Printer Carriage Guide Frame Isolating Rail Deviations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing assemblies face challenges in achieving high image quality and productivity due to deviations in the straightness of the guide rail, which affect the precise positioning of image dots, requiring a solution to isolate the guide rail's shape from the print head carriage's movement.
Innovation Solution
The print head carriage is supported through a guide frame on the guide rail, with a coupling structure that constrains at most four degrees of freedom, allowing restricted free movement and using a reference surface like the guide beam for accurate positioning, independent of guide rail deviations, and incorporating support means such as air bearings or wheels for precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the print head carriage is directly supported on the guide rail, then the structure is simple, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to guide rail deviations
Solution Approach 1:
A guide frame is introduced as an intermediary component between the print head carriage and the guide rail. The guide frame supports the carriage and provides a stable reference structure that isolates the carriage from guide rail deviations, thereby maintaining positioning accuracy without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is segmented into distinct functional components: the guide rail for motion guidance, the guide frame for structural support and reference, and the carriage for holding print heads. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, with the guide frame acting as a reference that decouples carriage positioning from guide rail imperfections.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the coupling structure constrains all degrees of freedom, then positioning stability is improved, but torsion and distortion occur
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling structure between the guide frame and carriage constrains only the necessary degrees of freedom for stable positioning (translational movements in X, Y, Z directions), while deliberately leaving rotational degrees of freedom unconstrained. This partial constraint approach provides sufficient positioning stability without creating the over-constraint conditions that lead to torsion and distortion.
3Productivity
If the carriage moves at high speed for productivity, then output increases, but positioning accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide frame is pre-positioned and rigidly supported on the guide rail at multiple points before the carriage begins its high-speed movement. This preliminary establishment of a stable reference framework ensures that even during high-speed operation, the carriage maintains accurate positioning relative to the medium support surface, enabling both high productivity and high image quality.
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 solution ensures highly accurate positioning of image dots, maintaining high image quality and productivity by isolating guide rail deviations, preventing over-constraint that could lead to torsion or distortion, and allowing for safe lifting of the print head carriage to avoid damage from obstacles.
Implementation Method 1
A suitable support means may be an air bearing, a rolling means such as a wheel, a gliding means and any other moveably supporting means
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A printing assembly comprises a medium support surface, a guide assembly and a carriage support structure for moveably supporting a print head carriage on the guide assembly. The guide assembly is arranged to move the print head carriage in a carriage plane, which carriage plane is parallel to the medium support surface. The guide assembly comprises a guide beam; and a guide rail arranged on the guide beam. The guide rail and the guide beam each extend in a scanning direction. The printer carriage support structure comprises a guide frame arranged on the guide rail and the guide frame is moveable in the scanning direction and extends in the scanning direction between a first support position and a second support position. The guide frame is supported on the guide rail at said first support position and at said second support position. A carriage frame is moveably supported on the guide rail through the guide frame. The carriage frame is coupled to the guide frame such that the carriage frame is moveable relative to the guide frame in the carriage plane.