Printer Ink Supply Correction for Accurate Tank-Level Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid supply systems face challenges in maintaining consistent ink levels in tanks due to temperature and density distributions during circulation, leading to inaccurate remaining amount measurements and potential overflow.
Innovation Solution
A liquid supply system with a tube, liquid delivery mechanism, processor, and memory that performs controlled circulation and correction operations to minimize the change in ink levels, ensuring the actual remaining amount after circulation is closer to the initial amount by delivering a correction amount less than twice the circulation change.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If circulation operation is performed to suppress temperature and density distribution, then liquid uniformity is improved, but remaining amount measurement accuracy deteriorates due to liquid level change
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs circulation operation before the liquid level reaches critical thresholds (upper limit H2 and lower limit H1). By proactively circulating the liquid in advance, temperature and density distributions are suppressed before they cause measurement errors or operational problems, thereby maintaining both liquid uniformity and measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the liquid level in the tank and the operation amount from the liquid supply unit. Based on this feedback information, the system dynamically determines whether to perform circulation operation, adjusting the circulation strategy according to actual liquid level changes and supply rates to maintain measurement accuracy while ensuring liquid uniformity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If circulation operation is performed to maintain liquid uniformity, then temperature distribution is improved, but liquid level changes causing overflow risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs circulation operation before the liquid level reaches the upper limit H2. By proactively circulating the liquid in advance, temperature distributions are suppressed before they cause overflow risks, thereby maintaining both temperature uniformity and preventing overflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the liquid level and operation amount, using this feedback to dynamically adjust circulation operations. When the liquid level approaches critical thresholds, the system modifies or stops circulation to prevent overflow while maintaining temperature distribution uniformity.
3Measurement precision
If correction operation is performed to compensate liquid level, then remaining amount accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing liquid supply unit to perform correction operations. The control unit calculates the correction amount based on liquid level changes during circulation, and the liquid supply unit automatically compensates by supplying the corresponding amount of liquid. This self-service approach improves remaining amount accuracy without requiring additional correction devices, thereby avoiding increased system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid supply unit serves multiple functions: it supplies liquid to the tank during normal operation, performs circulation operation to maintain liquid uniformity, and executes correction operation to compensate liquid level changes. By making the liquid supply unit multi-functional, the system achieves improved measurement accuracy without adding dedicated correction mechanisms, thus avoiding increased complexity.
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 system effectively stabilizes ink levels in tanks, preventing overflow and ensuring accurate remaining amount measurements, thereby improving management and reducing errors in replenishment and supply timing.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid delivery mechanism is provided in the tube, and is configured to perform a supply operation of supplying the liquid from the server tank to the printer tank via the tube, and a return operation of returning the liquid from the printer tank to the server tank via the tube
Data Source
AI summary
A processor of a liquid supply system performs correction processing of performing a supply operation or a return operation and delivering a liquid of a correction amount from a tank of increase to a tank of decrease. The correction amount corresponding to less than two times a circulation change amount and is an amount of change in a remaining amount of the liquid in a server tank or a printer tank from before to after circulation processing of performing the supply operation and the return operation. The tank of increase is a tank, of the server tank and the printer tank, in which the remaining amount of the liquid increases from before to after the circulation processing. The tank of decrease is a tank, of the server tank and the printer tank, in which the remaining amount of the liquid decreases from before to after the circulation processing.