Liquid Consuming Device Total Amount Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for ordering ink cartridges in liquid consuming devices, such as printers, rely on residual-amount information to determine when to replace the cartridges, leading to potential ink wastage and inefficient supply chain management.
Innovation Solution
A liquid consuming device with a controller that determines the total liquid amount in both the cartridge and the tank, transmitting this information to an external device to optimize the ordering process, ensuring timely replacement and minimizing ink usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If residual-amount information is used to determine cartridge replacement timing, then ordering process is simplified, but ink wastage increases and supply chain efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the actual liquid amount in the cartridge through sensors and communicating this information to the ordering system. This real-time feedback enables dynamic adjustment of replacement timing, allowing the system to optimize ordering decisions based on actual consumption patterns rather than relying on predetermined thresholds, thereby reducing ink wastage while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid consuming device autonomously monitors its own liquid levels and automatically transmits ordering information when needed. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual intervention in tracking liquid consumption, enabling the system to optimize replacement timing independently and reduce ink wastage without complicating the ordering process for users
2Extent of automation
If residual-amount information is used to estimate liquid usage date, then ordering timing is determined automatically, but measurement precision is insufficient leading to inefficient supply chain management
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces imprecise mechanical estimation methods with electronic sensors and digital communication systems. The sensor-based measurement system provides accurate real-time data on liquid amounts, while automated transmission and processing of this data through communication interfaces enables precise determination of replacement timing, significantly improving both measurement precision and automation effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates accurate digital representations (copies) of the physical liquid amount through sensor measurements. These digital copies are transmitted and processed to determine ordering timing, allowing for precise analysis and decision-making without physical intervention, thereby improving both measurement precision and automation while enabling efficient supply chain management
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A liquid consuming device includes an installation case configured to receive a cartridge having a first liquid chamber storing a liquid, a tank having a second liquid chamber, a flow path communicated with the first and second liquid chambers, a head communicated with the second liquid chamber and a first controller configured to: determine a total amount Vt of a first liquid amount in the first liquid chamber that is installed in the installation case to communicate with the second liquid chamber through the flow path and a second liquid amount in the second liquid chamber that communicates with the first liquid chamber of the cartridge installed in the installation case through the flow path; and transmit, through a first communication interface that is connected to an external device, total amount information indicating the determined total amount Vt.