Ink Circulation Pump for Bubble Removal in Liquid Ejecting Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printers face issues with ink ejection failures due to bubbles in the recording head, leading to wasteful nozzle recovery processes that consume large amounts of ink and degrade printing quality.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a pump, liquid filtration unit, and control unit that performs a sucking and discharging operation to clarify ink within the supply passage, allowing bubble removal without discharging ink from nozzles, and includes a circulation passage to reduce viscosity and re-fill nozzles efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the nozzle recovery process is performed by pressurizing the ink supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head, then the bubbles incorporated into the ink in the recording head are pushed out, but the ink is wastefully discharged from the nozzles in normal condition, resulting in large amounts of ink waste
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the ink supply system into a circulation passage and a nozzle supply passage. The circulation passage is dedicated to bubble removal through pump-driven circulation and filtration, while the nozzle supply passage maintains normal ink flow to the nozzles. This segmentation allows bubble removal without forcing ink through the nozzles, eliminating wasteful discharge while maintaining nozzle functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the bubble removal function from the nozzle ejection path by creating a separate circulation passage. The pump and filtration unit are positioned in this separate circulation path, allowing bubbles to be removed from the ink before it reaches the nozzles, rather than pushing ink and bubbles through the nozzles together. This extraction eliminates the harmful side effect of ink waste while maintaining the beneficial effect of bubble removal.
2Reliability
If the ink is pressurized to be supplied to even nozzles that properly eject ink, then all nozzles receive ink, but the ink is wastefully discharged from the nozzles in normal condition
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the ink supply system into a circulation passage for bubble removal and a nozzle supply passage for normal operation. The pump operates in the circulation passage to remove bubbles, while the nozzle supply passage maintains steady ink flow. This segmentation allows bubble removal without disrupting normal nozzle ejection, maintaining printing efficiency while improving reliability.
3Reliability
If the liquid in the liquid supply passage is sucked by the pump, then the bubbles incorporated into the liquid are moved into the liquid supply passage and clarified by the liquid filtration unit, but additional components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the circulation passage with the existing ink supply system by connecting it to the ink cartridge and recording head. The pump and filtration unit are integrated into this circulation path, combining bubble removal functionality with the existing ink supply infrastructure. This merging approach improves liquid quality while minimizing the addition of separate components.
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 solution enables effective nozzle recovery while minimizing ink consumption, maintaining printing quality by removing bubbles and re-filling nozzles with clarified ink, reducing viscosity, and preventing ink wastage.
Implementation Method 1
the control unit drives the pump to perform a sucking operation to suck the liquid in the liquid supply passage to the pump
Implementation Method 2
a liquid filtration unit that clarifies the liquid in the liquid supply passage
Implementation Method 3
as the capillary force of the nozzles is exerted, the nozzles are filled with the clarified liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a recording head that ejects an ink from a plurality of nozzles, a liquid supply passage and a reservoir that supply the ink from an upstream side toward a downstream side, a maintenance pump that is able to suck and discharge the ink from and to the liquid supply passage, a filter that clarify the ink in the reservoir, and a control unit that performs a recovery process of the nozzles by controlling an operation of the pump, wherein the control unit causes the maintenance pump to perform a sucking operation to suck the ink, and then causes the pump to perform a discharging operation to discharge the ink, thereby supplying the ink clarified by the filter to the nozzle side.