Liquid Supplying Unit Orientation Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid ejecting systems, such as inkjet printers, face challenges in mounting ink cartridges due to variability in orientation, leading to inconvenient and potentially improper engagement with the holder, which can affect the accuracy of liquid supply and detection of residual quantities.
Innovation Solution
A liquid supplying unit with specific wall configurations, including recess and projection portions, is designed to guide and stabilize the orientation of the cartridge during mounting, ensuring proper alignment and reducing variability, thereby improving convenience and detection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the ink cartridge is manually mounted by the user, then the mounting operation can be performed, but the entering orientation of the ink cartridge relative to the holder varies easily, causing improper engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure acts as an intermediary element between the ink cartridge and the holder. It includes a guide groove formed in the holder and a guide protrusion formed in the ink cartridge, which mate together to guide the cartridge into the correct orientation during manual insertion, preventing improper engagement while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the purely manual mounting operation with a guided mechanical system. The guide groove and guide protrusion create a mechanical guidance system that automatically aligns the cartridge during insertion, substituting the need for user skill or precision with a self-aligning mechanical structure
2Reliability
If the lever is engaged with the holder to mount the ink cartridge, then the mounting can be secured, but the cartridge may be caught by the holder before the lever is engaged, deteriorating convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The guide groove and guide protrusion perform the preliminary action of aligning the ink cartridge with the holder before the lever engagement occurs. This preliminary guidance ensures that the cartridge is already in the correct position and orientation when the lever is engaged, preventing the cartridge from being caught by the holder and ensuring smooth operation
Data Source
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AI summary
A further improvement in convenience is desired in conventional liquid ejecting systems. A liquid supplying unit is mountable to a carriage that has a first projection, a second projection and a liquid introduction needle. The liquid supplying unit includes: a first wall portion; a second wall portion opposing the first wall portion; a third wall portion intersecting the first wall portion and the second wall portion; a fourth wall portion opposing the third wall portion; a fifth wall portion intersecting the first wall portion, the second wall portion, the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion; and a sixth wall portion opposing the fifth wall portion. The first wall portion is provided with a liquid supplying portion connectable to a liquid introduction needle, a first recess portion into which the first projection can be inserted, and a second recess portion into which the second projection can be inserted. In a planar view of the first wall portion, the liquid supplying portion is positioned closer to the fifth wall portion than to the sixth wall portion, and when the first wall portion is equally divided into a first region, a second region and a third region, the first recess portion is positioned in the first region, and the second recess portion is positioned in the third region.