Electrical connectors – Self aligning contact
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-20
2004-05-11
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Self aligning contact
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733317
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having a head holding member for detachably holding a recording head.
2. Related Background Art
Regarding recording apparatuses, a recording apparatus of a so-called serial type, in which a recording head is mounted on a carriage and the recording is carried out by reciprocally scanning the carriage in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of a recording medium, has recently come into widespread use. The reason is that the recording apparatus of the serial type can form an image with a recording head smaller in comparison with a recording area, thereby facilitating compactness and cost reduction of the recording apparatus. In the recording apparatus of the serial type, since electrical connection between the recording head on the carriage and control means of a main body of the recording apparatus must be maintained even when the carriage is being moved, the recording means and the recording head are interconnected by a flexible cable having flexibility and the like.
The electrical connection between the flexible cable and the recording head is performed by using the soldering, insertion into a cable connector, or pressure abutment by means of a pressure abutment connector or a rubber pad.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 5-016339 (1993) discloses an example in which a cable connector is used. In this example, after a recording head is previously mounted to a carriage positively, by moving a cable connector by means of an operation lever, the cable connector is inserted into a connector. However, in this method, not only a user's operation for attaching recording head is complicated, but also, since positional deviation due to dimensional tolerance between a plurality of recording heads arranged and connectors connected to the respective heads is absorbed by elasticity of electrical wiring terminals, reliability of electrical connection is doubtful.
Also in the connection using the soldering, positioning and securing of the recording heads to the recording apparatus must be performed independent of the electrical connection, and the recording heads once attached cannot be dismounted, so that the user cannot use other kind of heads and, if the recording head is damaged, such a head cannot be exchanged.
Thus, in recording apparatuses in which the recording head is mounted and dismounted by the user, a pressure abutment system using a pressure abutment connector or a rubber pad, in which the electrical connection is achieved by abutting the recording head against an electrical connection portion of the recording apparatus has widely been used. In the pressure abutment system, by widening an area of the pressure abutment pad or by lengthening a pressure abutment stroke, a slight degree of freedom can be given to a relative position between an electrical contact terminal of the recording apparatus and an electrical contact terminal of the recording head. By doing so, the recording head can be positioned and secured with respect to a head holding member for holding the recording head with high accuracy and at the same time the electrical contacts can abut against each other, with the result that attachment of the recording head can be completed with an easy operation.
The recording apparatus using the pressure abutment system utilizing the pressure abutment connector or the rubber pad has an urging member having a strong urging force in order to maintain electrical communication by abutting the electrical contacts against each other strongly. Thus, when the electrical contacts are interconnected, the abutment surface may be deformed due to high reaction forces acting on the urging member and the head holding member to separate the electrical contacts from each other. To avoid this, these members must be reinforced sufficiently. Further, in order to maintain a condition that the high stress acts on these members during the operation of the recording apparatus, peripheral members such as the urging member must be formed from metal, or, when such members are formed from resin, ribs are added to increase the strength and to avoid deformation due to stress.
Further, in the recording apparatus using the pressure abutment system, since the positioning and securing of the recording head is performed by applying the strong urging force to the electrical connection portion in this way, the attachment of the recording head requires a great operating force, with the result that user's operability may be worsened. To avoid this, there has been proposed a technique in which, by providing an attaching lever, the user's operating position is located remote from the pressure abutment position between the electrical contacts so that the user's operating force is reduced by utilizing the principle of “lever”.
In this way, since the recording apparatus using the pressure abutment system requires the provision of the urging member and the attaching lever, and, thus, a wide space is required around the contact terminals, there arose a problem that it was difficult to make the recording apparatus compact. Further, as the recording speed and image quality of the recording apparatus increased, the number of the electrical contacts themselves increased, with the result that, even in a large recording apparatus, which need not be made compact, there arose a problem regarding reduction in stress and operating force of the electrical connection portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which, when a recording head is mounted to a head holding member to connect an electrical connection portion of the recording head to an electrical connection portion of the head holding member, reliability regarding connection between the electrical connection portions can be enhanced, and positioning accuracy of the recording head with respect to the head holding member can be enhanced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which a recording head is detachably held by a head holding member so that electrical connection portions of the recording apparatus and the head holding member are interconnected and in which an attachment portion between the recording head and the head holding member can be made compact and, further, a user's operation for mounting and dismounting the recording head with respect to the head holding member can be facilitated.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus comprising a head holding member for detachably holding a recording head to which a card edge substrate having a plurality of electrical contacts to which drive signals are transmitted is attached and which serves to perform a recording operation on the basis of the drive signals, and a card edge connector having plurality of electrical contact terminals connected to the plurality of electrical contacts of the card edge substrate respectively and attached to the head holding member, and in which the head holding member has a connector holding portion for supporting the card edge connector through an elastic member so that the card edge connector can be moved in two directions perpendicular to mounting and dismounting directions of the card edge substrate with respect to the card edge connector.
The other object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus comprising a head holding member for detachably holding a recording head to which a card edge connector having a plurality of electrical contact terminals to which drive signals are transmitted is attached, and a card edge substrate which has a plurality of electrical contacts connected to the plurality of electrical contact terminals of the card edge connector respectively and which is attached to the head holding member, and in which the recording head has a connector holding portion for supporting the card edge connector through an elastic member so that the card edg
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