Tektronix, Inc.

Other

David A Tence

Ronald F Burr

Sharon S Berger

Hue Phuoc Le

Jon C Mutton

Ronald L Adams

William H Tomison

An ink jet array print head (101) includes four media-width linear ink jet arrays (100). Ink flows from four sets of manifolds (106) through acoustically matched inlet filters (116), inlet ports (117), inlet channels (118), pressure chamber ports (120), and ink pressure chambers (122). Ink leaves the pressure chambers through outlet ports (124) and flows through oval outlet channels (128) to orifices (108), from which ink drops (110) are ejected. The ink pressure chambers are bounded by flexible diaphragms (130) to which piezo-ceramic transducers (132) are bonded. To minimize inter-jet cross-talk caused by pressure fluctuations in the manifolds, compliant walls (150) form one wall along the entire length of each manifold. An ink feed system (200) supplies four colors of ink to the print head. Phase-change inks are melted and deposited in ink catch basins (202), funneled into ink storage reservoirs (204), and fed to the-print head through ink stack feeds (206). Manifold tapering, inlet port positioning, and an elevationally upward slope of the ink stack feeds enhances purgability of the ink feed system and the ink jet print head.

High-performance ink jet print head

An ink jet (10, 200) provides high-resolution gray scale printing or switchable resolution printing by providing PZT drive waveforms (100, 110, 120, 360, 370), each having a spectral energy distribution that excites a modal resonance of ink in an ink jet print head orifice (14, 208). By selecting the particular drive waveform with selectable energy inputs that concentrates spectral energy at frequencies associated with a desired oscillation mode and that suppresses energy at the other oscillation modes, an ink drop (170, 180, 190, 210) is ejected that has a diameter proportional to a center excursion size of the selected meniscus surface oscillation mode. The center excursion size of high order oscillation modes is substantially smaller than the orifice diameter, thereby causing ejection of ink drops smaller than the orifice diameter. Conventional orifice manufacturing techniques may be used because a specific orifice diameter is not required. Jetting reliability and contaminant susceptibility are, thereby, improved by eliminating the need for an unconventionally small orifice. Changing a selected PZT drive waveform amplitude changes drop ejection velocity without substantially changing drop volume. This invention, therefore, provides for selection of ejected ink drop volumes having substantially the same ejection velocity over a wide range of drop ejection repetition rates.

Method and apparatus for producing dot size modulated ink jet printing

An ink jet (10) apparatus and method provides high-resolution gray scale printing by providing multiple PZT drive waveforms (100, 110, 120), each having a spectral energy distribution that excites a different modal resonance of ink in an ink jet print head orifice (14). By selecting the particular drive waveform that concentrates spectral energy at frequencies associated with a desired oscillation mode and that suppresses energy at the other oscillation modes, an ink drop (170, 180, 190) is ejected that has a diameter proportional to a center excursion size of the selected meniscus surface oscillation mode. The center excursion size of high order oscillation modes is substantially smaller than the orifice diameter, thereby causing ejection of ink drops smaller than the orifice diameter. Conventional orifice manufacturing techniques may be used because a specific orifice diameter is not required. Jetting reliability and contaminant susceptibility are, thereby, improved by eliminating the need for an unconventionally small orifice. Changing a selected PZT drive waveform amplitude changes drop ejection velocity without changing drop volume. This invention, therefore, provides for selection of ejected ink drop volumes having substantially the same ejection velocity over a wide range of ejection repetition rates.

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Tigard, OR, United States of America

David A Tence