International Business Machines Corporation

Robert W Arnold

Dean W Skinner

Louis V Galetto

Thomas Tomasky

A constant energy drive circuit comprises two interconnected chopping circuits successively operable to control the current in a coil of an electromagnetic actuator. One chopping circuit operates during the rise time portion of the operating interval, the other operates beginning with the occurrence of a predetermined peak current and for remainder of the operating interval of fixed duration.

Constant energy drive circuit for electromagnetic print hammers

A constant energy drive circuit for an electromagnetic print hammer has a chopping circuit including a comparator which cycles a switch connecting the energizing coil of the print hammer to an unregulated power supply. Changes in the drive voltage of the unregulated source are compensated for by altering the switching rate of the switch by adjusting the amplitude of a reference signal applied to the comparator. The reference signal adjustment is inverse to changes in the drive voltage.

A pulse width modulated DC motor control system is designed to operate a DC motor at constant velocity. Feedback pulses generated at a rate proportional to the rotational velocity of the motor are converted to control pulses having a fixed on-time period which is independent of changes in the velocity of the motor. The control pulses are used to modulate a constant current source whose output is integrated to generate a sawtooth voltage signal whose average DC value is used as the basis of or pulse width modulating a DC voltage applied to the motor drive circuits of a DC motor.

Analog DC motor velocity control loop

A servo system for adjusting the velocity of ink drops in a magnetic ink jet printer has a coarse control loop for making coarse increment adjustments to the pump which supplies ink under pressure to a nozzle and a fine control loop for making fine increment adjustments to the pressure of said pump. The velocity of the drops is determined by a pair of drop sensors located one drop wavelength apart at a fixed distance from the drop generation point. The direction of any phase error between pairs of drops is used to generate direction control signals applied to the coarse control loop until a reversal in phase error occurs. A toggle control allows the coarse control loop to make coarse adjustments in pump pressure around a null point velocity before switching direction control signals to the fine control loop.

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Glen Aubrey, NY, United States of America

Robert W Arnold