Printhead Suction Pump Control for Waste-Tank-Limited Recovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge apparatuses face issues where recovery processes are not executed when the waste liquid tank is full, leading to incomplete restoration of discharge performance and potential printing failures.
Innovation Solution
A control method that adjusts the driving amount of the suction pump based on the amount of waste liquid in the tank, allowing for different recovery operations (first and second recovery operations) to accommodate varying tank capacities, ensuring continuous printing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pump is driven at a high driving amount to maximize recovery efficiency, then the discharge performance restoration is improved, but the waste liquid tank fills up faster causing printing interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The pump driving amount is dynamically adjusted based on the remaining capacity of the waste liquid tank. The control unit varies the pump's driving amount between a first driving amount (higher efficiency) and a second driving amount (lower efficiency) according to real-time tank status, allowing the system to optimize between recovery efficiency and waste liquid accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump's operational parameters (driving amount) are changed based on the waste liquid tank's remaining capacity. The control unit monitors the tank status and adjusts the pump driving amount parameter accordingly, switching between different driving amounts to balance recovery performance with tank capacity constraints.
2Productivity
If the recovery process is completely stopped when the waste liquid tank is full, then printing operations can continue, but discharge performance restoration is compromised leading to potential printing failures
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely stopping the recovery process when the tank is full, the system performs partial recovery actions by operating the pump at a reduced second driving amount. This allows continued (though reduced) restoration of discharge performance while accommodating the tank capacity constraint, rather than fully halting the recovery process.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit automatically monitors the waste liquid tank status and self-adjusts the pump operating parameters without external intervention. When the tank approaches full capacity, the system automatically reduces the pump driving amount to prevent overflow while maintaining continuous operation, ensuring both printing continuity and discharge performance restoration.
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
Enables effective restoration of discharge performance by optimizing recovery processes according to tank capacity, preventing printing interruptions and maximizing waste ink accommodation.
Implementation Method 1
a pump that suctions a liquid from the nozzle via the cap
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge apparatus includes a print head with a nozzle discharging a liquid, a pump to suction the liquid from the nozzle, and to eject the liquid into a waste liquid tank, a control unit to change a driving amount of the pump to control an amount of the liquid ejected, and a calculation unit to calculate an amount of the liquid in the tank. The control unit drives the pump by a second driving amount less than a first, if a sum of an amount of the liquid ejected when the pump is driven by the first driving amount and an amount of the liquid in the waste liquid tank is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. The calculation unit calculates a cumulative amount of the liquid suctioned by the pump from the nozzle as the amount of the liquid in the waste liquid tank.