Liquid Tank Valve Mechanism Air Bubble Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional valve units in fluid ejection apparatuses are too complex and large for on-carriage-type liquid tanks, leading to issues with air bubbles remaining in the valve mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A liquid tank design with a valve mechanism featuring a channel member and biasing member, where the channel resistance of the second channel is lower than the first channel, allowing liquid to flow at a higher speed and effectively discharge air bubbles while preventing their attachment to the valve mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional valve unit is used in an on-carriage-type liquid tank, then air bubbles can be discharged, but the valve unit is too complex and large for the compact tank structure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of air bubble discharge from the complex conventional valve unit and implements it through a simplified structure consisting of a first channel with low flow speed and a second channel with high flow speed, eliminating the need for complex valve mechanisms while maintaining air bubble discharge capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical valve system with a fluid dynamics-based system that uses differential flow speeds in two channels to achieve air bubble discharge, substituting mechanical complexity with hydrodynamic principles
2Productivity
If liquid flows through the valve mechanism at high speed, then air bubbles can be discharged efficiently, but air bubbles attach to the valve mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the liquid flow path into two distinct channels: a first channel with low flow speed that prevents air bubble attachment to the valve mechanism, and a second channel with high flow speed that efficiently discharges air bubbles, allowing each channel to perform its specific function without compromise
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different flow speed characteristics to different regions of the liquid path by designing the first channel for low flow speed near the valve mechanism and the second channel for high flow speed for bubble discharge, optimizing local conditions for each function
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 efficiently discharges air bubbles from the liquid ejection head while minimizing their attachment to the valve mechanism, ensuring reliable operation in on-carriage-type liquid tanks.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member that biases the valve body in a direction to close the first channel
Implementation Method 2
by allowing liquid to pass at a lower flow speed in the first channel provided inside the biasing member, and allowing the liquid to pass from the second channel at a flow speed higher than the flow speed at which the liquid passes through the first channel
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a liquid tank in which air bubbles are less likely to remain in a valve mechanism provided in an on-carriage-type liquid tank. The liquid tank has a liquid supply portion, a first liquid chamber, a second liquid chamber that can contain the liquid to be supplied to the first liquid chamber, and a valve mechanism that is arranged between the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber, and the valve mechanism has, inside an exterior wall constituting the valve mechanism, a channel member, a biasing member, a valve body, and a rod from an upstream side of flow of the liquid in the stated order, the channel member is provided inside the biasing member, and includes a first channel in which the liquid can pass, and the exterior wall and the biasing member form a second channel through which the liquid can pass therebetween.