EP1403061B1 - Appareil et procédé pour alimenter en encre uniformément et en quantités égales les deux extrémités d'un générateur de gouttelettes - Google Patents

Appareil et procédé pour alimenter en encre uniformément et en quantités égales les deux extrémités d'un générateur de gouttelettes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1403061B1
EP1403061B1 EP20030255928 EP03255928A EP1403061B1 EP 1403061 B1 EP1403061 B1 EP 1403061B1 EP 20030255928 EP20030255928 EP 20030255928 EP 03255928 A EP03255928 A EP 03255928A EP 1403061 B1 EP1403061 B1 EP 1403061B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fluid
printhead
ink
port
flow
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.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
EP20030255928
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German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1403061A1 (fr
Inventor
Daniel E. Woolard
Robert J. Simon
David A. Huliba
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
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Eastman Kodak Co
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Publication date
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Publication of EP1403061A1 publication Critical patent/EP1403061A1/fr
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Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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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
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/19—Ink jet characterised by ink handling for removing air bubbles
    • 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
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • 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
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/1707—Conditioning of the inside of ink supply circuits, e.g. flushing during start-up or shut-down
    • 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
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/18—Ink recirculation systems

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to continuous ink jet printers and, more particularly, to a system and method for reducing turbulence in the fluid cavity of a drop generator.
  • Ink jet printing systems are known in which a print head defines one or more rows of orifices which receive an electrically conductive recording fluid, such as for instance a water base ink, from a pressurized fluid supply manifold and eject the fluid in rows of parallel streams.
  • Printers using such print heads accomplish graphic reproduction by selectively charging and deflecting the drops in each of the streams and depositing at least some of the drops on a print receiving medium, while others of the drops strike a drop catcher device.
  • Droplet generators are one of the major components in a continuous ink jet printhead. Droplet generators often use a nozzle plate attached to a resonant body to stimulate the jets. Several different methods are currently in practice to supply fluid to the nozzle plate. One known method includes fluid passages originating at the nodal line of the resonant body, with internal cavities leading to the nozzle plate. Another known method teaches that the fluid ingress can be achieved by feeding ink through a fluid port in the end wall of the droplet generator, where the fluid port is located down close to the nozzle plate face of the droplet generator. This eliminates the longer internal cavities required with a nodal line feed droplet generator. This latter method is referred to as a bottom front feed droplet generator. As a variation of that concept, it is known that fluid can be fed from the side, as opposed to the front.
  • This ink flows through a fluid cavity bore having a diameter of 0.170 inches in the droplet generator without the onset of turbulence. Turbulent flow begins to occur for this particular droplet generator configuration as the flow-rate approaches 800 mL/min. Variations in part fabrication such as tube bonding uniformity or the trench machining are known to lower this onset of turbulent flow.
  • the ink flow-rate required is over 1300 mL/min. Attempting to supply this ink flow to the droplet generator with a single feed line of the same bore diameter results in significant disturbance of the drop formation resulting from the turbulent fluid flow on the inlet flow end. As a result, the print quality and the operating latitude of the printhead can be adversely affected. It is therefore desirable to operate the printheads without turbulence present in the fluid cavity.
  • Document EP-A-0 714 779 discloses an inkjet printing apparatus having an air buffer in an ink supply system. Ink is supplied to a print head from a sub-tank by a negative pressure.
  • an ink jet printer has an associated droplet generator with multiple fluid ports to the droplet generator. At least one of the multiple fluid ports serves as a mono-directional inlet port through which fluid is supplied to the drop generator, and at least one of the multiple fluid ports is bi-directional, serving as an outlet during startup and shutdown of the printhead and serving as an additional ink inlet port during regular operation of the printhead, thereby reducing the inlet flow rates below the turbulence onset flow rate.
  • the present invention provides a system and method for suppressing turbulence in the fluid cavity of a high frequency, long array drop generator.
  • the system and method for suppressing turbulence provides for uniformly and equally supplying ink to both the inlet and outlet ports of the droplet generator.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates a fluid schematic 10 of an existing single-feed ink supply to a droplet generator for a typical, single printhead, ink jet printer.
  • Ink is supplied from a fluid system 12 to a printhead docking station 14, via the heated umbilical 16.
  • the single feed ink supply is along ink path 18.
  • ink is supplied via ink path 18 to the printhead 20, reaching the cold plate 22.
  • the cold plate uses the ink supplied to the printhead to cool the high voltage charge plate driver electronics, as is described and claimed in commonly assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Serial No. 09/211,251 .
  • Ink continues along ink path 18 through the cold plate and printhead frame, re-entering the printhead docking station 14. Ink then passes by an ink temperature sensor, such as thermistor 24, before re-entering the printhead to be filtered, for example through a 1.2 micron Pall filter element 26, before being introduced to the inlet end 28 of the droplet generator 30.
  • the second filter 32 in the printhead filters air used during the shutdown sequence of the printhead and is usually identical to the ink filter element 26.
  • valves V F , V I , and V A are all closed.
  • the V o valve is open allowing ink to flow through the droplet generator 30 and out the exit port 34 of the droplet generator.
  • the ink then passes by pressure transducer 35, through the cross-flush solenoid valve V o , and is returned to the fluid system 12. This flushes air, dried ink and other debris from the droplet generator.
  • the V o valve can then be closed, pressurizing the droplet generator so that ink jets are formed at each of the orifices in the orifice plate (not shown) which is bonded to the droplet generator.
  • This ink may be returned to the fluid system by means of the catcher 36 and catch pan 38.
  • the ink jets can then be selectively charged and deflected. Some drops are selected to be print drops and some are deflected into the catcher 36 from which they can be returned via the fluid line 40 to the ink tank 42, shown in Fig. 1 .
  • the ink pump is turned off and valves V F and V I are opened according to a prescribed sequence to allow flush fluid to rinse ink from the droplet generator 30 and final filter 26.
  • the shutdown sequence then involves closing V F and opening V A , with the air pump 44, located in the print station, turned on to blow the flush fluid out of the droplet generator 30. Startup and shutdown sequences are well known and used in prior art systems.
  • the present invention proposes dividing and supplying ink flow to both the inlet port 28 and the outlet port 34 of droplet generator 30, to eliminate turbulent fluid flow caused as ink flow rates and drop generator array lengths increase.
  • Fig. 3 shows a fluid system in accordance with the present invention, wherein a system and method are provided for uniformly and equally supplying ink to both the inlet and outlet ports of the droplet generator.
  • Ink passes though the printhead 20 frame and cold plate 22 prior to splitting the ink flow.
  • all the changes are located in the printhead docking station 14 and the printhead 20.
  • valves V F and V A are closed.
  • Ink supplied to the printhead docking station passes through the cold plate 22 to cool printhead electronics. The supplied ink then encounters valves V I and V IB .
  • valve V IB During startup, valve V IB is closed and valves V I and V o are open, allowing ink to flow across a thermistor for temperature measurement, through the droplet generator 30', and out the exit port 34' of the droplet generator. After an appropriate amount of flushing, valve V IB is also opened. This flushes air and debris out the fluid line LB from JA to JB, which path includes the valve V IB and final filter 32. Since the outlet valve V o is open, the ink flushing out this fluid line bypasses the drop generator 30' and is returned to the ink tank 42, shown in Fig. 1 .
  • the V o valve can then be closed, pressurizing the droplet generator 30' so that ink jets are formed at each of the orifices in the orifice plate, not shown.
  • both the V I and V IB valves are open, ink is supplied to the droplet generator 30' through both the LI and LO fluid lines.
  • the fluid flow rates to the droplet generator 30' through the two ports 28' and 34' will be approximately matched.
  • the valves and filters in both the LA and LB fluid lines are matched and there are no heater sources associated with either fluid line, ink supplied through line LA has approximately the same temperature as ink supplied through line LB.
  • the fluid velocity into the droplet generator 30' is approximately 1 ⁇ 2 that encountered with the prior art, lowering the Reynolds number for the fluid flow, and eliminating the turbulence problem while in the printing mode of operation.
  • the droplet generator 30' has multiple fluid ports, including at least the mono-directional inlet port 28' through which fluid is supplied to the drop generator, and the bi-directional fluid port 34', which serves as an outlet during startup and shutdown of the printhead and as an additional ink inlet port during regular operation of the printhead. This arrangement reduces the inlet flow rates below the turbulence onset flow rate for drop generator 30'.
  • valves V I and V IB can be sequenced in cooperation with the valves V o , V F , and V A to flush out and dry the droplet generator and the fluid lines to the printhead.
  • the shutdown sequence would include states where one of the two valves V I and V IB will be closed, while the other is open, to facilitate the high flow rates through the fluid lines, filters and droplet generator required to effectively flush and dry the various components.
  • the dual feed technique described herein provides a system and method for supplying ink to a droplet generator with flow balanced to within 3% of an equal 50% division at the inlet and outlet ports of the droplet generator, of the flow.
  • the arrangement according to the present invention also provides a mechanism for independent control of the two feed lines due to the solenoid valves in the supply lines. This allows for each filter to be evacuated separately, resulting in improved capability in completely removing all residual ink from the filters.
  • the present invention therefore, has the advantage of allowing flow to be directed through a single port to the droplet generator during startup and shutdown to more effectively flush the droplet generator and other components.

Landscapes

  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)

Claims (10)

  1. Système d'impression à jet d'encre en continu comportant une tête d'impression à jet d'encre en continu (20) ayant un générateur de gouttes associé (30) comprenant un orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle (28') à travers lequel des fluides peuvent être fournis au générateur de gouttes (30) ; et caractérisé par :
    un orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel (34') associé au générateur de gouttes ; et
    un moyen de régulation de fluide (VI, VIB) conçu pour réguler le sens de l'écoulement à travers l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel (34') de telle sorte qu'il fonctionne comme un orifice de sortie au cours du démarrage et de l'arrêt de la tête d'impression (20) et fonctionne comme un orifice d'entrée de fluide au cours d'une opération d'impression de la tête d'impression, en faisant pénétrer de cette manière l'encre aux deux extrémités du générateur de gouttelettes et en conservant des débits d'entrée au-dessous du débit d'apparition de turbulences tout en fournissant un fluide à la tête d'impression à des pressions suffisantes pour propulser le fluide à travers des orifices du générateur de gouttes.
  2. Système d'impression à jet d'encre en continu selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de régulation de fluide (VI, VIB) est conçu pour réguler l'écoulement au cours d'une opération d'impression de la tête d'impression de telle sorte que l'écoulement de fluide vers le générateur de gouttes à travers l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel est approximativement égal à l'écoulement de fluide vers le générateur de gouttes à travers l'orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle.
  3. Système d'impression à jet d'encre en continu selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le moyen de régulation de fluide (VI, VIB) est conçu pour réguler l'écoulement au cours d'une opération d'impression de la tête d'impression de telle sorte que la température de l'écoulement de fluide vers le générateur de gouttes à travers l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel est approximativement égale à la température de l'écoulement de fluide vers le générateur de gouttes à travers l'orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle.
  4. Procédé de fourniture d'écoulement d'encre à un générateur de gouttelettes (30) associé à une tête d'impression à jet d'encre en continu (20) d'une imprimante à jet d'encre en continu, comprenant les étapes consistant à :
    introduire de l'encre dans la tête d'impression le long d'un trajet d'écoulement d'orifice d'entrée (LI) et d'un orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle (28') ; et
    retirer l'encre de la tête d'impression au cours d'un démarrage et d'un arrêt de la tête d'impression par l'intermédiaire d'un orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel (34') le long d'un trajet d'écoulement d'orifice de sortie (LO), caractérisé par la régulation de l'écoulement à travers l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel (34') de telle sorte que de l'encre pénètre dans la tête d'impression à travers l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel (34') au cours d'une opération d'impression, grâce à quoi l'encre pénètre dans le générateur de gouttelettes aux deux extrémités du générateur de gouttelettes (30) à des pressions suffisantes pour propulser de l'encre à travers des orifices du générateur de gouttes.
  5. Procédé selon la revendication 4, comprenant en outre la fourniture d'air propre au générateur de gouttes à travers le trajet d'écoulement d'orifice d'entrée afin de retirer le liquide du générateur de gouttes.
  6. Procédé selon la revendication 4, comprenant en outre la chasse de l'air et d'impuretés du trajet d'écoulement d'orifice de sortie alors que ledit trajet d'écoulement d'orifice de sortie fonctionne comme un orifice de sortie pour le générateur de gouttes.
  7. Système d'impression à jet d'encre en continu selon la revendication 1, comprenant en outre :
    un premier filtre (26) associé à l'orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle (28') à travers lequel le fluide filtré est fourni à l'orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle ; et
    un deuxième filtre (32) associé à l'orifice d'entrée bidirectionnelle (34') à travers lequel le fluide filtré est fourni à l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel du générateur de gouttes.
  8. Système d'impression à jet d'encre en continu selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le premier filtre et le deuxième filtre correspondent approximativement.
  9. Procédé selon la revendication 4, comprenant en outre :
    la fourniture d'un premier filtre (26) associé à l'orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle (28') ;
    la fourniture d'encre à l'orifice d'entrée monodirectionnelle à travers le premier filtre ;
    la fourniture d'un deuxième filtre (32) associé à l'orifice d'entrée bidirectionnelle (34') ;
    et
    la fourniture d'encre à l'orifice pour fluide bidirectionnel du générateur de gouttes à travers le deuxième filtre.
  10. Procédé selon la revendication 4, dans lequel le premier filtre et le deuxième filtre correspondent approximativement.
EP20030255928 2002-09-25 2003-09-23 Appareil et procédé pour alimenter en encre uniformément et en quantités égales les deux extrémités d'un générateur de gouttelettes Expired - Fee Related EP1403061B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US25472502A 2002-09-25 2002-09-25
US254725 2002-09-25

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EP1403061A1 EP1403061A1 (fr) 2004-03-31
EP1403061B1 true EP1403061B1 (fr) 2011-11-23

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EP20030255928 Expired - Fee Related EP1403061B1 (fr) 2002-09-25 2003-09-23 Appareil et procédé pour alimenter en encre uniformément et en quantités égales les deux extrémités d'un générateur de gouttelettes

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JP (1) JP2004268566A (fr)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7195333B2 (en) 2004-05-05 2007-03-27 Eastman Kodak Company Ink jet print station with improved start up and a method for starting up inkjet printers
JP4683631B2 (ja) * 2005-08-15 2011-05-18 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット記録ヘッドの保管・物流方法

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4638327A (en) 1985-04-08 1987-01-20 Burlington Industries, Inc. Apparatus to damp turbulence in an ink jet fluid supply chamber
US4999647A (en) * 1989-12-28 1991-03-12 Eastman Kodak Company Synchronous stimulation for long array continuous ink jet printer
EP0714779B1 (fr) 1994-11-30 2003-03-12 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil d'impression à jet d'encre
US5969733A (en) * 1996-10-21 1999-10-19 Jemtex Ink Jet Printing Ltd. Apparatus and method for multi-jet generation of high viscosity fluid and channel construction particularly useful therein

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EP1403061A1 (fr) 2004-03-31
JP2004268566A (ja) 2004-09-30

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