Liquid Container Mounting Posture Stabilization via Fixing Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink packs in printers often experience unstable mounting postures, leading to issues with ink supply and electrical connections, which can result in deterioration and damage over time due to improper alignment and excessive stress during connection with printer components.
Innovation Solution
A liquid container design that includes a housing with a case that moves along the Y direction for insertion, featuring a protrusion and fixing structure to restrict movement, positioning portions for accurate alignment, and a connection member with a recess and electrical connector to reduce Z-direction force and stabilize the mounting posture, ensuring proper engagement and reduced stress at contact points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the liquid container is mounted to the liquid ejection apparatus, then the connection between the container and apparatus is established, but excessive stress and damage may occur due to unstable mounting posture and improper alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing positioning portions (protrusions and recesses) that pre-establish the correct mounting posture before connection. The case-side fixing structure and apparatus-side fixing structure are designed to engage in advance, restricting movement and preventing misalignment before the liquid container is fully connected to the liquid ejection apparatus, thereby avoiding excessive stress and damage.
2Ease of operation
If the case moves along the Y direction for insertion, then the mounting process is simplified, but unstable mounting posture may occur without proper fixing structures
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing structures are designed to automatically engage when the case moves along the Y direction during insertion. The case-side fixing structure with internal space and the apparatus-side fixing structure establish constraints in advance, ensuring that once the case is inserted, the mounting posture is automatically stabilized without requiring additional adjustment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing structures act as intermediary elements between the case and the liquid ejection apparatus. These structures mediate the connection process by providing a mechanical interface that translates the simple Y-direction insertion movement into a stable, multi-degree-of-freedom constrained mounting posture, ensuring both ease of operation and stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid container includes a storage portion configured to store the liquid and a connection member. The connection member is provided with a liquid outlet which is inserted with a liquid introduction portion, a container-side electrical connector which makes electrical contact with an apparatus-side electrical connection unit while receive at least +Z direction force from the apparatus-side electrical connection unit, a first receiver configured to receive a first positioning portion, a second receiver configured to receive a second positioning portion, and a recess which houses a protrusion of the case. The recess and the container-side electrical connector are formed at positions which at least partially overlap each other when viewed from a Z direction in a mounting state. In the mounting state, the width of the liquid container in the Z directions is larger than the width in the Y directions and the width in the X directions.