Patent · US Expired

Control apparatus for an on-demand ink jet printing element

US4746937A · kind A · utility

47Cited by
2References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 23, 1986
Grant dateMay 24, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 23, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB41J2/0458
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

In an ink jet printing element in which the drop is expelled by generating a current pulse through the ink in the nozzle, in order to reduce the control voltage, a first pulse (Tr) for heating the ink is generated, followed by a vaporization pulse (Tv) with a delay such as to make the printing position independent of the direction of movement of the element with respect to the paper. The heating pulse (Tr) is generated by a circuit (31) controlled by a temperature sensor (34) so that the duration of the heating pulse has a negative temperature coefficient. The vaporization pulse (Tv) is generated by a circuit (32) manually controlled (potentiometer 39) to determine the pulse duration on the basis of the desired strength of the printing. The delay between the two pulses is controlled by a delay circuit (38), e.g. a monostable circuit. The two pulses are applied to a transformer (35) which generates the voltage between the electrodes. The two circuits (31, 32) may be constituted by one monostable circuit with separate RC networks sequentially enabled for determining the durations of the heating and vaporization pulses.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.