Variable-Stroke Cleaning Member for Inkjet Head Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The maintenance cost of inkjet printers increases due to the inefficient winding and reuse of cleaning members in head cleaning devices, where a portion of the cleaning member is wound without being used between adjacent inkjet heads during the cleaning process.
Innovation Solution
A head cleaning device with a long cleaning member that moves a shorter distance between the nozzle surfaces of adjacent inkjet heads, reducing the unused portion of the cleaning member and optimizing the cleaning path to minimize waste and maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleaning member is wound by one turn for each head cleaning operation, then the cleaning member can be reused for the next cleaning operation, but a portion not used for cleaning between two adjacent inkjet heads is wound without being used, increasing maintenance cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the cleaning member movement distance variable rather than fixed. The mover adjusts the movement distance based on the actual positions of adjacent inkjet heads, allowing the cleaning member to move only the necessary distance between heads rather than a predetermined full turn, thereby eliminating wasted movement and reducing cleaning member consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of cleaning member movement distance from a fixed value (one full turn) to a variable value determined by the actual spacing between inkjet heads. By dynamically adjusting this parameter based on real-world conditions, the system optimizes cleaning member usage and reduces waste
2Productivity
If the cleaning member is wound by one turn between cleanings, then all nozzle surfaces can be cleaned, but the portion of the cleaning member between adjacent inkjet heads is wound without being used
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the cleaning member movement based on the actual positions of inkjet heads. The mover calculates the precise distance needed to traverse from one head to the next and moves the cleaning member only that distance, ensuring full cleaning coverage while eliminating the waste associated with moving through unnecessary spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous useful action by making the cleaning member movement distance exactly match the required cleaning path between adjacent inkjet heads. Every portion of the cleaning member movement performs a useful cleaning function, with no idle or wasted movement, thereby maintaining productivity while reducing substance loss
Data Source
AI summary
A head cleaning device includes: a cleaning member that is long and comes into contact with nozzle surfaces of a first ejection head and a second ejection head arranged at intervals and cleans the nozzle surfaces; and a mover that moves, after completion of a previous cleaning and before start of a next cleaning, the cleaning member by a distance shorter than a path length from a portion that has cleaned the nozzle surface of the first ejection head to a portion that has cleaned the nozzle surface of the second ejection head up to the previous cleaning.