Printing head assembly

• US 4,600,323 A
• Filed: 01/10/1985
• Issued: 07/15/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Harada, Mineo, Furuya, Kaname, Shimojo, Tetsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Application Number:
  US06/690,270
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 400/124, 400/694, 101/93.05, 156/272.4, 252/62.53, 252/62.54, 335/303
• US Class Current: 400/124.2
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/28 of spring charge type, i.e. with mechanical power under electro-magnetic control

Abstract

A printing head assembly having a permanent magnet to attract magnetic members such as armatures to store the strain energy in resilient members such as leaf springs, electro-magnets to cancel the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnets in order to drive the magnetic members, first yokes related to cores of the electro-magnets, and second yokes forming surfaces by the permanent magnet and serving to form fulcrums of rotation of the magnetic members. The permanent magnet is mounted on the first yoke and the second yoke is mounted on the permanent magnet respectively. In order to equalize attracting force by the permanent magnet among a plurality of armature actuating mechanisms and to adjust the height of the surface of the second yoke, with a predetermined height, there is applied a powdery magnetic material mixed into a bonding agent on at least one side of the permanent magnet. This bonding layer can also absorb some errors caused by the production of the first and second yokes and the permanent magnet.

Claims

1. An armature actuating mechanism, comprising:

(a) an armature;

(b) a resilient member fixed to one end of said armature;

(c) a permanent magnet for attracting said armature while resiliently deflecting said resilient member;

(d) an electro-magnet including a core having a magnetic surface facing the armature and coils wound around the core and adapted to cancel the attracting force produced by said permanent magnet;

(e) first magnetic member connected magnetically to said core of the electro-magnet;

(f) second magnetic member located adjacent to said permanent magnet and having a magnetic surface facing the armature;

(g) a first magnetic bonding material layer between one side of said permanent magnet and said first magnetic member;

(h) a second magnetic bonding material layer between the other side of said permanent magnet and said second magnetic member; and

(i) said magnetic material layer including mixed magnetic particulate material and bonding means for bonding said permanent magnet to said first and second magnetic members.

2. The armature actuating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic material is a powder selected from the group consisting of iron, silicon steel, iron nickel alloy and iron cobalt alloy.

3. The armature actuating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic surface of the core and the magnetic surface of the second magnetic member are the same height.

4. The armature actuating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic surface of the core facing the armature is lower than the height of the magnetic surface of the second magnetic member.

5. The armature actuating mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first wear resistant layer formed on a surface of the core facing said armature, said layer being harder than the core; and

a second wear resistant layer formed on a surface of the second magnetic member facing said armature, said layer being harder than the second magnetic member.

6. The armature actuating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said first magnetic member and the core are formed by the same magnetic member.

7. A printing head assembly having printing elements, comprising:

(a) a plurality of magnetic members arranged in predetermined locations corresponding to and for driving the printing elements, respectively;

(b) resilient means respectively connected to one end of said magnetic members for deflecting said magnetic members;

(c) permanent magnet means for attracting said plurality of magnetic members while resiliently deflecting said resilient means;

(d) first yoke means having one end located adjacent to said permanent magnet means and having a plurality of core portions at the other end;

(e) electro-magnet means having coils around said core portions corresponding in number to said magnetic members, for canceling respectively the attracting force produced by said permanent magnet means to selectively actuate the related magnetic member by the resilient force of the resilient means, when actuated;

(f) second yoke means mounted to have one end adjacent to said permanent magnet means and another end in contact with one end of each of said magnetic members; and

(g) bonding means including magnetic particulate material therein for bonding said one end of said first yoke means to one side of said permanent magnet means, and for bonding the other side of said permanent magnet means to said one end of said second yoke means.

8. The printing head assembly according to claim 7, wherein the end of the core portions facing said magnetic members is the same height as said another end of said second yoke means facing said magnetic members.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein there are a plurality of said printing head assemblies;

the dimensions, as taken in a direction parallel to the movement of the armature as produced by said magnet means and said resilient means, being different among the plurality of said permanent magnet means and among said second yoke means of the plurality of printing head assemblies, and the corresponding dimensions of said bonding means being different from each other an amount to compensate for the first mentioned different dimensions so as to obtain a more arcuate predetermined height for said first and second yoke means relative to said armature, for each assembly, than could be obtained if said bonding means all have only a single fixed dimension.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein there are a plurality of said printing head assemblies;

the dimensions, as taken in a direction parallel to the movement of the armature as produced by said magnet means and said resilient means, being different among the plurality of said permanent magnet means and among said second yoke means of the plurality of printing head assemblies, and the corresponding dimensions of said bonding means being different from each other an amount to compensate for the first mentioned different dimensions so as to obtain a more accurate predetermined height for said first and second yoke means relative to said armature, for each assembly, than could be obtained if said bonding means all have only a single fixed dimension.

11. An assembly method of an armature actuating mechanism in a printing head comprising:

providing a first yoke having a core portion with a magnetic surface facing the armature;

forming an electro-magnet by setting coils around the core portion of said first yoke;

locating a permanent magnet adjacent the first yoke to attract the armature;

locating adjacent the permanent magnet a second yoke having a magnetic surface facing the armature;

providing a fluid bonding agent including magnetic particulate material therein;

applying said fluid bonding agent in gaps between opposite sides of the permanent magnet and the first and second yokes, respectively;

setting the relative positions of the magnetic surfaces of the core and the second yoke to a predetermined relationship by adjusting the gaps between the permanent magnet and the first and second yokes; and

hardening said bonding agent while maintaining said predetermined relationship.

12. The assembhling method according to claim 11, further comprising said setting step contacting the magnetic surfaces of the core portion and the second yoke to the same level surface of a jig.

13. The assembling method according to claim 11 further comprising:

forming a wear resistant layer on a surface of the core portion; and

forming a wear resistant layer on a surface of the second yoke facing to the armature.

14. The assembling method according to claim 11, wherein said providing a bonding agent step provides the magnetic material as a powder selected from the group consisting of iron, silicon steel, iron nickel alloy and iron cobalt alloy.