Movable Wiper Unit for Liquid Discharge Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge apparatuses face challenges in efficiently managing the movement of nozzles and wiper units to prevent ink overflow and ensure continuous high-quality image drawing, particularly when dealing with varying object surfaces and complex trajectories.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a movable wiper unit that can face the nozzle to receive ink or cleaning liquid without changing the inclination of the cleaning liquid collector, allowing for efficient ink reception and cleaning without moving the nozzle, and a controller that optimizes the movement of the carriage and wiper unit to reduce downtime and prevent collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the carriage moves to the ink receiving surface or wiper for cleaning operations, then ink reception and cleaning functions are achieved, but downtime increases due to movement time
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper unit is made movable relative to the discharge port, allowing it to approach and recede dynamically. This enables cleaning operations to be performed at different positions without requiring the entire carriage to move, thereby reducing downtime while maintaining continuous image drawing capability
2Reliability
If the wiper unit is positioned to face the discharge port for cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the risk of collision with the object increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper unit's position is dynamically adjusted based on operational needs. During cleaning operations, it approaches the discharge port to ensure effective contact. During image drawing operations, it recedes to avoid collision with the object, thus balancing cleaning effectiveness with collision prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The wiper unit is positioned in advance to face the discharge port only when cleaning is required. This preliminary positioning ensures that when cleaning operations are needed, the wiper is already in the correct position for effective contact, while at other times it is positioned away to prevent collision
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge apparatus further includes a liquid receiving surface that receives the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a contact part that contacts the discharge port, a moving unit that holds at least one of the liquid receiving surface and the contact part, and a holder. The moving unit is movable between a facing position where at least one of the liquid receiving surface and the contact part faces the discharge port and a position where the liquid receiving surface and the contact part do not face the discharge port. The holder movably holds the discharge port of the head in a discharge direction to discharge the liquid.