WO2021150233A1

WO2021150233A1 - Fluid-ejection device air purger

Info

Publication number: WO2021150233A1
Application number: PCT/US2020/014870
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qian Tao
Original assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date: 2020-01-24
Filing date: 2020-01-24
Publication date: 2021-07-29

Abstract

An air purger for a fluid-ejection device includes a body having a tower to fluidically interface with a fluidic interconnector of the fluid-ejection device. The air purger includes a spring-loaded plunger extendably disposed within the body and fluidically connected to the tower. The air purger includes an engageable lock rotatably attached to the body and having a locked position in which the lock maintains the plunger in a compressed position and an unlocked position in which the lock releases the plunger to an extended position.

Description

FLUID-EJECTION DEVICE AIR PURGER

[0001] Printing devices, including standalone printers as well as all-in-one (AIO) printing devices that combine printing functionality with other functionality like scanning and copying, can use a variety of different printing techniques. One type of printing technology is inkjet technology, which is more generally a type of fluid-ejection technology. A fluid-ejection device, such as a printhead or a printing device having such a printhead, includes a number of fluid-ejection elements with respective nozzles from which fluid like ink is selectively ejectable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0002] FIGs. 1 A and 1 B are diagrams of an example air purger for a fluid- ejection device in a compressed position and an extended position, respectively. [0003] FIGs. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional diagrams of the example air purger in a compressed position and an extended position, respectively.

[0004] FIGs. 3A and 3B are diagrams of an example fluid-ejection device having an air purger inserted into its carriage that is in a non-air purge position and an air purge position, respectively.

[0005] FIGs. 4A and 4B are diagrams of an example carriage of a fluid- ejection device in which an air purger has been inserted.

[0006] FIG. 5 is a diagram of example fluidic connection between fluidic interconnectors of a carriage of a fluid-ejection device and an air purger.

[0007] FIG. 6 is a diagram of example engagement of an air purger at an air purge position of a fluid-ejection device in which the air purger is inserted. [0008] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example method for purging air from a fluid-ejection device using an air purger prior to the device being used to eject fluid.

[0009] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example air purger. [0010] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example fluid-ejection device.

[0011] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Inkjet printing devices are fluid-ejection devices that selectively eject fluid like ink. Two types of fluid-ejection devices include tank-on-printhead devices and continuous ink supply system (CISS) devices. In the former, fluid supplies can be incorporated with a printhead in a printhead assembly that is inserted into a carriage of a fluid-ejection device. When any fluid supply of the assembly has been depleted, the entire assembly has to be replaced, even if other fluid supplies have not been exhausted, and even though the printhead itself is likely to still be in good operating condition.

[0013] By comparison, in a CISS fluid-ejection device, the primary fluid supplies are not part of the printhead assembly that includes the printhead and that is insertable into the device’s carriage. Rather, the fluid supplies are located off-axis (i.e., off the axis on which the carriage is movable back and forth), and fluidic tubes fluidically couple the fluid supplies to the carriage and thus to the printhead assembly. The fluid supplies can thus be larger, and fluid can be continuously supplied to the printhead. When a fluid supply runs low, it can be replenished before the supply becomes depleted, potentially even while printing is occurring.

[0014] During initial setup of a CISS fluid-ejection device, the fluid supplies may be filled for the first time. Prior to first use of the device, air then has to be purged from the fluidic tubes fluidically coupling the fluid supplies to the carriage. The air purging process draws fluid from the supplies through the tubes and to the carriage. If air purging is not performed, the fluid-ejection device will not operate correctly at least at first, because there will not be fluid immediately at the printhead for ejection. In the case of an inkjet printing device, image formation quality may at least initially suffer. In some situations the device may even become damaged.

[0015] Existing CISS fluid-ejection devices usually have end users manually perform the initial air purging. Air purging cannot occur at time of device manufacture, for instance, because it has to be performed after initial filling of the fluid supplies, and the supplies have to remain empty and dry for shipment of the fluid-ejection devices. Failure to perform initial air purging at all, or failure to perform air purging correctly, has proven to be a not uncommon occurrence, resulting in a poor end user out-of-box (OOB) experience, and sometimes causing damage to the fluid-ejection devices before they have even been used once to eject fluid.

[0016] Described herein are techniques that ameliorate these and other issues. An air purger is insertable into the carriage of a fluid-ejection device. Once the fluid supplies have been initially filled, the carriage can move to an air purge position within the fluid-ejection device at which the air purger is engaged. Engagement of the air purger causes it to purge a specified volume of air from the fluidic tubes and draw fluid from the fluid supplies to the carriage. Once air purging has been completed, the carriage can move away from the air purge position to permit replacement of the air purger in the carriage with a printhead assembly so that fluid ejection can satisfactorily commence for the first time. [0017] FIGs. 1A and 1B show an example air purger 100 for a fluid- ejection device in compressed and extended positions, respectively. The air purger 100 includes a body 102, which can have a shape corresponding to a fluid-ejection printhead assembly removably insertable into a carriage of the device. The body 102 is made up a lid 104 and a base 106 on which the lid 104 is sealably disposed. Specifically, a complaint layer 108, such as rubber or flexible plastic or silicone, seals the lid 104 to the base 106 in a fluidically tight manner upon fixing of the lid 104 to the base 106 via fasteners 110, such as screws. The lid 104 and thus the body 102 have towers 112 that are to fluidically connect to corresponding fluidic interconnectors of the fluid-ejection device. [0018] The air purger 100 includes a spring-loaded plunger 114 extendably disposed within the base 106 and thus within the body 102. The air purger 100 includes an engageable lock 116 that is rotatably attached to the base 106 about a rod 120 that is itself attached to the base 106. The air purger 100 includes a cover 118 fixably attached to the base to inhibit accidental rotation of the lock 116 from a locked position in FIG. 1 A to an unlocked position in FIG. 1 B. The cover 118 includes an opening 122 in which the lock 116 is properly engageable to so rotate the lock 116.

[0019] In the locked position of FIG. 1A, the lock 116 maintains the plunger 114 in the compressed position. In FIG. 1 B, the lock 116 has been engaged, such as through the opening 122 of the cover 118, resulting in counter clockwise rotation of the lock 116 to the unlocked position. Rotation of the lock 116 to the unlocked position releases the plunger 114 to the extended position. Release of the plunger 114 from the compressed position to the extended position purges a specified volume of air through the towers 112 from the fluid- ejection device’s fluidic interconnectors, drawing fluid like ink from fluid supplies fluidically coupled to the interconnectors via fluidic tubes.

[0020] FIGs. 2A and 2B show cross-sections of the example air purger 100 in the compressed and extended positions, respectively. The base 106 and thus the body 102 have a cavity 202 in which the plunger 114 is extendably disposed. Specifically, the base 106 and thus the body 102 have a post 204 extending into the cavity 202 and about which the plunger 114 is extendably disposed in the cavity 202. The post 204 extends from a wall 206 at the back of the cavity 202.

[0021] The air purger 100 includes a compression spring 208 disposed in the cavity 202 around the post 204, between the post 204 and the plunger 114. The spring 208 spring-loads the plunger 114 in the compressed position within the cavity 202 in FIG. 2A, when the lock 116 is in the locked position as shown in FIG 1A. The spring 208 extends the plunger 114 to the extended position in FIG. 2A upon transition of the lock 116 to the unlocked position as shown in FIG. 1 B.

[0022] The base 106 and thus the body 102 have a wall 210 that defines the cavity 202. The base 106 and thus the body 102 also have an internal fluidic passage 212, which has an outlet 214 fluidically coupled to the cavity 202 through the wall 210. The fluidic passage 212 has inlets 216 fluidically coupled to the towers 112 of the lid 104 sealably fixed to the base 106 via the compliant layer 108. The volume of space within the passage 212 corresponds to the specified volume of air that the plunger 114 draws through the tower 112 when released to the extended position.

[0023] The air purger 100 includes a compliant material 218 disposed around the plunger 114 and that is contact with the wall 210 defining the cavity 202. The compliant material 218 may be a rubber or flexible plastic or silicone washer or ring. The compliant material 218 maintains a fluidically tight seal between the plunger 114 and the wall 210 during release of the plunger 114 from the compressed position to the extended position. This ensures that release of the plunger 114 to the extended position draws air specifically from the tower 112 via the passage 212.

[0024] FIGs. 3A and 3B show an example fluid-ejection device 300, such as an inkjet-printing device. The fluid-ejection device 300 includes a carriage 302. The carriage 302 is movable back and forth about an axis per arrows 303. The carriage 302 is in a non-air purge position in FIG. 3A, and is in an air purge position in FIG. 3B. Positions of the carriage 302 other than the air purge position of FIG. 3B are non-air purge positions, where FIG. 3A shows one such non-air purge position.

[0025] The carriage 302 has a cover 304, and the air purger 100 of FIGs. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B that has been described is removably installed within the carriage 302 under the cover 304. As such, just the cover 118 of the air purger 100 is called out in FIGs. 3A and 3B, since other parts of the purger 100 are hidden from view or not easily discerned in FIGs. 3A and 3B. The cover 118 thus impedes accidental engagement of the lock 116 when the air purger 100 is disposed in the carriage 302 by covering the lock 116. The carriage 302 further has fluidic interconnectors 306 to which the air purger 100’s towers 112, which are also hidden from view in FIGs. 3A and 3B, fluidically connect when the air purger 100 is installed within the carriage 302.

[0026] The fluid-ejection device 300 includes fluidic tubes 308 that extend from the fluidic interconnectors 306 to a fluidic interface 314. The fluidic-ejection device 300 includes replenishable fluid supplies 312. As depicted specifically in FIG. 3B, the fluid-ejection device 300 includes other fluidic tubes 316 that extend to another fluidic interface 318 that fluidically mates with the fluidic interface 314. The fluidic tubes 316 are not shown in FIG. 3A to better show the fluidic interface 314. [0027] The fluidic tubes 308 and 316, via the fluidic interfaces 314 and 318, can thus be said to fluidically connect the fluidic interconnectors 306 to the fluid supplies 312. As shown, there are four fluid supplies 312 with respective fluidic interconnectors 306, fluidic tubes 308, and fluidic tubes 316. In the case in which the fluid-ejection device 300 is a color inkjet-printing device, the four fluid supplies 312 can correspond to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink so that the device 300 can form full-color images. In other implementations, there may be fewer or more than four fluid supplies 312. [0028] The fluid-ejection device 300 includes a release key 310.

Movement of the carriage 302 to the air purge position of FIG. 3B results in the release key 310 engaging the air purger 100 of FIGs. 1 A, 1 B, 2A, and 2B within the carriage 302. Engagement of the air purger 100 causes the air purger 100 to draw a specified volume of air from the fluidic tubes 308 and 316 via or through the fluidic interconnectors 306. Fluid from the fluid supplies 312 in turn is drawn through the fluidic tubes 316 and 308 to the fluidic interconnectors 306.

[0029] The volume of air that the air purger 100 of FIGs. 1 A, 1 B, 2A, and 2B is to purge from the fluidic tubes 308 can be specified via appropriate sizing of the passage 212 of FIGs. 2A and 2B during design of the air purger 100 to correspond to the volume of space within the tubes 308 and 316. In other implementations, the fluidic tubes 308 and 316 can be sized to correspond to the volume of air that the air purger 100 purges upon engagement. The volume of air that the air purge 100 is to purge and the volume of space within the fluidic tubes 308 and 316 thus correspond to one another. [0030] When the fluid-ejection device 300 is shipped from the manufacturer, the fluid supplies 312 are empty, and the fluidic tubes 308 and 316 are similarly dry of fluid. During setup of the fluid-ejection device 300, the fluidic tubes 316 are connected to the supplies 312, and also connected to the fluidic tubes 308 via connecting the fluidic interface 318 to the fluidic interface 314. The fluid supplies 312 are filled with fluid, and the carriage 302 is removably disposed is moved to the air purge position of FIG. 3B to engage the air purger 100 to purge the air from the fluidic tubes 308 and 316 and draw fluid from the supplies 312 to the fluidic interconnectors 306.

[0031] FIGs. 4A and 4B show an example of the carriage 302 of the fluid- ejection device 300 in detail. The air purger 100 of FIGs. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B is installed within the carriage 302. FIG. 4A shows the cover 304 of the carriage 302 in a closed position as in FIGs. 3A and 3B, whereas FIG. 4B shows the cover 304 in an open position. When the cover 304 is open, the air purger 100 can be inserted into or removed from the carriage 302.

[0032] FIGs. 4A and 4B specifically better show how the air purger 100 of FIGs. 1A, 1 B, 2A, and 2B is disposed within the carriage 302. The cover 118 is positioned outside the carriage 302, and the engageable lock 116 is visible through the opening 122 within the cover 118. A portion of the plunger 114, held in the compressed position with the lock 116 in the locked position, is visible as well. In FIG. 4A, the rod 120 of the air purger 100, the fluidic interconnectors 306 of the carriage 302, the fluidic tubes 308 and 312, and the fluidic interfaces 314 and 316 of the fluid-ejection device 300 are also called out. In FIG. 4B, the lid 104, the base 106, the fasteners 110, the towers 112, and the rod 120 of the air purger 100 are also called out.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows in detail example fluidic connection between the fluidic interconnectors 306 of the fluid-ejection device 300’s carriage 302 of FIGs. 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B and the towers 112 of the air purger 100 of FIGs. 1A,

1 B, 2A, and 2B. FIG. 5 does not show the carriage 302 other than its fluidic interconnectors 306 to better illustrate fluidic connection between the interconnectors 306 and the towers 112. The lid 104 and the base 106 of the body 102 of the air purger 100, as well as the fasteners 110, the plunger 114, the engageable lock 116, the cover 118, and the rod 120 of the purger 100 are also called out in FIG. 5.

[0034] FIG. 6 shows example engagement of the air purger 100 of FIGs. 1 A, 1 B, 2A, and 2B at the air purge position of the carriage 302 of the fluid- ejection device 300 in FIG. 3B. The release key 310 has engaged the engageable lock 116 of the air purger 100, causing the lock 116 to rotate counter-clockwise to the unlocked position. Rotation of the lock 116 releases the air purger 100’s plunger 114 to the uncompressed position, purging a specified of air from the fluid-ejection device 300. The cover 118 of the air purger 100 is not depicted in FIG. 6 for illustrative clarity. Flowever, the body 102 of the air purger 100, including the base 106 and the lid 104 having the towers 112, is called out in FIG. 6, as are the compliant layer 108 and the fasteners 110.

[0035] FIG. 7 shows an example method 700, which an end user may perform the method 700 during initial setup of the fluid-ejection device 300. The method 700 can include inserting the air purger 100 into the carriage 302 of the fluid-ejection device 300 (702). The method 700 can include fluidically connecting the fluid supplies 312 to the fluid interconnectors 306 of the carriage 302 (704), via the fluidic tubes 308 and 316. For instance, the fluidic tubes 316 may be connected to their respective fluid supplies 312, and the fluidic interface 318 connected to the fluidic interface 314.

[0036] The method 700 can include filling the fluid supplies 312 with fluid (706). Once the fluidic supplies 312 have been filled and fluidically connected to the fluid interconnectors 306, the method 700 can include causing the carriage 302 to move to the air purge position (708). Movement of the carriage 302 to the air purge position causes the air purger 100 to purge air from the fluidic tubes 316, via or through the fluidic interconnectors 306 fluidically connected to the towers 112 of the purger 100. The method 700 can includes subsequently moving the carriage 302 to a non-air purge position (710).

[0037] Once the carriage 302 is at a non-air purge position, the method 700 can include replacing the air purger 100 in the carriage 302 with a printhead assembly (712). The cover 304 of the carriage 302 can be opened to remove the air purger 100 before inserting a printhead assembly and again closing the cover 304. The printhead assembly includes the printheads that selectively eject fluid like ink. The method 700 can include causing the printhead assembly to then subsequently eject fluid as desired (714), such as to form images on media advanced through the fluid-ejection device 300.

[0038] FIG. 8 shows an example air purger 100 for a fluid-ejection device. The air purger 100 includes a body 102 having a tower 112 to fluidically connect to a fluidic interconnector of the fluid-ejection device. The air purger 100 includes a spring-loaded plunger 114 extendably disposed within the body 102 and fluidically connected to the tower 112. The air purger 100 includes an engageable lock 116 rotatably attached to the body 102. The lock 116 has a locked position in which it maintains the plunger 114 in a compressed position and an unlocked position in which it releases the plunger 114 to an extended position. [0039] FIG. 9 shows an example fluid-ejection device 300. The fluid ejection device 300 includes a fluidic tube 308 to fluidically connect to a fluid supply. The fluid-ejection device 300 includes a carriage 302 having a fluidic interconnector 306 fluidically connectable to the fluidic tube 308 and movable to an air purge position. The fluid-ejection device 300 includes an air purger 100 removably disposable within the carriage 302 and fluidically connectable to the fluidic interconnector 306. The fluid-ejection device 300 includes a release key 310 to engage the air purger 100 in the air purge position of the carriage 302 to cause the air purger 100 to purge a specified volume of air from the fluidic tube 308 via the fluidic interconnector 306. [0040] The fluid-ejection device 300 can be an inkjet-printing device, such as an inkjet printer or an all-in-one (AIO) printing device including other functionality in addition to printing functionality. The fluid-ejection device 300 can be a device that ejects fluid other than ink. The fluid-ejection device 300 may be a pagewide device having a printhead array in relation to which media advances for ejection of fluid thereon. The fluid-ejection device 300 may thus form images on media in the case of a printing device, or may be a three-dimensional (3D) printing device that additively deposits layers of print material (e.g., fluid) to form 3D objects. The fluid supply or supplies may be off-axis to the carriage 302, or on-axis in another implementation.

[0041] FIG. 10 shows another implementation of the example method 700. The method 700 in FIG. 10 can include fluidically connecting a fluid supply to a fluidic interconnector of a carriage of a fluid-ejection device via a fluidic tube (704). The carriage has an air purger removably disposed therein and fluidically connected to the fluidic interconnector. The method 700 can include causing the carriage to move to an air purge position within the fluid-ejection device (708). At the air purge position, the air purger purges a specified volume of air from the fluidic tube via the fluidic interconnector.

[0042] Techniques have been described herein for an air purger that purges air from a fluid-ejection device prior to first use of the device to eject fluid. The air purger is inserted into the device’s carriage in lieu of a printhead assembly. The carriage moves so that the air purger is engaged to purge air from the fluid-ejection device. With the air thus purged, the air purger can be replaced in the carriage with a printhead assembly to permit usage of the fluid- ejection device to eject fluid.

Claims

We claim:

1. An air purger for a fluid-ejection device, comprising: a body having a tower to fluidically connect to a fluidic interconnector of the fluid-ejection device; a spring-loaded plunger extendably disposed within the body and fluidically connected to the tower; and an engageable lock rotatably attached to the body and having a locked position in which the lock maintains the plunger in a compressed position and an unlocked position in which the lock releases the plunger to an extended position.

2. The air purger of claim 1 , wherein release of the plunger from the compressed position to the extended position purges a specified volume of air through the tower.

3. The air purger of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises: a lid having the tower; and a base on which the lid is sealably disposed, in which the plunger is extendably disposed, and to which the lock is attached.

4. The air purger of claim 3, further comprising: a compliant layer between the lid and the base to seal the lid to the base in a fluidically tight manner.

5. The air purger of claim 3, wherein the base has a shape corresponding to a fluid-ejection printhead assembly that is removably insertable into a carriage of the fluid-ejection device.

6. The air purger of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises: a cavity in which the spring-loaded plunger is extendably disposed; and a post extending into the cavity and about which the plunger is extendably disposed in the cavity.

7. The air purger of claim 6, further comprising: a compression spring disposed in the cavity around the post between the post and the plunger, the compression spring spring-loading the plunger in the compressed position in the cavity with the lock in the locked position and extending the plunger to the extended position upon transition of the lock to the unlocked position.

8. The air purger of claim 6, wherein the body further comprises: a wall defining the cavity; and an internal fluidic passage having an inlet fluidically coupled to the tower and an outlet fluidically coupled to the cavity through the wall.

9. The air purger of claim 8, wherein the air purger further comprises: a compliant material disposed around the plunger and in contact with the wall to maintain a fluidically tight seal between the plunger and the wall during release of the plunger to the extended position.

10. The air purger of claim 1 , further comprising: a rod attached to the base and about which the lock is rotatably attached to the body; and a cover fixably attached to the base to inhibit accidental rotation of the lock from the locked position to the unlocked position.

11. A fluid-ejection device comprising: a fluidic tube to fluidically connect to a fluid supply; a carriage having a fluidic interconnector fluidically connectable to the fluidic tube and movable to an air purge position; an air purger removably disposable within the carriage and fluidically connectable to the fluidic interconnector; and a release key to engage the air purger in the air purge position of the carriage to cause the air purger to purge a specified volume of air from the fluidic tube via the fluidic interconnector.

12. The fluid-ejection device of claim 11 , wherein the air purger comprises: a body having a tower fluidically connectable to the fluidic interconnector; a spring-loaded plunger extendably disposed within the body and fluidically connected to the tower; and an engageable lock attached to the body and having a locked position in which the lock maintains the plunger in a compressed position and an unlocked position in which the lock release the plunger to an extended position, wherein the release key is to engage the lock to transition the lock from the locked position to the unlocked position.

13. The fluid-ejection device of claim 12, wherein release of the plunger from the compressed position to the extended position purges the specified volume of the air through the tower and from the fluidic tube via the fluidic interconnector.

14. A method comprising: fluidically connecting a fluid supply to a fluidic interconnector of a carriage of a fluid-ejection device via a fluidic tube, the carriage having an air purger removably disposed therein and fluidically connected to the fluidic interconnector; and causing the carriage to move to an air purge position within the fluid- ejection device, the air purger at the air purge position purging a specified volume of air from the fluidic tube via the fluidic interconnector.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: replacing the air purger with a printhead assembly in the carriage of the fluid-ejection device, the printhead assembly fluidically connected to the fluidic interconnector; and causing the printhead assembly to eject fluid received from the fluid supply through the fluidic tube via the fluidic interconnector.