Liquid Ejecting Apparatus Waste Liquid Collection Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid ejecting apparatuses, such as ink jet printers, face issues with nozzle clogging due to ink evaporation, leading to increased viscosity and accumulation of waste materials, which can contaminate the printing head during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus is designed with a wiping unit, a waste liquid receiving unit, and a collection unit to manage and collect waste liquids, preventing contamination by ensuring the wiping unit contacts the collection unit after wiping the ejecting unit, and the waste liquid receiving unit is positioned downstream to collect scattered liquids effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flushing is repeatedly performed to suppress nozzle clogging, then nozzle reliability is improved, but waste liquid accumulates in the nozzle cap causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the waste liquid from the nozzle cap by introducing a waste liquid receiving unit that collects the discharged liquid separately. This prevents the accumulated waste liquid from contaminating the nozzle cap and maintains nozzle reliability without harmful accumulation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a waste liquid receiving unit as an intermediary between the nozzle cap and the environment. This intermediary component receives and contains the waste liquid, preventing direct contact between the waste liquid and the nozzle cap, thus eliminating contamination while maintaining flushing operations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the waste liquid receiving unit is positioned to collect scattered liquid downstream, then contamination is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the waste liquid receiving unit with the existing nozzle cap structure, merging multiple functions into a single integrated component. The receiving unit is formed as part of the cap assembly, reducing the need for separate components and simplifying the overall device structure while still effectively collecting scattered liquid
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
This configuration effectively suppresses contamination by ensuring waste liquids are collected and wiped, preventing them from adhering to the ejecting unit, thereby maintaining the apparatus's cleanliness and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a wiping unit able to wipe the liquid ejecting unit
Implementation Method 2
the wiping unit comes in contact with the collection unit to wipe the waste liquid
Implementation Method 3
a collection unit which comes in contact with the waste liquid receiving unit to collect the waste liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit having nozzles able to eject a liquid to a medium, a wiping unit able to wipe the liquid ejecting unit, a waste liquid receiving unit which receives a waste liquid which is discharged by a maintenance operation for maintaining the liquid ejecting unit, at a position facing the liquid ejecting unit, and a collection unit which comes in contact with the waste liquid receiving unit to collect the waste liquid which is received by the waste receiving unit, in which the wiping unit comes in contact with the collection unit to wipe the waste liquid which is collected by the collection unit.