Rotating Recording Head Maintenance for Compact Printers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recording apparatuses face challenges in maintaining the recording head while minimizing dead space, leading to increased size and a higher risk of paper jams due to long transportation paths.
Innovation Solution
A configuration where the recording head rotates about a perpendicular axis, allowing the maintenance unit to move horizontally and vertically to reduce the operation area and transportation path length, thereby downsizing the apparatus and preventing paper jams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the maintenance unit is provided on the lower side of the platen and the platen opens to allow maintenance, then the maintenance operation can be performed, but the up and down movement range of the maintenance unit increases, requiring large dead space and increasing apparatus size
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance unit is moved from vertical displacement (up and down movement) to horizontal displacement (lateral movement) along the paper sheet width direction. This dimensional change eliminates the need for large vertical dead space while maintaining accessibility to the recording head for maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance unit is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to laterally enter the space formed by the recording head moving upward. This dynamic positioning enables the maintenance unit to access the recording head only when needed, reducing the required dead space to the minimum necessary for operation.
2Ease of repair
If the recording head moves upward to allow the maintenance unit to enter, then maintenance can be performed, but the up and down movement range of the recording head increases, requiring large dead space and increasing apparatus size
Solution Approach 1:
The recording head's upward movement is utilized dynamically to create temporary access space for the maintenance unit, rather than requiring permanent dead space. The maintenance unit laterally enters this temporarily formed space, allowing both components to share the same vertical envelope without requiring additional height.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance unit accesses the recording head through lateral movement in the paper sheet width direction rather than vertical movement, changing the dimension of access from vertical to horizontal. This eliminates the need for increased vertical dead space while maintaining maintenance capability.
3Ease of operation
If the paper sheet transportation path is made long to accommodate turning over operations, then the paper sheet can be processed, but the apparatus size increases and the risk of paper jam increases
Solution Approach 1:
The paper sheet processing is divided into separate functional zones: a first processing region for initial operations and a second processing region for subsequent operations including maintenance. This segmentation allows the paper sheet to be turned over and repositioned without requiring an excessively long continuous transportation path, reducing the overall apparatus length and minimizing paper jam risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The paper sheet is turned over and repositioned in advance before entering the maintenance region, allowing the maintenance unit to access the recording head without interrupting the overall paper flow. This preliminary positioning action enables efficient use of space and reduces the need for long transportation paths.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A recording apparatus includes: a recording head; a transportation path along which the medium is transported via a head facing region which faces the recording head; and a maintenance unit used for maintenance of the recording head, wherein the head facing region, which is a region of the transportation path which faces the recording head, is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction, and the recording head is provided to be rotatable, and when rotating, the recording head can be switched between a first position in which the head surface is inclined along an inclination of the head facing region, the first position being a position for performing recording, and a second position in which the head surface becomes horizontal or becomes more horizontal than in the first position, the second position being a position for performing maintenance by the maintenance unit.