Ink Viscosity Estimation for Liquid Discharging Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printers face challenges in accurately calculating the viscosity of mixed ink due to varying residual and refill ink viscosities, leading to uncertain ink discharge properties during printing, flushing, and purging processes.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharging apparatus with a controller that estimates the amount and viscosity of residual ink, refill ink, and mixed ink by calculating the residual amount, refill amount, and refill ink viscosity, allowing for precise adjustment of drive waveforms and flushing frequencies based on estimated mixed ink viscosity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the ink tank is refilled with refill ink, then the ink tank can be replenished with fresh ink, but the residual ink and refill ink mix causing uncertain viscosity changes
Solution Approach 1:
The controller estimates the viscosity of mixed ink by continuously monitoring the refill history and residual ink amount, then uses this estimated viscosity information to adjust drive waveforms and flushing operations, creating a closed-loop feedback system that adapts to the changing ink properties after refilling
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary estimation of mixed ink viscosity immediately after refilling by calculating the mixture ratio between residual and refill ink, allowing the printer to proactively adjust operating parameters before actual printing occurs, preventing potential clogging or discharge issues
2Adaptability or versatility
If the mixture ratio of residual ink and refill ink is uncertain, then refilling can be done at arbitrary times, but the viscosity of mixed ink becomes difficult to calculate
Solution Approach 1:
The controller acts as an intermediary that bridges the uncertainty of mixed ink composition by estimating the mixture ratio based on refill history and residual ink amount, then using this estimation as a basis for adjusting drive waveforms and flushing operations, allowing the system to handle arbitrary refilling while maintaining control
3Device complexity
If the viscosity of mixed ink is not monitored, then the system operation is simple, but ink discharge properties and jet performance change unpredictably
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-monitoring of ink viscosity by estimating the mixed ink properties based on refill history and residual ink amount, then automatically adjusts its own drive waveforms and flushing operations without requiring external intervention or complex additional sensors, maintaining reliability while limiting complexity increase
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a liquid discharging apparatus including a liquid discharge head, a tank, and a controller configured to perform: estimating an amount of liquid remained in the tank; estimating a viscosity of the remained liquid; estimating an amount of the refilled liquid; estimating a viscosity of the refilled liquid; and estimating a viscosity of a mixed liquid of the remained liquid and the refilled liquid at a point of time of finishing a refill of the tank with the liquid, based on the estimated amount of the remained liquid, the estimated viscosity of the remained liquid, the estimated amount of the refilled liquid, and the estimated viscosity of the refilled liquid.