Flat Cable and Ink Tube Support for Carriage Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image-recording devices face issues with the flat cable and ink supply tubes causing the carriage to float or buckle, leading to non-uniform head gap and potential contamination or damage, especially in compact designs where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a flat cable with a changeable length and orientation to prevent floating, and a supporting mechanism that includes a pivotally movable supporting member and a restricting member to manage the bending force, along with a bundling member for ink supply tubes to maintain their shape and prevent sagging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the flat cable is disposed between the carriage and main circuit board forming a U-shape to transmit signals, then the carriage can reciprocate in a linear direction, but the carriage may float up from the guide rail when the radius of the curved portion becomes smaller, causing non-uniform head gap
Solution Approach 1:
A supporting member is introduced as an intermediary component between the flat cable and the carriage. This supporting member has a base end that supports the flat cable and a restricting member that prevents the supporting member itself from moving upward, thereby mediating the conflict between allowing carriage reciprocation and preventing carriage floating.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful function of the flat cable (causing carriage floating) is separated from its useful function (signal transmission). By extracting the flat cable from direct contact with the carriage and introducing a supporting member in between, the patent allows the flat cable to perform signal transmission while preventing it from causing the carriage to float.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the flat cable is made longer to accommodate larger carriage movement range, then the carriage can move more freely, but the restoring force from cable bending increases causing more carriage floating
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting member acts as a mediator that decouples the flat cable from direct interaction with the carriage. This allows the flat cable to be longer and accommodate larger carriage movement ranges without directly transmitting the bending restoring force to the carriage, thus resolving the contradiction between movement range and restoring force.
3Volume of moving object
If ink supply tubes are run laterally from the carriage to reduce overall device height, then the device becomes more compact, but the tubes may sag downward and contact other components causing contamination or damage
Solution Approach 1:
A bundling member is introduced as an intermediary component that supports the ink supply tubes. This bundling member has a base end that prevents tube sagging and a free end that allows the tubes to extend laterally, thereby mediating between the need for compact device height and the need to prevent tube contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting function for ink supply tubes is merged with the existing lateral support structure. The bundling member combines the functions of supporting tube weight and allowing lateral extension, enabling compact device design while preventing tube sagging and potential contamination of other components.
Data Source
AI summary
An image-recording device including a carriage, a recording head, a guide rail, a flexible flat cable, a flexible ink supply tubes, and a top cover. The recording head is provided at the carriage. The guide rail extends in a widthwise direction of a recording medium fed in a feeding direction perpendicular to the widthwise direction. The flat cable has a broad surface extending in a horizontal direction and bent into U-shape so that an upper region of the flat cable faces the top cover whereas a lower region of the flat cable faces the base. The carriage is reciprocally movable in the widthwise direction. The flat cable is oriented upward from the carriage at a prescribed angle with respect to a horizontal plane and extends in the widthwise direction, so that at least the U-shaped bent portion of the flat cable is in continuous contact with the top cover.