Liquid Ejection Apparatus Ink Discharge Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejection apparatuses face challenges in accurately discharging liquid from a tank to maintain a proper amount in the ejection head, leading to potential leakage or reduced ink ejection characteristics due to inaccurate liquid discharge methods.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection apparatus with a controller that drives the actuator and pump to precisely control the liquid flow, ensuring the remaining amount in the supply flow passage falls within a predetermined range by using a combination of actuator-driven ejection and pump-assisted flow, allowing for accurate ink discharge and retention in the ejection head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If liquid is discharged using a pump, then liquid can be discharged from the tank, but the discharge accuracy is poor and the remaining amount greatly deviates from the proper amount
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid discharge process is divided into two distinct phases: a first control phase where the pump operates to discharge most of the liquid, and a second control phase where only the actuator operates to discharge the remaining liquid with high precision. This segmentation allows each phase to optimize for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between discharge capability and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between two different discharge mechanisms (pump and actuator) based on the discharge stage. The controller transitions from pump-dominated discharge in the first phase to actuator-dominated discharge in the second phase, adapting the discharge method to the specific requirements of each stage to achieve both volume reduction and precision.
2Reliability
If a large amount of liquid remains in the head, then meniscuses are prevented from breaking and air from flowing in, but liquid leakage occurs from the head
Solution Approach 1:
The controller monitors the liquid discharge process and adjusts the operation of the pump and actuator based on feedback regarding the remaining liquid amount. This feedback mechanism ensures that the liquid is discharged to the precise level needed to maintain meniscus stability while preventing over-discharge that would cause leakage or under-discharge that would cause excess remaining 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 solution ensures accurate adjustment of the remaining ink amount in the head, preventing leakage and maintaining optimal ink ejection characteristics, with errors within ±2% for actuator-driven discharge and ±10% for pump-driven discharge, effectively addressing the issue of inaccurate liquid discharge.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator configured to apply ejection energy to the liquid in the supply flow passage to cause the liquid to be ejected from the ejection opening portion
Implementation Method 2
a pump configured to cause the liquid in the first tank to flow into the supply flow passage
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head including (i) an ejection opening portion, (ii) a supply flow passage, and (iii) an actuator, a first tank connected to the liquid ejection head to supply liquid to the supply flow passage; a pump for forcing the liquid in the first tank into the supply flow passage; and a controller. The controller executes: a first control for driving the actuator, or the actuator and the pump such that all the liquid in the first tank flows to the supply flow passage; and a second control for, after a completion of the first control, driving the actuator in a state in which the pump is stopped, to discharge the liquid in the supply flow passage from the ejection opening portion such that an amount of the liquid in the supply flow passage falls within a predetermined range.