Liquid discharge head including supply and discharge channels, liquid discharge device, and liquid discharge apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11207888-B2
Application number	US-202016934581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2020
Priority date	Mar 21, 2017
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle to discharge a liquid, an individual chamber communicating with the nozzle, a supply channel communicating with the individual chamber to supply the liquid to the individual chamber, and a discharge channel communicating with the individual chamber to discharge the liquid in the individual chamber. A fluid resistance of the supply channel is greater than a fluid resistance of the discharge channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid discharge head; comprising:
a nozzle to discharge a liquid in a nozzle discharge direction in which the liquid flows out of the nozzle;
a nozzle communication channel communicating with the nozzle;
an individual chamber communicating with the nozzle communication channel;
a supply channel communicating with the individual chamber to supply the liquid to the individual chamber;
a supply-side common chamber communicating with the supply channel;
a discharge channel communicating with the nozzle communication channel to discharge the liquid in the individual chamber and the nozzle communication channel and extending downstream from the nozzle in a direction of flow of the liquid; and
a discharge-side common chamber communicating with the discharge channel,
wherein a total fluid resistance from the supply-side common chamber to the nozzle communication channel, including the supply-side common chamber, the supply channel, and the nozzle communication channel, is greater than a fluid resistance from the discharge channel to the discharge-side common chamber, including the discharge channel and the discharge-side common chamber.

2. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1 , wherein an entrance of the discharge channel faces a wall surface of the nozzle communication channel.

3. The liquid discharge head according to claim 2 , wherein the supply channel has a supply-side fluid restrictor, and the discharge channel has a discharge-side fluid restrictor.

4. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1 , wherein a fluid resistance of the supply channel Rin, the fluid resistance of the discharge channel Rout, and a fluid resistance Rp of the nozzle satisfy a relation Rin>Rout>Rp.

5. The liquid discharge head according to claim 2 , wherein a wall surface of the nozzle communication channel facing an entrance of the discharge channel has a curved surface.

6. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1 , wherein the supply channel and the discharge channel overlap in a direction parallel to the nozzle discharge direction.

7. A liquid discharge device comprising the liquid discharge head according to claim 1 .

8. The liquid discharge device according to claim 7 , further comprising at least one of:
a head tank to store the liquid to be supplied to the liquid discharge head;
a carriage to mount the liquid discharge head;
a supply unit to supply the liquid to the liquid discharge head;
a maintenance unit to maintain the liquid discharge head; and
a drive unit to move the carriage in a main scanning direction, and integrated with the liquid discharge head as a single unit.

9. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising the liquid discharge device according to claim 7 .

10. A liquid discharge head, comprising:
a nozzle to discharge a liquid in a nozzle discharge direction in which the liquid flows out of the nozzle;
a nozzle communication channel communicating with the nozzle;
an individual chamber communicating with the nozzle communication channel;
a supply channel communicating with the individual chamber to supply the liquid to the individual chamber;
a supply-side common chamber communicating with the supply channel;
a supply port communicating with the supply-side common chamber to supply the liquid to the supply-side common chamber;
a discharge channel communicating with the nozzle communication channel;
a discharge-side common chamber communicating with the discharge channel; and
a discharge port communicating with the discharge-side common chamber to discharge the liquid outside the liquid discharge head from the discharge-side common chamber,
wherein a total fluid resistance from the supply port to the nozzle communication channel, including the supply-side common chamber, the supply channel, the individual chamber, and the nozzle communication channel, is greater than a total fluid resistance from the discharge channel to the discharge port, including the discharge channel and the discharge-side common chamber.

11. The liquid discharge head according to claim 10 , wherein an entrance of the discharge channel faces a wall surface of the nozzle communication channel.

12. The liquid discharge head according to claim 11 , wherein the supply channel has a supply-side fluid restrictor, and the discharge channel has a discharge-side fluid restrictor.

13. The liquid discharge head according to claim 10 , wherein the fluid resistance of the supply channel Rin, the fluid resistance of the discharge channel Rout, and a fluid resistance Rp of the nozzle satisfy a relation Rin>Rout>Rp.

14. The liquid discharge head according to claim 11 , wherein a wall surface of the nozzle communication channel facing an entrance of the discharge channel has a curved surface.

15. The liquid discharge head according to claim 10 , wherein the supply channel and the discharge channel overlap in a direction parallel to the nozzle discharge direction.

16. A liquid discharge device comprising the liquid discharge head according to claim 10 .

17. The liquid discharge device according to claim 16 , further comprising at least one of:
a head tank to store the liquid to be supplied to the liquid discharge head;
a carriage to mount the liquid discharge head;
a supply unit to supply the liquid to the liquid discharge head;
a maintenance unit to maintain the liquid discharge head; and
a drive unit to move the carriage in a main scanning direction, and integrated with the liquid discharge head as a single unit.

18. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising the liquid discharge device according to claim 16 .

19. A liquid discharge head, comprising:
a nozzle to discharge a liquid in a nozzle discharge direction in which the liquid flows out of the nozzle;
a nozzle communication channel communicating with the nozzle;
an individual chamber communicating with the nozzle communication channel;
a first communicating channel communicating with the individual chamber to supply the liquid to the individual chamber; and
second communicating channel communicating with the nozzle communication channel to discharge the liquid in the individual chamber and the nozzle communication channel,
wherein the first communication channel includes a supply-side fluid restrictor having a cross-sectional area smaller than the individual chamber,
the second communication channel includes a discharge-side fluid restrictor having a cross-sectional area smaller than the nozzle communication channel, and
a total fluid resistance of the first communication channel Rin, including the supply-side fluid restrictor, the individual chamber, and the nozzle commination channel, and a total fluid resistance of the second communication channel Rout, including the discharge-side fluid restrictor, satisfy a relation Rin>Rout.

20. The liquid discharge head according to claim 19 , wherein the nozzle communication channel is between the individual chamber and the nozzle in the nozzle discharge direction.

21. The liquid discharge head of claim 1 , further comprising a nozzle plate that defines a wall of the discharge channel.

Assignees

• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iwata Junichi
• Yoshida Takahiro
• Otome Yukio
• Murakami Tomoaki

Classifications

• B41J2/14274 Primary

  of stacked structure type, deformed by compression/extension and disposed on a diaphragm · CPC title

• B41J2202/12

  with ink circulating through the whole print head · CPC title

• B41J2202/20

  Modules · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/14201 Primary

  Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements · CPC title