Staggered Nozzle Arrangement for Liquid Ejecting Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid ejecting printers, continuous ejection of ink droplets from all nozzles leads to mixing of inks due to droplets landing on wet ink of another color, causing blurring, especially when the duty of liquid ejection is high.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with multiple heads and nozzle groups arranged in a staggered configuration to prevent ink droplets from landing on wet ink, where each head has nozzle groups aligned at specific pitches and positions relative to each other, and a moving mechanism to intersect the nozzle-row direction, allowing for controlled ejection and drying of ink droplets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ink droplets are continuously ejected from all nozzles, then productivity is improved, but ink droplets of different colors land on common raster lines and mix together causing blurring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension by arranging nozzle groups in the sheet-width direction (nozzle-row direction) rather than only in the sheet-transport direction. Multiple nozzle groups are positioned at different intervals in the sheet-transport direction, creating a two-dimensional staggered arrangement that separates landing positions of different colored inks across common raster lines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the nozzle arrangement into multiple separate nozzle groups (first, second, third, fourth nozzle groups) with different interval configurations. Each nozzle group is assigned to specific heads and positioned at distinct intervals in the sheet-transport direction, segmenting the ejection function to prevent ink mixing while maintaining continuous operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple heads with multiple nozzle groups are used to prevent ink mixing, then image clarity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes each head capable of functioning with multiple nozzle groups (first and second nozzle groups in one head, third and fourth nozzle groups in another head). This multi-functional design allows the same head structure to handle different colored inks through different nozzle groups, reducing the need for completely separate heads for each color.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple nozzle groups into single heads, merging the ejection functions for different colored inks into unified head assemblies. The first head contains both first and second nozzle groups, while the second head contains third and fourth nozzle groups, consolidating what could have been separate single-function heads.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a first head having a first nozzle group in which nozzles from which a first liquid is ejected are aligned in a nozzle-row direction at a predetermined pitch and a second nozzle group in which nozzles from which a second liquid is ejected are aligned in the nozzle-row direction at the predetermined pitch, the nozzles in the first nozzle group being positioned between the nozzles in the second nozzle group in the nozzle-row direction; a second head having a third nozzle group in which nozzles from which the first liquid is ejected are aligned in the nozzle-row direction at the predetermined pitch and a fourth nozzle group in which nozzles from which the second liquid is ejected are aligned in the nozzle-row direction at the predetermined pitch, the nozzles in the third nozzle group being positioned between the nozzles in the fourth nozzle group in the nozzle-row direction; and a moving mechanism that moves the first head and the second head relative to a medium in a direction intersecting the nozzle-row direction. In the nozzle-row direction, the nozzles in the third nozzle group are positioned between the nozzles in the first nozzle group, and the nozzles in the fourth nozzle group are positioned between the nozzles in the second nozzle group.