Ink-jet Recording Head Meniscus Shaking for Clogging Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet recording apparatuses face issues with ink viscosity leading to clogging and image degradation due to the lack of effective methods for maintaining ink fluidity and preventing ink from adhering to the conveyor belt during printing.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a conveyor belt with flushing regions and a control unit that manages a meniscus-shaking process using pulse drive signals to maintain ink fluidity, combined with a flushing process to prevent ink from adhering to the conveyor belt, ensuring consistent ink ejection and image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ink is continuously ejected during printing, then the image forming process is continuous, but the ink viscosity increases leading to clogging and image degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic meniscus-shaking actions at predetermined intervals during the printing process. The control unit causes the recording head to shake the meniscus of ink in the nozzle by inputting a pulse drive signal, which prevents ink viscosity increase and clogging while maintaining continuous image forming capability.
2Reliability
If the meniscus-shaking process is executed with long pulse duration, then the ink fluidity is effectively maintained, but the circuit response time is exceeded causing inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the pulse drive signal parameters by setting the pulse duration to be equal to or shorter than a predetermined value (the time constant of the circuit unit). This parameter optimization maintains effective meniscus shaking for ink fluidity while respecting the circuit response time constraints.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the flushing region is used to eject ink, then the ink adhesion to conveyor belt is prevented, but the ink may splash onto surrounding areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent executes the meniscus-shaking process before the flushing process. By shaking the meniscus beforehand, the ink is prepared for controlled ejection during flushing, which prevents both adhesion to the conveyor belt and uncontrolled splashing onto surrounding areas.
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 suppresses ink viscosity and prevents clogging, maintaining image quality by dynamically managing ink fluidity through the meniscus-shaking and flushing processes, ensuring reliable ink ejection and preventing ink from fouling the conveyor belt.
Implementation Method 1
a displacement device that is configured to apply pressure to the pressurizing chamber by being deformed by application of voltage
Implementation Method 2
the control unit causes the recording head to execute a meniscus-shaking process of shaking a meniscus of the ink in the nozzle by inputting the pulse drive signal for the meniscus-shaking process to the driver circuit and driving the displacement device
Data Source
AI summary
An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: a conveyor belt; a recording head including a pressurizing chamber that is configured to store ink, a nozzle that is configured to communicate with the pressurizing chamber, a displacement device that is configured to apply pressure to the pressurizing chamber by being deformed by application of voltage, and a driver circuit that is configured to switch the application of the voltage to the displacement device ON/OFF in response to a pulse drive signal input to the driver circuit; and a control unit. In a meniscus-shaking process before a flushing process, the control unit sets a pulse duration of the pulse drive signal to be smaller than a time constant of a circuit unit that includes the driver circuit and the displacement device.