Variable Carriage Acceleration for Inkjet Head Pressure Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet recording apparatuses face challenges in maintaining sufficient ink supply to the recording head due to inertia forces exerted by the reciprocating movement of the carriage, leading to ink ejection failures and image quality issues.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes an ink tank, a recording head, a carriage, and an ink supply channel with a bend that moves with the carriage. The system adjusts the acceleration of the carriage based on the amount of ink to be ejected, using information obtained from print data to optimize ink supply by varying the length of the ink supply channel and controlling the carriage's acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the carriage reciprocates at constant acceleration to maintain simple operation, then ease of operation is improved, but ink supply reliability deteriorates due to inertia forces affecting ink delivery to the recording head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the carriage acceleration variable rather than constant. The acceleration is dynamically adjusted based on the ink ejection amount and direction, allowing the system to compensate for inertia forces that affect ink supply. This resolves the contradiction by sacrificing simple constant acceleration control in favor of adaptive acceleration that ensures reliable ink delivery during reciprocating motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the acceleration parameter of the carriage based on printing conditions. When a large amount of ink needs to be ejected, the acceleration is reduced to minimize inertia forces that would otherwise prevent sufficient ink supply. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and ink supply reliability by adapting acceleration to actual printing needs.
2Productivity
If the recording head ejects a large amount of ink quickly to improve productivity, then productivity is improved, but ink supply reliability deteriorates due to significant pressure decrease in the recording head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by adjusting the carriage acceleration before ink ejection occurs. When large amounts of ink are to be ejected, the system preemptively reduces acceleration to minimize inertia forces that would oppose ink flow. This preliminary adjustment ensures that ink supply reliability is maintained even when high productivity requires rapid ejection of large ink volumes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of inertia forces into a beneficial control mechanism. By recognizing that inertia forces oppose ink supply during rapid reciprocation, the system uses acceleration adjustment to counteract this effect. The harm of inertia is transformed into a controllable parameter that, when properly managed, ensures reliable ink delivery during high-productivity printing operations.
3Device complexity
If the ink supply channel length is fixed to simplify the system structure, then device complexity is reduced, but ink supply reliability deteriorates when the carriage moves in directions that increase the effective channel length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the effective ink supply channel length variable through carriage position and acceleration control. Rather than using a fixed rigid channel, the system allows the channel to flex and change effective length based on carriage movement. This resolves the contradiction by sacrificing fixed structural simplicity for dynamic adaptability that ensures reliable ink delivery regardless of carriage position or movement direction.
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
This solution effectively reduces the decrease in internal pressure of the recording head, preventing ink ejection failures and maintaining image quality, especially when recording images that require a large amount of ink.
Implementation Method 1
maintaining negative pressure in the recording head using the water head difference to keep a meniscus using surface tension generated in the nozzle of the recording head
Implementation Method 2
The ink in the tubes is acted upon by an inertia force due to the acceleration/deceleration of the recording head which is moving back and forth
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus includes an ink tank, a recording head, a carriage, an ink supply channel, one or more memory devices, and one or more processors to execute the set of instructions to perform operations including causing the recording head to eject the ink based on print data to perform recording on a recording medium; and obtaining, based on the print data, information on an amount of ink to be ejected to a recordable area in which the carriage moves in one of the first direction and the second direction. A length of the ink supply channel from the bend to the recording head increases in the first direction and decreases in the second direction. The one or more processors changes acceleration of the carriage according to the amount of ink to be ejected to the recordable area, the amount being indicated by the information.