Inkjet Printer Humidified Air Flow for Dust and Drying Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing devices face issues with dust introduction from outside the housing and liquid drying due to air flow, which can lead to ejection failures and contamination.
Innovation Solution
A printing device design that includes a humidifier to supply humidified air to the fan's exhaust port, a filter positioned on the fan side of the supply port to collect mist, and fans arranged inside the housing to create a flow that reduces dust entry and maintains a humid environment for the inkjet head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a fan discharges air inside the housing to outside of the housing, then mist generated when liquid is ejected from the head can be discharged to outside of the housing, but dust may be sucked into the housing together with air outside the housing and liquid in the head may be easily dried
Solution Approach 1:
The housing internal space is divided into a first space containing the head and a second space containing the fan, separated by a partition wall with a communication hole. This segmentation allows independent control of air flows: humidified air circulates in the first space to prevent drying, while the fan in the second space discharges mist without directly exposing the head to dry air streams.
Solution Approach 2:
Humidified air acts as an intermediary substance that fills the housing interior and prevents liquid drying on the head. The communication hole in the partition wall serves as an intermediary passage, allowing controlled air flow between spaces while maintaining the beneficial humid environment around the head even as the fan operates.
2Quantity of substance
If air outside the housing is supplied into the housing from an opening formed at a front surface of the housing, then air can be replenished for fan operation, but dust may be sucked into the housing together with the air
Solution Approach 1:
Humidified air serves as an intermediary that fills the housing interior space, creating a buffer that prevents direct suction of external dust-laden air into the housing. The humidified atmosphere acts as a protective medium that maintains pressure balance and reduces the intensity of air intake from external openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of air is changed from dry to humidified, altering its properties. This parameter change (adding moisture) modifies the air's behavior, making it less likely to carry dust particles and creating a protective environment that reduces dust introduction while maintaining adequate air circulation.
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 configuration effectively reduces dust entry, prevents liquid drying, and minimizes contamination of the inkjet head, enhancing printing reliability and performance.
Implementation Method 1
a humidifier configured to supply humidified air to a supply port arranged on a side of an exhaust port of the fan
Implementation Method 2
a filter arranged at a fan side of the supply port... the filter is arranged on the fan side of the supply port. Thereby, mist of the liquid ejected from the head is collected by the filter
Implementation Method 3
when the humidifier and the fan are driven, due to the air sent from the exhaust port of the fan, a flow of the air from inside to outside of the housing is likely to be generated
Data Source
AI summary
A printing device includes a housing, a head arranged inside the housing and configured to eject a liquid, a fan arranged inside the housing, a humidifier configured to supply humidified air to a supply port arranged at an exhaust port side of the fan, and a filter arranged at a fan side of the supply port.