Patent Application
20050247690
The subject disclosure is generally directed to a heater that can be employed in printing apparatus such as printers, photocopiers, and multi-function devices.
Some printing technologies employ one or more heaters, for example to heat a print drum or a platen. As a specific example, a solid ink jet printing apparatus can include a heated print drum on which an image is formed pursuant to fluid drop jetting. The image is then transferred to an output print medium such as paper.
It can be difficult to implement a heater that is reliable.
The printing apparatus 10 further includes a substrate guide 20 and a media preheater 27 that guides a print media substrate 21, such as paper, through a nip 22 formed between opposing acutated surfaces of a roller 23 and the intermediate transfer surface 12 supported by the print drum 14. Stripper fingers 24 can be pivotally mounted to assist in removing the print medium substrate 21 from the intermediate transfer surface 12 after an image 26 comprising deposited ink drops is transferred to the print medium substrate 21.
By way of illustrative example, the dielectric vanes 36 can be connected to each other in the vicinity of the central axis CA and form a cross in cross-section, such that the dielectric vanes can be angularly located about the central axis CA at about 90 degree intervals. The dielectric vanes 37 can be panels that are not fixedly connected to any other dielectric vane, and can be angularly located about the central axis at about 90 degree intervals. The dielectric vanes 36, 37 and the wire retaining dielectric panels 39 are held together by the end cap structures 70 which engage longitudinally separated end portions or tabs 36A of the dielectric vanes 36, longitudinally separated end portions or tabs 37A of the dielectric vanes 37, and longitudinally separated end portions 67A of the wire retaining dielectric panels 67, as well as by attachment of the wire retaining dielectric panels 67 to associated dielectric vanes 36, 37. The end tabs 36A of the vanes 36 can comprise for example integral tabs that are shared by radially opposed vanes 36.
Each end cap structure 70 can comprise a plurality of panels, for example, and
Each inner panel 71 includes crossed slots 136 generally centered on the central axis CA for radially and angularly capturing the tabs 36A so that the dielectric vanes 36 are at 90 degree angular spacing. Each inner panel 71 further includes slots 137 for angularly capturing the tabs 37A such that each of the dielectric vanes 37 is angularly positioned between adjacent vanes 36, for example. The slots 137 have a radial extent that is greater than the radial extent of the tabs 37A, which allows the dielectric vanes 37 to be displaced radially while the intermediate and outer panels 72, 73 are not engaged with the tabs 36A, 37A, 67A. The intermediate panels 72 generally function to axially secure the inner panels 71 and the intermediate panels 72 onto the tabs 36A, and to generally locate the tabs 37A in their innermost radial position such that the dielectric vanes 37 are generally in their innermost radial position. The intermediate panels 72 further engage the tabs 67A of the wire retaining dielectric panels 67. The outer panels 73 also support and locate the end tabs 67A of the wire restraining dielectric panels 67, and axially secure the inner panels 71, the intermediate panels 72 and the outer panels 73 onto the tabs 36A. By way of illustrative example, the intermediate and outer panels 72, 73 are configured to be axially slipped over the tabs 36A and twisted to engage radial notches formed in the tabs 36A. The wire restraining dielectric panels 67 are attached to the protruding tabs of the dielectric vanes 36, 37 after the intermediate and outer panels are meshed and twisted onto the tabs 36A. The dielectric wire restraining panels 67 assist in maintaining the vanes 37 in a radially inward position when attached thereto.
Referring more particularly to
By way of illustrative example, the dielectric vanes 36, 37 and the inner end panels 71 can be configured such that when the dielectric vanes 37 are in an outermost radial or expanded position, the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 37 are further from the central axis than the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves of the dielectric vanes 36, and such that when the dielectric vanes 37 are in a radially innermost or retracted position, the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves of the dielectric vanes 37 are at substantially the same distance from the central axis CA as the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 36. By way of specific example, the dielectric vanes 37 and the inner panels 71 can be configured such that the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of all of the dielectric vanes 36, 37 are substantially on an imaginary cylinder substantially centered on the central axis CA when the vanes 37 are in an innermost or retracted radial position, for example as determined by the slots 137 of the inner end panels 71 and such that the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 37 are outside of such imaginary cylinder when the vanes 37 are in an outermost or expanded radial position, for as determined by the slots 137 of the inner end panels 71.
Alternatively, the dielectric vanes 36, 37 and the inner end panels 71 can be configured such that when the dielectric vanes 37 are in an outermost radial or expanded position, the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 37 are at substantially the same distance from the central axis CA as the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 36, and such that when the dielectric vanes 37 are in a radially innermost or retracted position, the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 37 are closer to the central axis CA than the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 36. By way of specific example, the dielectric vanes 36, 37 and the inner panels 71 can be configured such that the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of all of the dielectric vanes 36, 37 are substantially on an imaginary cylinder substantially centered on the central axis CA when the vanes 37 are in an outermost or expanded radial position, for example as determined by the slots 137 of the inner end panels 71 and such that the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 37 are inside of such imaginary cylinder when the vanes 37 are in an innermost or retracted radial position, for as determined by the slots 137 of the inner end panels 71.
In manufacture, the dielectric vanes 36, 37 and the inner end panels 71 are assembled as an expandable frame that can be mounted in a coiling fixture that pushes on the tabs 37A to move the dielectric vanes 37 radially outwardly, for example to an outermost radial position as determined by the slots 137 of the inner end panels 71. Heater wire is then coiled into the wire guiding grooves 39 of the expanded frame such that the heater wire contacts substantially all of the bottoms of the wire guiding grooves 39, and the ends of the wire or wires are suitably secured to brackets attached to one or more of the dielectric vanes 36, for example. This generally fixes the shape of the wire structure. After removal of the coiled frame from the coiling fixture, the dielectric vanes 37 are retracted radially inwardly, for example to an innermost radial position as determined by the slots 137 of the inner end panels 71, and the wire retaining dielectric panels 67, the intermediate panels 72 and outer panels 73 are assembled with the coiled frame. The wire retaining panels 67 can then be attached to associated dielectric vanes 36, 37, which will prevent unlocking rotation of the intermediate and outer panels 72, 73.
Thus, in the assembled print drum heater, the dielectric vanes are in a radially retracted position and the bottoms of the wire guide grooves 39 of the dielectric vanes 37 are displaced from the coiled heater wire structure. This allows the heater wires 62, 64 to substantially avoid contact with bottoms of the wire guiding grooves of the dielectric vanes 37.
The disclosed heater structure can be reliable as a result of reduced contact between the heater wire structure and the dielectric vanes, which can allow the heater wire structure to be generally unconstrained and able to move, lengthen and/or shorten pursuant to heating and cooling with reduced loading on the dielectric vanes. Also, the reduced contact between the heater wire structure and the dielectric vanes can reduce cold spots that can be detrimental to heater life.
The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
