Ink Jet Printer Ink Tank Mounting State Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet printing systems face challenges in accurately determining whether multiple ink tanks of the same color are mounted correctly, leading to decreased determination accuracy due to differences in tank side control circuits and main body side control circuits characteristics.
Innovation Solution
An ink jet printer system with a controller that sends specific commands through common wiring to ink tank control units, requesting and verifying ink identification and individual tank information, and adjusting the response signals to accurately determine the mounting state of ink tanks, including steps to differentiate between correctly and incorrectly mounted ink tanks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a bus connection wiring is used to determine ink tank mounting state, then the structure is simple and cost-effective, but the determination accuracy decreases due to signal collisions and circuit characteristic differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mounting state determination process into multiple independent phases: color ID verification phase, individual tank number verification phase, and mounting state determination phase. Each phase uses separate communication sequences and verification steps, allowing the system to distinguish between different types of mounting errors (missing tank vs. duplicate tank) by analyzing response patterns at each segmentation point, thereby improving determination accuracy while maintaining the simplicity of the bus connection wiring structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary verification actions before final mounting state determination. The system first verifies color ID matching, then performs individual tank number verification, and only after these preliminary checks does it determine the final mounting state. This preliminary action approach allows the system to detect and differentiate between various error conditions (incorrect color tank, duplicate tank, missing tank) before reaching the final determination, significantly improving measurement precision without adding complex wiring
2Measurement precision
If individual tank number checking is performed to distinguish mounting errors, then the determination accuracy improves, but the determination time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial verification action by performing individual tank number checking only when necessary. The system first performs color ID verification which is sufficient to identify many mounting states. Only when color ID verification indicates potential errors (such as multiple tanks of the same color or missing tanks) does the system proceed to the more time-consuming individual tank number verification. This partial action approach balances determination accuracy with time efficiency by avoiding unnecessary verification steps
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic verification timing where the system adjusts its verification behavior based on real-time response patterns. During the color ID verification phase, the system monitors which tanks respond and how they respond. Based on these dynamic observations, the system determines whether to proceed to individual tank number verification. This dynamic approach allows the system to minimize determination time while maintaining high accuracy by adapting the verification depth to the specific error conditions detected
Data Source
AI summary
There is a case where, in the individual tank number checking processing, usually it is determined that individual tank number agreement can not be confirmed due to a collision of response signals from two tanks. However, due to individual differences among main body side control circuit threshold values and the like, there may be a case that an agreement of the individual tank numbers is confirmed. In response to this, the tank that has the individual tank number whose agreement could be confirmed is put in a sleep state, and because a control code is sent, the other tank designated with color ID is able to return its individual tank number, and the main body side control circuit detects its individual tank number. Based on this it is possible to determine that multiple ink tanks with the same color ID are mounted.