Printer Guidance Rail Non-Equidistant Mounting Sites

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Solution Overview

Problem

The equidistant arrangement of mounting sites on guidance rails in printers leads to increased vibrations, affecting the longevity and precision of the print head carriage, as it creates regular patterns that resonate with specific frequencies induced by the carriage's movement.

Innovation Solution

The mounting sites on the guidance rails are arranged non-equidistantly, with varying distances between adjacent sites to break the regularity and reduce resonance frequencies, thereby minimizing vibrations. This can be achieved by defining equidistant center positions with mounting sites positioned within tolerance intervals and randomly or alternately varying the distances between adjacent sites.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If mounting sites are arranged equidistantly on the guidance rail, then the manufacturing and installation process is simplified, but the guidance rail becomes more susceptible to vibrations at specific resonance frequencies

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting site arrangementVSAvoidvibration susceptibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately arranging mounting sites at non-equidistant positions along the guidance rail. This asymmetric distribution breaks the periodic structure that would otherwise resonate with the print head carriage movement, thereby reducing vibration susceptibility while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized mounting components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the spatial parameter of mounting site distribution from equidistant to non-equidistant arrangement. By varying the distances between adjacent mounting sites, the structural resonance characteristics of the guidance rail are modified to avoid matching the excitation frequencies generated during printing operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If mounting sites are arranged non-equidistantly to reduce vibrations, then vibration susceptibility decreases, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevibration susceptibilityVSAvoidmounting site arrangement
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately arranging mounting sites at non-equidistant positions along the guidance rail. This asymmetric distribution breaks the periodic structure that would otherwise resonate with the print head carriage movement, thereby reducing vibration susceptibility while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized mounting components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

3Stability of the object's composition

If the guidance rail is rigidly fixed at equidistant mounting sites, then structural stability is improved, but precision of the print head carriage deteriorates due to vibrations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguidance rail stabilityVSAvoidprint head carriage precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately arranging mounting sites at non-equidistant positions along the guidance rail. This asymmetric distribution breaks the periodic structure that would otherwise resonate with the print head carriage movement, thereby reducing vibration susceptibility while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized mounting components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentEP4197801B1Printer and guidance rail for a print head carriage
Publication Date: 2024.12.04 CANON PRODN PRINTING HLDG BV
  • EP4197801B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4197801B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4197801B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

1. A guidance rail (20) for a print head carriage and a printer having a guidance rail (20) are provided. The guidance rail (20) has mounting sites (12-1, 12-2) arranged essentially in a row and configured for applying mounting elements for mounting the guidance rail (20) to a printer. At least two distances (d12, d23, d34) between any adjacent mounting sites (12-i, 12-(i+1)) are non-equal, in order to reduce the susceptibility of the guidance rail (20) to vibrations induced by movements of the print head carriage.