Nozzle Height-Based Flushing for Liquid Ejection Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid ejection devices like printers, sedimentation of pigment components in the nozzle rows leads to uneven ink concentration, causing quality issues in printed materials, as nozzles at different heights eject liquids with varying concentrations, resulting in consumption of a large amount of ink during flushing to correct this.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejection device with a control section that adjusts the ejection amount from nozzles based on their height difference, performing flushing with specific ejection amounts from the highest, middle, and lowest nozzle portions to balance ink concentration and reduce liquid consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If flushing is performed to discharge liquid with biased concentration, then unevenness in printed matter is reduced, but a large amount of liquid is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating flushing operations based on nozzle position. Nozzles are divided into multiple groups according to their vertical positions, and each group is flushed with different ejection amounts tailored to their specific sedimentation conditions. This localized approach ensures that each nozzle receives appropriate flushing without wasting liquid on nozzles that do not require it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of ejection amount during flushing operations. Instead of using a uniform flushing amount for all nozzles, the control unit adjusts the ejection amount based on the vertical position of each nozzle group. This parameter adjustment allows optimization of liquid consumption while maintaining effective flushing to prevent pigment sedimentation and ensure uniform printed matter.
2Reliability
If all nozzles are flushed with the same ejection amount, then sedimentation is addressed uniformly, but liquid consumption increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides nozzles into multiple groups based on their vertical positions (highest, middle, lowest portions) and applies different ejection amounts to each group. This local differentiation ensures that each nozzle group receives the appropriate flushing amount needed for its specific sedimentation condition, avoiding unnecessary liquid consumption while maintaining consistent ink concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by providing flushing to only the extent necessary for each nozzle group. Instead of uniformly flushing all nozzles with the same amount, the system provides differentiated flushing amounts tailored to each group's actual needs, preventing both insufficient and excessive flushing while optimizing liquid usage.
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
This approach effectively suppresses the influence of sedimentation on image quality while minimizing ink consumption by adjusting ejection amounts according to the degree of sedimentation and nozzle height, ensuring consistent ink distribution.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid ejection head that performs printing by ejecting liquid from a plurality of nozzles in an ejection direction, which intersects a vertical direction, from a plurality of nozzles onto a transported medium
Implementation Method 2
the concentration of the pigment component may be biased due to sedimentation of the pigment component. When sedimentation occurs in a liquid ejection head having a height difference in a nozzle row, a nozzle at a high position ejects a liquid having a low concentration, whereas a nozzle at a low position ejects a liquid having a high concentration
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejection device includes a liquid ejection head that performs printing by ejecting liquid from a plurality of nozzles in an ejection direction, which intersects a vertical direction, from a plurality of nozzles onto a transported medium and a control section configured to control the liquid ejection head, wherein the liquid has a pigment component, the liquid ejection head is provided with a nozzle row in which a plurality of the nozzles is arranged in parallel, and the control section performs flushing which is ejection of the liquid not related to the printing from the plurality of nozzles with an ejection amount based on a height difference of the plurality of nozzles.