Inkjet Nozzle Pressure Stabilization via Dynamic Valve Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet pens face challenges in maintaining the pressure of the gas layer in the ink cartridge, which can lead to instability in liquid discharge, especially as the volume of the gas layer decreases, potentially breaking the meniscus at the nozzle, and increasing the size of the apparatus to accommodate a larger gas volume to maintain pressure.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge apparatus with a tank, nozzle, gas channel, valve unit, memory, and controller that communicates the gas layer with the outside via an atmosphere opening port, using a controller to open the valve when a predetermined count value of discharged ink reaches a threshold, ensuring the pressure is maintained at atmospheric levels without enlarging the apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the volume of the gas layer in the ink cartridge is increased to maintain pressure, then the pressure stability is improved, but the size of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a valve unit that dynamically switches between open and closed states based on the volume of liquid discharged. The valve opens when the discharged volume reaches a threshold, allowing the gas layer volume to be adjusted dynamically rather than being fixed, thus maintaining pressure stability without requiring a permanently large gas layer volume
Solution Approach 2:
The controller uses feedback from the counted discharged liquid volume to control the valve unit's opening/closing timing. This feedback mechanism ensures the gas layer pressure is restored to atmospheric pressure at appropriate intervals, maintaining stable liquid discharge while keeping the apparatus compact
2Volume of moving object
If the volume of the gas layer is decreased to reduce apparatus size, then the apparatus size is reduced, but the pressure stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The valve unit performs periodic opening actions based on the counted discharged liquid volume reaching thresholds. This periodic pressure restoration compensates for the smaller gas layer volume, maintaining pressure stability even with a compact apparatus design
Solution Approach 2:
The controller preliminarily determines the optimal valve opening timing by counting the discharged liquid volume in advance. This allows the system to proactively maintain pressure stability before meniscus disruption occurs, rather than reacting after the problem arises
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 stabilizes liquid discharge from the nozzle by maintaining appropriate pressure within the tank while keeping the apparatus size small, effectively addressing the pressure instability issue without increasing the device's dimensions.
Implementation Method 1
The gas channel 89 is configured to communicate a gas layer of the tank 80 with outside of the tank 80, via an atmosphere opening port 88 which is opened to the outside
Implementation Method 2
there is a fear that a meniscus formed in the opening of the nozzle might be broken or destroyed
Implementation Method 3
Pm represents a meniscus-withstanding pressure of the liquid formed in the nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a head having a nozzle; a tank; a gas channel; a valve unit; a memory; and a controller. The controller is configured to execute: making of the valve unit to be in an open state, under a condition that a count value indicating an amount of a liquid discharged from the nozzle has reached an opening threshold value ΔV. The opening threshold value ΔV is represented by: ΔV≤(Vtmax−Vi)×Pm/(P−Pm). Note that Vtmax represents a volume of the tank, Vi represents the maximum amount of the liquid storable in the tank, P represents an atmospheric pressure, and Pm represents a meniscus-withstanding pressure of the liquid formed in the nozzle.