Inkjet Head Filter Gas-Liquid Interface for Leakage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid ejecting apparatuses, such as ink jet printers, the change in posture of the head unit during detachment can cause a height difference between nozzles, leading to increased ink pressure that may break gas-liquid interfaces and result in ink leakage, as existing technologies fail to maintain the necessary pressure balance across the nozzles.
Innovation Solution
A control method and apparatus that includes a filter chamber with upstream and downstream chambers, where the nozzles communicate via a filter, and a gas introduction unit to form gas-liquid interfaces in the filter holes, ensuring the withstand pressure on the gas side is greater than the ink side, preventing ink leakage by maintaining the pressure balance during head unit removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the head unit is detachably mounted on the mounting portion, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to ink leakage caused by height difference between nozzles
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary action by introducing gas into the filter chamber before the head unit is removed, forming a gas-liquid interface in advance. This pre-formed interface creates a pressure barrier that prevents ink leakage when the head unit is detached and height differences occur between nozzles.
Solution Approach 2:
Gas is introduced as an intermediary substance into the filter chamber to form a gas-liquid interface. This gas layer acts as a mediator that balances the pressure between the ink reservoir and the nozzles, preventing ink from leaking out when the head unit is removed and nozzle height differences occur.
2Reliability
If gas is introduced to form gas-liquid interface in filter holes, then the reliability is improved by preventing ink leakage, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas introduction unit serves multiple functions: it forms the gas-liquid interface to prevent ink leakage, and it can be integrated into the existing liquid ejecting apparatus structure. The same gas introduction mechanism works for both maintaining pressure balance and enabling safe removal of the head unit.
3Reliability
If pre-operation is executed to form gas-liquid interface, then the reliability is improved, but the loss of time increases due to additional operation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The gas introduction to form the gas-liquid interface is performed periodically - specifically, each time before the head unit is removed from the mounting portion. This periodic action ensures reliability only when needed, rather than continuously, thereby minimizing time loss while maintaining ink leakage prevention.
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 solution effectively prevents ink leakage by forming gas-liquid interfaces in the filter holes, reducing pre-operation time, ink wastage, and the need for waste liquid collection, while ensuring the apparatus can be safely removed without ink loss.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure difference between a pressure on a gas side and a pressure on a liquid side, at which a gas-liquid interface formed in the hole of the filter is able to be maintained, is defined as a withstand pressure Pf
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head unit having a plurality of nozzles ejecting an ink, the head unit including a filter provided with holes through which the ink can pass, a first nozzle row formed by the plurality of nozzles, and a second nozzle row formed by the plurality of nozzles, and a mounting portion on which the head unit is detachably mounted. The nozzles forming the second nozzle row communicate with the nozzles forming the first nozzle row via the filter. A pre-operation of forming gas-liquid interfaces in the holes provided in the filter is executed before the head unit is removed from the mounting portion.