Modular Ink Unit Rear Placement for Compact Printer Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid jet recording apparatuses face challenges with operability and size expansion due to complex ink bag attachment mechanisms and separate components, leading to degraded usability and increased size.
Innovation Solution
A modular unit integrating a liquid container, flow channel connection part, and medium positioning part that allows easy attachment and detachment, reducing the horizontal size expansion by effectively utilizing vertical space and enabling dual-sided recording.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ink bag is housed in a casing fixed to the side face of the printer, then the ink bag can be securely attached, but the printer becomes large in the horizontal direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the ink bag housing from the side face (horizontal dimension) to the rear face of the printer, utilizing the depth dimension instead. This allows the casing to be fixed securely while avoiding horizontal size expansion, as the ink bag protrudes backward rather than sideways.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ink supply part is connected to the tip of the supply tube which is unfixed and in a free state, then the connection is flexible, but the operability of attaching the ink bag is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The supply tube is pre-fixed to the casing at a predetermined position before the ink bag attachment process. This preliminary positioning action eliminates the need to handle a free-floating tube tip during attachment, guiding the user to simply connect the ink supply part to the predetermined location, thereby improving operability while maintaining connection flexibility.
3Ease of repair
If the flow channel connection part and medium positioning part are separately attached to or detached from the main body, then each component can be maintained independently, but the operability is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The flow channel connection part and medium positioning part are integrated into a single unit that attaches and detaches together as one assembly. This merging allows the components to be maintained independently when detached, while simplifying the attachment operation to a single action rather than multiple separate operations, thereby improving overall operability.
Data Source
AI summary
A unit that is used in a liquid jet recording apparatus and is used for connection of a liquid container, the liquid container including: a liquid container part that is capable of storing a liquid; and a liquid supply part that is in communication with an inside of the liquid container part and is capable of supplying the liquid to an liquid jet part of the liquid jet recording apparatus, the unit including: a medium positioning part that is capable of positioning a recording medium to which the liquid is ejected by the liquid jet part; and a flow channel connection part that is connectable to the liquid supply part and supplies the liquid from the liquid supply part to the liquid jet part, wherein the unit is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a main body of the liquid jet recording apparatus, the main body being provided with the liquid jet part.