Ink path system and ink path air pressure control method

Abstract

The present application discloses an ink circuit system and an ink circuit air pressure control method, which includes an ink bottle, an ink tube and an air pressure regulating assembly; the ink bottle includes a bottle body, and the bottle body is provided with an inner cavity; there are two ink bottles, and the two ink bottles are connected through the ink tube; there are two air pressure regulating assemblies, and the two air pressure regulating assemblies are respectively arranged on the two ink bottles. By respectively arranging the air pressure regulating assemblies on the ink bottles, the pressure in the two bottles can be controlled, providing a stable, continuous and high-precision ink flow for the circulating nozzle. The structure is simple, thereby ensuring the flow rate accuracy of the ink flow, and when facing the vibration generated by the pump, the vibration caused by the air pressure control, etc., it can also be easily controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of inkjet technology, and in particular relates to an ink path system and an ink path air pressure control method. Background Art

[0002] Ink flow is crucial for high-end, high-precision printing equipment like OLED inkjet printing or bioprinting. If the ink isn't circulated for extended periods, it can precipitate, clump, and become sluggish. This can easily interrupt the inkjet process, cause unstable ink supply, or even clog the nozzles, severely impacting the lifespan of the printhead. Many factors can influence the ink supply pressure in printing equipment, such as fluctuations in ink path air pressure and ambient air pressure. In related technical solutions, the ink supply system design for inkjet printing equipment is incomplete, and there's still a problem with supply pressure fluctuations preventing a stable, continuous ink flow, making it impossible to meet the requirements of OLED inkjet printing. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide an ink circuit system and an ink circuit air pressure control method that can solve at least one of the above problems.

[0004] The first aspect of the present application is an embodiment that provides an ink path system, including an ink bottle, an ink tube and an air pressure regulating assembly; the ink bottle includes a bottle body, which is provided with an inner cavity; there are two ink bottles, and the two ink bottles are connected through the ink tube; there are two air pressure regulating assemblies, and the two air pressure regulating assemblies are respectively arranged on the two ink bottles, and the air pressure regulating assembly includes a cover body, a driving member and an elastic membrane; the cover body is arranged above the bottle body, and the cover body is connected to the inner cavity of the bottle body; the driving member is arranged in the cover body and fixedly connected to the cover body, and the driving member is provided with a push rod; the elastic membrane includes an elastic outer edge and an elastic surface, the elastic outer edge is connected to the elastic surface, the elastic outer edge is fixed to the inner wall of the cover body, the elastic surface is arranged below the driving member, and the push rod is connected to the elastic surface.

[0005] Therefore, the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: by arranging air pressure control components on the ink bottles respectively and adjusting the air pressure control components, fast and high-frequency air pressure control inside the ink bottles can be achieved, thereby providing a stable, continuous and high-precision ink flow for the circulating nozzle, achieving high-precision pressure control, and thus ensuring the flow rate accuracy of the ink flow.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present application, an air pressure sensor is further provided on the inner wall of the ink bottle. According to some embodiments of the present application, an air pressure regulating assembly is further provided with an air valve, which is connected to the cover and is used to control the air pressure in the ink bottle by opening and closing the air valve.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, liquid level sensors are further provided on the bottom and side walls of the ink bottle.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, the ink circuit system further includes an ink pump, and the two bottles are connected to the ink pump through the ink tubes, respectively.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, it also includes a base and a nozzle, the two ink bottles and the ink pump are installed on the base, the ink tube is arranged in the base, the nozzle is arranged below the base and connected to the base, and the two ink bottles are respectively connected to the nozzles.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the base includes an upper shell, a connecting part and a bottom shell from top to bottom, the upper shell and the bottom shell are connected by the connecting part, the ink bottle and the ink pump are installed on the upper shell, and an ink inlet and an ink outlet are provided under the bottom shell, and the ink tube includes a liquid inlet tube and a liquid outlet tube, wherein one of the ink bottles is provided with a liquid outlet, one end of the liquid outlet tube is connected to the liquid outlet, and the other end of the liquid outlet tube extends from the ink outlet and is connected to the nozzle; the other ink bottle is provided with a liquid inlet, one end of the liquid inlet tube is connected to the liquid inlet, and the other end extends from the ink inlet and is connected to the nozzle.

[0011] The second embodiment of the present application further provides an ink circuit air pressure control method, comprising the following steps:

[0012] The ink circuit air pressure control method is used to control the operation of the ink circuit system as described above, and the method includes:

[0013] Obtaining a preset air pressure value of the ink bottle and an actual air pressure value in the ink bottle, and determining whether the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are equal;

[0014] When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, controlling the push rod of the driving member to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle includes:

[0016] When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, determining the magnitude relationship between the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value;

[0017] When the preset air pressure value is greater than the actual air pressure value, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward to increase the air pressure in the bottle;

[0018] When the preset air pressure value is less than the actual air pressure value, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move downward to reduce the air pressure in the bottle.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present application, the ink circuit air pressure control method further includes:

[0020] Obtain the ambient air pressure value and make a state judgment on the ambient air pressure value;

[0021] When the ambient air pressure value fluctuates, the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value of the air pressure sensor are obtained to determine whether the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are equal;

[0022] When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle.

[0023] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be partially given in the following description, partially become apparent from the following description, or be learned through practice of the present application. Other functions of the data processing method and device provided in this specification will be partially listed in the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the ink path system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air pressure regulating assembly of the ink circuit system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air pressure regulating assembly of the ink circuit system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a base of an ink path system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 A flow chart of the ink circuit air pressure control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 6 Another flow chart of the ink circuit air pressure control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following description provides specific application scenarios and requirements for this specification, with the goal of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the contents of this specification. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of this specification. Therefore, this specification is not limited to the embodiments shown, but is intended to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the claims.

[0031] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, as used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" may also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. When used in this specification, the terms "include", "comprise" and / or "contain" are meant to refer to the presence of the associated integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups or the possibility of adding other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups in the system / method. The terms "first", "second" and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features.

[0032] These and other features of this specification, as well as the operation and function of the associated elements of the structure, and the economical assembly and manufacture of the components, can be significantly improved with consideration of the following description. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification. However, it should be expressly understood that the drawings are for illustration and description purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this specification. It should also be understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0033] The present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0034] Based on the above, refer to Figures 1 to 6 The present invention provides an ink circuit system, including an ink bottle 100, an ink tube 200, and an air pressure regulating assembly 300. The ink bottle 100 includes a bottle body having an inner cavity. There are two ink bottles 100, and the two ink bottles 100 are connected through the ink tube 200. There are two air pressure regulating assemblies 300, and the two air pressure regulating assemblies 300 are respectively arranged on the two ink bottles 100. The air pressure regulating assemblies 300 include a cover 310, a driving member 320, and an elastic membrane 330. The cover body 310 is arranged on the top of the bottle body, and the cover body 310 is connected to the inner cavity of the bottle body; the driving member 320 is arranged in the cover body 310 and fixedly connected to the cover body 310, and the driving member 320 is provided with a push rod 321; the elastic membrane 330 includes an elastic outer edge 332 and an elastic surface 331, the elastic outer edge 332 is connected to the elastic surface 331, the elastic outer edge 332 is fixed to the inner wall of the cover body 310, the elastic surface 331 is arranged below the driving member 320, and the push rod 321 is connected to the elastic surface 331.

[0035] In actual use, the two ink bottles 100 are configured as a main ink bottle and a circulating ink bottle, respectively. The driving element 320 can be a linear actuator motor. The end of the linear actuator motor's push rod 321 is connected to the elastic surface 331 of the elastic membrane 330, which can be a rubber membrane. The movement of the drive motor drives the push rod 321, which in turn pulls the rubber membrane. When the vacuum level within the ink bottle 100 needs to be increased, the push rod 321 moves upward, pulling the rubber membrane upward, increasing the volume within the ink bottle 100, reducing the air pressure, and increasing the vacuum level. Conversely, when the vacuum level within the ink bottle 100 needs to be reduced, the push rod 321 moves downward, and the rubber membrane moves downward, decreasing the volume within the ink bottle 100, increasing the air pressure, and decreasing the vacuum level. By adjusting the up and down movement of the rubber membrane, the preset pressure in the ink bottle 100 is quickly reached. The rate of change in air pressure is related to the movement speed of the piston push rod 321.

[0036] In related art solutions, a corresponding air pressure pump is usually provided on the ink path, or ink bottles 100 of different heights are provided to adjust the ink path pressure. However, these methods have a significant delay in air pressure control, making it difficult to achieve high-speed and high-precision air pressure control. In order to maintain a continuous flow of ink within the nozzle 700, the two ink bottles 100 need to maintain a pressure differential to encourage ink to flow from the main ink bottle to the circulating ink bottle. The present application provides pressure control within the two bottles by providing air pressure regulating assemblies 300 on each of the ink bottles 100, thereby providing a stable, continuous, and high-precision ink flow for the circulating nozzle 700. The structure is simple, and only two ink bottles are used to achieve the function of resisting shock or air pressure fluctuations that can only be achieved by four ink bottles in related art solutions, thereby ensuring the flow rate accuracy of the ink flow.

[0037] In some embodiments, an air pressure sensor 500 is further provided on the inner wall of the ink bottle 100. When the air pressure in the ink circuit fluctuates due to interference, requiring fine-tuning of the air pressure, the circulating ink bottle air pressure sensor 500 and the main ink bottle air pressure sensor 500 can quickly provide the control system with air pressure data within the air bottle. By adjusting the upward and downward movement of the rubber membrane, the preset pressure in the ink bottle 100 can be quickly reached.

[0038] To achieve macro-pressure control, in some embodiments, the air pressure regulating assembly 300 is further provided with an air valve 340 connected to the cover 310 and configured to control the air pressure within the ink bottle 100 by opening and closing the air valve 340. The opening and closing of the air valve 340 is controlled by a control system, and the air valve 340 serves as a macro-controller of the air pressure within the ink bottle 100. The air valve 340 is typically a normally closed valve, used only when the air pressure within the ink bottle 100 needs to be adjusted significantly or slowly. Optionally, the air valve 340 can be connected to an air source or vacuum source via an air pipe 350.

[0039] In some embodiments, liquid level sensors are also provided on the bottom and sidewalls of the ink bottle 100. These sensors can monitor the liquid levels in the main ink bottle and the circulating ink bottle. By monitoring liquid level changes, abnormal fluctuations in flow rate can be promptly detected. For example, a sudden increase in the rate of liquid level drop may indicate an increase in the flow rate of the ink tube 200, possibly due to an increase in ink supply pressure. A sudden increase in the liquid level may indicate an abnormality such as a blockage in the ink tube 200. This allows for more accurate assessment of flow rate and air pressure status when abnormal liquid level fluctuations are detected, allowing for verification of air pressure control issues and, accordingly, adjustment of the air pressure in the main ink bottle or the circulating ink bottle to maintain a stable ink supply. Alternatively, an ultrasonic sensor may be used.

[0040] In order to keep the circulating ink bottle from being too full and the main ink bottle from being too low in ink, in some embodiments, the ink circuit system further includes an ink pump 600, and the two bottles are connected via ink tubes 200 and ink pump 600. The ink pump 600 can use a peristaltic pump to pump ink from the circulating ink bottle into the main ink bottle.

[0041] In some embodiments, a base 400 and a nozzle 700 are further included. Two ink bottles 100 and an ink pump 600 are installed on the base 400. The ink tube 200 is arranged in the base 400. The nozzle 700 is arranged below the base 400 and connected to the base 400. The two ink bottles 100 are respectively connected to the nozzle 700.

[0042] In some embodiments, the base 400 includes, from top to bottom, an upper shell 410, a connecting portion 420, and a bottom shell 430. The upper shell 410 and the bottom shell 430 are connected by the connecting portion 420. The ink bottle 100 and the ink pump 600 are mounted on the upper shell 410. An ink inlet 431 and an ink outlet 432 are provided below the bottom shell 430. The ink tube 200 includes a liquid inlet tube and a liquid outlet tube. One ink bottle 100 has a liquid outlet, one end of the liquid outlet tube is connected to the liquid outlet, and the other end of the liquid outlet tube extends from the ink outlet 432 and is connected to the nozzle 700. The other ink bottle 100 has a liquid inlet, one end of the liquid inlet tube is connected to the liquid inlet, and the other end extends from the ink inlet 431 and is connected to the nozzle 700. In this way, the direction of ink flow is from the main ink bottle to the nozzle 700, the nozzle 700 to the circulating ink bottle, and finally from the circulating ink bottle to the main ink bottle.

[0043] The present application also provides an ink circuit air pressure control method, which is used to control the operation of the above ink circuit system, and includes the following steps:

[0044] S100, obtaining a preset air pressure value of the ink bottle and an actual air pressure value in the ink bottle, and determining whether the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are equal;

[0045] The preset air pressure value is the target air pressure value of the ink bottle, which is an initially set target value.

[0046] At step S200, when the preset pressure value and the actual pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the pressure within the bottle. This dynamic adjustment of the pressure within the ink bottle achieves precise control of the pressure within the ink bottle, ensuring stable and continuous ink supply from the ink system.

[0047] In another embodiment, since the ink circuit involved in this application utilizes an ink pump 600, improper pump control can cause oscillations in the ink flow within the ink circuit. These oscillations can cause regular changes in the pressure within the ink bottle 100. At this point, the circulating ink bottle pressure sensor and the main ink bottle pressure sensor detect the changes in data, and similarly, the pump oscillations can be offset by controlling the up and down movement of the rubber membrane.

[0048] In some embodiments, when the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle, including:

[0049] When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, determining the magnitude relationship between the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value;

[0050] When the preset air pressure value is greater than the actual air pressure value, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move downward to increase the air pressure in the bottle;

[0051] When the preset air pressure value is less than the actual air pressure value, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward to reduce the air pressure in the bottle.

[0052] In actual use, the ink circuit system of the present application is often placed in a glove box. If the motion platform in the glove box uses an inward-inflating component such as an air flotation platform, it will cause fluctuations in the glove box air pressure. However, due to the delay in air pressure control, it is difficult to ensure that the glove box air pressure can always maintain a stable value, which affects the pressure change in the ink circuit, which will have a significant impact on the nozzle spraying effect and affect the printing effect. Therefore, in some embodiments, the ink circuit air pressure control method also includes:

[0053] Obtain the ambient air pressure value and make a state judgment on the ambient air pressure value;

[0054] When the ambient air pressure value fluctuates, the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value of the air pressure sensor are obtained to determine whether the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are equal;

[0055] When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle.

[0056] In this way, by installing an additional ambient pressure sensor to measure pressure fluctuations within the glove box, combined with the circulating ink bottle pressure sensor and the main ink bottle pressure sensor, the fluctuations can be offset by the up-and-down movement of a rubber membrane. Thus, by controlling the rubber membrane, the pressure differential within the ink bottle can be kept stable, offsetting glove box pressure fluctuations.

[0057] In summary, by installing and adjusting air pressure control components on ink bottles, rapid and high-frequency air pressure control within the ink bottles can be achieved. This in turn provides a stable, continuous, and highly precise ink flow to the circulating printhead, achieving high-precision pressure control and ensuring the accuracy of the ink flow rate. Furthermore, oscillations caused by the pump and air pressure control can also be easily controlled.

[0058] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices, and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0059] The foregoing description of this specification describes specific embodiments. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that described in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the particular order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0060] Furthermore, certain terms in this specification have been used to describe embodiments of this specification. For example, “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and / or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this specification. Therefore, it is emphasized and should be understood that two or more references to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “an alternative embodiment” in various parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be appropriately combined in one or more embodiments of this specification.

[0061] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments of the application disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of this specification. Other modified embodiments are also within the scope of this specification. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples and not limitations. Those skilled in the art can adopt alternative configurations based on the embodiments in this specification to implement the application in this specification. The embodiments of this specification are not limited to the embodiments precisely described in the application.

Claims

1. An ink path system, characterized in that: include: An ink bottle, comprising a bottle body, wherein the bottle body is provided with an inner cavity; Ink tube, there are two ink bottles, and the two ink bottles are connected through the ink tube; There are two air pressure regulating components, and the two air pressure regulating components are respectively arranged on the two ink bottles. The air pressure regulating components include: a cover body, which is arranged on the bottle body and is communicated with the inner cavity of the bottle body; a driving member disposed in the cover body and fixedly connected to the cover body, wherein the driving member is provided with a push rod; The elastic membrane includes an elastic outer edge and an elastic surface, wherein the elastic outer edge is connected to the elastic surface, the elastic outer edge is fixed to the inner wall of the cover body, the elastic surface is arranged below the driving member, and the push rod is connected to the elastic surface.

2. The ink path system according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air pressure sensor is also provided on the inner wall of the ink bottle.

3. The ink path system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air pressure regulating assembly is further provided with an air valve, which is connected to the cover body and is used to control the air pressure in the ink bottle by opening and closing the air valve.

4. The ink path system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Liquid level sensors are also provided on the bottom and side walls of the ink bottle.

5. The ink path system according to claim 1, characterized in that: An ink pump is also included, and the two bottles are connected to the ink pump through the ink tubes respectively.

6. The ink path system according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a base and a nozzle, the two ink bottles and the ink pump are installed on the base, the ink tube is arranged in the base, the nozzle is arranged below the base and connected to the base, and the two ink bottles are connected to the nozzles respectively.

7. The ink path system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The base includes an upper shell, a connecting portion and a bottom shell from top to bottom, the upper shell and the bottom shell are connected by the connecting portion, the ink bottle and the ink pump are installed on the upper shell, an ink inlet and an ink outlet are provided below the bottom shell, the ink tube includes a liquid inlet tube and a liquid outlet tube, one of the ink bottles is provided with a liquid outlet, one end of the liquid outlet tube is connected to the liquid outlet, the other end of the liquid outlet tube extends from the ink outlet and is connected to the nozzle; the other ink bottle is provided with a liquid inlet, one end of the liquid inlet tube is connected to the liquid inlet, and the other end extends from the ink inlet and is connected to the nozzle.

8. A method for controlling ink path air pressure, characterized in that: The ink circuit air pressure control method is used to control the operation of the ink circuit system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the method includes: Obtaining a preset air pressure value of the ink bottle and an actual air pressure value in the ink bottle, and determining whether the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are equal; When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle.

9. The ink path air pressure control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle, including: When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, determining the magnitude relationship between the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value; When the preset air pressure value is greater than the actual air pressure value, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move downward to increase the air pressure in the bottle; When the preset air pressure value is less than the actual air pressure value, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward to reduce the air pressure in the bottle.

10. The ink path air pressure control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Obtain the ambient air pressure value and make a state judgment on the ambient air pressure value; When the ambient air pressure value fluctuates, the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value of the air pressure sensor are obtained to determine whether the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are equal; When the preset air pressure value and the actual air pressure value are not equal, the push rod of the driving member is controlled to move upward or downward to adjust the air pressure in the bottle.

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