Piezoelectric Actuator Common Electrode Segmentation for Ink Droplet Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting heads, such as ink jet recording heads, face challenges in maintaining consistent ink droplet discharge due to variations in the structure of flow channels and electrical resistance of piezoelectric actuators, leading to complex configurations and increased costs when multiple drive signals are required to address these issues.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting head with a piezoelectric actuator featuring a common electrode divided into regions, allowing a single drive signal to be supplied to individual electrodes and bias potential to be applied to the common electrode, which is divided to match the nozzle array configuration, enabling measurement and adjustment of ink discharge characteristics across the nozzle array.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple drive signals at different voltage levels are supplied to different nozzle arrays to reduce variations in ink droplet discharge, then print quality is improved, but the configuration becomes complex and cost increases due to requiring multiple sets of drive signal generating circuits and switching components
Solution Approach 1:
The common electrode is divided into multiple regions (first region and second region) corresponding to different nozzle arrays. Each region can receive different bias potentials independently, allowing different voltage levels to be applied to different nozzle arrays without requiring separate drive signal generating circuits for each array.
Solution Approach 2:
Different bias potentials are applied to different regions of the common electrode based on the specific discharge characteristics of each nozzle array. This allows optimization of ink droplet discharge for each local region while using a unified drive signal generating circuit.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple drive signals at different voltage levels are supplied to different nozzle arrays to reduce variations in ink droplet discharge, then print quality is improved, but cost increases due to requiring multiple sets of drive signal generating circuits and switching components
Solution Approach 1:
The common electrode is divided into multiple regions that can be independently biased. This segmentation allows cost-effective differentiation of voltage levels across nozzle arrays without duplicating expensive drive signal generating circuits and switching components.
Solution Approach 2:
A single drive signal generating circuit and switching component set serves multiple nozzle arrays by selectively applying different bias potentials to different regions of the common electrode, eliminating the need for separate circuit sets for each array.
3Device complexity
If a single drive signal is supplied to all nozzle arrays, then the configuration is simple and cost is reduced, but variations in ink droplet discharge characteristics worsen due to differences in flow channel structure and piezoelectric actuator electrical resistance
Solution Approach 1:
Different bias potentials are applied to different regions of the common electrode to compensate for local variations in flow channel structure and piezoelectric actuator electrical resistance, achieving uniform ink droplet discharge across all nozzle arrays while maintaining a simple unified drive signal generating circuit.
Solution Approach 2:
The bias potential parameter is varied across different regions of the common electrode to compensate for manufacturing variations in flow channels and piezoelectric actuators, allowing a single drive signal generating circuit to optimize performance across multiple nozzle arrays.
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
This configuration reduces variations in ink droplet discharge characteristics, improves print quality, and simplifies the apparatus configuration, thereby decreasing costs and enhancing manufacturing yield.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric actuator that causes changes in pressure in a flow channel communicating with a nozzle configured to discharge liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting head includes a nozzle array composed of nozzles, pressure generating chambers communicating with the nozzles of the nozzle array, and actuators that are positioned to correspond individually to the pressure generating chambers. Each the actuators includes a piezoelectric layer being sandwiched by a first electrode and a second electrode. The first electrode serves as individual electrodes provided individually for the respective actuators. The second electrode serves as a first common electrode that extends over the actuators corresponding to a first region of the nozzle array and a second common electrode that extends over the actuators corresponding to a second region of the nozzle array.