Liquid Bottle Vent Structure for Smooth Air-Liquid Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid containers fail to smoothly exchange air and liquid due to stagnant air flow in narrow air discharge paths, hindering efficient ink transfer from replenishment containers to ink tanks.
Innovation Solution
A liquid container design with an asymmetrical communication port and eccentric valve configuration that reduces fluid flow resistance, allowing for smooth air-liquid exchange by creating wide and narrow spaces, and includes a key portion for precise attachment to the tank's supply port.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the liquid replenishment nozzle is made thin, then the structure is compact, but the air discharge flow path becomes thin causing air flow stagnation
Solution Approach 1:
The communication port is designed with an asymmetric shape relative to the valve body axis, creating different clearance spaces on different sides. This asymmetric design allows the air discharge flow path to have a larger cross-sectional area while maintaining compact overall dimensions, preventing air flow stagnation and improving air-liquid exchange efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body and communication port are designed with non-uniform clearance distribution. Specifically, one side of the communication port has a larger clearance space while the other side has a smaller clearance space. This local variation in quality allows optimized air flow paths that prevent stagnation while maintaining compact structure.
2Productivity
If the air discharge flow path is made wide, then air flow is improved, but the overall container size increases
Solution Approach 1:
By making the communication port asymmetric with respect to the valve body axis, the design creates an optimized air discharge flow path with larger effective area without increasing the overall container footprint. The asymmetric clearance distribution allows efficient air flow while maintaining compact dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The design utilizes three-dimensional spatial arrangement by positioning the communication port and valve body in specific relative orientations. The asymmetric design in the radial dimension creates effective air flow paths without increasing the axial or overall dimensional size of the container.
3Reliability
If the valve closes the communication port completely, then liquid leakage is prevented, but air flow during replenishment is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric communication port design creates different clearance characteristics that allow the valve to provide reliable liquid sealing while maintaining adequate air flow paths. The non-uniform clearance distribution ensures that air can flow smoothly during replenishment operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve body and communication port interface is designed with non-uniform local clearances. One side provides better sealing characteristics while the other side maintains better air flow characteristics, achieving both reliable sealing and efficient air-liquid exchange simultaneously.
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
The design ensures efficient air-liquid exchange by minimizing stagnation and facilitating smooth ink transfer from the container to the tank, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the liquid replenishment process.
Implementation Method 1
a region serving as the communication port in a virtual section orthogonal to the axis is asymmetrical with respect to the axis. Since in the virtual section, the region serving as the communication port is asymmetric with respect to the axis of the body, a wide space and a narrow space are easily defined between the valve at the open position and an inner surface of the body when the valve that closes the communication port moves from the close position to the open position. Since the flow path resistance of the fluid is reduced in the wide space, the air easily flows.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a liquid container that allows smooth air-liquid exchange where liquid and air move back and forth between the liquid container and a tank. A liquid bottle 80 comprises a bottle body 81 having a bottle cap 82 and a third side wall 87 that define an opening of a storage chamber 88 for storing liquid, and a valve 133 located inside the bottle body 81. The bottle cap 82 has communication holes 137, 140 through which the storage chamber 88 and the exterior communicate. The valve 133 is capable of moving along the direction of the axis A1 of the third side wall 87, between a closed position at which the communication holes 137, 140 are closed, and an open position at which the communication holes 137, 140 are opened. In a virtual cross-section perpendicular to the axis A1, regions that become the communication holes 137, 140 are asymmetrical with respect to the axis A1.