Modular printer having print bar chassis seated on maintenance chassis

• US 10,099,494 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Inventors: Profaca, Mark, Burke, David, Sy, Billy, Alemana, Gilbert, Hibbard, Christopher, Balala, Rommel
• Primary Examiner(s): Legesse, Henok
• Application Number:
  US15/583,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20170313108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16505 Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16508 connected with the printer frame
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16511 Constructions for cap positioning B41J2/16547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16535 using wiping constructions B41J2/16552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16538 with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16544 Constructions for the positioning of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16547 the wipers and caps or spittoons being on the same movable support
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/16514 creating a distance between cap and print head, e.g. for suction or pressurising
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/1655 with wiping surface parallel with nozzle plate and mounted on reels, e.g. cleaning ribbon cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/05 Heads having a valve
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/006 for oscillating, e.g. page-width print heads provided with counter-balancing means or shock absorbers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/304 Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/34 Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 : Framework
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/377 : Cooling or ventilating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

A modular printer includes: a media support defining a media feed path; and a plurality of pagewide printing units spaced apart along a media feed direction of the media feed path. Each printing unit includes: a maintenance chassis fixedly positioned over the media feed path; and a print bar chassis seated on the maintenance chassis, the print bar chassis supporting one or more print modules extending across a width of the media feed path. A lift mechanism raises and lowers the print bar chassis relative to the maintenance chassis, with each print bar chassis being independently liftable from a printing position to a maintenance position. A footprint of each printing unit in both the printing and maintenance positions is defined by a perimeter of the maintenance chassis.

Claims

1. A modular printer comprising:

a media support defining a media feed path; and

one or more pagewide printing units positioned along a media feed direction of the media feed path, each printing unit comprising;

a maintenance chassis fixedly positioned over the media feed path, the maintenance chassis comprising a plurality of fixedly mounted maintenance modules extending across a width of the media feed path; and

a print bar chassis seated on the maintenance chassis, the print bar chassis supporting one or more print modules extending across a width of the media feed path, each print module having a respective printhead and an associated maintenance module,

a lift mechanism for raising and lowering the print bar chassis relative to the maintenance chassis,

wherein each print bar chassis is independently liftable from a printing position in which the print bar chassis is seated on the maintenance chassis to a maintenance position in which the print bar chassis is unseated from the maintenance chassis,

and wherein a footprint of each printing unit in both the printing and maintenance positions is defined by a perimeter of the maintenance chassis.

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein the print bar chassis comprises a plurality of print modules in a staggered overlapping arrangement across a width of the media path, each print module comprising a respective printhead.

3. The printer of claim 2, wherein each print module is and slidably received in a sleeve fixed to the print bar chassis.

4. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media feed path is curved media path.

5. The printer of claim 4, wherein each maintenance chassis is fixedly positioned over a convex surface of the curved media feed path, and each print bar chassis is radially liftable with respect to the curved media path.

6. The printer of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the maintenance chassis defines a datum for the print bar chassis in the printing position.

7. The printer of claim 1, wherein each print module of the print bar extends through a respective opening in the maintenance chassis in the printing position.

8. The printer of claim 1, wherein each maintenance module comprises at least one of:

a wiper and a capper.

9. The printer of claim 8, wherein the capper is configured to move laterally with respect to the printhead and parallel with a media feed direction.

10. The printer of claim 8, wherein the wiper is configured to move longitudinally with respect to the printhead and perpendicular to a media feed direction.

11. The printer of claim 10, wherein wipers of neighboring printheads are configured to move in opposite longitudinal directions.

12. The printer of claim 1, wherein each print module comprises a supply module and a replaceable printhead cartridge, the printhead cartridge comprising the printhead.

13. The printer of claim 12, wherein the supply module houses at least one PCB having a printer controller chip for controlling a respective printhead.

14. The printer of claim 12, wherein the supply module comprises an ink inlet module and an ink outlet module for supplying ink to and receiving ink from the printhead cartridge.

15. A method of maintaining a plurality of printheads:

providing a maintenance chassis positioned over a media feed path in a fixed relationship relative to the media support, the maintenance chassis comprising a plurality of fixedly mounted maintenance modules extending across a width of the media feed path;

providing a print bar chassis seated on the maintenance chassis, the print bar chassis supporting a plurality of print modules in a staggered overlapping arrangement across a width of the media feed path, each print module comprising one of the printheads and an associated maintenance module;

lifting the print bar chassis relative to the maintenance chassis from a printing position to a maintenance position; and

moving a capper or a wiper of each maintenance module into engagement with a respective printhead,

wherein a footprint of the printing unit in both the printing and maintenance positions is defined by a perimeter of the maintenance chassis.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the media feed path is arcuate and each maintenance chassis is positioned over a convex surface of the arcuate media feed path, wherein the method radially lifts the print bar chassis with respect to the arcuate media path.