Carriage Posture Stabilization in Image Recording Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image recording apparatuses face challenges with high manufacturing costs and unstable carriage posture during image recording, particularly due to the use of guide shafts, which complicates carriage mounting and can lead to unstable paper gaps and image quality issues.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs first and second support members with contact sections to stabilize the carriage, an endless belt jointed to the carriage, and strategically positioned ink supply tubes to maintain the carriage's posture and support its weight, reducing torque and ensuring stable movement in the main scanning direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a round guide shaft is used to support the carriage, then the paper gap can be controlled precisely and high-quality recorded images can be obtained, but the manufacturing cost increases and the carriage mounting becomes very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide shaft is divided into two separate guide members (first guide member and second guide member) that are positioned at different locations. The carriage has corresponding guide sections that slide on these separate members, replacing the single integrated round guide shaft with segmented linear guide members, which simplifies manufacturing and assembly while maintaining guidance precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage is designed to be detachably mounted on the guide members rather than being permanently fixed. The guide sections of the carriage can be easily removed from the guide members, allowing for simple carriage replacement and maintenance without requiring complex disassembly procedures.
2Speed
If the carriage is accelerated in the main scanning direction, then the carriage can be moved to record images, but a moment acts on the carriage causing unstable posture and unstable paper gap
Solution Approach 1:
The ink supply tube is positioned to extend in the sub-scanning direction and is configured to suppress the moment acting on the carriage during acceleration. The weight and positioning of the ink supply tube create a counterbalancing effect that offsets the destabilizing moment, maintaining carriage posture stability during rapid movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide sections with sliding surfaces interact with the guide members to provide mechanical guidance and constraint. This intermediary sliding contact system ensures that the carriage maintains proper orientation and stable paper gap during acceleration, preventing rotational instability.
Data Source
AI summary
An image recording apparatus comprises a carriage carrying a recording head for recording an image on a recording medium transported in a predetermined direction, first and second support members, disposed on an upstream side and a downstream side, respectively, in a transport direction of the recording medium, for supporting said carriage slidably by support surfaces thereof facing said recording head and an endless belt for moving said carriage reciprocally in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction wherein said carriage comprises a first contact section that comes into contact with the support surface of said first support member, and a second contact section that comes into contact with the support surface of said second support member, and a height position of a joint section of said endless belt and said carriage is at substantially the same height as a position of center of gravity of said carriage.