Liquid Storage Bottle Axial Seal Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid storage bottles for inkjet recording apparatuses face issues with liquid leakage due to seal member flaws, particularly when foreign materials like dust are involved, leading to concerns about sealing performance during liquid replenishment.
Innovation Solution
A liquid storage bottle design featuring a discharge nozzle with an annular fixed seal member having multiple annular seal portions arranged axially, allowing the liquid injection tube to be inserted, which captures foreign materials and ensures sealing by using a movable seal member that contacts only one of the seal portions, thereby maintaining effective sealing even if one seal portion is flawed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single annular seal member is used at the discharge port, then the structure is simple, but sealing performance is insufficient when foreign materials like dust are present
Solution Approach 1:
The single annular seal member is divided into multiple annular seal portions (first, second, and third seal portions) arranged axially at different positions. This segmentation allows each seal portion to independently contact the liquid injection tube at different locations, providing redundant sealing paths. If foreign materials or flaws affect one seal portion, other portions can maintain sealing performance, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and structural simplicity.
2Reliability
If multiple seal portions are arranged axially, then sealing performance is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple annular seal portions are integrated into a single annular seal member rather than using separate seal members. This merging approach maintains the simplified structure of a single component while incorporating multiple seal portions at different axial positions, each capable of independently sealing against the liquid injection tube. The integrated design avoids the complexity of assembling multiple separate seal members while achieving enhanced sealing reliability.
3Reliability
If the seal member contacts the liquid injection tube at multiple points, then sealing is more reliable, but the risk of liquid leakage through flaws increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple annular seal portions are positioned at different axial locations to create redundant sealing paths before liquid leakage can occur. If a flaw or foreign material compromises one seal portion, the other seal portions serve as a backup sealing mechanism, preventing liquid leakage. This beforehand cushioning approach ensures that sealing failure requires simultaneous failure of multiple independent seal portions, significantly reducing the overall risk of liquid leakage.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a liquid storage bottle that can ensure sufficient sealing performance when a liquid tank is replenished with a liquid. A liquid storage bottle stores a liquid with which a liquid tank is replenished, has a bottle body and a discharge port that discharges a liquid stored in the bottle body, and has a discharge nozzle in which a liquid injection tube of the liquid tank can be inserted via the discharge port and an annular fixed seal member that is provided to the discharge port and seals a part between the discharge port and the liquid injection tube inserted in the discharge port. The fixed seal member has a plurality of annular seal portions that are arranged apart from each other in the axis direction of a discharge nozzle and are individually in contact with the liquid injection tube inserted in the discharge port.