Lever Plug Tactile Feedback for Inkjet Liquid Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid supply units for inkjet printers rely on visual confirmation of the elastic cap's locked state, which is insufficient, leading to ink leakage and difficulty in ensuring correct locking.
Innovation Solution
A liquid supply unit with a lever-shaped plug member and protrusions that provide a tactile feedback mechanism, allowing users to confirm the locked state through a 'click' sensation, ensuring the liquid injection portion is sealed without visual inspection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual confirmation is used to check the locked state of the elastic cap, then the structure remains simple, but the reliability of locking confirmation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a tactile feedback mechanism where the first protrusion on the plug member engages with the second protrusion on the housing during pivoting. This engagement produces a detectable 'click' sensation that provides reliable feedback to the user, confirming the locked state without requiring visual inspection. The feedback principle directly resolves the contradiction by enhancing locking confirmation reliability through tactile sensation while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If only visual inspection is used to confirm locking, then the device remains simple to operate, but ink leakage occurs due to insufficient locking confirmation
Solution Approach 1:
The tactile feedback mechanism through protrusion engagement provides immediate confirmation of proper locking, ensuring sealing reliability. The 'click' sensation allows users to verify correct installation without complex visual inspection procedures, maintaining ease of operation while preventing ink leakage through reliable locking confirmation.
3Manufacturing precision
If the plug member requires precise visual alignment for locking, then the sealing can be accurate, but the operation becomes complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The tactile feedback mechanism guides the user through the locking process by providing a detectable 'click' sensation when the first protrusion engages with the second protrusion. This feedback ensures precise locking alignment while simplifying the operation, as users can feel rather than see the correct positioning, reducing errors and improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring visual alignment for precise locking, the patent inverts the approach by using tactile feedback as the primary guidance mechanism. The protrusion engagement creates a feelable signal that guides the user to the correct position, making precision achievable through touch rather than sight, thereby simplifying the operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The liquid supply unit includes: a liquid containing body configured to contain the liquid; a housing that covers the liquid containing body; and a lever-shaped plug member configured to seal the liquid injection portion. The plug member includes: a first pivoting portion that is configured to pivot the plug member; and a first protrusion provided so as to be displaceable in order to lock the plug member onto the housing. The housing includes: a second pivoting portion into which the first pivoting portion is to be fit; and a second protrusion configured to come into contact with the first protrusion and displace the first protrusion when the plug member pivots toward the liquid injection portion, the contact with the first protrusion being canceled and the displacement of the first protrusion being returned to normal when the plug member further pivots and is locked onto the housing.