Wiping Module With Guide-Driven Cleaning Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet printer cleaning mechanisms face challenges in uniformly wiping the nozzle surface due to changes in contact state between the head wiper and wiper cleaner, leading to inconsistent cleaning performance.
Innovation Solution
A wiping module with a wiping portion that includes a wiping member, a storage support portion, and a movement support portion, along with a cleaning portion featuring a cleaning member and guide portion, allows the cleaning member to follow the wiping portion's movement direction, ensuring consistent scraping of liquid adhering to the wiping member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wiper cleaner rotates while sliding against the head wiper, then the cleaning function is achieved, but the contact state changes at start and end of cleaning, causing non-uniform wiping
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the cleaning member rotate while moving linearly (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by making the cleaning member move linearly in the same direction as the wiping portion without rotation. The guide portion constrains the cleaning member to follow the wiping portion's movement path, eliminating the contact state changes that occur with rotational movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning member is designed to dynamically follow the movement of the wiping portion through the guide portion, which allows the cleaning member to adapt its position and movement to match the wiping portion's trajectory. This dynamic following ensures consistent contact pressure and uniform cleaning throughout the entire wiping process.
2Manufacturing precision
If a separate driving mechanism is added for the cleaning member, then the cleaning performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the driving functions by making the cleaning member passively follow the wiping portion's movement through the guide portion. Both wiping and cleaning operations are driven by the same movement mechanism, eliminating the need for separate driving mechanisms while maintaining effective cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning member serves itself by automatically following the wiping portion's movement path through the guide portion. The system uses the wiping portion's own movement to drive the cleaning member, eliminating the need for external driving mechanisms and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A wiping module includes a wiping portion and a cleaning portion. The wiping portion includes a wiping member wiping a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid from a nozzle provided on a nozzle surface, a storage support portion supporting the wiping member and configured to store the liquid by the wiping, and a movement support portion mounting the storage support portion and configured to reciprocate along a wiping direction, which is a direction in which the wiping is performed. The cleaning portion cleans the wiping member. The cleaning portion includes a cleaning member and a guide portion guiding the cleaning member. The cleaning member is configured to follow a movement of the wiping portion in the wiping direction and to scrape off the liquid adhering to the wiping member while being guided by the guide portion.