Rotatable Filter Chamber Layout for Ink Bubble Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting apparatuses face challenges in efficiently discharging air bubbles from the filter chamber during initial filling and maintenance operations, leading to potential ink supply issues and increased ink consumption.
Innovation Solution
A filter unit is designed with a specific orientation and structure where the inlet and outlet intersect perpendicularly to the filter plane, allowing for easy rotation between printing and maintenance postures, facilitating effective air bubble discharge through buoyancy and pressure manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the filter chamber is designed with traditional inlet/outlet orientations, then the structure is simple, but air bubbles cannot be efficiently discharged during maintenance operations
Solution Approach 1:
The filter chamber is designed to be rotatable between a printing posture and a maintenance posture. This dynamic repositioning allows the same structure to serve dual functions: efficient printing operation in the first posture and effective air bubble discharge in the second posture, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The inlet and outlet are positioned at opposite sides of the filter chamber with their opening directions intersecting the filter plane. This spatial arrangement creates a maintenance posture where air bubbles can be discharged along a path perpendicular to the filter plane, utilizing a different dimensional approach to solve the air bubble discharge problem
2Reliability
If air bubbles remain in the filter chamber during printing, then the structure remains simple, but ink supply is disrupted and ink consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Before printing operations, the filter chamber can be positioned in the maintenance posture to discharge air bubbles in advance. This preliminary action ensures that air bubbles are removed before they can disrupt ink supply during printing, thereby improving reliability without compromising productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable design enables continuous operation by allowing quick transition between printing and maintenance postures. The ink supply system remains continuously functional as air bubbles are discharged during maintenance and printing resumes without interruption, maintaining both reliability and productivity
3Productivity
If the inlet and outlet are positioned for optimal printing, then printing efficiency is high, but air bubble discharge during maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The filter chamber's rotatable design allows it to dynamically switch between the printing posture (optimized for printing efficiency) and the maintenance posture (optimized for air bubble discharge). This resolves the contradiction by making the system adaptable to different operational requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The same filter chamber structure serves multiple functions: it optimizes printing operation efficiency in the printing posture and facilitates air bubble discharge in the maintenance posture. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between printing efficiency and maintenance ease
4Ease of operation
If the filter chamber is made rotatable for maintenance access, then air bubble discharge improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable filter chamber introduces dynamic capability to the system, allowing transition between printing and maintenance postures. While this increases structural complexity, it dramatically improves maintenance accessibility and air bubble discharge efficiency, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity
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 design enables efficient air bubble removal during maintenance, reducing ink wastage and preventing ink supply disruptions, while maintaining optimal filter efficiency during printing.
Implementation Method 1
performing maintenance in which the liquid is discharged to an outside from the plurality of nozzles via the filter chamber with the filter chamber being in a second posture in which the lower surface faces a direction opposite to the gravity direction
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a filter unit used in a posture in which a gravity direction and a virtual plane extending along a filter intersect each other, the filter unit including the filter, a filter chamber that includes an upstream chamber and a downstream chamber separated by the filter, an inlet for introduction of liquid, and an outlet through which the liquid flows out via the downstream chamber. The inlet is open in a second direction that intersects a first direction perpendicular to the virtual plane extending along the filter, the outlet is open in a third direction opposite to the second direction, and the inlet overlaps with the outlet as seen in the third direction.