Vented Piston Air Purging for Inkjet Conveying Tubes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printer systems face issues when shipped with ink, as it can cause structural and electrical damage, and lead to vapor transmission losses and air gain in the ink conveying tube, necessitating a method to purge air from the tube during priming without ink spillage or damage.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a housing member and a vented piston member, including a filter element that allows air to pass while preventing ink flow, is used to automatically purge air from the ink conveying tube, eliminating the need for customer intervention and preventing ink loss or damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the ink conveying tube is shipped filled with ink, then the printer is ready for immediate operation, but ink causes structural and electrical damage and leads to vapor transmission losses and air gain
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic air purging as a preliminary action before normal printing operation begins. The vented piston member and filter element are pre-configured to automatically remove air from the ink conveying tube during initial priming, ensuring the system is ready for operation without manual intervention while preventing the harmful effects of air pockets during subsequent printing.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If air is purged from the ink conveying tube during priming, then air gain and vapor transmission losses are reduced, but ink spillage and damage may occur without proper control
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element acts as an intermediary component that selectively allows air to pass through while blocking ink. During the air purging process, the filter element is positioned to permit air evacuation from the ink conveying tube while preventing ink from escaping, thus eliminating air gain and vapor transmission losses without causing ink spillage or damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The vented piston member extracts air from the ink conveying tube by moving to a vented position that creates a pathway for air removal. This extraction process is controlled to remove only air while the filter element prevents ink from being extracted or spilled during the same operation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If manual air purging is required during priming, then air can be removed from the tube, but customer intervention is needed and the process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs air purging as a self-service automatic function during the priming process. The vented piston member automatically moves to its vented position and the filter element automatically filters air from the ink conveying tube without requiring any customer intervention. After air purging is complete, the vented piston member automatically returns to its ink-blocking position, making the entire process autonomous and eliminating manual操作步骤.
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 effectively purges air from the ink conveying tube without ink spillage or damage, ensuring the printer is ready for operation and reducing vapor transmission losses, allowing for efficient priming of the system.
Implementation Method 1
a filter element configured to allow air to pass from the second inner bore through the air vent and prevent ink from passing or substantially restrict its flow from the second inner bore through the air vent
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for purging air from a fluid conveying tube includes a housing member comprising an inner bore having an inlet and an outlet (115); and a vented piston member slidably disposed within the inner bore, the vented piston member comprising a filter element and at least one air vent. The filter element is configured to allow air to pass through the vented piston member to the at least one air vent and to prevent fluid from passing through the vented piston member to the at least one air vent. A method of purging accumulated air from a fluid conveying tube includes providing a vented piston member slidably disposed within a housing member; displacing air from the fluid conveying tube through a filter element disposed within the piston member using pressurized fluid; and displacing the piston member with the pressurized fluid; wherein the displacement of the piston member exposes an outlet for the pressurized fluid.