Ink Tank Injection Guide Prevents Dripping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inkjet recording apparatuses face limitations in preventing ink from dripping and contaminating the surroundings when ink is injected into the ink tank, as the absorber's capacity is insufficient to handle excess ink.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes an ink tank with an injection portion, an ink reception portion, and a guide portion that utilizes a needle for gas-liquid exchange and capillary forces to direct ink into the ink storage chamber, preventing ink from leaking and contaminating the environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an absorber is provided on the top surface of the ink tank to absorb ink drips, then ink contamination due to drips is prevented, but the absorber's capacity is limited and cannot handle ink exceeding a predetermined amount
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a needle as an intermediary component between the ink bottle and ink storage chamber. The needle guides ink flow directly into the storage chamber, preventing uncontrolled dripping. This intermediary structure mediates the ink transfer process to eliminate the need for large-capacity absorbers while maintaining contamination prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful function of the absorber by eliminating the need for large amounts of absorptive material. Instead of relying on the absorber to handle excess ink, the system extracts the ink flow control function to the needle mechanism, which precisely directs ink into the storage chamber, thereby removing the limitation of absorber capacity.
2Device complexity
If ink is injected directly into the ink storage chamber, then the injection process is simple, but ink may drip and contaminate the surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
The needle serves as a mediator between the ink bottle and the ink storage chamber. It provides a controlled pathway for ink injection, preventing direct uncontrolled flow. The needle's presence adds minimal complexity while effectively preventing ink dripping and contamination during the injection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle structure is designed to be self-guiding, utilizing its own geometry and the ink flow characteristics to direct ink into the storage chamber without requiring additional complex control mechanisms. The system serves itself by using the needle's inherent properties to control ink flow and prevent dripping.
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 configuration effectively prevents ink from dripping and contaminating the surroundings by ensuring ink is efficiently directed into the ink storage chamber, maintaining a clean environment and ensuring reliable operation of the inkjet recording apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
a guide portion configured to guide ink received by the ink reception portion to the communication portion
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink tank including an ink storage chamber configured to store ink to be supplied to a recording head configured to discharge ink. An injection portion is provided through which ink is injected from an ink bottle into the ink storage chamber. An ink reception portion is configured to receive ink inside the injection portion. A communication portion is configured to communicate with the ink storage chamber inside the injection portion. A guide portion is configured to guide ink received by the ink reception portion to the communication portion.