Adjustable Carriage for Inkjet Recording Head Parallelism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image recording apparatuses face challenges in maintaining the parallelism between the recording head and the recording medium, leading to deviations in ink application and reduced image quality, especially when the length of the recording head in the feeding direction is short or when high-density recording is required, which increases production costs due to the need for precise dimension control.
Innovation Solution
A carriage with adjustable supporting portions and an adjusting device that allows for easy adjustment of the parallelism between the recording head and the recording medium, reducing the need for precise dimension control and simplifying the manufacturing process, while also enabling easy maintenance and adjustment of the carriage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the length of the recording head in the feeding direction is increased to improve high-density recording speed, then the recording speed is improved, but the difference in clearance between opposite ends of the recording head and the recording medium is excessively large, requiring stricter dimension control and increasing production cost
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bar is made adjustable in its height position relative to the recording medium, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one. This allows the system to adapt to different recording head lengths and maintain proper clearance uniformity without requiring extremely precise manufacturing tolerances on the guide bar itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The height position parameter of the guide bar is made variable through the adjusting device. By changing this parameter, the system can compensate for variations in recording head length and maintain optimal recording conditions without requiring all components to be manufactured with high precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If the guide bar height position is adjusted to compensate for large clearance difference, then the parallelism is improved, but the adjusting device becomes complicated and the structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjusting device is segmented into independent components: an adjusting mechanism for changing the guide bar height position and a locking mechanism for fixing it. This modular segmentation simplifies the overall structure and makes each component easier to manufacture and maintain.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide bar serves as an intermediary element between the frame and the recording head. By making the guide bar adjustable, it acts as a mediator that absorbs dimensional variations and maintains proper clearance without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms throughout the entire system.
3Manufacturing precision
If strict dimension control is implemented to maintain parallelism, then the image quality is improved, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-adjustment capability through the adjustable guide bar and adjusting device. This allows the recording apparatus to self-correct for dimensional variations without requiring extremely precise manufacturing, thereby reducing production costs while maintaining image quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A carriage for supporting a recording head such that a clearance is present between the recording head supported by the carriage, and a recording medium supported by a supporting surface of a medium supporting member, the carriage being reciprocated in a reciprocating direction intersecting a feeding direction in which the recording medium is fed, the carriage including a plurality of supporting portions having respective supporting points where the supporting portions engage and support the recording head, and one or more adjusting devices which moves or move the supporting point or points of one or more of the supporting portions toward, and away from, the recording medium, so as to adjust a degree of parallelism between the recording head and the recording medium with respect to the feeding direction.