Inkjet Recording Apparatus Lateral Liquid Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printers face challenges in increasing ink tank volume without protruding from the front surface, which affects installation space and appearance.
Innovation Solution
The recording apparatus positions the liquid storage portion on the apparatus front side in the depth direction, intersecting with the maintenance unit's area, allowing for extended volume without protrusion, and includes a configuration where the liquid storage extends to the rear or below the recording unit, optimizing space usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the liquid storage portion is positioned on the apparatus front side protruding from the front surface, then the liquid storage volume can be increased, but the installation space increases and appearance is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid storage portion is repositioned from a front-surface protrusion to the lateral side of the apparatus, utilizing the width dimension instead of the depth dimension. This dimensional shift allows the liquid storage volume to be increased without increasing the apparatus's depth protrusion, thereby maintaining compact installation space while achieving the desired storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus is divided into distinct functional zones: the maintenance unit occupies one end portion area in the width direction, while the liquid storage portion occupies the opposite end portion area. This segmentation allows both components to coexist without spatial interference, enabling the liquid storage portion to extend in the depth direction to the occupying area of the maintenance unit without protruding from the front surface
2Volume of stationary object
If the liquid storage portion extends in the depth direction to the occupying area of the maintenance unit, then the liquid storage volume is maximized, but the complexity of spatial arrangement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid storage portion is positioned asymmetrically on the lateral side of the apparatus, opposite to the maintenance unit's location. This asymmetric arrangement naturally creates spatial separation between the liquid storage portion and maintenance unit, simplifying the overall spatial layout while maximizing the liquid storage volume by utilizing the full depth direction to the maintenance unit's occupying area
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus including a recording unit that performs recording by discharging a liquid on a medium transported in a transport direction, a liquid storage portion that is disposed on an apparatus front side in an apparatus depth direction and that includes a liquid container that contains the liquid discharged from the recording unit, and a maintenance unit that performs maintenance on the recording unit. In the recording apparatus, the maintenance unit is provided in an end portion area on a first direction side in a width direction, the width direction being a direction intersecting the depth direction, and the liquid storage portion is provided in an end portion area on a second direction side, the second direction side being a side opposite the first direction side in the width direction, the liquid storage portion extending in the depth direction to an occupying area of the maintenance unit.