阅读说明：本技术 用于可扩展的打印机的集成喷墨模块 (Integrated ink jet module for expandable printer ) 是由 马克·普罗法察 于 2019-09-16 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种集成喷墨模块,包括：支撑机架,所述支撑机架被配置用于固定地安装在介质供给机架上；维护机架,所述维护机架可滑动地安装在所述支撑机架上；以及打印棒机架,所述打印棒机架可升降地安装在所述维护机架上,所述打印棒机架上安装有一个或多个喷墨打印头。(An integrated inkjet module comprising: a support chassis configured to be fixedly mounted on a media supply chassis; a maintenance frame slidably mounted on the support frame; and the printing rod rack is arranged on the maintenance rack in a liftable manner, and one or more ink-jet printing heads are arranged on the printing rod rack.)

1. An integrated inkjet module comprising:

a support chassis configured to be fixedly mounted on a media supply chassis;

a maintenance frame slidably mounted on the support frame; and

the printing rod rack is arranged on the maintenance rack in a liftable mode, and one or more ink-jet printing heads are arranged on the printing rod rack.

2. The inkjet module of claim 1, wherein the support chassis has a base defining a recess configured for mounting the inkjet module on a stationary roller of the media supply chassis.

3. The inkjet module of claim 2, wherein each recess has a respective clamp for securely clamping the support frame and the roller shaft together.

4. The inkjet module of claim 1, wherein the support chassis includes one or more spittoons for receiving spitted ink from the printhead.

5. The inkjet module of claim 1, wherein the support frame includes a plurality of fiducials to make fiducial corrections against the print bar frame.

6. The inkjet module of claim 5, wherein the printbar frame includes a plurality of pins that protrude toward a datum of the support frame.

7. The inkjet module of claim 6, wherein the pin is height adjustable.

8. The inkjet module of claim 1, wherein the printbar frame is secured with the maintenance frame in a sliding direction of the maintenance frame.

9. The inkjet module of claim 1, wherein the maintenance rack comprises one or more maintenance modules corresponding to one or more printheads of the printbar rack.

10. The inkjet module of claim 1, wherein the maintenance frame is mounted to the support frame via a bi-directional slide mechanism.

11. The inkjet module of claim 10, wherein the maintenance frame includes a catch for locking the maintenance frame and the print bar frame in a printing position.

12. The inkjet module of claim 10, wherein the printbar frame is secured with the maintenance frame in a sliding direction of the maintenance frame.

13. The inkjet module of claim 10, wherein the printbar carriage includes a handle for enabling sliding movement of the maintenance carriage.

14. A printing system, comprising:

a media supply housing; and

one or more inkjet modules according to claim 1 mounted on the media supply rack.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a print engine and an integrated inkjet module for a digital inkjet printer. The present invention has been developed primarily for integrating a series of inkjet modules into a low cost digital inkjet printer suitable for short-term print jobs.

Background

Commercially available fromInkjet printers are used in a number of different printing formats, including desktop printers, digital inkjet printers, and wide format printers.Printers typically include one or more stationary inkjet printhead cartridges that are replaceable by the user. For example, desktop label printers include a single user-replaceable multi-color printhead cartridge, high speed label printers include multiple user-replaceable monochrome printhead cartridges aligned along a media feed direction, and wide format printers include multiple user-replaceable printhead cartridges arranged in staggered overlap so as to span a wide format pagewidth.

US10,076,917 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) describes a commercially available page-wide printing system comprising a two-dimensional array of N x M printing modules and corresponding maintenance modules. Providing flexibility to OEM customers in the form of modular, cost-effective kits to select the size and number of printheads in an N x M array enables entry into a wider range of commercial digital printing markets traditionally served by offset printing systems.

However, it is still desirable to simplify the integration of modules into an expandable page-wide array. For OEMs wishing to commercialize digital inkjet printers, simplifying the integration of modules reduces development time and reduces costs.

Summary of The Invention

In a first aspect, there is provided an inkjet module comprising:

a support chassis configured to be fixedly mounted on a media supply chassis; a maintenance frame slidably mounted on the support frame; and

the printing rod rack is arranged on the maintenance rack in a liftable mode, and one or more ink-jet printing heads are arranged on the printing rod rack.

The ink jet module according to the first aspect advantageously allows the configuration of the printer to allow a user to access the print head and maintenance consumables for replacement, as well as access the media feed path for cleaning, clearing paper jams, etc. Further, the inkjet module is a single integrated unit configured to drop into an existing media supply rack with minimal modification required.

Preferably, the support frame has a base defining a recess configured for mounting the inkjet module on a fixed roller of the media supply frame.

Preferably, each recess has a respective clamp for securely clamping the support frame and the roller shaft together.

Preferably, the support frame includes one or more spittoons for receiving spitted ink from the printhead.

Preferably, the support frame includes a plurality of datums to make a datum correction against the print bar frame.

Preferably, the print bar chassis comprises a plurality of pins protruding towards a datum of the support chassis.

Preferably, the pin is height adjustable.

Preferably, the print bar chassis is fastened with the maintenance chassis in a sliding direction of the maintenance chassis.

Preferably, the maintenance rack comprises one or more maintenance modules corresponding to one or more print heads of the print bar rack.

Preferably, the maintenance frame is mounted to the support frame via a bi-directional slide mechanism.

Preferably, the maintenance frame includes a catch for locking the maintenance frame and the print bar frame in a printing position.

Preferably, the print bar chassis is fastened with the maintenance chassis in a sliding direction of the maintenance chassis.

Preferably, the print bar chassis includes a handle for enabling sliding movement of the maintenance chassis.

In a second aspect, there is provided a printing system comprising:

a media supply chassis including a plurality of stationary roller shafts, each roller shaft having a rotatable roller for guiding a print medium through a media supply path; and

one or more inkjet modules mounted on the media supply bay for printing on the print media, each inkjet module having a support bay seated on a set of rollers,

wherein the support frame includes a base portion defining a set of recesses therein, the roller shafts being received in the recesses.

The printing system according to the second aspect advantageously employs a fixed roller shaft on the media supply stand as a support for the inkjet module. This design eliminates the overhead gantry to mount the print engine and allows accurate control of the print head paper spacing (PPS) in registration with the roller.

In a related aspect, there is also provided an integrated inkjet module comprising:

a support frame configured to seat on a set of rollers, the support frame including a base having a set of pockets for receiving the rollers and respective grippers for gripping the rollers in the pockets; and

one or more printheads operably positioned relative to the support frame for printing on a print medium fed through the support frame.

Preferably, the rollers are positioned to guide the web of print media through the curved media path.

Preferably, one of the sets of rollers comprises a pair of rollers received within complementary recesses defined in the base of the respective support frame.

Preferably, each recess has a corresponding clip for securely clipping the inkjet module together with the roller shaft.

Preferably, each inkjet module further comprises:

a maintenance frame mounted on the support frame; and

the printing rod rack is installed on the maintenance rack, and one or more ink-jet printing heads are installed on the printing rod rack.

Preferably, the print bar frame is liftable relative to the support frame.

Preferably, the maintenance chassis is laterally slidable relative to the support chassis.

Preferably, the support housing includes one or more spittoons for receiving spitted ink.

Preferably, the support frame includes a plurality of datums to make a datum correction against the print bar frame.

In a third aspect, there is provided an integrated inkjet module comprising:

a support chassis configured to be fixedly mounted on a media supply chassis; a maintenance frame mounted on the support frame; and

a print bar rack, the print bar rack is arranged on the maintenance rack in a lifting way, one or more print heads are arranged on the print bar rack,

wherein the print bar chassis includes maximally spaced reference pins at each corner thereof, each reference pin engaging a complementary reference surface of the support chassis to control the spacing between the print head and the media feed path during printing.

The ink jet module according to the third aspect advantageously maximizes the spacing of the fiducials that control the PPS, thereby improving the accuracy of the PPS.

Preferably, the datum pin is adjustable to vary the spacing between the printhead and the media feed path.

Preferably, each datum pin is mounted on a lug projecting outwardly from each corner of the print bar chassis.

Preferably, the print bar stand comprises a frame and first and second pairs of opposing legs extending downwardly from respective first and second ends of the frame, each leg having a set of roller bearings configured to be supported on respective guide rails of the maintenance module, and wherein the opposing roller bearings are positioned between a respective pair of datum pins.

Preferably, each leg comprises an outwardly projecting lug, each datum pin being mounted on a respective lug.

Preferably, the hydraulic piston mechanism interconnects the print bar frame and the maintenance frame to raise and lower the print bar frame relative to the support frame.

Preferably, a pair of hydraulic piston mechanisms are positioned at opposite ends of the ink jet module, the pair of hydraulic piston mechanisms being controlled by a common hydraulic system for synchronous movement.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided an integrated inkjet module comprising:

a printbar frame, the printbar frame including: an elongate frame mounting one or more printheads; and first and second pairs of opposing legs extending downwardly from respective first and second ends of the frame, each leg having a set of roller bearings configured to bear on respective rails of the inkjet module;

a support chassis configured to be fixedly mounted on a media supply chassis; and

a lift mechanism for lifting the print bar frame relative to the support frame.

The inkjet module according to the fourth aspect advantageously provides accurate and stable control of the lifting of the print bar along the nominal z-axis, thereby minimizing skew and misalignment in both the x-axis and the y-axis perpendicular to the z-axis.

Preferably, the first and second pairs of opposed legs are positioned between the respective first and second pairs of datum pins.

Preferably, each leg comprises an outwardly projecting lug, each datum pin being mounted on a respective lug.

Preferably, each pair of opposed legs has a respective set of roller bearings supported on opposed surfaces of the respective guide rail.

Preferably, each roller bearing is grooved for receiving a portion of a respective rail.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an inkjet printing assembly comprising:

a support frame having a plurality of reference surfaces; and

a printbar frame elevatably mounted on a support frame, the printbar frame having one or more printheads mounted thereon and having a plurality of datum pins for engaging a datum surface;

a lift mechanism for moving the print bar frame between a lowered position in which the datum pin engages the datum surface and a raised position in which the datum pin is spaced from the datum surface; and

one or more magnets for urging the print bar frame toward the support frame.

An inkjet printing assembly ("inkjet module") according to the fifth aspect advantageously provides robust datum correction of the printbar frame to the support frame when lowering the printbar frame from a raised position (e.g., a maintenance position) to a lowered position (e.g., a printing position). In particular, this enables a gentle lowering of the print bar chassis while providing a strong force when a firm ground reference correction is required.

Preferably, each magnet is adjustably mounted on the printbar frame.

Preferably, the support chassis comprises one or more ferromagnetic pads aligned with the magnets.

Preferably, in the lowered position, the spacing between each magnet and each corresponding ferromagnetic pad is less than 2 mm.

Preferably, the datum pin is adjustable to vary the spacing between the printhead and the media feed path in the lowered position.

Preferably, the magnet is a rare earth magnet.

Preferably, the lifting mechanism is selected from the group consisting of: a wire pulley mechanism, a hydraulic mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism and a scissor mechanism.

It will be understood that where applicable, preferred features described in connection with one aspect apply equally to all aspects described herein.

As used herein, the term "ink" is considered to mean any printing fluid that can be printed from an inkjet printhead. The ink may or may not contain a colorant. Accordingly, the term "ink" may encompass conventional dye-based or pigment-based inks, infrared inks, fixatives (e.g., precoats and finishes), 3D printing fluids, biological fluids, and the like.

As used herein, the term "mounted" includes both direct mounting and indirect mounting via an intervening portion.

Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a digital inkjet printer including a plurality of inkjet modules;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the ink jet modules in the digital ink jet printer;

FIG. 3 is a first side perspective view of an individual inkjet module;

FIG. 4 is a second side perspective view of the ink jet module shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the ink jet module with the maintenance frame and the printer frame slid rearward;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the ink jet module with the maintenance frame and the printer frame slid forward;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the support frame alone;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the maintenance rack alone;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an individual printbar frame;

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of an inkjet module according to an alternative embodiment;

FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of the magnet and reference arrangement shown in dashed outline in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a print module;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the print module with the printhead cartridge separated;

FIG. 13 illustrates an ink inlet module of a print module;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the maintenance module during wiping; and

fig. 15 is a perspective view of the maintenance module during capping.

Detailed Description

Modular ink jet printer

Referring to fig. 1, a printer 1 is shown that is configured for use as a web-based printing system, such as a digital inkjet printer. The printer 1 includes a media supply housing 3 having a series of rollers 5 mounted on roller shafts 7 which are secured to the media supply housing. The rollers 5 are arranged in pairs and define a convexly curved media feed path for feeding a web of print media (not shown) past the plurality of printheads. The web is tensioned over the roller 5 and fed past the print head using a suitable web feed mechanism (not shown) as is known in the art.

The printer 1 includes a plurality of pagewidth inkjet modules 10 spaced apart along a media feed direction and aligned with one another. Each inkjet module 10 extends the full width of the media feed path and includes one or more inkjet printheads configured for single pass printing onto a web of media. Typically, each inkjet module 10 is configured to print a single color of ink. In the embodiment shown, the media supply rack 3 is configured to support eight ink jet modules 10 (one for each pair of rollers 5), but only two are shown in fig. 1 for clarity. The plurality of aligned ink jet modules 10 provide the user with the facility to print cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, as well as various spot colors for professional color printing.

Of course, however, it should be understood that other arrangements of one or more inkjet modules 10 are within the scope of the present invention. For example, standard color printing (CMYK) or monochrome printing (K only) can be performed with fewer modules in some printers.

Ink jet module 10

Each inkjet module 10 is a fully integrated module designed to "drop into" the media supply bay 3 to achieve an expandable configuration for a digital inkjet printer. Alternatively, an existing analog printer may be converted to a digital printer by dropping into the inkjet module 10 with relatively few changes to the existing media feeding chassis and web feeding mechanism. Accordingly, the inkjet module 10 is designed for seamless integration with custom or existing web-fed systems, thereby minimizing OEM development costs.

The inkjet module 10 shown separately in fig. 3 and 4 includes three main frames: a support frame 50 for fixedly mounting to the media supply frame 3; a maintenance frame 100 slidably mounted on the support frame; and a printbar frame 200 liftably mounted on the maintenance frame. As best shown in fig. 4, each inkjet module 10 additionally includes an aerosol collector 18 secured to the support frame 50 for collecting ink mist and other particles generated during high speed printing. The aerosol collector 18 is typically modular to enable aerosol collectors of different lengths to be easily manufactured. As shown in fig. 4, aerosol collector 18 comprises an elongate vacuum tube 19 and a plurality (e.g. three) of modular nozzle units 20 slotted into the vacuum tube.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the maintenance chassis 100 is mounted on the support chassis 50 to slide laterally in both directions relative to the support chassis. As shown in fig. 5, the maintenance rack 100 and the attached print bar rack 200 have been pushed back away from the user in a first direction perpendicular to the media feed direction. In this configuration, the roller 5 and media feed path are conveniently accessible to a user for media penetration, roller cleaning, jam clearing, etc. As shown in fig. 6, the maintenance rack 100 and the attached print bar rack 200 have been pushed forward toward the user in a second direction perpendicular to the media feed direction. In this configuration, a user can conveniently access hardware consumables (e.g., printheads, wipers) for replacement when needed. Thus, the bidirectional slide mechanism allows a user to easily access various components from one side of the printer 1.

In fig. 5 and 6, the print bar stand 200 is shown in its raised position; in fig. 3 and 4, the print bar chassis 200 is shown in its lowered position for printing. US10,076,917 details a print bar chassis that can be raised and lowered relative to a maintenance chassis for printing and maintenance operations. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the print bar chassis 200 and maintenance chassis 100 described herein are functionally similar to the arrangement described in US10,076,917.

Turning now to fig. 7, the support frame 50 is shown in isolation. The support chassis 50 is configured to facilitate integration of the ink jet module 10 with the media supply chassis 3 and to enable relative sliding movement of the maintenance chassis 100. The support chassis 50 takes the form of an elongate rectangular frame including a pair of opposed base plates 52 defining a base thereof. Each base plate 52 has a pair of notches 54 defined therein for receiving a complementary pair of rollers 7 of the media supply rack 3. The recesses 54 each have a removable clamp 55 for securely clamping the support frame 50 and the roller shaft 7 together. Thus, each inkjet module 10 is configured to seat on a pair of rollers 7 of the media supply rack 3, thereby facilitating the "drop-in" configuration of the printer 1. The media supply stand 3 is preferably configured (or alternatively suitably modified) such that each pair of rollers 7 is positioned and spaced apart to align with a notch 54 defined in the base plate 52 of the support stand 50.

Still referring to fig. 7, corner posts 56 extend upwardly from opposite ends of each base plate 52, with each of the four corner posts having an upper datum surface 58 for datum correction of the print bar carriage 200 to its print position. Structural rigidity in the support chassis 50 is provided by elongate side plates 60 extending longitudinally between the corner posts 56 of the opposed base plates 52. An opposing drawer rail 62 is mounted longitudinally along each side panel 60 for sliding engagement with a drawer slide 105 (fig. 8) of the maintenance rack 100. In addition, a pair of spittoon sticks 64 extend longitudinally between base plates 52, the spittoon sticks being positioned between notches 54 to align with respective printheads of print bar frame 200. Each spittoon stick 64 has a spittoon portion 66 for receiving spitted ink from a corresponding printhead. As described in U.S. provisional application No. 62/563,584 filed on 26/9/2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, the spittoon stick 64 may be height adjusted via a cam actuator 68 positioned on one of the base plates 52 and may be used with the roller 5 to provide stability to the print area during printing.

Turning to fig. 8, a maintenance rack 100 takes the form of a drawer comprising a pair of longitudinal side panels 101 interconnected via a front end bracket 102 and a rear end bracket 104. A drawer slide 105 is mounted to an outer surface of each side panel 101 for sliding engagement with the drawer rail 62 of the support chassis 50, thereby forming a sliding mechanism. The slide mechanism may be locked for printing via a spring loaded catch 107 extending outwardly from each side panel 101 and engaging a complementary portion of the support chassis 50. As described above in connection with fig. 5 and 6, the release catch 107 allows the maintenance chassis 100 to slide backward or forward relative to the support chassis 50.

First and second maintenance modules 115 are attached to opposite inner surfaces of the side panels. (each maintenance module 115 is identical to the maintenance module disclosed in US10,076,917, and is described in more detail below). The first and second maintenance modules 115 are positioned to maintain the offset first and second printheads and are rotated 180 degrees relative to each other to minimize the printhead pitch.

Each of the end brackets 102 and 104 has an upwardly extending pair of guide rails 108 fixedly mounted thereto, and a lower lifting bracket 111 centrally positioned between the guide rails. The rear bracket 104 additionally carries a cable support bracket 110 that includes a cable duct 112 for collecting the various ink lines and electrical wires connected to the printhead.

As best shown in fig. 3-6, the lower lift bracket 111 supports a piston lift mechanism 113 that extends between the maintenance frame 100 and an upper lift bracket 202 of the print bar frame. The piston lifting mechanisms 113 at opposite ends of the inkjet module 10 are typically hydraulically actuated via a common hydraulic system (not shown) to synchronously raise and lower the printbar carriage 200. Although a hydraulic piston mechanism is shown herein, it should of course be understood that other lifting mechanisms are within the purview of one skilled in the art, such as wire pulley mechanisms, rack and pinion mechanisms, scissor mechanisms, and the like.

Turning to fig. 9, the print bar stand 200 includes an elongated frame having a pair of longitudinal mounting panels 204 extending between opposite end panels 206. First and second print modules 215 are mounted to the printbar frame 200 via respective first and second print module carriers 207, which are fixedly mounted to opposite inner surfaces of the mounting panel 204. Each print module 215 is slidably received in a respective print module carrier 207 and is datumed to rest on the carrier's lower seat portion 209. (each print module 215 is the same as the print module in US10,076,917 and is described in more detail below). Although the embodiments described herein have a pair of print modules 215 (and corresponding maintenance modules 115), it will be readily appreciated that in other embodiments, printbar chassis 200 may include only one print module or three or more print modules in a staggered, overlapping arrangement. Thus, the ink jet module 10 can be configured for any desired printing width.

Still referring to fig. 9, each end panel 206 of the print bar chassis 200 includes: an upper lifting bracket 202 for engaging with the piston lifting mechanism 113; a handle 220 for manually sliding the print bar frame and the maintenance frame 100 laterally away from the support frame 50; and a pair of legs 222 extending downward toward the maintenance frame 100. Each pair of legs 222 has opposing sets of rotatably mounted roller bearings 224 (two roller bearings per set) that engage opposing guide rails 108 of the maintenance frame 100. Thus, the four sets of roller bearings 224, along with the corresponding guide rails 108 and piston lift mechanism 113, provide for the liftable mounting of the print bar stand 200 relative to the maintenance stand 100. In addition, roller bearings 224 are recessed for receiving a portion of each guide rail 108, thereby ensuring that print bar chassis 200 is secured with maintenance chassis 100 during lateral sliding movement away from support chassis 50.

Each leg 222 additionally includes an outwardly projecting lug 226, on each of which is vertically threaded a height adjustable pin 228 (one pin for each corner of the print bar frame 200). In the printing position (fig. 3), the lower surface of each pin 228 engages a corresponding reference surface 58 of the support frame 50. Thus, once the ink jet module 10 is fixedly mounted on the roller shaft 7, the height adjustable pins will conveniently control the Printhead Paper Spacing (PPS) and can be adjusted in place for different media thicknesses. The screw-mounted pins 228 may include calibrated detents to conveniently adjust all four pins to the same height. Advantageously, the pins 228 are maximally spaced apart in each inkjet module 10 in order to optimize alignment of the multiple inkjet modules and provide accurate control of the PPS, as well as to facilitate PPS adjustment.

Referring to fig. 10A and 10B, in an alternative embodiment, the print bar frame 200 includes a pair of magnets 70 for urging the print bar frame into secure datum engagement with the support frame 50. Typically, the lift mechanism needs to gently lower the printbar carriage 200 to avoid excessive rocking that could damage sensitive components in the inkjet module 10. However, at the end of the vertical stroke of the printbar frame 200, the printbar frame still requires sufficient force to ensure that each datum pin 228 properly engages its corresponding datum surface 58. Without sufficient force, one or more fiducial pins 228 may not engage properly, resulting in small but undesirable print artifacts. Accordingly, the magnetic force for the end of the vertical stroke provides the necessary force for a firm ground reference correction. As best shown in fig. 10B, each of a pair of rare earth magnets 70 is adjustably mounted on the print bar frame 200 to magnetically attract a corresponding ferromagnetic (e.g., steel) pad 72 fixed to the upper surface of the support frame 50. In the lowered position of print bar frame 200, magnet 70 is spaced from pad 72 by a typical spacing of less than 2mm or less than 1 mm. This spacing provides sufficient attractive force to ensure that all of the datum pins 228 are securely in datum alignment engagement with their corresponding datum surfaces 58 in the lowered position. The height adjustable mount 74 for the magnet 70 allows the optimum spacing to be set in situ by simple screw adjustment.

Print module 215

For completeness, the print module 215 will now be described in more detail with reference to fig. 11-13. The print module 215 includes a supply module 250 that interfaces with a replaceable printhead cartridge 252 that includes the printheads 216. The printhead cartridge 252 may be of the type described, for example, in US 9,950,527 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference).

Supply module 250 includes a body 254 that houses electronic circuitry for supplying power and data to printhead 216. A print module handle 255 extends from an upper portion of the body 254 to facilitate user removal and insertion into one of the print module carriers 207 of the printbar chassis 200.

The body 254 is located to the side of an ink inlet module 256 and an ink outlet module 258 positioned on opposite sidewalls of the body. Each of the ink inlet and outlet modules has a respective ink coupler 257 and 259 that engages with a complementary inlet and outlet coupler 261 and 263 of the printhead cartridge 252. The printhead cartridge 252 is supplied with ink from an ink delivery system (not shown) via an ink inlet module 256 and circulates ink back to the ink delivery system via an ink outlet module 258.

The ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 may each be independently slidably movable relative to the body 254 toward and away from the printhead cartridge 252. The sliding movement of the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 fluidly couples and decouples the printhead cartridge 252 to the supply module 250. Each of the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 has a respective actuator in the form of a lever 265 that actuates the sliding movement of the modules. Each lever 265 rotates about an axis perpendicular to the print head 216 and is operatively connected to a pair of pinion gears 281. Rotation of the pinion gears 281 causes lateral sliding movement of the inlet and outlet modules 256, 258 relative to the body 254 via engagement with complementary racks 283 extending upwardly and fixedly mounted relative to the body. This lever arrangement minimizes the overall width of the print module 215. As shown in fig. 11 and 13, the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 are both lowered, and the printhead cartridge 252 is fluidly coupled to the supply module 250. As shown in fig. 12, the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 are both raised and the printhead cartridge 252 is fluidly separated from the supply module 250.

Still referring to fig. 12, the supply module 250 has a clamping plate 266 extending from a lower portion of the body 254. The lower portion of the body 254 additionally has an array of electrical contacts 267 for supplying power and data to the printheads 216 via a complementary array of contacts (not shown) on the printhead cartridges 252 when the printhead cartridges are coupled to the supply module 250.

A set of alignment pins 268 extend from the clamping plate 266 perpendicular to the direction of sliding movement of the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258. To install the printhead cartridge 252, each alignment pin 268 is aligned with and received in a complementary opening 270 defined in the printhead cartridge 252. The printhead cartridge 252 is slid toward the clamping plate 266 in the direction of the alignment pins 268. Once the printhead cartridge 252 is engaged with the gripper plate 266, the hinge 273, which is connected to the body 254 via the hinge 271, swings downward to grip the printhead cartridge 252 on the gripper plate. The printhead cartridge 252 is locked in place by fasteners 272 on the hinge clamps 273. Finally, the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 slide downward via actuation of the lever 265 to fluidly couple the printhead cartridge 252 to the supply module 250. The reverse process is used to remove the printhead cartridge 252 from the supply module 252. As mentioned, the manual removal and insertion process can be easily and cleanly performed by the user in minutes with minimal loss of downtime in the digital printer.

The ink supply module 256 is configured to receive ink at regulated pressure from an inlet line of an ink delivery system (not shown). A suitable ink delivery system for use in conjunction with print module 215 employed in the present invention is described in US 2017/0313096 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference). Ink inlet module 256 has an inlet port 274 for receiving ink from an ink reservoir (not shown) via an inlet line 275, while ink outlet module 258 has an outlet port 276 for returning ink to the ink reservoir via an outlet line 277.

The ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258 independently house various components for providing local pressure regulation at the printhead 216, dampening ink pressure fluctuations, enabling printhead priming and purging operations, isolating the printhead for shipping, and the like. In fig. 13, the ink inlet module 256 is shown with the cover removed to reveal certain components of the ink inlet module. For example, a control PCB 278 with ink pressure sensors and a microprocessor is shown, which provides feedback to control valves 279 for controlling the local pressure at the print head 216. It should be appreciated that these and other components may be housed in the ink inlet module 256 and the ink outlet module 258.

Maintenance module 115

For completeness, the maintenance module 115 will now be described in more detail with reference to fig. 14 and 15. Each maintenance module 115 is fixedly mounted to the maintenance rack 100 and defines a space through which the respective print module 215 can extend and retract between the print position and the maintenance position, respectively. Accordingly, in the print position, each printhead 216 is positioned at a suitable spacing from the media web supported by the rollers 5 of the media supply stand 3.

Referring to fig. 14 and 15, each maintenance module 115 has a generally L-shaped frame 120 disposed around both sides of its respective print module 215. L-shaped frame 120 has a longer leg 117 extending parallel to a length dimension of print module 215 and a shorter leg 119 extending parallel to a width dimension of the print module. The L-shaped frame 120 of each maintenance module 115 enables a compact arrangement of maintenance modules.

The L-shaped frame 120 of the maintenance module 115 includes a base plate 118A with a shorter side plate 118B and a longer side plate 118C extending upwardly therefrom. The shorter leg 119 includes corresponding portions of the shorter side plate 118B and the base plate 118A; the longer leg 117 includes the longer side panel 118C and a corresponding portion of the base panel 118A. The L-shaped frame 120 houses a wiper 122 for wiping the respective print head 216 and a capper 130 for capping the print head.

As shown in fig. 14, the wiper 122 is in its home or parked position, whereby it is positioned within the shorter leg 119 of the L-shaped frame 120. As shown in FIG. 15, the capper 130 is in its home or parked position whereby the capper is positioned within the longer leg 117 of the L-shaped frame 120.

Wiper 122 is of the type having a wiping material 123 (shown in fig. 14) mounted on a carriage 124 that moves longitudinally along the length of print module 215 to wipe printheads 216. Carriage 124 is supported by one or more elevated arms 125 that are slidingly engaged in carriage rails 126 that are fixed to longer side plates 118C and extend along longer arms 119 of frame 120. In fig. 14, carriage 124 is moved from its home position and is in the middle of the longitudinal wiping operation. In fig. 14, the capper is in its park position and it can be seen that during the wiping movement of carriage 124, elevating arm 125 rides over capper 130. The carriage 124 is moved back and forth by a first endless belt 127 driven by a bi-directional carriage motor 128 and a belt drive mechanism 129.

The capper 130 is mounted to the longer side panel 118C of the L-shaped frame 120 via a pair of hinged arms 132 which extend the capper laterally into and retract the capper away from the space occupied by the print head 216 by means of a suitable retraction mechanism 140. The capper 130 is shown in its capping position in FIG. 15 with the two arms 132 extended and the wiper 122 parked in its home position.

For capping operations, the printbar frame 200 is first lifted from the maintenance frame 100 and first raised to a transition position. With the print bar carriage 200 in its highest transition position, each capper 130 is extended, and then the print bar carriage 200 is gently lowered to the maintenance position so that each printhead 216 is capped by the perimeter seal 176 of its respective capper. The reverse process configures the print engine 1 back to the print position.

Similarly, for a wiping operation, the print bar chassis 200 is first lifted from the maintenance chassis 100 and first raised to a transition position. With the printbar carriage 200 in its highest transition position, each wiper 122 moves under its respective printhead 216, and the printbar is gently lowered to the maintenance position so that the wiper engages its respective printhead. Typically, the wiping material 123 is resiliently mounted to allow for greater tolerances as the print bar frame 200 is lowered. Once wiper 122 is engaged with printhead 216, carriage 124 is moved back and forth lengthwise along the printhead to wipe ink and/or debris from the nozzle surfaces of the printhead.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention enables inkjet modules to be arranged in a relatively low cost modular printing system, which minimizes OEM integration, development and commercialization costs, while allowing for a variety in the number and arrangement of inkjet modules.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described by way of example only and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.