PRINTER SYSTEM WITH PRINTHEAD CARRIAGE CONNECTED TO INK SUPPLY FROM A SINGLE SIDE
A printing system that has a print zone, a media path extending through the print zone along a paper axis, a printhead carriage with a plurality of printhead mounting sites for mounting a plurality of printhead modules adjacent the print zone such that the printhead modules collectively span the media path, the printhead carriage having a long side extending transverse to the paper axis, the long side having access formations for ink conduits and a plurality of interfaces for connection to the ink conduits to supply ink to each of the printhead modules respectively. All ink for the plurality of printhead modules is supplied by ink conduits extending through the access formations on said long side of the printhead carriage.
1 . A printing system comprising:
a print zone;
a media path extending through the print zone along a paper axis;
a printhead carriage with a plurality of printhead mounting sites for mounting a plurality of printhead modules adjacent the print zone such that the printhead modules collectively span the media path, the printhead carriage having a long side extending transverse to the paper axis, the long side having access formations for ink conduits; and,
a plurality of interfaces for connection to the ink conduits to supply ink to each of the printhead modules respectively; wherein,
all ink for the plurality of printhead modules is supplied by ink conduits extending through the access formations on said long side of the printhead carriage.
2 . The printing system according to claim 1 wherein each of the interfaces has a fluid coupler configured to supply different inks to the printhead modules.
3 . The printing system according to claim 2 wherein the ink conduits are a plurality of tube bundles each coupled to a corresponding fluid coupler and configured to route ink from a single side of the printhead carriage.
4 . The printing system according to claim 1 wherein the ink interfaces are also configured to receive ink from the printhead modules.
5 . The printing system according to claim 4 wherein each of the interfaces has two separate fluid couplings, each of the fluid couplings has a plurality of conduits, each of the conduits being for one of the different ink colors only.
6 . The printing system according to claim 5 wherein during use, one of the fluid couplings supplies ink to the printhead module and the other receives ink from the printhead module.
7 . The printing system according to claim 6 wherein the mounting sites each have electrodes for engaging contact pads on each of the printhead modules respectively, the electrodes engaging the contact pads along a first longitudinal side of the printhead module and the interface engaging a second longitudinal side of the printhead module, the first longitudinal side being opposite the second longitudinal side.
8 . The printer system according to claim 7 wherein the fluid couplings are movable between a retracted position and an extended position, the extended position being closer to the first longitudinal side than the retracted position.
9 . The printer system according to claim 8 further comprising a plurality of printhead driver printed circuit boards (PCB's) for each of the printhead modules respectively, each of the printhead driver PCB's having a print engine controller for controlling the operation of the nozzles on the printhead module to which it is connected during use.
10 . The printer system according to claim 9 further comprising a supervising driver PCB connected to the plurality of printhead driver PCB's for transferring print data to each of the printhead modules.
11 . The printer system according to claim 10 wherein the printhead modules each have an array of nozzles for ejecting ink, and each of the mounting sites has a datum surface for engaging the printhead module at that mounting site to control relative positioning of the nozzle arrays on all the printhead modules.
12 . The printer system according to claim 11 wherein the mounting sites are staggered with respect to the paper axis.
13 . The printer system according to claim 12 wherein the nozzles on each of the printhead modules overlaps the nozzles on at least one other of the printhead modules in a direction transverse to the paper axis.
14 . The printer system according to claim 13 wherein the supervising PCB apportions the print data corresponding to the overlaps between the printhead modules.
15 . The printer system according to claim 1 wherein the printhead modules each have nozzles arranged in parallel rows and the printhead carriage has a plurality of datum features for holding the printhead carriage such that the parallel rows extend normal to the paper feed axis.
16 . The printer system according to claim 15 wherein the printhead carriage has a floor section for supporting the printhead modules and the datum features are secured to the floor section.
17 . The printer system according to claim 16 wherein the printheads modules are staggered with respect to the paper feed axis as well as a direction transverse to the paper feed axis to span the media path.
18 . The printer system according to claim 17 wherein each of the printhead modules has a series of elongate printhead integrated circuits positioned end to end and extending parallel to the direction transverse to the paper axis.
19 . The printer system according to claim 18 wherein the printhead cartridge has three of the datum features, two of the datum features being positioned to one side of the printhead modules and the remaining datum feature being positioned on the opposing side of the printhead modules with respect to the direction transverse to the paper axis.
20 . The printer system according to claim 19 further comprising three datum points for engaging the datum features, two of the datum points are positioned on one side of the media path and the remaining datum point positioned on the opposite side of the media path.