Printer Tank Cover Flow Channel Design for Ink Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink supplementation in printer tanks often results in ink flowing out and adhering to the tank's outer surfaces, making it difficult to observe the liquid level and leading to contamination.
Innovation Solution
A supply apparatus with a tank design featuring a liquid storing chamber, an inlet for supplementing liquid, and a cover with a specific arrangement of liquid flow channels to direct ink flow away from the front wall, minimizing contamination and facilitating easy observation of the liquid level.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the inlet is positioned for easy liquid supplementation, then the ease of operation is improved, but ink flows out and adheres to the front wall making observation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A guide wall is introduced as an intermediary structure between the inlet and the front wall. This guide wall intercepts the liquid flow from the inlet and redirects it into the storage chamber, preventing direct contact with the front wall while maintaining easy supplementation access.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal space of the tank is segmented by the guide wall, which divides the flow path into a guided channel that leads liquid into the storage chamber. This segmentation separates the supplementation function from the observation function, allowing both to operate effectively without interference.
2Loss of information
If the front wall is made translucent for observation, then the visibility of liquid level is improved, but ink contamination adhering to the surface reduces observation clarity
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wall serves as a physical barrier and flow mediator that prevents ink from reaching the front wall surface. By intercepting the liquid flow before it contacts the front wall, the guide wall protects the observation surface from contamination while maintaining the translucent property for visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful flow path that leads ink to the front wall is extracted and redirected through the guide wall structure. The liquid flow is taken out of the direct path to the front wall and channeled into the storage chamber, eliminating the contamination source while preserving the front wall's observation function.
3Ease of operation
If ink flows out during supplementation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the liquid adheres to outer surfaces causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wall acts as an intermediary flow channel that captures liquid during supplementation and directs it into the storage chamber. This intermediary structure prevents liquid from adhering to outer surfaces by providing a controlled internal path for flow redirection.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid that would otherwise be harmful by adhering to outer surfaces is converted into a beneficial flow pattern. The guide wall utilizes the natural flow of liquid during supplementation and redirects it into the storage chamber, transforming potential contamination into effective liquid storage.
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
The design effectively reduces ink contamination of the tank's front wall, allowing for easier ink supplementation and clearer observation of the liquid level, ensuring proper ink levels are maintained.
Implementation Method 1
a first liquid flow channel formed in the inner surface at a periphery of the opening, the first liquid flow channel being arranged between the inlet and the opening in the third direction
Data Source
AI summary
A supply apparatus includes a tank having a front wall, and an inlet via which liquid is poured into the tank; and a cover covering a part of the tank including the front wall, and being formed with an opening to partially expose the front wall of the tank. When the supply apparatus is viewed from the front wall side of the tank, the inlet of the tank and the opening of the cover are arranged to align in an up/down direction. The cover has a first liquid flow channel formed at a periphery of the opening in an inner surface facing the front wall of the tank, and the first liquid flow channel is arranged between the inlet and the opening in the up/down direction.