Inkjet Head Unit With Replaceable, Precisely Aligned Recording Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink-jet recording apparatuses require replacement of the entire head assembly when a recording head fails, leading to unnecessary component replacement and increased costs, and alignment of new heads is difficult.
Innovation Solution
A head unit design featuring a recording head, frame, and angle adjusting portion with frame and head adjusting screws allows easy replacement and alignment of the recording head without replacing other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the recording head is made replaceable, then maintenance flexibility is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The head unit is segmented into a frame and a recording head that can be independently replaced. The recording head is detached from the base member and connected only to the frame, allowing it to be replaced without replacing the entire head assembly or base member.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame serves as an intermediary component between the base member and the recording head. The frame includes an angle adjusting portion with adjusting screws that enable precise alignment of the recording head relative to the frame, thereby maintaining alignment precision even when the recording head is replaceable.
2Reliability
If the entire head assembly is replaced, then reliability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recording head is extracted as a separate replaceable component from the head assembly. When the recording head fails, only the recording head itself needs to be replaced rather than the entire head assembly, reducing the cost of maintenance while maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The head assembly is segmented into the base member, frame, and recording head. This segmentation allows selective replacement of only the faulty recording head, preventing unnecessary replacement of functional components like the base member and frame, thereby reducing overall maintenance cost.
3Ease of repair
If the recording head is made independently replaceable, then ease of repair is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The head unit is segmented into modular components (base member, frame, recording head) with clear separation of functions. The recording head connects only to the frame, creating a simple replacement path that reduces repair complexity despite enabling independent replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the recording head permanently fixed to the base member, the design inverts the connection relationship by attaching the recording head to the frame through a removable connection, enabling easy replacement while maintaining structural integrity through the frame's angle adjusting portion.
Data Source
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AI summary
A head unit (51) includes a recording head (52), a frame (53), and an angle adjusting portion (8). The frame (53), to which the recording head (52) is rotatably connected, has a side wall (531) to be adjacent to the recording head (52). The angle adjusting portion (8) includes frame and head adjusting screws (81, 82) and rotates the recording head (52). The frame adjusting screw (81) is on the side wall (531), on its face opposite the recording head (52), and can reciprocate toward and away from the recording head (52). The head adjusting screw (82) is on the recording head (52), on its face opposite the side wall (531), and can reciprocate toward and away from the side wall (531). The frame and head adjusting screws (81, 82) make contact with each other at their tip end parts in the direction in which they face each other.