Ink Circulation Printer Pressure Control via Staggered Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers with multiple color ink circulation mechanisms experience abrupt fluctuations in nozzle pressures due to simultaneous ink supply from cartridges, leading to potential abnormal ink ejection and decreased image quality.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a controller that coordinates the ink supply units across multiple printing units to ensure non-coincidence in ink flow times into negative-pressure tanks and positive-pressure tanks, utilizing intermittent supply and feeding operations based on real-time sensor data to stabilize liquid levels and pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common air chamber is used to control pressures in multiple negative-pressure tanks, then device complexity is reduced, but pressure stability deteriorates due to simultaneous liquid level fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single common air chamber into multiple separate air chambers, with each air chamber corresponding to a specific negative-pressure tank. This segmentation isolates the pressure control for each tank, preventing pressure fluctuations in one tank from affecting others, thereby maintaining pressure stability while using a modular approach that doesn't significantly increase overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller operates ink supply units in a predetermined sequence rather than simultaneously, ensuring that ink is supplied to negative-pressure tanks at different times. This preliminary coordination of timing prevents simultaneous liquid level fluctuations that would otherwise compress the common air chamber and cause pressure fluctuations, thereby maintaining pressure stability.
2Productivity
If ink is supplied instantaneously from the ink cartridge to the negative-pressure tank, then ink supply efficiency is improved, but liquid level stability deteriorates due to abrupt fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The controller coordinates the timing of ink supply operations across multiple printing units, ensuring that ink supply to negative-pressure tanks is performed in a predetermined sequence rather than simultaneously. This preliminary timing arrangement allows instantaneous supply efficiency to be maintained while preventing simultaneous liquid level fluctuations that would cause pressure instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic, coordinated ink supply operations where each printing unit supplies ink at its own designated time interval. This periodic action pattern maintains efficient ink supply while distributing liquid level changes over time, preventing abrupt simultaneous fluctuations and maintaining pressure stability in the air chambers.
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
This approach reduces abrupt nozzle pressure fluctuations, minimizing abnormal ink ejection and enhancing printed image quality by smoothing liquid level changes and maintaining stable pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a negative-pressure applying unit configured to apply a negative pressure force to the second tanks of the plurality of printing units and the negative-pressure common air chamber
Implementation Method 2
an ink pump configured to feed the ink from the second tank to the first tank
Implementation Method 3
The ink is supplied to the inkjet head from a positive-pressure tank which is the upstream ink tank, and is ejected from the inkjet head
Data Source
AI summary
Upon supply of inks to second tanks of a plurality of printing units with the second tanks in communication with each other via a negative-pressure common air chamber in an air-tight state and with a negative-pressure force applied to the second tanks and the negative-pressure common air chamber, a controller is configured to drive ink supply units of the plurality of printing units to supply the inks such that times in which the inks flow into the second tanks in the plurality of printing units do not coincide with each other.