EP0104951A2 - Imprimante à jet d'encre et procédé d'opération d'imprimante - Google Patents

Imprimante à jet d'encre et procédé d'opération d'imprimante Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0104951A2
EP0104951A2 EP83305830A EP83305830A EP0104951A2 EP 0104951 A2 EP0104951 A2 EP 0104951A2 EP 83305830 A EP83305830 A EP 83305830A EP 83305830 A EP83305830 A EP 83305830A EP 0104951 A2 EP0104951 A2 EP 0104951A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
charge
drop streams
jet drop
row
jet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP83305830A
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German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0104951A3 (fr
Inventor
Suresh C. Paranjpe
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mead Corp
Original Assignee
Mead Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mead Corp filed Critical Mead Corp
Publication of EP0104951A2 publication Critical patent/EP0104951A2/fr
Publication of EP0104951A3 publication Critical patent/EP0104951A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/07—Ink jet characterised by jet control
    • B41J2/075—Ink jet characterised by jet control for many-valued deflection
    • B41J2/08—Ink jet characterised by jet control for many-valued deflection charge-control type
    • B41J2/085—Charge means, e.g. electrodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to ink jet printers and, more particularly, to a multiple jet ink jet printer and printing method in which crosstalk between adjacent charging electrodes and cross talk from previously formed drops in each jet drop stream are compensated.
  • Ink jet printers are known in which a plurality of jets of ink drops are projected toward a moving print receiving medium, such as a sheet or a web of paper or other material. Drops in each of the jet drop streams are selectively electrically charged and an electric field in the path of the jets deflects the trajectories of the charged drops. The uncharged drops, on the other hand, are unaffected by the field. A catcher receives drops deflected into a catch trajectory and prevents the received drops from striking the print receiving medium. The remainder of the drops, however, strike the medium and collectively form a print image on the medium.
  • Some ink jet printers are "binary" in operation in that.the drops from each jet drop stream can be directed to the catcher or, alternatively, into a single print trajectory for deposit on the print receiving medium.
  • Such a system is shown in U.S. patent No. 3,701,998, issued October 31, 1972, to Mathis.
  • the drops in each jet drop stream may be selectively charged to any of a number of charge levels and deflected to a catcher or into any of a number of print trajectories.
  • the drops from a single jet drop stream can be deposited at any one of a number of print positions on the print receiving medium.
  • guard drops are a drop which is not used for printing but which serves the sole function of permitting the print drops to be spaced further apart in a stream, thereby reducing the crosstalk between print drops.
  • the guard drops may be drops carrying no charge, such as shown in U.S. patent No. 3,562,757, issued February 9, 1971, to Bischoff, and U.S. patent No. 4,086,601, issued April 25, 1978, to Fillmore et al.
  • the guard drops may be charged, as shown in U.S. patent No. 3,596,275, issued July 27, 1971, to Sweet.
  • the charge carried by the preceding drop in a jet drop stream i.e., a guard drop
  • the charge potential applied to the charge electrode in order to charge a drop appropriately for printing is also known.
  • the charge potential applied to a charge electrode as a print drop is formed may be offset by a d.c. voltage level which compensates for the effect of the charge carried by the previously formed guard drop.
  • Another difficulty encountered in accurately charging drops in a multi-jet ink jet printing system is that of jet-to-jet crosstalk.
  • jet-to-jet crosstalk When a high resolution printer uses a charge electrode arrangement in which the electrodes do not completely surround their associated jet drop streams, the charge induced on a drop in a stream is a function of both the potential applied to the charge electrode associated with the stream and also the potentials applied to charge electrodes associated with the adjacent streams.
  • This problem of interjet crosstalk increases as the spacing between adjacent jet drop streams is decreased.
  • U.S. patent No. 4,074,278, issued February 14, 1978, to Robertson discloses an arrangement in which a charge potential applied to a charge electrode is adjusted in response to the charge potentials applied to charge electrodes associated with adjacent jets in order to compensate for interjet crosstalk.
  • U.S. patent No. 3,656,171, issued April 11, 1972, to Robertson recognizes the crosstalk problem but the device disclosed in the patent is such that the effect of crosstalk is minimized and no compensation is needed.
  • an ink jet printer includes print head means for generating a first plurality of groups of jet drop streams arranged in a first row.
  • the jet drop streams in each of the groups are uniformly spaced along the first row and interspersed with jet drop streams in each of the other groups.
  • a first plurality of charge electrodes are provided with each of the electrodes positioned adjacent an associated one of the jet drop streams.
  • a plurality of print control signals are provided for application to associated ones of the charge electrodes.
  • Each of the print control signals is selectively variable between at least one print potential level and a catch potential level, whereby drops having a print charge level or a catch charge level, respectively, may be produced.
  • a guard signal at a guard potential level is provided for application to the charge electrodes, whereby drops having a guard charge level may be produced.
  • a deflection electrode means provides an electrical deflection field through which the jet drop streams pass.
  • a catcher means catches drops charged to the catch charge level and drops charged to the guard charge level.
  • a control means repetitively applies print control signals in sequence to charge electrodes associated with each group of the jet drop streams, while simultaneously applying the guard signal to the remaining charge electrodes.
  • the control means may comprise means for applying print control signals to charge electrodes associated with each group of the jet drop streams for a time period substantially equal to the time required for production of a predetermined number of drops in the jet drop streams.
  • the jet printer may have a print head which includes means for generating a secono plurality of groups of jet drop streams arranged in a second row parallel to and adjacent the first row.
  • the jet drop streams in each of the groups of the second plurality are uniformly spaced along the second row and interspersed with jet drop streams in each of the other groups in the second plurality.
  • the printer may further comprise a second plurality of charge electrodes with each of the charge electrodes being positioned adjacent an associated one of the jet drop streams in the second row, a catcher means for catching drops in the second row charged to the catch charge level and to the guard charge level, and a control means for repetitively applying print control signals in sequence to charge electrodes associated with each group of the jet drop streams in the second row. The control means simultaneously applies the guard signals to the remaining charge electrodes associated with jet drop streams in the second row.
  • the ink jet printer may have a control means which applies the guard signal to charge electrodes associated with jet drop streams in the second row when print control signals are applied to charge electrodes associated with jet drop streams adjacent thereto in the first row.
  • the method of the present invention of operating the ink jet printer includes the steps of:
  • the step of applying print control signals may comprise the step of cyclically applying in sequence print control signals to charge electrodes associated with each group of the jet drop streams, while simultaneously applying the guard signal to the remaining charge electrodes.
  • the step of cyclically applying print control signals may include the step of sequentially applying print control signals to charge electrodes associated with each group of the jet drop streams for a time period substantially equal to the time required for production of a predetermined number of drops in the jet drop streams.
  • the time period may be approximately equal to the time required for production of one drop or, alternatively, to the time required for production of a plurality of drops.
  • the method may further include the step of cyclically applying in sequence print control signals to charge electrodes associated with each group of the jet drop streams in the second row while simultaneously applying the guard signal to the remaining charge electrodes associated with jet drop streams in the second row.
  • the guard signal may be applied to charge electrodes associated with jet drop streams in each of the rows when the print control signals are applied to charge electrodes associated with the jet drop streams opposite thereto in the other of the rows.
  • Figs. 1-3 illustrate a jet drop printer according to the present invention which includes a print head means 10 for generating a first plurality of jet drop streams 12 arranged in a first row and a second plurality of jet drop streams 14 arranged in a second row.
  • the print head means 10 includes a plurality of transducer assemblies 16, a piston member 18, a resilient O-ring 20, a transducer holder 22, and a manifold block 24 with an intervening sealing O-ring 26.
  • An orifice plate 28 defines a first row of orifices 30 and a second row of orifices 32, and is adhesively attached to the bottom of manifold block 24.
  • Block 24 defines a fluid reservoir 34 to which ink is supplied under pressure via inlet connection 36. The ink flows through the orifices 30 and 32 and emerges from each orifice as a fluid filament. The fluid filaments then break up into the streams of drops 12 and 14.
  • Each transducer assembly 16 is composed of an upper backing plate 38, a pair of piezoelectric transducers 40 which are preferably thickness mode ceramic transducers, a transducer attachment plate 42 which also functions as an electrode for transducers 40. Plate 42 is supported by holder 16 and attached thereto by bolts 44.
  • The.piston member 18 is attached to the transducer assemblies 16 by means of bolts 46 which extend into threaded openings in the piston member 18.
  • electrical conductors 48 When a driving potential is applied to the piezoelectric transducers 40 by electrical conductors 48, pressure waves are produced in the fluid within reservoir 34 which pass downward and which are coupled to the fluid filaments 50 so as to produce pressure varicosities in the filaments which cause them to break up into ink drops of generally uniform size and spacing.
  • the print head 10 is disclosed more completely in U.S. patent No. 4,138,687, issued February 6, 1979, to Cha et al, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
  • a plurality of charge electrodes are provided and positioned adjacent the jet drop streams.
  • a first plurality of charge electrodes 52 is positioned adjacent the first row of streams 12.
  • Electrodes 52 preferably comprise plated layers of metal spaced along the edge of non-conductive electrode plate 54.
  • a second plurality-of charge electrodes 56 comprise layers of metal spaced along the edge of non-conductive charge electrode plate 58.
  • Each of the electrodes is connected to a separate printed circuit conductor on the top surface of the plates 54 and 58.
  • the printed circuit conductors are electrically connected through connectors 60 to appropriate control circuitry for supplying the desired electrical potentials to the electrodes so that the drops carry appropriate electrical charges.
  • a deflection electrode means including deflection electrode 64, is provided which is supported within electrically nonconductive holders 66. Holder 66 also supports catchers 68. Typically, a high electrical potential is applied to electrode 64 via line 70 while catchers 68 are grounded by conductors 72. A substantial electrical field therefore extends between electrode 64 and each of the grounded catchers 68.
  • Catchers 68 are laterally adjustable relative to electrode 64 by means of elastic bands 74 which urge the catchers inward in slots 76 defined by holders 66. Adjusting blocks 78 are inserted upwardly through openings 80 in holders 66 and bear against the faces of the catchers. The blocks 78 are adjusted by means of screws 82 so as to position and align the catchers as desired.
  • ink flows downward through orifices 30 and 32 forming rows 12 and 14 of streams which break up into curtains of drops.
  • the point of break up of the fluid filaments 50 into drops is adjacent associated charge electrodes 52 and 56.
  • the drops then are directed to one of the catchers 68 or onto the moving print receiving medium 62 at one of two print positions.
  • Switching-of drops between the "catch" trajectory and the two "print” trajectories is accomplished by electrostatic charging and deflection. Drops which are uncharged pass through the fields between the catchers 68 and the electrode 64 in undeflected trajectories as shown by streams 84. Those drops carrying a slight charge are deflected outward from the deflection electrode 64 as shown by streams 86. Finally, those drops carrying a greater charge are deflected sufficiently to strike catchers 68 with the result that the drops do not print on the medium 62.
  • Fig. 4 a diagrammatic representation of the print positions at which drops may be deposited on the medium 62 by the printer, taken generally along line 4-4 in Fig. 3.
  • Electrode 64 is maintained at a deflection voltage of thr- same polarity as the charge levels selectively applied to the drops. Uncharged drops strike the print receiving medium at print positions illustrated by the solid circles. Slightly charged drops are deflected outward to the print positions shown by the dashed circles. If a greater charge level is placed on a drop, the drop is deflected even further outward from the electrode 64 so as to be caught by a catcher 68.
  • the print positions have been numbered 1-480. It is assumed for purposes of illustration that 240 orifices are used with each of the two parallel rows having 120 such orifices.
  • the print control signals are supplied to the charge electrodes in a digital fashion.
  • Each electrode is supplied with a print control signal which is selectively variable between at least one print potential level which causes a drop being formed to carry a print charge level and a catch potential level which causes the drop being formed to carry a catch charge level.
  • two print potential levels are available with one of the two levels causing deposit of drops at the print positions indicated by solid circles and the other of the two print potential levels causing deposit of drops at the print positions illustrated by the dashed circles.
  • a guard potential level is available for application to electrodes when guard drops are to be charged to a guard charge level. This guard potential level may be equal to the catch potential level.
  • Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of the first row 12 of jet drop streams, depicting the fluid filaments 50 which break up into jet drop streams adjacent associated electrodes 52.
  • the drops have been colored in Fig. 7 to differentiate between guard drops, colored black, and print drops, which are white.
  • a print drop is not necessarily a drop which is going to be deposited on the print receiving medium 62. Rather, a print drop is a drop which can be selectively charged for deposit on the print receiving medium or, alternatively, for deflection to a catcher.
  • Guard drops on the other hand, always carry a guard charge level and, j therefore, are always deflected to a catcher.
  • the jet drop streams in the row 12 may be grouped into a plurality of groups with the jet drop streams in each of the groups being uniformly spaced along the first row and interspersed with the jet drop streams in each of the other groups.
  • the jet drop streams may be grouped into with three groups, with streams 88, 90, and every third stream along the row in the first group, streams 92, 94, and every third stream along the row in the second group, and streams 96, 98, and every third stream along the row in the third group.
  • Print control signals are applied repetitively in sequence to charge electrodes associated with each group of said jet drop streams, while simultaneously applying the guard signal to the remaining charge electrodes.
  • the charging pattern illustrated is such that when a print drop, such as drop 100 is produced, the drop-to-drop crosstalk effect from the preceding guard drops 102 and 104 is known and, as a consequence, the potential applied to the associated charge electrode may be adjusted to compensate for this crosstalk.
  • this potential adjustment simply takes the form of a d.c. shift in the print control charge levels applied to the electrodes 52.
  • drops 106, 108, 110, and 112 on either side of drop 100 were also being formed and that these drops are all guard drops.
  • the inter-jet crosstalk from adjacent charging electrodes 52 will also be known.
  • the crosstalk between jets can simply be compensated by another d.c. level shift in the print voltages applied to the charge electrodes.
  • print control data is supplied to switches 114 via lines 116 from an appropriate source of such data.
  • the signals on lines 116 are either binary 1's or 0's, indicating a print or no print decision for the appropriate print position then being serviced by the jet.
  • Switches 114 are illustrated for purposes of explanation as mechanical switching devices but preferably, such switches will be semiconductor switching devices.
  • Switch 114 when receiving a binary 1 on line 116 indicating that a drop is to be deposited at the print position then being serviced by the jet, will switch into its upper switching position so as to connect its output 118 to supply a print potential level signal from line 120 to switch 122. It will be appreciated that a switch 122 and a switch 114 are provided for each of the charge electrodes.
  • the charge voltage levels used by the circuit of Fig. 5 to implement this charging method would generally be as shown in Fig. 6.
  • the print potential level ⁇ fluctuates between a voltage of ⁇ 1 and a voltage of ⁇ 2 .
  • the voltage ⁇ 1 is selected so as to compensate for the net crosstalk effect from adjacent charge electrodes and previously formed guard drops with the result that the drop formed while- ⁇ 1 volts is applied to the charge electrode carries no charge. Such a drop will therefore pass downward through the deflection field unaffected.
  • the voltage-A is selected so as to compensate for drop-to-drop and interjet crosstalk and result in a charge being induced in a drop formed as this potential is applied to the associated electrode such that it is deflected to one of the print positions indicated generally as 86. If, on the other hand, a drop is not to be deposited at the print position then being serviced by the jet, the output of switch 114 receives -D volts which is supplied via switch 122 to the charge electrode. This voltage is a catch potential level which results in the drop then being formed carrying a catch charge level. The drop then formed will have a sufficiently large positive electrical charge such that it will be deflected outward and will be caught by one of the catchers 68.
  • a control circuit including shift register 124 provides control signals to switches 122.
  • Register 124 is loaded with the sequence "100100100 " and is clocked in this embodiment at the drop generation frequency of the print head.
  • the 1's and 0's are shifted downward with the output from the bottom shift register stage being returned to the top shift register stage via line 126.
  • Each switch 112 is repetitively switched into its lower switching positions so as to provide a guard signal at a potential -D to the associated charge electrode during formation of two successive guard drops before switching into its upper switching position in which a print control signal from switch 114 is provided to the charge electrode.
  • register 124 can be cycled at a lower rate, thus resulting in more than one print drop being formed at one time.
  • Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate similar drop charging patterns.
  • Fig. 8 shows the pattern of charge ana guard drops where only one guard drop is provided between successive print drops.
  • Fig. 9, is a view illustrating the use of three guard drops between successive print drops.
  • the streams are grouped into two groups with every other stream in the row belonging to the same group.
  • the streams are grouped into four groups, with every fourth stream belonging to the same group.
  • Fig. 10 depicts the rows 12 and 14 of jet drop streams subsequent to charging but prior to deflection as generally seen from above the medium 62.
  • the charging of drops in row 12 is accomplished so that when a print drop is being formed in a stream in one row, the corresponding opposite stream in the other row has a guard drop being formed.
  • jet-to-jet interference between adjacent jets in the two rows of jet drop streams is made predictable and thus may be compensated by a further d.c. adjustment of the print control signals applied'to the charge electrodes.

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  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
EP83305830A 1982-09-29 1983-09-28 Imprimante à jet d'encre et procédé d'opération d'imprimante Withdrawn EP0104951A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US42657582A 1982-09-29 1982-09-29
US426575 1982-09-29

Publications (2)

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EP0104951A2 true EP0104951A2 (fr) 1984-04-04
EP0104951A3 EP0104951A3 (fr) 1985-11-06

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EP83305830A Withdrawn EP0104951A3 (fr) 1982-09-29 1983-09-28 Imprimante à jet d'encre et procédé d'opération d'imprimante

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Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4613871A (en) * 1985-11-12 1986-09-23 Eastman Kodak Company Guard drops in an ink jet printer
EP0782926A1 (fr) * 1996-01-04 1997-07-09 Domino Printing Sciences Plc Méthode d'impression par imprimante multibuse à jet d'encre continu
WO2006044588A1 (fr) * 2004-10-15 2006-04-27 Eastman Kodak Company Procede de fabrication d'une plaque de charge
US7533965B2 (en) 2005-03-07 2009-05-19 Eastman Kodak Company Apparatus and method for electrostatically charging fluid drops

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3701998A (en) * 1971-10-14 1972-10-31 Mead Corp Twin row drop generator
US3833910A (en) * 1973-06-18 1974-09-03 Ibm Ink drop printer charge compensation
US4074278A (en) * 1976-12-22 1978-02-14 The Mead Corporation Compensation circuit for channel to channel crosstalk
US4086601A (en) * 1976-03-30 1978-04-25 International Business Machines Corporation Sequential ink jet printing system with variable number of guard drops

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3701998A (en) * 1971-10-14 1972-10-31 Mead Corp Twin row drop generator
US3833910A (en) * 1973-06-18 1974-09-03 Ibm Ink drop printer charge compensation
US4086601A (en) * 1976-03-30 1978-04-25 International Business Machines Corporation Sequential ink jet printing system with variable number of guard drops
US4074278A (en) * 1976-12-22 1978-02-14 The Mead Corporation Compensation circuit for channel to channel crosstalk

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4613871A (en) * 1985-11-12 1986-09-23 Eastman Kodak Company Guard drops in an ink jet printer
WO1987002938A1 (fr) * 1985-11-12 1987-05-21 Eastman Kodak Company Procede et dispositif de production de gouttelettes de garde dans une imprimante a jet d'encre
EP0782926A1 (fr) * 1996-01-04 1997-07-09 Domino Printing Sciences Plc Méthode d'impression par imprimante multibuse à jet d'encre continu
US5949455A (en) * 1996-01-04 1999-09-07 Domino Printing Sciences Plc Method of printing with a multi-nozzle continuous ink jet printer
WO2006044588A1 (fr) * 2004-10-15 2006-04-27 Eastman Kodak Company Procede de fabrication d'une plaque de charge
US7204020B2 (en) 2004-10-15 2007-04-17 Eastman Kodak Company Method for fabricating a charge plate for an inkjet printhead
US7533965B2 (en) 2005-03-07 2009-05-19 Eastman Kodak Company Apparatus and method for electrostatically charging fluid drops

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS5983669A (ja) 1984-05-15
EP0104951A3 (fr) 1985-11-06

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