Movable Waste Liquid Chamber for Compact Inkjet Printers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inkjet recording devices have a large installation area due to the diagonal and forward positioning of the waste ink tank, which increases the size and makes the devices less compact.
Innovation Solution
The inkjet recording device incorporates a movable waste liquid chamber that can pivot between two positions, allowing it to be positioned above the platen during printing while still facilitating easy removal of jammed sheets, thus optimizing space usage and reducing the overall installation area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the waste ink tank is disposed diagonally upward and forward relative to the head to accommodate sufficient amount of ink, then the waste liquid chamber can hold enough ink, but the size of waste ink tank in the front-to-rear direction and right-to-left direction increases, resulting in a large installation area of the printer
Solution Approach 1:
The waste liquid chamber is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to pivot between a first position (above the platen) and a second position (diagonally upward and forward). This dynamic positioning enables the chamber to accommodate sufficient ink while minimizing the installation area during operation, and facilitates easy removal of jammed sheets when positioned above the platen.
2Ease of operation
If the waste ink tank is disposed diagonally upward and forward relative to the head, then the waste liquid chamber can be positioned away from the recording head, but the installation area of the printer becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The waste liquid chamber pivots between two positions: above the platen for easy removal of jammed sheets, and diagonally upward/forward during printing to minimize installation area. This dynamic repositioning resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and compact size.
3Ease of operation
If the waste liquid chamber is positioned above the platen, then easy access for removing jammed sheets is achieved, but the risk of ink leakage during pivotal movements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump tube is routed to pass at a position adjacent to the pivotal axis of the waste liquid chamber, and the connector is designed with sufficient length and positioning to maintain connection stability during pivotal movement. This preliminary design consideration prevents ink leakage that could occur during the transition between positions.
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet recording device includes a main body and a movable unit. The main body includes a recording head and a pump. The recording head is configured to eject ink onto a recording medium to record an image. The pump is configured to draw the ink from the recording head. The movable unit is configured to move between a near position and a far position where is away from the near position with respect to the main body. The movable unit includes a waste liquid chamber configured to accommodate the ink drawn by the pump.