Wiper Contact Extent Adjustment for Liquid Ejecting Nozzles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting apparatuses lack a standardized method to adjust the contact extent of the wiper with the nozzle surface, making it difficult to determine whether to increase or decrease the contact extent effectively, which affects the cleaning success rate.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a contact extent changing unit, a condition detection unit, and a control unit that adjusts the wiper's contact extent based on the inner pressure chamber conditions, ensuring optimal wiping conditions for improved maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact extent of the wiper with the nozzle surface is increased to improve cleaning effectiveness, then the wiping performance is improved, but the device complexity increases due to lack of standardized adjustment mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying the contact extent of the wiper with the nozzle surface through standardized adjustment mechanisms. The control unit modifies the contact extent parameter based on detected cleaning effectiveness, enabling optimized wiping performance without excessive complexity in the adjustment mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the condition detection unit to monitor the inner condition of the pressure chamber and cleaning effectiveness, then feeding this information back to the control unit. The control unit adjusts the contact extent based on this feedback, creating a closed-loop system that improves cleaning success rates while maintaining manageable device complexity through automated control.
2Device complexity
If the contact extent of the wiper is adjusted without definite standards, then the device structure remains simple, but the manufacturing precision and control accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual or mechanical adjustment methods with an automated control system. The control unit electronically controls the contact extent based on data from the condition detection unit, substituting imprecise mechanical adjustment with precise electronic control. This maintains relatively simple device structure while significantly improving contact extent control accuracy through digital measurement and control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting its own inner conditions through the condition detection unit and autonomously adjusting the contact extent through the control unit. This eliminates the need for external calibration or complex adjustment mechanisms, maintaining structural simplicity while achieving high precision through self-regulation based on real-time feedback.
3Reliability
If the contact extent is changed based on calculated cleaning success or failure rate, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to lack of definite standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances feedback by using the condition detection unit to directly measure the inner condition of the pressure chamber with definite standards. This provides objective, precise measurement data that feeds back to the control unit, enabling accurate determination of cleaning effectiveness and precise adjustment of contact extent, thereby improving both cleaning effectiveness and measurement precision simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle surface and configured to eject liquid from a nozzle formed at the nozzle surface, a wiper configured to perform wiping with respect to the nozzle surface, a condition detection unit configured to detect the inner condition of a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle, and a control unit configured to change wiping conditions for wiping the nozzle surface by using the wiper in accordance with the detected inner condition of the pressure chamber.