Liquid Storage Container Posture Design for Stable Print-Head Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ink jet printing apparatuses face challenges in maintaining a negative pressure state within the print head due to the configuration of the ink tank's injection port, which can lead to ink leakage when communicating with the atmosphere.
Innovation Solution
The printing apparatus integrates a liquid storage container with a liquid storage chamber and an atmosphere communication chamber, allowing for two postures: one where the communication chamber is under the storage chamber in the direction of gravity and another where they are side by side horizontally, with the injection port and communication flow path positioned accordingly to prevent ink leakage during ink injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the injection port is provided on the top of the ink tank to enable ink injection from above, then the ease of operation for ink refilling is improved, but the reliability of maintaining negative pressure in the head deteriorates due to atmospheric communication causing ink leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The ink tank is divided into two separate chambers: a liquid storage chamber for holding ink and an atmosphere communication chamber for maintaining pressure balance. This segmentation allows the injection port to be positioned on top for easy refilling while the communication chamber remains below to maintain negative pressure, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The atmosphere communication chamber acts as an intermediary between the liquid storage chamber and the external atmosphere. It mediates the pressure balance by allowing air communication only from the bottom portion, preventing direct atmospheric communication with the injection port and thus maintaining negative pressure while enabling easy ink injection from above
2Ease of manufacture
If the atmosphere communication chamber is positioned above the liquid storage chamber, then the ease of manufacturing is improved, but the harmful effect of ink leakage through the buffer tank increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of positioning the atmosphere communication chamber above the liquid storage chamber as might be conventionally done for manufacturing ease, the invention inverts this arrangement by placing the communication chamber below the liquid storage chamber. This inversion prevents ink leakage by ensuring the communication port is always below the liquid level, using gravity to prevent harmful effects while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
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 maintains a stable negative pressure within the print head, reducing the likelihood of ink leakage and ensuring reliable operation by controlling the hydraulic head difference and meniscus formation.
Implementation Method 1
the interior of the head is maintained in the negative pressure state by a hydraulic head difference
Implementation Method 2
a liquid storage container in which a liquid storage chamber that stores the liquid to be supplied to the print head, an atmosphere communication chamber that communicates with the atmosphere
Implementation Method 3
an atmosphere communication chamber that communicates with the atmosphere, and a communication flow path that causes the liquid storage chamber and the atmosphere communication chamber to communicate
Data Source
AI summary
The printing apparatus of the present invention includes: a print head; and a liquid storage container in which a liquid storage chamber that stores a liquid to be supplied to the print head, an atmosphere communication chamber that communicates with the atmosphere, and a communication flow path that causes the liquid storage chamber and the atmosphere communication chamber to communicate are formed integrally. The liquid storage container can take a first posture in which the atmosphere communication chamber is located under the liquid storage chamber in the direction of gravity and a second posture in which the atmosphere communication chamber and the liquid storage chamber are located side by side in the horizontal direction. In the case where the liquid storage container is in the second posture, the liquid injection portion and the communication flow path are located on the upper side of the liquid storage container.