Liquid Supply Device with Bubble Discharge Flow Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting apparatuses face difficulties in easily setting liquid containers due to loose ink introduction needles and in efficiently discharging bubbles from the supply path, especially when filters are involved.
Innovation Solution
A liquid supply device with a connection body that can be freely attached and detached to the liquid container, a connection body holding portion to manage the connection state, and a discharge flow path to efficiently remove bubbles from the filter chamber, along with a supply pump and control unit to manage the liquid flow and filter clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the ink introduction needle is left in a free state when not connected to the ink outlet portion, then the connection body can be freely attached and detached, but the ink introduction needle becomes a nuisance and makes setting the ink container troublesome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ink introduction needle from its free-floating problematic state by providing a dedicated holding portion that separates it from the main connection body. The holding portion captures and secures the needle when not in use, removing it as a nuisance element while preserving the ability to freely attach and detach the connection body to the ink container.
2Reliability
If a filter is disposed in the ink supply path to filter the ink, then the ink quality is improved, but bubbles inside the ink supply path are easily retained on the filter surface and it becomes difficult to efficiently discharge the retained bubbles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional filter placement approach by positioning the filter on the upstream side (ink container side) rather than downstream. This inversion allows bubbles to be discharged more efficiently from the ink container through the connection body, as the filter no longer blocks the discharge path. The filter continues to provide ink filtration while the inverted configuration enables effective bubble removal.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid supply device includes a connection body which includes a liquid introduction portion which is capable of connecting to a liquid outlet portion of a liquid container which includes the liquid outlet portion which contains the liquid which is supplied to the liquid ejecting unit which ejects the liquid and is capable of guiding out the liquid, a liquid container support portion which is capable of supporting the liquid container in a state in which the liquid introduction portion is capable of being connected to the liquid outlet portion to be capable of being freely attached and detached, and a connection body holding portion which holds the connection body in a state in which a connection of the liquid introduction portion with the liquid outlet portion is released.