Movable Suction Unit for Selective Ink-Jet Head Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses require maintenance for all heads, even if only a few need it, leading to inefficiency and potential malfunctions in heads that do not require maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge apparatus with a movable suction unit that can approach and perform maintenance only on the specific head requiring it, using a combination of fixed and movable suction units to selectively suck and drain liquid from individual ink-jet heads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If maintenance is performed for all heads, then reliability of the system is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to unnecessary maintenance operations on heads that do not require maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The suction unit is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically approach and retract from different heads. This enables selective maintenance operations where the suction unit can be positioned only at heads requiring maintenance, avoiding unnecessary operations on functional heads while maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance function is applied locally to specific heads that require it rather than uniformly to all heads. The movable suction unit enables targeted maintenance at individual head locations, allowing the system to maintain high reliability by addressing only the specific local issues that arise.
2Productivity
If a movable suction unit is introduced to enable selective maintenance, then productivity is improved by maintaining only necessary heads, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable suction unit serves multiple functions: it can approach and maintain multiple different heads sequentially, and can also retract to a home position. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by enabling selective maintenance that improves overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable suction unit incorporates actuation mechanisms (such as air cylinders or motors) that enable it to move between heads and retract to a home position. While this adds complexity, it resolves the contradiction by enabling selective maintenance operations that significantly improve productivity compared to maintaining all heads.
3Ease of operation
If the suction unit retracts to a home position after maintenance, then ease of operation is improved by resetting for next operation, but time is lost during the retraction and positioning process
Solution Approach 1:
The suction unit automatically returns to a predetermined home position after completing maintenance on a head. This preliminary positioning action prepares the system for the next maintenance operation, improving ease of operation by ensuring the suction unit is always in the correct starting position, while the time loss is minimized through efficient automated movement.
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
Enables targeted maintenance of specific ink-jet heads, preventing unnecessary liquid handling and potential malfunctions in heads that do not need maintenance, thus improving operational efficiency and reducing the risk of damage or contamination.
Implementation Method 1
the movable suction unit is movable between a plurality of positions including a first position in which the movable suction unit contacts the ink-jet head and a second position in which the movable suction unit does not contact the ink-jet head
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a plurality of heads (11) which discharge a liquid; and a maintenance unit (20) movable in a first direction between a first position at which the maintenance unit faces the plurality of heads and a second position at which the maintenance unit does not face the plurality of heads, and performing maintenance for the plurality of heads. The maintenance unit has a plurality of suction units (30) corresponding to the plurality of heads, respectively, and a base unit (21) to which the plurality of suction units are attached. The plurality of suction units includes a movable suction unit (40) attached to the base unit so that, in a case that the maintenance unit is arranged at the first position, the movable suction unit is movable in a second direction, which crosses the first direction and which is a direction approaching closely to or separating away from the plurality of heads, in a case that the movable suction unit is arranged at the first position.