Liquid Container Sub-Chamber Design for Ripple Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink tanks in printers are prone to air bubble formation, especially in on-carriage type printers, leading to printing failures due to ink ripples and air mixture, which is common in liquid containers with large ink chambers.
Innovation Solution
A liquid container design with a first chamber and a second chamber, including sub-chambers with smaller dimensions, a partition wall, and a connecting hole, where the liquid flows through sub-chambers to reach the supply port, suppressing ripples and air bubble production, and incorporating features like air introducing holes, rib structures, and specific flow path configurations to prevent air bubbles from reaching the supply port.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a large ink chamber is used to increase ink capacity, then the ink supply duration is extended, but air bubbles are more likely to form and mix with ink during carriage reciprocation
Solution Approach 1:
The ink chamber is divided into multiple sub-chambers (first sub-chamber, second sub-chamber, third sub-chamber) separated by partition walls. This segmentation reduces the size of each individual chamber, minimizing ink surface area and ripple formation in each sub-chamber while maintaining total ink capacity. The partition walls create smaller, more stable liquid surfaces that are less prone to mixing with air during carriage movement.
Solution Approach 2:
A rib structure is introduced as an intermediary element within the ink chamber. The rib extends from the bottom wall toward the ink surface, acting as a physical barrier that suppresses ripple propagation and air bubble formation. The rib structure interferes with the motion of ink surface, preventing large-scale ripples that would otherwise occur in a large uninterrupted chamber during carriage reciprocation.
2Stress or pressure
If air is introduced into the ink chamber to maintain pressure balance, then pressure stability is improved, but air bubbles may reach the liquid supply port and cause printing failures
Solution Approach 1:
The ink chamber is segmented into multiple sub-chambers with partition walls that include air introducing holes. This allows air to be introduced into each sub-chamber independently at controlled locations, maintaining pressure balance without creating large air pockets that could form bubbles and reach the supply port. The segmented structure distributes air introduction across multiple small zones rather than one large zone.
Solution Approach 2:
Air is introduced into the ink chamber in advance through air introducing holes located in the partition walls, before ink consumption creates negative pressure. This preliminary air introduction maintains pressure balance proactively, preventing the formation of air bubbles during ink supply. The air is introduced at controlled positions away from the liquid supply port, ensuring pressure stability without compromising printing reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the ink chamber is designed with simple geometry to ease manufacturing, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but ink ripples during carriage reciprocation increase air bubble production
Solution Approach 1:
The ink chamber is divided into sub-chambers using partition walls that can be integrated into the injection molded structure. This segmentation approach to reduce air bubbles while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard molding techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition walls serve multiple functions: they segment the ink chamber to reduce ripples, provides air introducing holes for pressure balance, and can be integrated with the rib structure for enhanced ripple suppression. This multi-functionality achieves air bubble reduction without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity, as the partition walls and ribs can be formed as integral parts of the ink chamber structure.
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 effectively reduces air bubble formation and ensures stable ink supply by minimizing ripples and trapping air bubbles, preventing printing failures and maintaining ink concentration.
Implementation Method 1
The small dimension of the sub-chamber in the X direction suppresses the ripple of the liquid and thereby suppresses production of air bubbles
Implementation Method 2
The flow path configuration that the liquid passes through the sub-chamber to reach the liquid supply port provides such an advantageous effect that air bubbles are unlikely to reach the liquid supply port
Implementation Method 3
The first chamber may be provided with an air introducing hole configured to introduce air from outside of the first chamber into the first chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid container comprises a liquid supply port provided in a bottom wall, a first chamber configured to contain a liquid, a second chamber configured to contain the liquid and to include at least one sub-chamber having a smaller dimension in the X direction than that of the first chamber, a partition wall configured to part the first chamber from the second chamber, and a connecting hole configured to connect the first chamber with the second chamber. The second chamber is connected with the liquid supply port, and the first chamber is connected with the liquid supply port via the connecting hole and the second chamber. The liquid contained in the first chamber is flowed from the connecting hole into the second chamber and is subsequently introduced through the sub-chamber to the liquid supply port.