EP0963842A1 - Vorrichtung zur Steuerung der Bewegung von Fluiden - Google Patents

Vorrichtung zur Steuerung der Bewegung von Fluiden Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0963842A1
EP0963842A1 EP99420130A EP99420130A EP0963842A1 EP 0963842 A1 EP0963842 A1 EP 0963842A1 EP 99420130 A EP99420130 A EP 99420130A EP 99420130 A EP99420130 A EP 99420130A EP 0963842 A1 EP0963842 A1 EP 0963842A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fluid
polymer
hydrophilic
external force
polymer elements
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.)
Granted
Application number
EP99420130A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0963842B1 (de
Inventor
Yannick Joseph François Lerat
Olivier Jean Christian Poncelet
Thierry Vachette
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.)
Eastman Kodak Co
Original Assignee
Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Eastman Kodak Co filed Critical Eastman Kodak Co
Publication of EP0963842A1 publication Critical patent/EP0963842A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0963842B1 publication Critical patent/EP0963842B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime 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
    • B41J2/21—Ink jet for multi-colour printing
    • B41J2/2107—Ink jet for multi-colour printing characterised by the ink properties
    • B41J2/211—Mixing of inks, solvent or air prior to paper contact
    • 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
    • B41J2/015—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process
    • B41J2/04—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for controlling fluid movement, especially a device capable of being used in ink jet printers.
  • ink jet color printers have reservoirs each containing ink with a defined color, each color of ink being ejected through a nozzle in the ink jet head.
  • the inks used are inks with the colors yellow, magenta, cyan and black.
  • the printing of a series of dots of yellow, magenta, cyan and black ink is controlled by a dithering technique that enables the different colored dots to be arranged so as to represent any color. The problem with such a printing technique is that the print dots are visible.
  • An object of the invention is to provide a device that enables the movement of fluids to be controlled with accuracy in particular to move fluid quantities defined with precision.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a device that enables the control of several fluids in order to obtain mixtures of these fluids defined with precision.
  • the invention relates to a device for controlling fluid movements that comprises:
  • the invention further relates to a method of moving fluid comprising the steps of :
  • the invention further relates to a method of moving fluid comprising the steps of :
  • the technique used to move fluids according to the invention consists in using a polymer element whose hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties can be selected under the action of an external force.
  • the principle of this technique is described in the French Patent Application No 9803011 filed in the name of the present applicant and not yet published.
  • the external force required to switch from one state to the other and thus also the means to generate the external force are determined according to the choice of polymer.
  • thermo-reversible polymers that is polymers which, when their temperature exceeds a threshold temperature called the phase transition temperature, switch from a hydrophilic state to a hydrophobic state or vice-versa
  • the external force will be the application of thermal energy.
  • thermo-reversible polymers should be selected that have a phase transition temperature between 20 and 100°C, and preferably between 30 and 70°C.
  • thermo-reversible polymers which are used in the present device, are organic polymers such as those described in Patent Application WO 91/15526. These are polymers that have a hydrophilic group and a hydrophobic group, the hydrophilic group being a water-soluble ionic polymerizable vinyl monomer, and the hydrophobic group comprising an acrylamide or methacrylamide monomer.
  • a poly(N-alkylacrylamide) a modified glycol polyethylene or a polysilylamine is selected.
  • a polymer is used that switches from one state to the other very quickly, for example poly(N-isopropylacrylamide).
  • a hydrophilic/hydrophobic phase transition temperature Tg proper to the polymer.
  • Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) has a Tg temperature of about 32°. When the polymer is at a temperature less than 32°, it is hydrophilic. When it is higher than 32°, it becomes hydrophobic.
  • the hydrophilic/hydrophobic phase transition temperature of a polymer can be modified by different means. For example adding a surfactant to the fluid to be moved can increase the phase transition temperature. This technique is described in the publication, Langmuir, 1995, Volume 11, No. 7, pages 2493-2495.
  • phase transition temperature Tg of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) can be modified from 32°C to 90°C.
  • Means to generate the external force, in this case thermal energy are for example constituted by a temperature control element, for example a heating element arranged in contact with the polymer element.
  • the heating element is for example constituted by a thin film of polycrystalline silicon in which a current is passed adapted to generating an amount of thermal energy to allow the polymer to exceed its phase transition temperature and to switch from one state to the other.
  • the polymer element can then return to its initial state, its temperature having decreased by simple heat diffusion.
  • An additional cooling system can also be provided such as for example a radiator or a Pelletier effect device.
  • Electrically conductive organic polymers can be selected, for example polymethylethiophene, which, under the action of an electric current as an external force, switch from the hydrophilic state to the hydrophobic state or vice-versa.
  • Means to generate the external force in this case are those for applying an electric current to the polymer element.
  • the hydrophilic/hydrophobic state change causes the polymer volume to vary.
  • the device for controlling fluid movement according to the invention comprises fluid guiding means 100 comprising a channel 110 in which the fluid flows.
  • moving means 120 is provided on the internal wall of the channel 110.
  • the moving means 120 comprises a plurality of polymer elements 130 whose hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties can be selected under the action of an external force.
  • the elements 130 are arranged along the channel 110.
  • the external force is applied to the polymer elements 130 by means of an actuating unit 140.
  • the actuating unit 140 is for example a heating element.
  • This heating element can be arranged in contact with a polymer element 130, preferably the polymer element 130 located in the channel 110, which the fluid first contacts when moving.
  • polymer elements 130 are used that are hydrophobic when their temperature is less than their phase transition temperature.
  • the fluid can thus fill the channel 110.
  • the thermal force is then applied to the polymer element on which the heating element is arranged.
  • This element becomes hydrophobic which causes the fluid to move.
  • the thermal force propagates by thermal diffusion and is gradually transmitted to the polymer elements 130 that are arranged in succession in the channel 110 in the direction of the fluid movement.
  • An actuating unit 140 can further be provided for each polymer element. The quantity of fluid to move is then determined according to which polymer element 130 is actuated first.
  • a second embodiment of the device for controlling fluid movement is shown in Figure 2.
  • the guiding means 200 comprise a plurality of channels 210 similar to the channels 110 described above, which are made in a matrix and converge.
  • the channels 210 for example are each connected to a reservoir of different fluids that is not shown and converge towards a single channel linked to an outlet S of the device.
  • This embodiment for example is useful for ink jet heads.
  • three channels 210 can be planned connected respectively to three ink reservoirs, each reservoir containing one ink color, yellow, magenta and cyan respectively.
  • the three channels converge to one channel terminated with an injection nozzle of the ink jet head.
  • actuation of the various polymer elements 230 present in each channel through an actuation unit 240 allows the quantity of ink to be moved in a channel to be controlled, a nozzle can eject a perfectly defined mixture of the three ink colors, yellow, magenta and cyan.
  • a fourth channel can also be provided connected to a fourth reservoir containing black ink.
  • the polymer elements 130, 230 comprise a continuous polymer film provided for the length of the channels.
  • the channels can be arranged on the surface of a matrix. They are then obtained for example by engraving.
  • Figure 3 represents a third embodiment of the device to control fluid movement.
  • the device comprises moving means 320 arranged on a flat surface.
  • the moving means 320 comprises a plurality of polymer elements 330 whose hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties can be selected under the action of an external force.
  • the polymer elements 330 are juxtaposed so as to form a continuous polymer surface.
  • An actuating unit 340 (only one is shown) is provided under the surface of the polymer to generate the external force.
  • the actuating unit comprises a plurality of independent heating elements arranged contiguously. A "mosaic type" surface of heating elements is thus obtained.
  • Such an embodiment of the invention is obtained by juxtaposing the heating elements, for example resistances, and by covering them with the polymer film whose hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties can be selected under the action of an external force.
  • the heating elements can be actuated independently and in succession.
  • the fluid guiding means 300 then comprises the fluid moving means 320, that is, the elements of the polymer surface according to their state. The liquid moves on the flat surface through the successive actuation of part of the polymer surface.
  • polymer elements 330 are used that are hydrophilic when their temperature is less than their phase transition temperature, when for example there is a hydrophilic fluid on an element of the polymer surface whose corresponding heated element is not actuated, the corresponding heating element of the polymer surface where the fluid is found is actuated so as to make it hydrophobic in order to move it and guide it on a precise path, the fluid having a tendency to be pushed away from said surface.
  • a closely situated heating element must then stay inactive so that the fluid moves onto the surface of the polymers corresponding to this heating element.
  • the other heating elements situated close to the last element are actuated so that the elements of the corresponding polymer surface are hydrophobic.
  • the fluid is guided by the elements of the polymer surface that constitute the guiding means 300. If polymer elements 330 are used that are hydrophobic when their temperature is less than their phase transition temperature, successive elements of the contiguous surface are actuated where it is wanted to move the fluid.
  • This embodiment is especially useful in ink jet heads.
  • three reservoirs can be provided, each reservoir containing one ink color, yellow, magenta and cyan.
  • a channel enables the ink to be taken from each reservoir to the device for controlling the fluids.
  • the different inks can be guided so as to converge on a selected surface in order to obtain a mixture of ink, this mixture then being guided to the inlet of a channel terminated by an injection nozzle of an ink jet head.
  • the device can be planned to control the movement of a compound to be added to the ink to be ejected, just before ejection.
  • a device can be used to add a solvent to the ink in order to obtain an ink drop of a constant volume to be ejected, or even a surfactant in order to modify the surface energy of the ink drop to be ejected.
  • a bleaching agent to modify the density of the ink color, or even a catalyst enabling accelerated polymerization of the ink on ejection.
  • the printing obtained using the invention device is practically continuous, the different colors represented can be obtained without using the dithering technique.
  • the invention as claimed can be used to control the movement of fluids other than inks.
  • it can be used in the medical field for dosing medicines.

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)
EP19990420130 1998-06-12 1999-06-09 Vorrichtung zur Steuerung der Bewegung von Fluiden Expired - Lifetime EP0963842B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR9807600 1998-06-12
FR9807600A FR2779667B1 (fr) 1998-06-12 1998-06-12 Dispositif pour gerer le deplacement de fluides

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0963842A1 true EP0963842A1 (de) 1999-12-15
EP0963842B1 EP0963842B1 (de) 2005-02-23

Family

ID=9527468

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19990420130 Expired - Lifetime EP0963842B1 (de) 1998-06-12 1999-06-09 Vorrichtung zur Steuerung der Bewegung von Fluiden

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0963842B1 (de)
DE (1) DE69923811T2 (de)
FR (1) FR2779667B1 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1612046A1 (de) * 2004-06-30 2006-01-04 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Druckvorrichtung
WO2015031849A1 (en) * 2013-08-30 2015-03-05 Illumina, Inc. Manipulation of droplets on hydrophilic or variegated-hydrophilic surfaces

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1991015526A2 (en) 1990-04-02 1991-10-17 Eastman Kodak Company Thermoreversible heat-thickening polyacrylamides
US5278126A (en) * 1989-03-31 1994-01-11 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Recording process and apparatus and recording medium in the same
JPH08230232A (ja) * 1995-03-02 1996-09-10 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 画像形成方法
EP0787588A2 (de) * 1996-01-31 1997-08-06 Sony Corporation Druckkopf und Verfahren zum Kontrollieren der Ausbreitung eines Fluids um eine Düsenöffnung
FR2775625A1 (fr) 1998-03-06 1999-09-10 Eastman Kodak Co Dispositif de deplacement d'un fluide

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5278126A (en) * 1989-03-31 1994-01-11 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Recording process and apparatus and recording medium in the same
WO1991015526A2 (en) 1990-04-02 1991-10-17 Eastman Kodak Company Thermoreversible heat-thickening polyacrylamides
JPH08230232A (ja) * 1995-03-02 1996-09-10 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 画像形成方法
EP0787588A2 (de) * 1996-01-31 1997-08-06 Sony Corporation Druckkopf und Verfahren zum Kontrollieren der Ausbreitung eines Fluids um eine Düsenöffnung
FR2775625A1 (fr) 1998-03-06 1999-09-10 Eastman Kodak Co Dispositif de deplacement d'un fluide

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 097, no. 001 31 January 1997 (1997-01-31) *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1612046A1 (de) * 2004-06-30 2006-01-04 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Druckvorrichtung
US7641322B2 (en) 2004-06-30 2010-01-05 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Printing apparatus
WO2015031849A1 (en) * 2013-08-30 2015-03-05 Illumina, Inc. Manipulation of droplets on hydrophilic or variegated-hydrophilic surfaces

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0963842B1 (de) 2005-02-23
DE69923811T2 (de) 2006-02-09
FR2779667A1 (fr) 1999-12-17
FR2779667B1 (fr) 2001-06-29
DE69923811D1 (de) 2005-03-31

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