nozzles fail to adequately inhibit pressure fluctuations from affecting droplet ejection characteristics in neighboring nozzles, leading to inconsistent printing quality.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection head design featuring a common flow path with partition walls extending across the nozzle direction and a damper mechanism facing the flow path to absorb pressure fluctuations, preventing their propagation between adjacent nozzles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common flow path is used for multiple nozzles, then device complexity is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but pressure fluctuations in one nozzle affect other nozzles through the shared flow path
Solution Approach 1:
The common flow path is segmented into multiple independent flow paths by introducing partition walls. Each nozzle has its own dedicated flow path from the liquid supply, preventing pressure fluctuations from propagating between nozzles while maintaining a simplified overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Partition walls are introduced as intermediary structures between adjacent flow paths. These walls block the propagation of pressure fluctuations while allowing the common flow path to maintain its simplified design for liquid supply.
2Reliability
If partition walls are added to the common flow path, then pressure fluctuation propagation is inhibited, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path is divided into separate channels using partition walls, creating independent flow paths for each nozzle. This segmentation prevents pressure fluctuation propagation while the modular nature of the partition walls keeps the added complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
Partition walls are strategically placed only at specific locations where pressure fluctuation propagation needs to be blocked, rather than throughout the entire flow path. This localized approach provides effective isolation while minimizing the addition of complexity.
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 effectively inhibits pressure fluctuations between nozzles, maintaining consistent droplet ejection characteristics and improving printing quality by reducing crosstalk between pressure chambers.
Implementation Method 1
a damper mechanism disposed to face the common flow path in a direction crossing the ejection surface to absorb a pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the common flow path
Implementation Method 2
using warping of the damper wall to absorb a pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the flow path
Implementation Method 3
the common flow path being provided with a partition wall disposed between the discrete opening portions adjacent in the first direction to extend in the direction crossing the ejection surface
Implementation Method 4
a pressure chamber having an actuator such as a piezoelectric element that applies a pressure to the liquid to eject droplets from the nozzles
Implementation Method 5
an actuator such as a piezoelectric element that applies a pressure to the liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejection head includes a plurality of nozzles arranged along a first direction of an ejection surface, a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the plurality of individual nozzles and provided with actuators configured to apply, to a liquid, pressures for ejecting the liquid from the nozzles, a plurality of discrete flow paths communicating with the plurality of individual pressure chambers, a common flow path communicating with the plurality of individual discrete flow paths via discrete opening portions and extending in the first direction, and a damper mechanism disposed to face the common flow path in a direction crossing the ejection surface to absorb a pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the common flow path. The common flow path is provided with a partition wall disposed between the discrete opening portions adjacent in the first direction to extend in the direction crossing the ejection surface.