Single Cap for Pigment and Reactive Ink Orifices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet recording technologies face challenges in achieving high reliability, reducing apparatus size, simplifying mechanisms, and lowering costs while maintaining image quality and preventing bleeding and bi-directional unevenness, particularly when using pigment inks that react with each other.
Innovation Solution
A pigment ink system where ejection orifices for the pigment ink and reactive inks are capped with the same cap, with a specific relationship between the mixed thickening ratio and ejection orifice-to-ejection orifice distance, allowing for compatibility between image quality and reliability, and reducing bi-directional unevenness through controlled reactivity and hue matching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If ejection orifices for pigment ink and reactive ink are capped with different caps, then bleeding resistance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple ejection orifices (for pigment ink and reactive ink) into a single cap structure. The cap is designed to cover multiple orifices simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate caps for each ink type. This merging approach maintains bleeding resistance by properly sealing reactive ink orifices while simplifying the overall cap mechanism and reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed as a universal component that serves multiple functions: it seals both pigment ink and reactive ink ejection orifices, provides a sucking mechanism for both ink types, and maintains proper cap coverage during recording operations. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for multiple specialized caps, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining effective bleeding prevention.
2Device complexity
If ejection orifices for pigment ink and reactive ink are capped with the same cap, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to ink clogging from agglomerate adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a sucking mechanism that operates before recording to remove ink residuals from the cap's inner surface. This preliminary action prevents agglomerate adhesion and ink clogging during subsequent recording operations, thereby maintaining reliability while using a single cap for both ink types.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap's sucking mechanism is designed to automatically clean itself by removing ink residuals from its own inner surface. This self-service function prevents agglomerate accumulation and maintains ejection reliability without requiring additional external cleaning mechanisms, thus preserving both simplicity and reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If reactive ink is used to improve bleeding resistance, then image quality is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to agglomerate production and adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The sucking mechanism performs preliminary cleaning of the cap's inner surface before recording operations begin. This preliminary action removes ink residuals that would otherwise form agglomerates and adhere to the cap, thereby preventing ink clogging and maintaining reliability while still using reactive ink for bleeding resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of reactive ink (agglomerate formation) into a beneficial outcome by using the sucking mechanism to remove agglomerate-prone residuals from the cap. The reactive ink's tendency to form agglomerates is harnessed to create visible markers that are removed by the sucking mechanism, preventing clogging while maintaining the ink's bleeding resistance benefits.
4Reliability
If multiple caps are used for pigment ink and reactive ink, then reliability is improved, but apparatus size increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple caps into a single integrated cap structure that covers both pigment ink and reactive ink ejection orifices. This unified cap design reduces apparatus size by eliminating redundant cap components while maintaining reliability through the incorporated sucking mechanism that prevents ink clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The single cap is designed as a universal component that performs multiple functions: sealing both ink types, providing sucking mechanisms for both orifices, and preventing agglomerate adhesion. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for multiple separate caps, thereby reducing apparatus size while maintaining the reliability benefits of specialized cap coverage.
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 solution achieves compatibility between image quality and reliability, reduces bi-directional unevenness, and simplifies the ink jet recording apparatus by using a single cap for multiple inks, thereby reducing size and cost while maintaining effective ink interaction.
Implementation Method 1
an ink that reacts with the pigment ink and destabilizes a dispersed state of the pigment in the pigment ink
Implementation Method 2
a cap having a sucking mechanism in order that the ink ejection orifice may be capped
Data Source
AI summary
A pigment ink is provided which is used in an ink jet recording apparatus in which ejection orifices for a pigment ink and ejection orifices for at least one type of reactive ink that destabilizes a dispersed state of pigment in the pigment ink are capped with the identical cap provided with a unit for removing an ink in the cap, achieving compatibility between bleeding resistance and reliability. Where a mixed thickening ratio upon mixing the pigment ink and the reactive ink in equal volumes is represented by Y (%) and an ejection orifice-to-ejection orifice distance between the ejection orifice for the pigment ink and the ejection orifice for the reactive ink is represented by X (mm) (provided that X>0), Y and X satisfy a specific relationship.