Cap With Segmented Spaces For Liquid Ejecting Apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid ejecting apparatuses like ink jet printers, gas flow through the atmosphere-open tube can cause ejection trouble by entering the nozzle after suction cleaning, leading to clogging and reduced printing quality.
Innovation Solution
A cap with a suction hole and an atmosphere communicating hole, including a liquid absorber and a reception member, forms separate spaces to manage gas flow and liquid discharge, ensuring the nozzle remains clear during capping and suction cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cap is opened to the atmosphere through the atmosphere-open tube after suction cleaning, then the inside of the cap can be vented, but gas flows swiftly through the tube and may enter the nozzle causing ejection trouble
Solution Approach 1:
The cap interior is divided into two separate spaces: a first space (suction space) for suction cleaning operations and a second space (reception space) for receiving discharged liquid. The atmosphere-open tube opens to the second space rather than the first, allowing gas venting without creating harmful swift flows into the nozzle. This spatial segmentation isolates the harmful gas flow path from the nozzle while maintaining necessary atmospheric communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The reception member acts as an intermediary element between the atmosphere-open tube and the nozzle. It receives the liquid discharged from the nozzle and provides a controlled interface for atmospheric communication, preventing direct swift gas flow into the nozzle while still allowing pressure equalization through the second space.
2Reliability
If suction cleaning is performed inside the cap, then liquid can be removed from the nozzle, but gas flow may cause clogging and reduced printing quality
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cap interior into a first suction space and a second reception space, the invention separates the suction cleaning function from the atmospheric venting function. The atmosphere-open tube opens to the second space, allowing gas to escape without creating harmful swift flows that would cause clogging during suction cleaning operations in the first space.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cap are given different functional qualities: the first space is optimized for suction cleaning with appropriate pressure characteristics, while the second space is designed for atmospheric communication and liquid reception. This local differentiation ensures that gas flow characteristics in the second space do not negatively impact the cleaning process in the first space.
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
Prevents gas flow into the nozzle, maintaining liquid ejection functionality and improving printing quality by effectively managing gas and liquid flow during the cleaning process.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid absorber that is configured to be disposed inside the capping member so as to come into contact with at least a part of an opening of the suction hole and to absorb the liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head provided with a nozzle and a cap that executes capping for forming a first space to which the nozzle is open, in a surrounding manner. The cap includes a capping member that is provided with a suction hole and an atmosphere communicating hole which is configured to allow an inside of the cap to communicate with an outside, a liquid absorber that is disposed inside the capping member, and a reception member that is disposed inside the capping member so as to form a second space between the liquid absorber and the reception member. The second space is positioned closer to a side of the liquid ejecting head than to the liquid absorber in a posture of capping, and the atmosphere communicating hole is open to the second space.