Nozzle Substrate Geometry for Ink Ejection Direction Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting heads face challenges in suppressing nozzle inclination, which leads to deviations in liquid ejection direction and landing position, particularly when the nozzle substrate is not made of photosensitive resin material.
Innovation Solution
The liquid ejecting head incorporates a nozzle substrate with a specific design, featuring a first upstream nozzle portion with a larger sectional area than the downstream nozzle portion, and a coupling section with its center of gravity positioned between the ejection opening and the bottom surface, to cancel out deviations in ejection direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the nozzle substrate is not made of photosensitive resin material, then the substrate material has better mechanical properties, but it becomes difficult to suppress nozzle inclination during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by designing the nozzle structure with a specific geometry (tapered nozzle with larger upstream cross-section than downstream cross-section) that pre-compensates for the inclination effect. This structural design creates a counterbalancing moment that opposes the inclination caused by manufacturing tolerances, thereby suppressing the deviation of liquid ejection direction even when using non-photosensitive resin substrates
2Ease of manufacture
If the downstream nozzle portion is inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the ejection surface, then manufacturing is easier, but the liquid ejection direction deviates from perpendicular to the ejection surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary anti-action by creating a nozzle structure where the upstream portion has a larger cross-sectional area than the downstream portion. This tapered configuration generates a counterbalancing moment that opposes the inclination of the downstream nozzle portion, thereby maintaining accurate liquid ejection direction perpendicular to the ejection surface even when manufacturing tolerances cause some inclination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the geometric parameters of the nozzle, specifically the cross-sectional areas at different positions along the nozzle length. By making the upstream cross-section larger than the downstream cross-section, the patent changes the structural parameters to create a self-correcting mechanism that compensates for inclination and maintains ejection accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting head includes a first driving element, a first pressure chamber, and a first nozzle that is formed in a nozzle substrate, in which the first nozzle includes a first upstream nozzle portion including a first supply opening opened in a second surface of the nozzle substrate and a first bottom surface and a first downstream nozzle portion including a first ejection opening opened in a first surface of the nozzle substrate and a first coupling section opened in the first bottom surface, when viewed in a thickness direction of the nozzle substrate, a sectional area of the first upstream nozzle portion is larger than a sectional area of the first downstream nozzle portion, and a center of gravity of the first coupling section is positioned between a center of gravity of the first ejection opening and a center of gravity of the first bottom surface.