Liquid Discharge Head Mounting Structure for Flexible Height Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing height adjusting mechanisms for liquid discharge heads in image forming apparatuses are limited to a preset adjustment range, necessitating significant design changes when adjustments beyond this range are required, leading to increased costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge head unit design featuring a support with an opening for the discharge side of the head, coupled by a coupler with inclined contacts, and a height adjuster movable in a longitudinal direction to adjust the head's height without altering its shape significantly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the height of the liquid discharge head is adjusted beyond a preset adjustment range, then the discharge performance can be optimized for different conditions, but significant design changes are required which increases device complexity and manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into a main body and a detachable height adjuster. The height adjuster can be removed and replaced with different thicknesses to achieve height adjustment, eliminating the need to redesign the entire support structure. This segmentation allows flexible adaptation while maintaining simple base design.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing the shape of the liquid discharge head or support when height adjustment is needed, the invention changes the parameter of the height adjuster's thickness. By selecting height adjusters with different thickness values, the overall height can be adjusted without modifying the fundamental design of other components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the shape of the liquid discharge head or support is significantly changed to accommodate height adjustment, then the adjustment range is extended, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support is segmented into a main body and a separate height adjuster component. This allows the height adjuster to be manufactured independently and attached to the main body, simplifying the manufacturing process. The main body can be produced once with standard dimensions, and different height adjusters can be added as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The height adjuster acts as an intermediary component between the liquid discharge head and the support main body. It mediates the height adjustment function without requiring changes to the main body or the liquid discharge head, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Device complexity
If a height adjusting mechanism is designed with limited adjustment range, then the device structure remains simple, but it cannot cope with height adjustments beyond the preset range
Solution Approach 1:
The height adjustment system is designed to be dynamic and expandable. The detachable height adjuster can be replaced with longer versions to extend the adjustment range beyond the initial preset range, allowing the system to adapt to different height requirements without redesigning the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support main body is designed with universal compatibility to work with multiple height adjusters of different thicknesses. This multi-functionality allows a single main body design to serve multiple height adjustment scenarios, extending the overall adaptability while maintaining structural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge head unit includes: a liquid discharge head to discharge a liquid in a discharge direction; a support supporting the liquid discharge head; and a coupler to couple the liquid discharge head to the support. The support has an opening into which at least a discharge side of the liquid discharge head is insertable in the discharge direction, the coupler includes: a first contact contacting the liquid discharge head inserted into the opening; and a second contact contacting the support, and the first contact and the second contact are disposed at different positions in the discharge direction.