Moisture-Retaining Cap for Liquid Ejecting Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid ejecting apparatuses face failures due to increased viscosity of ink in nozzles caused by moisture evaporation when a leaving cap seals the nozzles, leading to issues like missing dots or incorrect ink placement during capping.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a moisture-retaining cap that includes a recess, a liquid storage section, and a connection tube, where the sectional area of the recess is larger than the connection tube, allowing for controlled flow of a second liquid to retain moisture and prevent ink from drying, thus maintaining optimal ink viscosity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a leaving cap seals the nozzles during non-printing, then moisture evaporation is prevented and ink viscosity is maintained, but liquid dripping into the cap causes ink to dry and absorb moisture from the nozzle, increasing viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful dried ink from the cap by introducing a cleaning liquid that flows through the cap's through-hole to remove the dried ink. This separation removes the harmful factor (dried ink) that would otherwise absorb moisture from the nozzle and increase ink viscosity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning liquid acts as an intermediary substance that flows between the cap and the nozzle. It enters through the through-hole, removes dried ink from the cap, and prevents the cap from absorbing moisture from the nozzle, thereby maintaining ink viscosity.
2Reliability
If the recess sectional area is made larger than the connection tube, then moisture retention effect is enhanced, but liquid flow control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specific geometric relationship between the recess and connection tube. The recess has a larger sectional area than the connection tube, which locally enhances moisture retention capability in the cap while the connection tube maintains controlled liquid flow from the liquid storage section.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the cap seals the nozzle, then moisture evaporation is prevented, but ink drying in the cap absorbs moisture from the nozzle causing viscosity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of the cap sealing the nozzle (which causes liquid to drip and dry) into a beneficial system. The dried ink in the cap is removed by cleaning liquid, transforming the potential moisture-absorbing harmful factor into a controlled cleaning process that maintains ink moisture content.
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
The solution effectively prevents moisture evaporation and ink viscosity increase, reducing the likelihood of ejecting failures such as missing dots or incorrect ink placement during capping, by ensuring the ink remains adequately moistened and clean within the nozzles.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid storage section that stores a second liquid to flow into the recess, a connection tube that interconnects the recess and the liquid storage section
Implementation Method 2
a pump that causes the second liquid to flow from the liquid storage section into the recess through the connection tube or to flow out of the recess and into the liquid storage section through the connection tube
Implementation Method 3
a cap having a recess that covers the nozzle when the ejecting surface is capped with the cap
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head having an ejecting surface on which nozzles that eject a first liquid are formed, a cap having a recess configured to cover the nozzles when the ejecting surface is capped with the cap, a liquid storage section configured to store a second liquid to flow into the recess, a connection tube configured to interconnect the recess and the liquid storage section, and a pump configured to cause the second liquid to flow from the liquid storage section into the recess through the connection tube and to flow out of the recess and into the liquid storage section through the connection tube. The sectional area, parallel to the ejecting surface, of the recess is larger than the sectional area, parallel to the ejecting surface, of the connection tube.