Ink-jet Printer Air Discharge Control via Exponential Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet printers face inefficiencies in air discharge operations, leading to unnecessary ink consumption and reduced ink-ejecting performance due to inconsistent air bubble removal methods, which do not accurately account for the exponential growth of air in ink-supply tubes over time.
Innovation Solution
An ink-jet printer system that calculates the volume of air in the ink-supply passage using an exponential function based on elapsed time since the last air discharge, controlling the air-discharge valve and air-supplying device to optimize air removal without excessive ink consumption, ensuring high ink-ejecting performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air discharging operation is performed to discharge completely the air present in the ink-supply tube, then air bubbles are effectively removed and ink-ejecting performance is maintained, but a large amount of ink is consumed uselessly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by using an exponential function V=a·ebt to model air volume growth over time, allowing the system to predict and discharge only the necessary air volume based on elapsed time since last discharge, rather than always discharging a fixed large amount of ink
2Loss of substance
If air discharging operation is performed to discharge only a small amount of ink, then ink consumption is reduced, but only an insufficient amount of air may be discharged which leads to lowering ink-ejecting performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using the obtained air volume information (calculated from elapsed time) to control the air discharging operation, creating a closed-loop system that adjusts discharge amount based on actual air accumulation conditions rather than using fixed discharge protocols
3Reliability
If air discharging operation is performed periodically with fixed timing, then air bubbles are removed regularly, but ink is consumed even when no significant air accumulation has occurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from fixed periodic discharge timing to dynamic timing based on elapsed time calculation, allowing the system to adapt discharge operations to actual air accumulation rates which follow exponential growth patterns rather than rigid schedules
Data Source
AI summary
An ink-jet printer, including an ink-jet recording head having an ink inflow passage including an ink inlet, and an air-discharge passage which allows the ink inflow passage to communicate with an atmosphere; an air-discharge valve which selectively opens and closes the air-discharge passage; an ink tank which stores the ink and which has an ink outlet and an air inlet; a connector having an ink supply passage which communicates, at one end thereof, with the ink outlet of the ink tank and communicates, at an other end thereof, with the ink inlet of the recording head; an air supplying device which supplies the air to the ink tank via the air inlet thereof; an obtaining portion which obtains one of an elapsed time, t, from a reference time, and a volume, V, of an air present in the ink supply passage and the ink inflow passage at the elapsed time t, based on an other of the elapsed time t and the air volume V, and a following relationship: V=a·ebt, where a and b are coefficients and e is a base of a natural logarithm; and a control portion which controls, based on the obtained one of the elapsed time t and the air volume V, an operation of the air supplying device and/or the air-discharge valve, so that the volume V of the air at the elapsed time t is discharged through the air-discharge passage opened by the air-discharge valve.