Liquid Discharging Device Nozzle Clogging Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid discharging devices, such as printers, the discharging unit and reading unit are often held together, leading to nozzle clogging due to drying of liquid at the nozzle during the reading process, which increases processing time as flushing must occur away from the target medium, thereby extending the reading time of the test pattern image.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharging device with a control unit that performs pattern formation, reading, and flushing operations, allowing the discharging unit to flush without moving away from the test pattern image read by the reading unit, thereby reducing nozzle clogging and processing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the discharging unit performs flushing by moving to a location away from the test pattern image, then nozzle clogging is suppressed, but the processing time for reading the test pattern image increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the test pattern image into multiple regions and performs flushing operation on only the region that has already been read by the reading unit, rather than moving the discharging unit away from the entire test pattern image. This localized flushing approach suppresses nozzle clogging while minimizing the impact on reading processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs flushing operation in advance on the region that has been read by the reading unit before the discharging unit needs to discharge liquid again on that region. This preliminary flushing prevents liquid drying and nozzle clogging proactively, ensuring reliable operation without requiring the discharging unit to move away during reading.
2Manufacturing precision
If the discharging unit discharges liquid to form a test pattern image, then image formation is achieved, but liquid may dry at the nozzle during reading operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic flushing operations on the read region of the test pattern image. By periodically discharging liquid onto the already-read region, the system prevents liquid from drying at the nozzle during the reading operation, while allowing the test pattern image formation to proceed on the remaining unread regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the already-read region of the test pattern image as an intermediary area for flushing operations. This read region serves as a buffer zone where liquid can be discharged to prevent nozzle drying without interfering with the active image formation process on unread regions.
3Measurement precision
If the reading unit reads the entire test pattern image before flushing, then accurate image recognition is achieved, but processing time increases due to sequential operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs flushing operation as a preliminary action on regions that have been read by the reading unit. This allows the system to prepare the discharging unit for subsequent operations on those regions without waiting for the entire image reading to complete, thereby improving processing speed while maintaining reading accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables continuous operation by performing flushing on already-read regions while the reading unit continues to read unread regions. This continuous overlapping of reading and flushing operations eliminates idle time and improves overall processing productivity without compromising image recognition accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharging device includes a support unit configured to support a medium, a discharging unit configured to discharge liquid to the medium, a reading unit configured to read an image formed on the medium with the liquid, a holding unit configured to hold the discharging unit and the reading unit while moving in a scanning direction, and a control unit configured to control operation of the discharging unit, the reading unit, and the holding unit. The control unit is configured to perform pattern forming operation that causes the discharging unit to discharge the liquid to form a test pattern image on the medium, reading operation that causes the reading unit to read at least a partial region of the test pattern image, and flushing operation that causes the discharging unit to perform flushing for discharging the liquid to the region in the test pattern image which was read.