Inkjet Carriage Cable Routing and Circuit Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing arrangement of the head and head driver integrated circuit in ink jet-type printers does not efficiently facilitate the electrical coupling of the droplet discharging head and the head driving circuit via a cable, affecting the weight balance and cooling of the carriage during scanning.
Innovation Solution
The droplet discharging device is configured such that the head driving circuit is positioned on the opposite side of the guide member from the carriage, allowing for efficient cable insertion and removal without interference, improving weight balance and enabling airflow cooling, with the arrangement direction of the droplet discharging heads and head driving circuits being the same for easy coupling and cooling control by temperature-dependent airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the head driving circuit is disposed on the same side portion of the guide member as the carriage, then the cable connection is simplified, but the weight balance of the carriage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The head driving circuit is moved from a horizontal arrangement (same side as carriage) to a vertical arrangement (opposite side across guide member), changing the spatial dimension of connection. This dimensional shift allows the cable to connect vertically through the guide member structure, achieving both simplified connection paths and proper weight distribution on the carriage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the head driving circuit is disposed on the opposite side of the guide member from the carriage, then the weight balance of the carriage is improved, but the cable insertion and removal becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves as an intermediary structure that facilitates cable connection between the carriage and head driving circuit. The guide member contains cable guide holes that channel the cable through the intermediate space, making the connection process straightforward despite the opposite-side positioning of the head driving circuit.
3Productivity
If multiple head driving circuits are arrayed, then the printing capability is enhanced, but the heat generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
An airflow generation unit is introduced to blow air toward the arrayed head driving circuits, using pneumatic flow to remove heat. The airflow passes through or near the head driving circuits, carrying away generated heat and maintaining operational temperatures despite multiple circuits operating simultaneously.
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 configuration allows for stable movement of the carriage, efficient coupling of the droplet discharging head and head driving circuit, and effective cooling of the head driving circuit, even during printing, by optimizing cable management and airflow control based on temperature.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of airflow generating units 16 configured to blow air toward the movement region A of the carriage 31
Implementation Method 2
a heat dissipation case 35 for accommodating the each head driving circuit 34
Implementation Method 3
heat dissipation case 35...cooling the head driving circuit even while the carriage is moved
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Provided is a droplet discharging device that can efficiently couple a droplet discharging head and a head driving circuit by a cable. A droplet discharging device includes a droplet discharging head (32), a head driving circuit (34) configured to drive the droplet discharging head (32), a carriage (31) configured to move while supporting the droplet discharging head (32) and the head driving circuit (34), and a cable (47) configured to electrically couple a head connector (46) of the droplet discharging head (32) and a circuit connector (45) of the head driving circuit (34), the cable being detachably coupled to the head connector (46) and to the circuit connector (45). The droplet discharging head (32) and the head driving circuit (34) are disposed such that the head connector (46) and the head driving circuit (34) do not overlap in a direction of pull-out of the cable (47) from the head connector (46) and the circuit connector (45) and the droplet discharging head (32) do not overlap in a direction of pull-out of the cable (47) from the circuit connector (45).