US-12623474-B2 - Recording-head position adjustment mechanism, recording-head module, and image forming apparatus

US12623474B2US 12623474 B2US12623474 B2US 12623474B2US-12623474-B2

Abstract

A recording-head position adjustment mechanism includes a supporting member supporting a recording head that discharges a liquid droplet, the recording head including an abutting portion. The recording-head position adjustment mechanism includes a positioner on which the abutting portion abuts, the positioner to which the abutting portion is fixed so as to determine a position of the recording head in a longitudinal direction of the recording head with respect to the supporting member. A position of the positioner in the longitudinal direction with respect to the supporting member is adjustable.

Inventors

Kengo Tsubaki
Yuuya Nakazawa

Assignees

Kengo Tsubaki
Yuuya Nakazawa

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20231109
Priority Date: 20221114

Claims (9)

1 . A recording-head position adjustment mechanism, comprising: a supporting member supporting a recording head configured to discharge a liquid droplet, the recording head including an abutting portion, the abutting portion including a first pin configured to be fitted into a first hole on the supporting member; and a positioner on which the abutting portion abuts, the positioner to which the abutting portion being fixed so as to determine a position of the recording head in a longitudinal direction of the recording head with respect to the supporting member, wherein a position of the positioner in the longitudinal direction with respect to the supporting member is adjustable, wherein the positioner is fixable to the supporting member with a plurality of spacers interposed between the positioner and the supporting member, wherein the abutting portion is fixable to the supporting member via the positioner and the plurality of spacers, and wherein the position of the positioner in the longitudinal direction with respect to the supporting member is adjustable by adjusting a number of the plurality of spacers having a same thickness or by selecting one or more spacers from the plurality of spacers having different thicknesses.
2 . The recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising a discharge angle adjuster configured to swing the recording head supported by the supporting member to adjust a discharge direction in which the liquid droplet is discharged, wherein the discharge angle adjuster is configured to adjust the discharge direction after the recording-head position adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the positioner in the longitudinal direction with respect to the supporting member, and subsequently the abutting portion is screwed and fixed to the supporting member via the positioner.
3 . A recording-head module comprising: a recording head configured to discharge a liquid droplet; and the recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the recording head and the recording-head position adjustment mechanism are unitized.
4 . An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording head configured to discharge a droplet; and the recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 1 .
5 . A recording-head position adjustment mechanism, comprising: a supporting member supporting a recording head configured to discharge a liquid droplet, the recording head including an abutting portion, the abutting portion including a first pin configured to be fitted into a first hole on the supporting member; and a positioner on which the abutting portion abuts, the positioner to which the abutting portion being fixed so as to determine a position of the recording head in a longitudinal direction of the recording head with respect to the supporting member, wherein a position of the positioner in the longitudinal direction with respect to the supporting member is adjustable, wherein the recording head has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the longitudinal direction, wherein the supporting member includes: a first support portion at the first end supporting a third end of the recording head in a transverse direction at the first end; a second support portion at the first end supporting a fourth end of the recording head in the transverse direction at the first end; a third support portion at the second end supporting the third end of the recording head in the transverse direction at the second end in the longitudinal direction of the recording head; and a fourth support portion at the second end supporting the fourth end of the recording head in the transverse direction at the second end in the longitudinal direction of the recording head, wherein the recording head is configured to be removably installed with the second end on a front side in an installation direction of the recording head, wherein the longitudinal direction intersects a direction in which a sheet is conveyed, and wherein the positioner is at one support portion of the first support portion at the first end, the second support portion at the first end, the third support portion at the second end, and the fourth support portion at the second end.
6 . The recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 5 , wherein the first pin is configured to be fitted into the first hole in the one support portion via a through-hole in the positioner, and the recording head includes three second pins having root portions that are respectively fitted with a clearance into three second holes in three support portions other than the one support portion among the first support portion, the second support portion, the third support portion, and the fourth support portion.
7 . The recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 6 , wherein the one support portion is the third support portion, and the third support portion has a first face in which the first hole opens, the fourth support portion has a second face in which one of the three second holes opens, and the first face and the second face are at different positions in the longitudinal direction.
8 . The recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 6 , further comprising a second spacer installable in a clearance between at least one of the three support portions and at least one of the three second pins.
9 . The recording-head position adjustment mechanism of claim 6 , further comprising an elastic member in a clearance between at least one of the three support portions and at least one of the three second pins.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-181685, filed on Nov. 14, 2022, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND Technical Field Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a recording-head position adjustment mechanism to adjust a position of a recording head that discharges a liquid droplet, and further relate to a recording-head module and an image forming apparatus, including the recording-head position adjustment mechanism. Related Art In an image forming apparatus, such as an inkjet printer, a technique is widely known in the art that adjusts the positions of recording heads to form a good image. Specifically, the image forming apparatus includes the recording heads (printing modules) for a plurality of colors that are arranged so as to face a sheet conveyed by a conveyor. The recording heads for the plurality of colors discharge liquid droplets toward the conveyed sheet to form a desired color image on the sheet. A technique is known in which an angle adjustment mechanism (discharge angle adjustment mechanism) adjusts an angle of the recording heads to arrange the recording heads with respect to a drum with high accuracy. SUMMARY An embodiment of the present disclosure includes a recording-head position adjustment mechanism. The recording-head position adjustment mechanism includes a supporting member supporting a recording head that discharges a liquid droplet, the recording head including an abutting portion. The recording-head position adjustment mechanism includes a positioner on which the abutting portion abuts, the positioner to which the abutting portion is fixed so as to determine a position of the recording head in a longitudinal direction of the recording head with respect to the supporting member. A position of the positioner in the longitudinal direction with respect to the supporting member is adjustable. An embodiment of the present disclosure includes a recording-head module including a recording head to discharge a liquid droplet, and the recording-head position adjustment mechanism described above. The recording head and the recording-head position adjustment mechanism are unitized. An embodiment of the present disclosure includes an image forming apparatus including a recording head to discharge a droplet, and the recording-head position adjustment mechanism described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a recording head suspended by a supporting member, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a top view of the recording head supported by a first support and a second support of the supporting member, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating an operation of attaching the recording head to a supporting member of a body of the image forming apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an abutting portion, a positioner, and a spacer of the recording head attached to the supporting member, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6A is a view of the plurality of recording heads aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction of the recording heads, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6B is a view of the plurality of recording heads not aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 is a view of a recording-head position adjustment mechanism as a comparative example; and FIG. 8 is a view of a recording-head position adjustment mechanism according to a modification of an embodiment of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a si