Impact Printhead Vibration Damping via Curved Guide Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional impact printheads face issues with higher-order vibration of impact wires and wear of the wire guide, leading to reduced lifespan and increased costs due to the use of expensive wear-resistant materials.
Innovation Solution
The impact printhead incorporates a vibration restricting guide with elongated holes and grooves, allowing impact wires to slide on convex walls, reducing the pressing force and minimizing wear, and using a design that increases the contact area with the guide, thereby preventing higher-order vibrations and prolonging the printhead's life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the impact wire is restricted in movement by a wire guide with holes, then higher-order vibration is prevented, but the impact wire causes wear on the wire guide wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing the conventional circular hole with an elongated hole having a curved bottom surface. This curved geometry allows the impact wire to slide along the convex wall surface during vibration, converting harmful higher-order vibrations into useful sliding motion that prevents wire detachment while reducing wear on the wire guide.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic behavior by allowing the impact wire to slide along the convex wall of the elongated hole during operation. This sliding mechanism adapts to the vibrational motion of the wire, maintaining contact and damping vibrations dynamically rather than relying on static restriction, thereby preventing wire detachment while minimizing wear.
2Reliability
If the impact wire is pressed against the wire guide wall to prevent vibration, then vibration is restricted, but the pressing force causes wear and plastic deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The curved bottom surface of the elongated hole creates a convex wall that the impact wire slides against during vibration. This curved geometry distributes the contact pressure along the sliding path rather than concentrating it at a single point, reducing localized wear and plastic deformation while maintaining effective vibration damping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful higher-order vibration of the impact wire into a beneficial sliding motion along the convex wall of the elongated hole. The vibrational energy that would otherwise cause detachment is transformed into controlled sliding that maintains wire-guide contact and dampens vibrations, turning a harmful effect into a protective mechanism.
3Device complexity
If a vibration restricting guide with circular holes is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot effectively prevent higher-order vibration without causing wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hole into an elongated shape with distinct functional zones: the elongated portion provides sliding surface for vibration damping, while the curved bottom surface creates the convex wall geometry. This segmentation of the hole's geometry enables both simple structure and effective vibration control without requiring multiple separate components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes wear on the vibration restricting guide and extends the usable life of the impact wires by allowing them to slide on convex surfaces with reduced pressure, preventing plastic deformation and maintaining effective printing performance.
Implementation Method 1
A permanent magnet attracts the armature to a core such that mechanical energy is stored in the spring
Implementation Method 2
current is applied to a coil wound around the core, thereby producing a magnetic flux in a direction opposite to the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet. The magnetic force produced by the produced magnetic flux overcomes the magnetic force produced by the permanent magnet
Implementation Method 3
The magnetic force produced by the produced magnetic flux overcomes the magnetic force produced by the permanent magnet, allowing the flat spring to drive the impact wire
Implementation Method 4
Because the impact wire 2 is an elastic body, it vibrates when it returns from the extended position to the retracted position
Implementation Method 5
the impact wire is in pressure contact with a convex wall of the elongated hole, and sliding on the convex wall
Data Source
AI summary
An impact printhead includes impact wires loosely held in a guide and driven to print. The printhead includes individual holes through which corresponding wires extend, and elongated holes formed in the guide for guiding the wires. The elongated hole includes a concave wall and a convex wall opposing each other. The wires are slidable on the convex wall. When the wires are not driven to print, the wires are at rest in pressure contact with the convex wall. Grooves may be formed in place of the elongated holes, and have second walls. The second wall lies substantially in a curved plane in which a first wall lies to define the individual hole. The wire is guided by the hole and groove. When the wire is not driven to print, the wire is at rest in pressure contact with the first and second walls.