Inkjet Sub Tank Gap Guides Ink to Lower Absorber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet recording apparatuses face issues with uneven ink accumulation and air bubbles in the absorber, leading to reduced absorption capacity and ink supply efficiency due to repeated ink supply, causing air to remain and ink layers to form.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a sub tank with a storage chamber and a gap that guides ink to the lower portion of the absorber, featuring a tapered absorber design and distribution apertures to ensure even ink flow and prevent air bubbles, allowing ink to be absorbed efficiently and supplied to the recording head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If ink is supplied repeatedly from the main tank to the sub tank through the supply port, then the sub tank can be refilled, but ink accumulates unevenly in the upper portion of the absorber and air bubbles remain, reducing absorption capacity
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of supplying ink to the upper portion of the absorber through the supply port, the patent inverts the flow path by guiding ink to the lower portion of the absorber first. The supply port is positioned at the upper portion, but a guide structure directs ink downward along the inner wall to the lower portion, reversing the natural upward accumulation pattern and enabling air bubbles to escape effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a guide structure as an intermediary element between the supply port and the absorber. This guide structure mediates the ink flow by directing it along the inner wall to the lower portion of the absorber, preventing direct upper portion saturation and facilitating air bubble discharge through the intermediate guidance path.
2Ease of manufacture
If ink is supplied to the upper portion of the absorber, then the supply port can be positioned at the top, but air bubbles cannot be discharged and ink layers form, reducing ink supply efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains the supply port at the upper portion for ease of manufacture but inverts the ink flow direction by guiding it downward to the lower portion of the absorber. This inversion prevents air bubble entrapment while preserving the manufacturing simplicity of top-positioned supply ports.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a vertical flow guidance dimension by introducing a guide structure along the inner wall. Ink flow is directed vertically downward from the upper supply port to the lower absorber region, creating a controlled dimensional flow path that prevents horizontal layering and promotes efficient air bubble escape.
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 design suppresses the reduction of absorption capacity by ensuring ink is evenly distributed and absorbed, preventing air bubbles, and maintaining consistent ink supply to the recording head, even after repeated ink supply.
Implementation Method 1
An absorber is housed in the sub tank. When ink is supplied through a supply port opened in an upper surface of the sub tank, the ink is absorbed by the absorber and is retained in the sub tank.
Implementation Method 2
The sub tank further includes a gap inside the storage chamber that guides the ink supplied by the supply device toward a lower portion of the absorber.
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet recording apparatus including a main tank, a sub tank, a supply device, and a recording head is provided. The main tank stores ink. The sub tank includes a storage chamber that houses an absorber for absorbing the ink and a supply port that communicates with the storage chamber at an upper portion of the sub tank. The supply device supplies the ink from the main tank to the sub tank through the supply port of the sub tank. The recording head discharges the ink supplied from the sub tank and performs recording while reciprocating over a recording medium. The sub tank further includes a gap inside the storage chamber that guides the ink supplied by the supply device toward a lower portion of the absorber.