Liquid Ejecting Device Disinfectant Position Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face a challenge in maintaining printing throughput and recording quality when disinfection processes are applied to the medium, as existing methods either slow down medium transport or cause ink bleed-through, leading to degraded performance.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting device with a first unit for recording liquid and a second unit for disinfectant liquid, controlled to eject disinfectant liquid avoiding the recording liquid's position, ensuring effective disinfection while minimizing impact on recording quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If alcohol is applied to the medium prior to image formation, then disinfection effectiveness is improved, but ink bleed-through occurs and recording quality degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by ejecting disinfectant liquid only in non-recording areas (margins) rather than uniformly across the entire medium. The control unit identifies recording regions and restricts disinfectant application to areas outside these regions, thereby providing localized disinfection that preserves recording quality while maintaining disinfection effectiveness in the applied areas.
2Reliability
If ultraviolet lamp is used for disinfection, then disinfection effectiveness is improved, but medium transport must be stopped or slowed down, degrading printing throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical ultraviolet lamp disinfection system with a liquid-based disinfection system using alcohol or similar disinfectants ejected through liquid ejecting units. This substitution allows the medium to continue moving at normal speed through the printer while still receiving effective disinfection in the margin areas, thereby maintaining printing throughput without sacrificing disinfection capability.
3Reliability
If disinfectant liquid is ejected on the medium, then disinfection coverage is improved, but ink bleed-through occurs when recording liquid is also present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the medium surface into recording areas and non-recording areas (margins). The control unit separately controls the liquid ejecting units to apply recording liquid only in recording areas and disinfectant liquid only in non-recording areas. This spatial segmentation prevents the two liquids from mixing and causing ink bleed-through, while still achieving comprehensive disinfection of the medium surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting device includes a first liquid ejecting unit configured to eject recording liquid onto a medium, a second liquid ejecting unit configured to eject disinfectant liquid onto the medium, and a control unit configured to control the first liquid ejecting unit and the second liquid ejecting unit, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the disinfectant liquid to eject avoiding a position at which the recording liquid ejects on the medium.