1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a maintenance station for use in an imaging apparatus and, more particularly, to a maintenance station having acoustical dampening.
2. Description of the Related Art
An imaging apparatus, such as an ink jet printer, includes a maintenance station that performs maintenance operations to preserve the life of the associated printhead. For example, an ink jet printer includes an ink jet printhead having a plurality of ink jetting nozzles formed in a nozzle plate. Such a maintenance station for an ink jet printer includes a printhead wiper and a printhead capping mechanism. The printhead wiper is used for wiping residual ink from the nozzles of the ink jet printhead after completion of printing and the capping mechanism is used to cap the ink jet printhead for storage. The wiping and capping operations prevent the nozzles from becoming blocked with contaminants, such as dried ink and accumulated paper dust, thereby extending the life of the ink jet printhead.
One such maintenance station is configured to minimize the occupied space. The maintenance station includes a movable maintenance sled, that supports the wiper and capping mechanism. A maintenance housing surrounds the maintenance sled and includes guide slots for receiving corresponding guide pins of the maintenance sled. When the printhead carrier that carries the ink jet printhead carriage engages an engaging member of the maintenance station, the guide pins are caused to ride in the guide slots, enabling the movable maintenance sled to be shifted from a lowered position to a raised position, where the printhead cap engages the ink jet printhead. Typically, a spring is disposed between the maintenance sled and the maintenance housing to facilitate the return of the movable maintenance sled from the raised position to the lowered position. However, when the movable maintenance sled returns from the raised position to the lowered position by virtue of the spring, an unacceptable amount of noise is generated as the maintenance sled impacts another portion of the printer, such as the printer mid-frame, and/or as the guide pins of the maintenance sled contact a surface of the respective guide slots in the maintenance housing, such as the rigid end-stops of the respective guide slots of the maintenance housing.
What is needed in the art is a maintenance station that includes a mechanism to reduce the noise associated with the return of the maintenance sled to the lowered position.
The present invention provides a maintenance station that includes a mechanism to reduce the noise associated with the return of the maintenance sled to the lowered position.
The invention, in one form thereof, relates to an imaging apparatus. The imaging apparatus includes a frame, and a maintenance station coupled to the frame. The maintenance station includes a maintenance housing having an end portion. A maintenance sled is movably mounted to the maintenance housing. The maintenance sled has a first position and a second position. A flexible member is mounted to the maintenance sled. The flexible member includes a main body and an elastic portion extending from the main body. The main body and the elastic portion define a cavity. The elastic portion of the flexible member contacts the end portion of the maintenance housing when the maintenance sled is in the first position.
In another form thereof, the invention relates to a method of providing acoustical dampening in a maintenance station for an imaging apparatus. The method includes the steps of providing a maintenance sled movably mounted to a maintenance housing, the maintenance sled having a lowered position and an elevated position; providing a flexible member mounted to the maintenance sled, the flexible member including a main body and an elastic portion extending from the main body, the main body and the elastic portion defining a cavity; and moving the maintenance sled toward the lowered position, the elastic portion of the flexible member contacting the end portion thereby deforming the elastic portion.
In still another form thereof, the invention relates to a printhead wiper. The printhead wiper includes a body defining a mounting opening. An elastic portion extends from the main body, the main body and the elastic portion defining a cavity.
An advantage of the present invention is the noise associated with the maintenance station is reduced without increasing the overall length of the maintenance sled.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate an embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to
Computer 12 is typical of that known in the art, and includes a monitor to display graphics or text, an input device such as a keyboard and/or mouse, a microprocessor and associated memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM) and a mass storage device, such as CD-ROM or DVD hardware. Resident in the memory of computer 12 is printer driver software. The printer driver software places print data and print commands in a format that can be recognized by inkjet printer 14.
Ink jet printer 14 includes a printhead carrier system 18, a feed roller unit 20, a mid-frame 22, a media source 24, a controller 26 and a maintenance station 28. Printhead carrier system 18, feed roller unit 20, mid-frame 22, media source 24, controller 26 and maintenance station 28 are mounted to a printer frame 29.
Media source 24 is configured and arranged to supply from a stack of print media a sheet of print media 30 to feed roller unit 20, which in turn further transports the sheet of print media 30 during a printing operation.
Printhead carrier system 18 includes a printhead carrier 32 that carries, for example, one or more printhead cartridges, such as a monochrome printhead cartridge 34a and/or a color printhead cartridge 34b, that is mounted thereto. Monochrome printhead cartridge 34a includes a monochrome ink reservoir 36a provided in fluid communication with a monochrome ink jet printhead 38a. Color printhead cartridge 34b includes a color ink reservoir 36b provided in fluid communication with a color ink jet printhead 38b. Alternatively, ink reservoirs 36a, 36b may be located off-carrier, and coupled to respective ink jet printheads 38a, 38b via respective fluid conduits.
Printhead carrier 32 is guided by a pair of guide rods 40. The axes 40a of guide rods 40 define a bi-directional scanning path 52 of printhead carrier 32. Printhead carrier 32 is connected to a carrier transport belt 42 that is driven by a carrier motor 44 via a carrier pulley 46. Carrier motor 44 can be, for example, a direct current motor or a stepper motor. Carrier motor 44 has a rotating motor shaft 48 that is attached to carrier pulley 46. Carrier motor 44 is electrically connected to controller 26 via a communications link 50. At a directive of controller 26, printhead carrier 32 is transported, via the rotation of carrier pulley 46 imparted by carrier motor 44, in a reciprocating manner, back and forth along guide rods 40.
Ink jet printheads 38a, 38b are electrically connected to controller 26 via a communications link 54. Controller 26 supplies electrical address and control signals to ink jet printer 14, and in particular, to the ink jetting actuators of ink jet printheads 38a, 38b, to effect the selective ejection of ink from inkjet printheads 38a, 38b.
During a printing operation, the reciprocation of printhead carrier 32 transports ink jet printheads 38a, 38b across the sheet of print media 30 along bi-directional scanning path 52, i.e. a scanning direction, to define a print zone 56 of ink jet printer 14. Bi-directional scanning path 52, also referred to as scanning direction 52, is parallel with axes 40a of guide rods 40, and is also commonly known as the horizontal direction. The sheet of print media 30 is transported through print zone 56 by the rotation of feed roller 58 of feed roller unit 20. A rotation of feed roller 58 is effected by drive unit 60. Drive unit 60 is electrically connected to controller 26 via a communications link 62.
During each scan of printhead carrier 32, the sheet of print media 30 is held stationary by feed roller unit 20. Feed roller unit 20 includes a feed roller 58 and a drive unit 60.
Maintenance station 28 is provided for performing printhead maintenance operations on the ink jet nozzles of ink jet printheads 38a, 38b. Such operations include, for example, a printhead spit maintenance operation, a printhead wiping operation and a printhead maintenance capping operation. Other services, such as for example, printhead priming and suction, may also be performed if desired by the inclusion of a vacuum device (not shown) of the type well known in the art.
Maintenance station 28 includes a maintenance housing 68 that supports a movable maintenance sled 70, of a type which is well known in the art, that is configured for movement in the directions generally depicted by double-headed arrow 72. The directions generally depicted by double-headed arrow 72 include both horizontal and vertical components. Maintenance sled 70 includes a carrier engagement member 74. Maintenance sled 70 is biased by a biasing spring 76 in a direction toward printhead carrier 32. The spring force exerted by biasing spring 76 must be sufficient to accelerate maintenance sled 70 and its associated components to the lowered (resting) position so that they are clear of printhead carrier 32 and ink jet printheads 38a, 38b.
With the orientation of components as shown in
As shown in
Maintenance sled 70 is positioned between first end portion 78 and second end portion 80, and is positioned between first side 82 and second side 84. Maintenance sled 70 has a plurality guide members, referenced herein individually and collectively with element number 88. Each of the plurality of guide members 88 is positioned to slideably travel in a corresponding one of plurality of guide slots 86. Thus, maintenance sled 70 is movably mounted to maintenance housing 68 via the interaction between guide slots 86 and guide members 88.
Referring again to
Mounted to maintenance sled 70 are a monochrome printhead cap 100 and a color printhead cap 102. Also mounted to maintenance sled 70 are a flexible member 104 and a flexible member 106. Flexible member 104 serves as a monochrome printhead wiper. Flexible member 106 serves as a color printhead wiper and facilitates acoustical dampening in maintenance station 28.
Referring now to
Elastic portion 110 includes a contact surface 116 that is positioned at an angle 118 with respect to an extent of main body 108. Thus, as shown, contact surface 116 is sloped and angles away from main body 108 in a direction toward open end 114. Also, contact surface 116 is formed in a shape of an arc in at least one dimension, e.g., along a width 120 of main body 108. The slope of contact surface 116, i.e., the angular extent of angle 118, is selected to attempt to minimize normal forces exerted on maintenance housing 68 by the two guide members 88 nearest to first end portion 78, when contact surface 116 contacts spit chimney 98 of second end portion 80.
During operation of maintenance sled 70, maintenance sled 70 transitions from the intermediate position 92 to the lowered position 90. When sled 70 reaches lowered position 90, elastic portion 110 of flexible member 106 contacts end portion 80 of maintenance housing 68. More particularly, in the embodiment shown, elastic portion 110 of flexible member 106 contacts spit chimney 98 when maintenance sled is in the lowered, i.e., spit or rest, position 90. Thus, elastic portion 110 of flexible member 106 sets a travel limit of maintenance sled 70 such that the plurality of guide members 88 do not contact slot-ends 97 of the plurality of guide slots 86 (see FIG. 3).
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040239719 A1 | Dec 2004 | US |