Modular printhead assembly with tilted printheads

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789714-B1
Application number	US-201615299749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A modular inkjet printhead assembly including a plurality of printhead modules mounted on alternating sides of a central rail assembly. The rail assembly includes a beam and a rod attached to a side of the beam. The printhead modules include a jetting module having an array of nozzles, a first alignment tab having a first alignment datum and a second alignment datum, a second alignment tab having a third alignment datum and a fourth alignment datum, a rotational alignment feature including a fifth alignment datum, and a cross-track alignment feature including a sixth alignment datum. Portions of the alignment tabs of the jetting module are adapted to fit within corresponding notches in the beam. Each alignment datum on the printhead modules engage with corresponding alignment features on the rail assembly to position the printhead modules such that the jetting modules are tilted away from the beam.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A modular inkjet printhead assembly including a plurality of jetting modules for printing on a print medium traveling along a media path from upstream to downstream, comprising:
a rail assembly spanning the print medium in a cross-track direction, the rail assembly having an upstream side and a downstream side, the rail assembly including:
a beam; and
a rod attached to a side of the beam that faces the print medium;

a plurality of printhead modules, each printhead module including a corresponding jetting module, wherein each jetting module includes:
an array of nozzles extending in a cross-track direction,
wherein the nozzles are adapted to eject drops of fluid in a drop ejection direction;
a first alignment tab having a first alignment datum and a second alignment datum;
a second alignment tab having a third alignment datum and a fourth alignment datum, the second alignment tab being spaced apart from the first alignment tab in the cross-track direction;
a rotational alignment feature including a fifth alignment datum; and
a cross-track alignment feature including a sixth alignment datum;

a jetting module clamping mechanism for each jetting module for applying a force to the associated jetting module that causes the first alignment datum, the second alignment datum, the third alignment datum and the fourth alignment datum of the associated jetting module to engage with the rod and causes the fifth alignment datum of the associated jetting module to engage with a corresponding rotational alignment feature associated with the beam; and
a jetting module cross-track force mechanism for each jetting module for applying a cross-track force to the associated jetting module that causes the sixth alignment datum of the associated jetting module to engage with a corresponding cross-track alignment feature associated with the beam;
wherein each jetting module is adapted to engage with the rail assembly at a different cross-track position, with at least one of the jetting modules is an upstream jetting module engaging with the rail assembly on the upstream side of the rail assembly and at least one of the jetting modules is a downstream jetting module engaging with the rail assembly on the downstream side of the rail assembly; and
wherein portions of the first and second alignment tabs of each jetting module are adapted to fit within corresponding notches in the beam; and
wherein the rail assembly is located at a position along the media path where the print medium is wrapping around a roller or a curved platen, and wherein the rotational alignment features associated with the beam and the jetting modules are adapted to tilt the upstream jetting modules or the downstream jetting modules or both the upstream and downstream jetting modules away from the beam such that the drop ejection direction for the tilted jetting modules is tilted toward a surface normal of the print medium on the corresponding side of the rail assembly such that the drop ejection direction for the upstream jetting modules is not parallel to the drop ejection direction for the downstream jetting modules.

2. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second alignment tabs include a notch having two faces, the first alignment datum and the second alignment datum corresponding to locations on the faces of the notch in the first alignment tab that contact the rod, and the third alignment datum and the fourth alignment datum corresponding to locations on the faces of the notch in the second alignment tab that contact the rod.

3. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 2 , wherein the notches are v-shaped.

4. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sixth alignment datum is a feature on the first alignment tab or the second alignment tab.

5. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 4 , wherein the sixth alignment datum is a side face of the first alignment tab or the second alignment tab, and wherein the cross-track alignment feature is a side face of the corresponding notch in the beam.

6. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the printhead module further includes a mounting assembly mounted to the rail assembly, and wherein the jetting module clamping mechanism is a component of the mounting assembly.

7. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 6 , wherein the mounting assembly includes:
a third alignment tab having a seventh alignment datum and an eighth alignment datum;
a fourth alignment tab having a ninth alignment datum and a tenth alignment datum, the fourth alignment tab being spaced apart from the third alignment tab in the cross-track direction; and
a rotational alignment feature including an eleventh alignment datum;
and further including a mounting assembly clamping mechanism for applying a force to the mounting assembly that causes the seventh alignment datum, eighth alignment datum, ninth alignment datum, tenth alignment datum and eleventh alignment datum of the mounting assembly to engage with corresponding alignment features on the rail assembly.

8. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 6 , wherein the rotational alignment feature associated with the beam that engages with the fifth alignment datum of the associated jetting module is a feature of the mounting assembly having a predefined position relative to the beam.

9. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 6 , wherein the printhead module includes an ink catcher for catching non-printing drops of ink ejected from the array of nozzles, the ink catcher being mounted to the mounting assembly.

10. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein drops of ink ejected from the array of nozzles pass through a slot before they impinge on the print medium, and wherein the printhead module includes a repositionable shutter blade that can be positioned to block drops of ink from passing through the slot and divert the ink into the ink catcher, the repositionable shutter blade being mounted to the mounting assembly.

11. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the ink catcher is positioned upstream of the array of nozzles for jetting modules engaging with the rail assembly on the upstream side of the rail assembly, and the ink catcher is positioned downstream of the array of nozzles for jetting modules engaging with the rail assembly on the downstream side of the rail assembly.

12. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 6 , wherein the printhead module includes a charging module for applying a charge to drops of ink ejected from the array of nozzles, the charging module being mounted to the mounting assembly.

13. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 6 , wherein the mounting assembly includes a mounting assembly cross-track alignment feature including a twelfth alignment datum, and further including a mounting assembly cross-track force mechanism for applying a cross-track force to the mounting assembly that causes the twelfth alignment datum to engage with a corresponding cross-track alignment feature associated with the beam.

14. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 13 , wherein the jetting module cross-track force mechanism also serves as the mounting assembly cross-track force mechanism.

15. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rod has a cylindrical shape around at least a portion of its circumference.

16. The modular inkjet printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the jetting module clamping mechanism includes a spring loaded toggle clamp that can be oper

Assignees

• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Tunmore David F

Classifications

• B41J2/155

  for line printing · CPC title

• B41J25/001

  Mechanisms for bodily moving print heads or carriages parallel to the paper surface · CPC title

• B41J25/304 Primary

  Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface · CPC title

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title

• B41J25/34

  Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages · CPC title