Printer Liquid Container Branching Portion Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printers, both monochrome and color, face challenges in designing components that balance ink storage capacity with development costs, particularly for monochrome printers used for business purposes, where a larger ink storage capacity is desirable to minimize frequent ink replenishment.
Innovation Solution
The design of an image-forming apparatus with a liquid container having a first storage chamber and a supply opening, connected through a joint, branching portion, and tubes to a recording head with multiple nozzle arrays, allowing for monochrome printing while enabling a larger liquid storage capacity and versatility in component sharing between monochrome and color printers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a larger storage chamber is designed for monochrome printers to increase ink storage capacity, then the printing duration without replenishment is extended, but the development costs increase due to specialized component design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the storage chamber, joint, branching portion, and tube assembly as universal components that can be used in both monochrome and color printers. The storage chamber with large capacity serves dual purposes: providing extended printing duration for monochrome printers while also serving as the ink reservoir for color printers that use multiple nozzle arrays. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized designs, thereby reducing development costs while achieving the goal of extended printing duration.
2Quantity of substance
If a storage chamber with larger capacity is designed, then the quantity of liquid stored is increased, but the volume of the storage chamber increases, leading to larger overall device size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where the branching portion is integrated within the storage chamber assembly, and the tube assembly is configured to connect efficiently within the available space. The joint connects the storage chamber to the branching portion in a compact arrangement. This nesting approach maximizes the ink storage capacity within a minimized overall volume, allowing large quantities of ink to be stored without proportionally increasing the device size.
3Productivity
If components are designed specifically for monochrome printers with larger storage capacity, then the productivity for business purposes is improved, but the adaptability to color printer configurations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality by designing the storage chamber, joint, branching portion, and tube assembly as standardized components that interface with both monochrome and color recording heads. The branching portion can accommodate single-color or multi-color configurations, and the tube assembly is designed to connect to different nozzle array configurations. This universal design allows the same components to serve both monochrome printers (with extended printing duration) and color printers, thereby maintaining high productivity for business purposes while preserving adaptability across different printer types.
Data Source
AI summary
An image-forming apparatus includes a liquid container, a joint, a branching portion, a plurality of tubes, and a recording head. The liquid container has a first storage chamber, and a supply opening through which the first storage chamber is communicable with atmosphere. The joint is connectable to the supply opening of the liquid container. The branching portion is connected to the joint and is branched into a plurality of liquid channels. Each tube is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of liquid channels. The recording head includes a plurality of nozzle arrays, and each nozzle array is connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of tubes. The recording head is configured to eject the liquid through each nozzle arrays.