IC Board Electrode and Light-Blocking Plate Alignment in Liquid Cartridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid cartridges for inkjet recording devices lack innovative designs that enhance the attachment and detection mechanisms, leading to inefficiencies in ink supply and monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A liquid cartridge design featuring a housing with a protruding liquid supply portion, an electrode group, and a detection portion that includes a light-blocking plate, allowing for improved ink flow and residual ink detection through optical sensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electrode group and light-blocking plate are positioned on the housing surface, then electrical connection and optical detection are enabled, but misalignment may occur during attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the electrode group and light-blocking plate into a single integrated IC board assembly. This merging ensures that both components maintain fixed relative positions to each other, eliminating alignment issues between separate components while enabling both electrical connection and optical detection functions simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The IC board with pre-positioned electrode group and light-blocking plate is prepared in advance as a complete assembly before attachment to the housing. This preliminary configuration ensures that when the cartridge is attached to the printer, the electrodes and light-blocking plate are already in their correct positions relative to each other, requiring only alignment with the printer's corresponding components
2Measurement precision
If the detection portion is positioned separately from the circuit board, then optical detection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection portion (light-blocking plate) is merged with the circuit board (IC board) as an integrated assembly. The light-blocking plate is positioned on the IC board such that it extends in the widthwise direction with its center aligned with the optical detection path, allowing both detection functionality and electrical connection to be achieved through a single integrated component rather than separate assemblies
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
The design ensures stable electrical connections and efficient ink supply, while enabling accurate detection of ink levels, thereby enhancing the operational reliability and user experience of inkjet recording devices.
Implementation Method 1
The detection portion is configured to receive light traveling in the lateral direction and change a state of the light depending on an amount of the liquid stored in the liquid chamber
Implementation Method 2
an IC board, a detection-target portion and a light-blocking plate are mounted on an upper surface of a housing of the ink cartridge
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid cartridge configured to be inserted in a frontward direction to a printer includes: a housing; a liquid supply portion; a circuit board; a plate; and a detection portion. The circuit board includes an electrode group facing upward in an upright posture of the liquid cartridge. The electrode group includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode for grounding. The first to third electrodes are arrayed in a lateral direction crossing the frontward direction and a gravitational direction such that the third electrode is positioned between the first and second electrodes. In the upright posture of the liquid cartridge, the plate and the detection portion are respectively positioned upward and rearward relative to the circuit board. Each of the third electrode and an upper portion of the plate is positioned a datum plane extending in the frontward direction and in the gravitational direction.