JP2008221786A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein, when discharge heads are mounted separately to independent holders, and the holders are coupled to each other to constitute a head holder unit, its rigidity is lowered because of the enlargement of the unit and the coupling of the holders in the direction perpendicular to a main scanning direction. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of head modules 2 each having discharge heads 2a are coupled to each other through engagements of recesses 4 and protrusions 5 provided on the sides of the modules 2, respectively. The head modules 2 are thereby made into a head unit 1 integrally coupled in the state where they are laid side by side in a main scanning direction so that the adjacent modules 2 make direct contact with each other, and the head unit 1 is integrally moved and scanned in the main scanning direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus capable of combining various discharge heads for discharging droplets.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and a complex machine of these, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus is known as an image forming apparatus including a liquid discharging apparatus using a recording head as a discharging head that discharges recording liquid droplets. It has been. In this liquid ejection type image forming apparatus, a recording liquid, for example, ink droplets, is transported from a recording head (not limited to paper, including OHP, and ink droplets, other liquids, etc. can be attached thereto. (It is also called a recording medium or a recording medium, recording paper, recording paper, etc.) to form an image (recording, printing, printing, printing are also used synonymously). A serial type image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting liquid droplets while the recording head moves in the main scanning direction, and forms an image by ejecting liquid droplets without moving the recording head There is a line type image forming apparatus using a line type head.

  The image forming apparatus means an apparatus for forming an image by discharging a liquid onto a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. The term “not only” means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a medium but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern to the medium. Further, the liquid is not limited to the recording liquid and ink, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid capable of forming an image. Further, the liquid discharge device means a device that discharges liquid from the discharge head.

In an image forming apparatus that includes such an image forming apparatus and forms an image, for example, in Patent Document 1, each discharge head is held in a holder, and the plurality of discharge heads are connected in the main scanning direction by combining the holders. It is described that they are combined and arranged in the orthogonal direction while shifting the position in the main scanning direction.
US Patent Specification No. 6890056

In Patent Documents 2 and 3, a module unit for mounting a recording head on a carriage is detachably mounted. In Patent Document 4, a head unit is detachably mounted on a carriage. Describes the head arrangement when an image is formed with a resolution higher than the pitch between nozzles. In addition, there are also Patent Documents 6 to 8.
JP 2005-297554 A JP 2005-262629 A JP 2005-058946 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-074919 JP 2001-219570 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-191483 JP 2005-297554 A

  Since the conventional serial type image forming apparatus adopts a configuration in which a carriage head is mounted as described in Patent Documents 2 to 8 described above, the type of discharge head to be mounted and the discharge head to be discharged. When the color and number of droplets are changed, the carriage must be changed for each.

  For example, as a color image forming apparatus, an apparatus equipped with four ejection heads of black (K), magenta (M), cyan (C), and yellow (Y), four ejection heads of KMCY of dye ink, and K In order to improve the image quality of the photograph, etc., the device equipped with the five discharge heads of the discharge head module for pigment ink for sharpening the characters of the four, the four discharge head modules of KMCY Devices equipped with six discharge heads are provided according to user requirements. In this case, it is necessary to prepare carriages for mounting ejection heads for 4 colors, 5 colors, 6 colors, and so on.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to mount the ejection heads on independent holders as described in Patent Document 1, and to combine the holders into a head holder assembly. However, as the number of heads increases, the number of holders also increases. As a result, there is a problem that the head holder assembly is increased in size, and there is a problem that the strength is weakened because the head holder assembly is coupled in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve expandability and maintainability without increasing the size of the apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a plurality of ejection heads that eject droplets, a guide member that guides scanning of the plurality of ejection heads in the main scanning direction, and a plurality of adjacent ejection heads are in direct contact with each other. As described above, a configuration is provided in which a plurality of ejection heads are coupled together in a state in which they are aligned in the main scanning direction, and coupling means for forming a head aggregate.

  Here, each of the plurality of ejection heads can be configured to have an engaging portion that engages with ejection heads adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction as a coupling means. In this case, the engaging part which comprises a coupling means can be set as the structure which is a recessed part and a convex part. Moreover, it can be set as the structure couple | bonded by engaging the some discharge head with the coupling member provided in the common holder. In this case, a plurality of coupling members provided in the common holder can be arranged in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  Further, the plurality of ejection heads can be combined in a state where they are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The plurality of ejection heads include ejection heads having different print widths, and the plurality of ejection heads include ejection heads that eject single color droplets and ejection heads that eject multiple color droplets. The cleaning unit that cleans the conveyance path of the medium on which the droplets land by moving in the main scanning direction in the main scanning direction may be coupled to the plurality of ejection heads by the coupling unit.

  Further, it is preferable that the plurality of ejection heads are combined in a combination in which the center of gravity of the head assembly and the median value in the main scanning direction are close to each other. In addition, a member that is coupled to a space generated when a plurality of ejection heads are arranged at positions shifted from each other in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction can be provided. The cleaning member that cleans the conveyance path of the medium on which the droplets land by moving the main scanning member in the main scanning direction.

  A plurality of maintenance / recovery means for maintaining and recovering the ejection head; and a coupling means for integrally joining the plurality of maintenance / recovery means in a state where they are arranged in contact with each other to form an assembly of the maintenance / recovery means. It can be set as a structure. In this case, the maintenance / recovery means preferably includes a capping device that caps the ejection head with a cap member.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of ejection heads that eject droplets, the moving mechanism that scans and moves the plurality of ejection heads in the main scanning direction, and the plurality of adjacent ejection heads are in direct contact with each other. As described above, since a plurality of ejection heads are joined together in a state in which they are aligned in the main scanning direction, and a coupling means for forming a head assembly is provided, expandability and maintenance can be performed without increasing the size of the apparatus. Can be improved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. An example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus includes a paper feed unit, a transport unit, a printing unit, and a paper discharge unit. The paper feed unit includes a paper feed tray 10, a paper feed roller 11, a separation pad 12, a manual paper feed tray 13, and the like. The recording medium is configured to be separated into one sheet by a separation pad 12 and conveyed to a conveying unit by a sheet feeding roller 11. The transport unit includes a transport roller 20 and the like, and transports the recording medium to the printing unit by the transport roller 20.

  The print unit is a head assembly (head unit) 1 in which a plurality of ejection heads are brought into direct contact and arranged in the main scanning direction so as to be detachably coupled together, and a guide member that guides the head assembly 1 in the main scanning direction. It is composed of a conveyance belt 34 or the like that is stretched between a guide rod 31, a conveyance roller 32, and a driven roller 33, and prints by ejecting ink from the head assembly 1 onto a recording medium sent by the conveyance roller 20. . At this time, the head assembly 1 scans in the main scanning direction following the guide rod 31. In this embodiment, the printing unit is detachable from the apparatus main body. After printing, the recording medium is conveyed to a paper discharge unit. The paper discharge unit 4 includes a reverse paper discharge roller 40, a paper discharge driven roller 41, a paper discharge tray 42, and the like, and conveys and discharges a recording medium to the paper discharge tray 42.

Next, different examples of the head assembly (head unit) in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 11 are schematic explanatory views of the head assembly.
In the head assembly 1 of FIG. 2, four ejection head modules 2 that eject droplets of four colors of black (K), magenta (M), cyan (C), and yellow (Y) are in direct contact with each other. In this manner, they are integrally detachably coupled in a state of being arranged in the main scanning direction. Hereinafter, K, M, C, and Y are simply indicated, and KMCY is also added in the drawing to distinguish the ejection head module 2 (the same applies to the following).

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 3 is a combination of two types of ejection head modules 2 for K and ejection head modules 2 for a total of five colors MCY. In this case, two types of K discharge head modules 2 that are disposed with their positions relatively shifted in the sub-scanning direction by an amount corresponding to ½ of the nozzle pitch, or the dye ink discharge head module 2 and the pigment ink discharge head. The module 2 has two types of ejection head modules 2.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 4 is a combination of the four-color ejection head module 2 in FIG. 2 and the second M- and second C-ejection head modules 2 for a total of six colors. is there.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 5 is obtained by connecting the ejection head module 2 to the head assembly 1 in FIG. 3 in the sub-scanning direction (recording medium feeding direction) only for K. In this case, in the case of an image of only K (monochrome), the printing width of one scanning is doubled, so that the printing speed of monochrome printing can be doubled that of color printing.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 6 is a combination of the discharge head modules 2 for K1, K2, M, C, and Y in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the head assembly 1 in FIG. The width is doubled to increase the color printing speed.

  The head assembly 1 shown in FIG. 7 combines a discharge head module 2 for K1, a discharge module 2 for K2 and M, and a discharge head module 2 for C and Y in the main scanning direction, and discharge for K1. The head module 2 is also coupled in the sub-scanning direction. That is, there are two nozzle rows in one discharge head module 2, and each of the discharge head modules 2 can discharge inks of different colors or types (for example, dye ink and pigment ink). Ejects only K ink from two nozzle rows, and the K2 and M ejection head modules 2 eject K ink from one of the two nozzle rows, M ink from the other nozzle row, and M and Y ejection heads The module 2 ejects M ink from one of the two nozzle rows and Y ink from the other nozzle row.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 8 is a combination of a cleaning module 50 serving as a cleaning member that cleans droplets adhering onto the transport belt 34 serving as a transport path and the ejection head module 2 of the head assembly 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. Is. The cleaning module 50 allows, for example, a felt-like member to move up and down, retracts upward during printing, moves downward during cleaning, contacts the conveyor belt 34, and reciprocates in the main scanning direction. By doing so, the surface of the conveyor belt 34 is cleaned.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 9 has two ejection head modules 2 coupled to the head assembly 1 in FIG. 3 in the sub-scanning direction (recording medium feeding direction) only for K (3 for K). Are connected in series). In this case, in the case of an image of only K (monochrome), the printing width of one scan is tripled, so that the monochrome printing speed can be tripled of the color printing speed.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 10 is different from the head assembly 1 in FIG. 3 in that the discharge head module 2A for K having a different print width (here, relatively longer than other discharge head modules) These are combined in the scanning direction. In this case, when the length (printing width) of the ejection head module 2A is twice that of the other ejection head modules 2, the printing width of one scan is tripled for an image of only K (monochrome). Therefore, the printing speed for monochrome printing can be three times that for color printing.

  The head assembly 1 in FIG. 11 has different print widths (here, relatively longer than the other discharge head modules), the discharge head modules 2A for K1, K2, and the M, C, Y use. Each discharge head module 2 is coupled in the main scanning direction. In this case, when the length (printing width) of the ejection head module 2A is twice that of the other ejection head modules 2, the printing width of one scan is doubled for an image of only K (monochrome). Therefore, the monochrome printing speed can be doubled as the color printing speed.

  As described above, since a plurality of discharge heads are integrally connected in the main scanning direction so as to contact each other, the number and arrangement order of the discharge heads can be freely combined without increasing the size. It becomes easy and expandability can be improved, and it can respond to various requests of users (multi-color, high image quality, etc.), and it is not necessary to change the carriage for each device, and it is arranged in the main scanning direction Can provide sufficient strength. In addition, maintenance and expandability are further improved by detachably connecting them together.

Next, a first example of one ejection head module 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 is a side explanatory view of the ejection head module 2, FIG. 13 is a perspective explanatory view, and FIG. 14 is a perspective explanatory view seen from the opposite side of FIG.
The discharge head module 2 is provided with a discharge head 2a on the lower surface, a guide bearing portion 3 through which the guide rod 31 is inserted, and a round hole-shaped recess 4 on one side surface (coupling surface). On the other side surface (bonding surface), a circular convex portion 5 that fits (engages) with the round hole-shaped concave portion 4 is provided. Here, the round hole-like concave portion 4 and the circular convex portion 5 are respectively provided at a total of six locations: two in the front-rear direction (positions that become upstream and downstream in the sub-scanning direction when combined) and three in the vertical direction. The two discharge head modules 2 are coupled by fitting the other circular convex portion 5 into one circular hole-shaped concave portion 4.

An example of the head assembly 1 in which the discharge head module 2 is coupled will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. 15 is a perspective explanatory view of the head assembly, and FIG. 16 is a partial sectional plan view of the head assembly.
In the head assembly 1, two K1 ejection head modules 2 are displaced in the sub-scanning direction and coupled in the main scanning direction, and the K1 ejection head module 2 into which the guide rod 31 is inserted is connected in the sub-scanning direction. The K2 discharge head module 2 is coupled to the K2 discharge head module 2, and the K2 discharge head module 2 into which the guide rod 31 is inserted is coupled to the K2 discharge head module 2. Thus, the ejection head modules 2 for M, C, and Y are sequentially coupled in the main scanning direction.

Next, a second example of one ejection head module 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 is a side explanatory view of the ejection head module 2, FIG. 18 is a perspective explanatory view, and FIG. 19 is a perspective explanatory view seen from the opposite side of FIG.
The discharge head module 2 is provided with a discharge head 2a on the lower surface, a guide bearing portion 3 through which a guide rod 31 is inserted, and a groove-like recess 6 on one side surface (joint surface). A rail-like convex portion 7 that fits (engages) the groove-like concave portion 46 is provided on the side surface (joint surface) of the groove. Here, the groove-like recess 6 and the rail-like convex portion 7 are provided at two locations in the front-rear direction (positions that become upstream and downstream in the sub-scanning direction when combined), and the rail-like convex portion 7 is arranged from above. The two ejection head modules 2 are combined by fitting into the other groove-shaped recess 6.

An example of the head assembly 1 in which the discharge head module 2 is coupled will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 is a perspective explanatory view of the head assembly, and FIG. 21 is a partial sectional plan view of the head assembly.
In the head assembly 1, two K1 ejection head modules 2 are displaced in the sub-scanning direction and coupled in the main scanning direction, and the K1 ejection head module 2 into which the guide rod 31 is inserted is connected in the sub-scanning direction. The K2 discharge head module 2 is coupled to the K2 discharge head module 2, and the K2 discharge head module 2 into which the guide rod 31 is inserted is coupled to the K2 discharge head module 2. Thus, the ejection head modules 2 for M, C, and Y are sequentially coupled in the main scanning direction.

Next, a head assembly when the ejection head modules 2 having different print widths are combined will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the configuration of the head assembly 1 in FIG. 9 described above, if the ejection head modules 2 of K1 and K2 are coupled to the left end in the sub-scanning direction and are long, the center of gravity of the head assembly 1 is shifted to the left side and the main scanning movement ( The way of receiving the load will be different on the forward and backward passes of the white arrow).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, the M discharge head module 2 is disposed on the left side and the C and Y discharge head modules 2 are disposed on the right side with the three K1 and K2 discharge head modules 2 interposed therebetween. Thus, the approximate center of gravity comes to the center position in the main scanning direction, and the conditions such as the load can be made substantially the same in the forward and backward passes of the main scanning movement. For the same reason, in the configuration of the head assembly 1 in FIG. 10, as shown in FIG. 23, the K1 and K2 ejection head modules 2 for connecting the K1 and K2 ejection head modules 2A having a long print width are sandwiched. Therefore, it is preferable to dispose the M ejection head module 2 on the left side and the C and Y ejection head modules 2 on the right side. In the configuration of the head assembly 1 shown in FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 24, the discharge head modules 2A for K1 and K2 having a long print width and the discharge head modules 2 for M, C, and Y are provided. It is preferable to arrange them alternately.

Next, another example of the head assembly 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. 25 is an explanatory plan view of the head assembly 1, FIG. 26 is an explanatory plan view of a state in which a dummy module is coupled to the head assembly, and FIG. 27 is the head of the dummy module.
As shown in FIG. 25, when the ejection head module 2 is coupled with the position shifted in the sub-scanning direction, a space 51 is formed between the ejection head modules 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. A dummy module 8 having the same width as 2 is coupled. As a result, the plurality of ejection head modules 2 can be integrated without any gaps, the inclination of the head assembly 1 can be prevented, the positional accuracy can be improved, and the center of gravity position of the head assembly can be adjusted. Can do.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 27, the dummy module 8 is provided with a removable cleaning member 9 that is retracted upward during printing and the cleaning member 9 is lowered downward when the transport belt 34 is cleaned. By using it, there is no waste. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a head assembly that maintains the alignment accuracy of the ejection heads, and it is possible to prevent the recording medium from being soiled.

Next, an embodiment in which the maintenance and recovery mechanism is modularized will be described with reference to FIGS. 28 is an explanatory view showing an example of a combination of the head assembly, the cap module assembly and the wiper module assembly, FIG. 29 is a side explanatory view for explaining the cap module assembly, and FIG. 30 is an explanation of the wiper module assembly. FIG.
According to the combination of the head assembly 1, a cap module assembly 60 in which a cap member for capping the nozzle surface of the ejection head 2 a is combined, and a wiper module 70 in which a wiper member wiper module assembly for wiping the nozzle surface is combined are configured. ing.

  29, the cap module 60 is configured to rotate the cam 63 by the motor 62 and move the cap 61 up and down as shown in FIG. 29. The wiper module 70 rotates the cam 63 by the motor 62 as shown in FIG. It is configured to move up and down.

  In this way, by providing an assembly of maintenance means that are integrally joined in a state of being in contact with each other, a plurality of ejection heads are integrally joined in a state of being arranged in the main scanning direction so as to be in direct contact with each other The head assembly can be maintained and recovered. And, by providing a capping member to the assembly of maintenance means that are integrally joined in a state of being in contact with each other, the nozzle surface of the head assembly can be protected and moisturized, and a wiper member is provided. Thus, the nozzle surface of the head assembly can be cleaned.

Next, a first example of the head assembly according to the second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 31 is an explanatory perspective view of the head assembly, FIG. 32 is an explanatory side view of one ejection head module 2, and FIG. 33 is an explanatory side view of a common holder for coupling a plurality of ejection head modules.
The discharge head module 2 is formed with an engaging groove (notch) 103 that engages with a coupling member 102 provided on a common holder (common fixing member) 101 at the top. The common holder 101 is formed with a guide hole 104 through which the guide rod 31 penetrates together with the coupling member 102. Then, by engaging the engaging groove portion 103 of each ejection head module 2 with the coupling member 102 of the common holder 101, a head assembly 100 in which the plurality of ejection head modules 2 are coupled together is configured.

Next, a second example of the head assembly according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 34 is an explanatory perspective view of the head assembly, FIG. 35 is an explanatory side view of one ejection head module 2, and FIG. 36 is an explanatory side view of a common holder for coupling a plurality of ejection head modules.
The discharge head module 2 is formed with an engagement hole 113 that engages with a coupling member 112 that is also a rod-shaped positioning member provided in the common holder 111 at the top. The common holder 111 is formed with a guide hole 114 through which the guide rod 31 penetrates together with the coupling member 112. Then, by fitting the engagement hole 113 of each ejection head module 2 into the coupling member 112 of the common holder 111, a head assembly 100 in which the plurality of ejection head modules 2 are coupled together is configured.

Next, a third example of the head assembly according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 37 is an explanatory plan view of the head assembly.
The common holder 111 is provided with three rod-shaped positioning members (coupling members) 112 in the sub-scanning direction. In addition, it can also be set as the rail-shaped coupling member 101 like the structure of the 1st example. Thereby, the ejection head module 2 can be displaced with respect to the sub-scanning direction and coupled without any gap.

  Note that examples of combinations of the ejection head modules 2 in the head assembly 100 can be the forms shown in FIGS. In addition, as shown in FIG. 38, the dummy discharge head module 8 can be combined. As shown in FIG. 39, the dummy discharge head module 8 includes a module including the cleaning member 9 that moves up and down as described above. You can also The dummy discharge head module 8 in this embodiment has a positioning hole 123 through which the positioning member 112 of the fixing member 111 passes and a guide hole 124 through which the guide rod 31 passes.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 1st example of the combination example of the head aggregate in the 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 2nd example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 3rd example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 4th example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 5th example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 6th example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 7th example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 8th example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 9th example similarly. It is a plane explanatory view showing the 10th example similarly. FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view showing a first example of one ejection head module in the same embodiment. It is a perspective explanatory view of the same ejection head module. FIG. 14 is an explanatory perspective view of the same discharge head module as viewed from the opposite direction to FIG. 13. It is a perspective explanatory view showing an example of a head aggregate including the discharge head module. It is a partial cross section top explanatory view of the head aggregate. It is side surface explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd example of one discharge head module in the same embodiment. It is a perspective explanatory view of the same ejection head module. FIG. 14 is an explanatory perspective view of the same discharge head module as viewed from the opposite direction to FIG. 13. It is a perspective explanatory view showing an example of a head aggregate including the discharge head module. It is a partial cross section top explanatory view of the head aggregate. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining a first example of an arrangement example in a case where ejection head modules having different print widths are combined. It is a typical explanatory view similarly used for description of the second example of the arrangement example. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining the third example of the arrangement example. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view for explaining a space formed when the ejection head modules are combined with different print widths. It is a plane explanatory view explaining the example which combined the dummy discharge head module in the space similarly. It is side surface explanatory drawing which shows an example of a dummy discharge head module. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the example of a combination of a head assembly, a cap module assembly, and a wiper module assembly. It is side surface explanatory drawing used for description of the same cap module assembly. It is side surface explanatory drawing used for description of the wiper module aggregate | assembly. It is a perspective explanatory view showing a head aggregate of the 1st example of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is side explanatory drawing which similarly shows an ejection head module. It is side surface explanatory drawing which similarly shows a common holder. It is a perspective explanatory view showing the head aggregate of the 2nd example of the embodiment. It is side explanatory drawing which similarly shows an ejection head module. It is side surface explanatory drawing which similarly shows a common fixing member. FIG. 10 is an explanatory plan view showing a head assembly of a third example of the same embodiment. It is a plane explanatory view showing the example which combined the dummy discharge head module similarly. It is side surface explanatory drawing which similarly shows the example which used the dummy discharge head module as the cleaning member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,100 ... Head assembly 2 ... Discharge head module 101, 111 ... Common fixing member 8 ... Dummy discharge head module

Claims (14)

A plurality of discharge heads for discharging droplets;
A guide member for guiding movement scanning in the main scanning direction of the plurality of ejection heads;
A plurality of ejecting heads arranged in the main scanning direction so as to be in direct contact with each other so as to form a head aggregate; An image forming apparatus.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ejection heads includes an engaging portion that engages with an ejection head adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction as the coupling unit. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion constituting the coupling means is a concave portion and a convex portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ejection heads are coupled by engaging with a coupling member provided in a common holder.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of coupling members provided in the common holder are arranged in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ejection heads are coupled in a state of being arranged at positions shifted from each other in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.   7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ejection heads include ejection heads having different print widths.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ejection heads include an ejection head that ejects a single color droplet and an ejection head that ejects a plurality of color droplets. An image forming apparatus.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cleaning unit that cleans a conveyance path of a medium on which the droplets land by moving in the main scanning direction in the main scanning direction is provided in the plurality of ejection heads. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatuses are coupled by a coupling unit.   10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ejection heads are combined in a combination in which a center of gravity of the head aggregate and a median value in a main scanning direction are close to each other. Forming equipment.   11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a member coupled to a space generated when the plurality of ejection heads are arranged at positions shifted from each other in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction is provided. An image forming apparatus.   12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the member coupled to the space is a cleaning unit that cleans a transport path of a medium on which the liquid droplets land by main scanning movement in the main scanning direction. Image forming apparatus.   13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of maintenance / recovery units that perform maintenance / recovery of the ejection head and the plurality of maintenance / recovery units are integrally coupled in a state of being in contact with each other. An image forming apparatus comprising a coupling means for forming an assembly of maintenance and recovery means.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the maintenance and recovery unit includes a capping device that caps the ejection head with a cap member.

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