Printer Ink Supply Control for Tank Overflow Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing liquid supply systems for printers face the risk of ink overflow due to changes in ink distribution and amounts during circulation between main and sub tanks, leading to potential overflows from both tanks.

Innovation Solution

A liquid supply system with a tube, liquid delivery mechanism, processor, and memory that performs controlled supply and return operations, including circulation processing and first liquid delivery processing to manage ink levels, preventing overflow by delivering excess ink before circulation when a tank reaches a certain level.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If circulation processing is performed to uniform ink distribution, then ink uniformity is improved, but ink overflow risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveink uniformityVSAvoidink overflow

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by detecting the ink amount in the main tank before circulation processing and preemptively supplying ink from the main tank to the sub tank when the main tank ink amount exceeds a threshold. This prevents overflow by removing excess ink before the circulation process begins, while still allowing circulation to proceed for uniformity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the ink amount in the main tank using a detection device, comparing it against threshold values, and automatically adjusting the ink supply operation accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures ink amounts remain within safe boundaries while maintaining circulation benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Stability of the object's composition

If repeated circulation is performed to maintain ink quality, then ink uniformity is improved, but tank capacity is exceeded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveink uniformityVSAvoidink amount

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Before each circulation processing operation, the system checks the ink amount in the main tank and performs preliminary ink transfer to the sub tank if necessary. This ensures the main tank will not overflow during circulation, allowing repeated circulation cycles to maintain ink quality without risking capacity exceedance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters by changing the ink supply amount based on real-time detection of main tank ink levels. When ink amounts exceed thresholds, the supply operation parameters are modified to transfer excess ink, allowing circulation to proceed with safe ink quantities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12533890B2Liquid supply system, control method, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions, and liquid supply device

Publication Date: 2026.01.27 BROTHER KOGYO KK

AI summary

A liquid supply system supplies a liquid from a server tank to a printer tank via a tube by a liquid delivery mechanism. A processor of the liquid supply system causes the liquid delivery mechanism to perform a supply and return operations. A first tank is one of the server tank or the printer tank. A second tank is different from the first tank, of the server tank and the printer tank. The processor causes the liquid delivery mechanism to perform a liquid delivery operation before the supply and return operations, when a remaining amount of the liquid in the first tank becomes equal to or greater than a first prescribed remaining amount. The liquid delivery operation is the supply or return operation of delivering the liquid from the first tank to the second tank via the tube.