Inkjet Head Cleaner Wiper with Hydrophobic Blade Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face the issue of waste liquid remaining on the nozzle face due to bleeding when a wiper sheet is used for cleaning, especially during repetitive and strong wiping operations, which can lead to ink adhesion and formation of stalactite-shaped sediments causing operational troubles.
Innovation Solution
A head cleaner system with a wiper that includes a web and a blade with higher water repellency, performing a first wiping operation without the blade and a second operation with both the web and blade, to effectively remove waste liquid and prevent bleeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wiper sheet is used to wipe the nozzle face repeatedly and strongly, then the cleaning effect is improved, but waste liquid bleeds onto the nozzle face causing ink adhesion and sediment formation
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper is divided into two functional parts: a wiper sheet for initial cleaning and a blade for final wiping. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without causing harmful bleeding effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade acts as an intermediary element between the wiper sheet and the nozzle face. It receives waste liquid from the wiper sheet and transfers it to the nozzle face in a controlled manner, preventing direct contact that causes bleeding.
2Reliability
If the blade is always in contact with the nozzle face during wiping, then waste liquid removal is effective, but the blade absorbs liquid causing bleeding onto the nozzle face
Solution Approach 1:
The blade's contact with the nozzle face is made dynamic rather than static. The blade contacts the nozzle face only during the final stage of wiping when needed, and can be retracted or adjusted based on the cleaning requirement, optimizing both removal effectiveness and preventing excessive absorption.
3Device complexity
If a single wiper sheet is used for all wiping operations, then the device complexity is low, but the cleaning effectiveness deteriorates over time due to saturation
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper combines two different wiping elements (wiper sheet and blade) into a single integrated unit that works together. This merging provides the benefits of multiple components while maintaining a unified structure, improving cleaning effectiveness without excessive complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently removes waste liquid from the nozzle face, reduces ink adhesion, and minimizes the formation of stalactite-shaped sediments, enhancing the operational reliability of inkjet printers.
Implementation Method 1
a blade (14) having a higher water repellency than the wiper sheet (2)
Data Source
AI summary
A head cleaner to clean a liquid discharge head including a nozzle face in which nozzles are formed includes a wiper to wipe the nozzle face by moving relative to the liquid discharge head in a wiping direction. The wiper includes a wiper sheet, a blade having a higher water repellency than the wiper sheet, and a controller that controls the wiper to perform a first wiping operation and a second wiping operation. The first wiping operation involves wiping the nozzle face with the wiper sheet without bringing the blade into contact with the nozzle face, and the second wiping operation involves wiping the nozzle face with the wiper sheet and the blade by bringing the wiper sheet and the blade into contact with the nozzle face. The controller controls the wiper to perform the second wiping operation after performing the first wiping operation at least once.