Ink-jet Carriage Acceleration Nozzle Flushing Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In ink-jet recording apparatuses, the flushing operation during carriage acceleration can result in ink not landing reliably in the ink receiving section, especially when the ink receiving section is narrow, leading to a decline in throughput.
Innovation Solution
An ink-jet recording apparatus with a controller that manages the flushing process by selecting a variable number of nozzle groups for flushing based on carriage acceleration, ensuring ink lands reliably in the ink receiver while maintaining throughput, by performing flushing during the acceleration phase and adjusting the number of nozzle groups based on acceleration speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the flushing operation is performed during carriage acceleration, then throughput of image recording is maintained, but ink may not land reliably in the ink receiving section
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the flushing operation across different nozzle groups based on their position. The controller selectively performs flushing for specific nozzle groups (e.g., odd or even groups) depending on carriage acceleration conditions, rather than uniformly flushing all nozzles. This localized approach ensures reliable ink collection for critical nozzle groups while maintaining overall system throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the flushing operation adaptive to carriage acceleration conditions. The controller dynamically adjusts which nozzle groups undergo flushing based on real-time acceleration measurements. When acceleration exceeds a threshold, the controller selectively enables or disables flushing for specific nozzle groups, creating a dynamic response to varying operational conditions that balances throughput and reliability.
2Volume of moving object
If the ink receiving section is narrowed for downsizing, then device size is reduced, but ink landing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses this contradiction by applying local quality to the flushing operation. Instead of requiring a larger ink receiving section to accommodate all nozzle groups, the controller selectively performs flushing for specific nozzle groups based on acceleration conditions. This localized flushing approach reduces the effective width needed for reliable ink collection while maintaining device compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing flushing operations for only a subset of nozzle groups rather than all nozzles simultaneously. During high acceleration, the controller selectively enables flushing for certain nozzle groups (e.g., odd groups) while disabling it for others, achieving sufficient ink collection reliability with a narrower receiving section.
3Productivity
If the number of nozzle groups selected for flushing is increased, then throughput is improved, but ink landing reliability decreases under high acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the number of nozzle groups subjected to flushing adaptive to acceleration conditions. The controller dynamically adjusts the count of flushing-targeted nozzle groups based on measured acceleration. During high acceleration, fewer nozzle groups are selected for flushing; during low acceleration, more nozzle groups are included, creating a dynamic balance between throughput and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the operational parameters of the flushing operation based on acceleration conditions. The controller changes which nozzle groups are targeted for flushing and how frequently flushing occurs, adjusting these parameters in response to acceleration measurements to optimize both throughput and ink landing reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An ink jet recording apparatus includes: a carriage which is movable in a forward direction from one end to the other end; a recording head provided in the carriage and having a plurality of nozzle groups from which the ink is discharged; an ink receiver provided at a side of the one end including a flushing position and configured to receive the ink discharged by a flushing operation; and a controller configured to control operations of the carriage and the recording head. In a case that the carriage is moved in the forward direction, the controller executes: an acceleration process for accelerating the carriage; a selecting process for selecting at least one nozzle group for which the flushing operation is performed; a flushing process for performing the flushing operation for the nozzle group selected in the selecting process during the acceleration process; and a recording process for recording the image.