Self-weight pressure control valve for inkjet devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional self-sealing pressure control valves in inkjet recording devices suffer from ink pressure fluctuations due to corrosion and deterioration of the urging member, such as a coiled seal spring, leading to unstable ink injection and potential ink leakage.
Innovation Solution
A self-weight pressure control valve with a hollow case main body, partitioning wall, valve rod, and pressure-sensitive film that maintains a closed state by gravitational force, eliminating the need for an urging member and reducing pressure fluctuations through flexible deformation of the film.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a coiled seal spring is used as an urging member to maintain the self-sealing state, then the valve can be closed by elastic force, but the spring is susceptible to corrosion and deterioration over time, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the seal spring (urging member) from the system entirely. Instead of using elastic force from a spring, the valve utilizes the self-weight of the valve rod to maintain the closed state. This extraction of the problematic component eliminates the corrosion and deterioration issues that plagued the previous design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical elastic force system (spring) with a gravitational force system (self-weight of valve rod). This substitution changes the fundamental mechanism from elastic deformation to gravitational attraction, eliminating the need for a spring component that is susceptible to corrosion.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a long ink supply path is used in off-carriage system, then the ink cartridge can be located away from the carriage, but ink pressure fluctuation increases, causing unstable injection
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure control valve operates autonomously using the self-weight of the valve rod to maintain the self-sealing state. This self-service mechanism automatically compensates for pressure fluctuations in the long supply path without requiring external control systems, ensuring stable ink injection despite the extended distance between cartridge and carriage.
3Volume of moving object
If the seal spring is made small and coiled to fit the valve structure, then the valve can be compact, but the spring lacks sufficient area and thickness for plating, reducing corrosion resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the seal spring from the valve structure entirely. By eliminating this component, the patent avoids the fundamental problem of insufficient surface area for plating on small coiled springs. The valve achieves its compact form without relying on a spring mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the durable but corrosion-prone spring with a simple gravitational mechanism that has no consumable parts. The valve rod's self-weight provides continuous sealing force without degradation, effectively creating a maintenance-free sealing solution.
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 self-weight pressure control valve ensures stable ink injection and prevents ink leakage by maintaining a self-sealing state over time, reducing the need for electrical control and minimizing corrosion issues.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensitive film that is attached to the case main body so as to cover the opening of the case main body, is coupled with a tip of the rod portion of the valve rod, and is flexibly deformable toward the rod portion
Implementation Method 2
The self-weight pressure control valve is structured to operate such that in a state where the pressure sensitive film is not flexibly deformed toward the rod portion, the communication opening is maintained in a closed state by the valve portion by use of a self-weight of the valve rod
Data Source
AI summary
A self-weight pressure control valve includes a hollow case main body with an opening, a partitioning wall dividing the case main body into first and second pressure chambers in communication with the opening, a communication opening in the partitioning wall and communicating the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber to each other, a valve rod including a rod portion inserted through the communication opening to pass the partitioning wall, and a valve portion located in the first pressure chamber, and a pressure sensitive film covering the opening of the case main body, coupled with a tip of the rod portion of the valve rod, and flexibly deformable toward the rod portion. When the pressure sensitive film is not flexibly deformed toward the rod portion, the communication opening is maintained in a closed state by the valve portion by use of a self-weight of the valve rod.