Ink Tube Guide Section for Curvature Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printers face challenges with size reduction, leading to increased curvature of ink tubes, which results in unfavorable bending stress, abrasion, and unstable carriage behavior, affecting recording quality.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a guide section that restricts deformation of the ink tube, featuring a lower site to ease curvature and reduce damage, and a restricting portion to stabilize the carriage unit, along with protective members to prevent damage and maintain recording quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the apparatus size is reduced, then the space for laying out the ink tube is reduced, but the curved portion of the ink tube needs to have increased curvature which causes unfavorable bending stress and may adversely affect the endurance of the ink tube
Solution Approach 1:
A guide section is introduced as an intermediary component between the ink tube and the apparatus structure. The guide section includes a first site and a second site that guides the ink tube along a predetermined path, allowing the ink tube to form a curved portion with appropriate curvature radius even in a compact apparatus. This mediator prevents direct contact between the ink tube and sharp edges, reducing bending stress and abrasion while maintaining small apparatus size.
2Volume of moving object
If the curved portion of the ink tube is made sharper to reduce apparatus size, then the space is saved, but the curved portion strongly contacts the tube guide causing abrasion of the ink tube surface and the tube guide
Solution Approach 1:
The guide section acts as a mediator with a carefully designed surface that reduces friction and abrasion. The guide section includes a first site and a second site that provides a smooth guiding path for the ink tube, preventing direct contact between the ink tube and sharp edges or rough surfaces. This intermediary structure allows the ink tube to maintain appropriate curvature without excessive contact pressure, thereby reducing abrasion on both the ink tube surface and the guide section.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the curved portion of the ink tube is inappropriately curved or changes curvature during carriage movement, then the carriage receives unstable force, but this causes unstable behavior of the carriage and degraded recording quality
Solution Approach 1:
The guide section serves as a stable intermediary that constrains the ink tube to follow a predetermined path with consistent curvature. The guide section includes a first site and a second site that work together to maintain the curved portion's geometry during carriage movement. This prevents the ink tube from adopting inappropriate curved states or changing curvature dynamically, thereby stabilizing the force transmitted to the carriage and ensuring stable carriage behavior and recording quality.
4Reliability
If the ink tube is fixed to a tube guide with a protective plate, then the ink tube is protected, but the curved portion still contacts the tube guide causing abrasion and the apparatus size cannot be reduced further
Solution Approach 1:
The guide section replaces the conventional protective plate configuration with a more effective intermediary structure. The guide section includes a first site and a second site that actively guides the ink tube along a predetermined path, providing protection while allowing the ink tube to maintain appropriate curvature. This design protects the ink tube from damage while enabling further apparatus size reduction by optimizing the space utilization and eliminating the need for additional protective structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a carriage that includes a liquid ejecting head, a liquid storing container that is capable of storing the liquid and that is provided at a different location from the carriage, a tube that supplies the liquid sent from the liquid storing container, and a guide section that is located at a lower side of the carriage in a vertical direction. When one of the moving directions of the carriage is a first direction and another one of the moving directions of the carriage is a second direction, the tube extends in the second direction along the guide section, and is connected to the carriage. The guide section includes a first site and a second site that is lower in the vertical direction than the first site.