US 11,731,428 B2
Capping unit, maintenance device and printer
Roland Ruf, Ehrikon (CH); Dominik Job, Baretswil (CH); and Piero Pierantozzi, Grenchen (CH)
Assigned to BOBST MEX SA, Mex (CH)
Appl. No. 17/282,327
Filed by MOUVENT AG, Solothurn (CH)
PCT Filed Oct. 22, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/078917
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 1, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/083466, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0379894 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. B41J 2/165 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/16511 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A capping unit for capping at least one printhead of a printer, the capping unit comprising:
a belt element, including a plurality of chain elements that are sequentially hinged together, and having an elongated extent, wherein the belt element includes at least one flexible cap for capping said at least one printhead, wherein the belt element is configured to be set in a resting setting and a capping setting, and is displaceable between the resting setting and the capping setting,
wherein the belt element provides a self-stability section extending over at least a portion of the elongated extent of the belt element,
wherein, in the self-stability section, the belt element is bendable in a movement plane,
wherein, in the capping setting, at all positions within the self-stability section, a course of the elongated extent follows a straight line in the movement plane,
wherein, in the capping setting, at each position within the self-stability section, the belt element provides a self-stability against bending of the belt element in a self-stability direction, the self-stability direction being oriented perpendicular to the straight line and being aligned in the movement plane,
wherein, at at least one position within the self-stability section, the belt element is bendable in the movement plane away from the straight line in a bending direction, the bending direction being oriented opposite to the self-stability direction, and
at each position within the self-stability section, the belt element provides a self-stability against bending of the belt element in a local self-stability direction beyond a limit, the local self-stability direction being oriented perpendicular to the course of the elongated extent at each respective position, and
in the capping setting, at each position within the self-stability section, the local self-stability direction is aligned parallel to the self-stability direction and the limit is a limiting curve being the straight line, and
wherein stoppers are provided at the chain elements, by which a pivoting movement of two adjacent chain elements with respect to each other can be limited in one direction at a specific limit such that the self-stability against bending of the belt element in the local self-stability direction beyond the limit is provided.