The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 1990
Filed:
Mar. 19, 1987
Mark Culpepper, Jonesboro, LA (US);
Ricoh Company, Ltd., San Jose, JP;
Ricoh Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
An inkjet printer applies symmetrical driver vibrations to the full length of a linear nozzle array. A nozzle array and nozzle support plate are supported on the end of a supporting housing which also supports a plate for defining an ink flow cavity. The housing also defines an acoustic cavity which extends from the ink cavity to an end of the acoustic transducer and is filled with acoustically transmissive material. A transducer is bonded to the distal end of this acoustic material, so that when the transducer is energized, the vibrations are transmitted uniformly through the acoustically transmissive material and the acoustic cavity to the ink cavity, symmetrically driving the ink out through the nozzles of the nozzle plate. It has been found that the acoustic cavity in fact has a critical length which is related to the frequency of operation of this system. Specifically, for a frequency of 110 KHz, the length of the acoustic cavity should be 4.7 mm; for an operating frequency of 120 KHz, the length of the acoustic cavity from the ink cavity to the face of the transducer should be 4.2 mm. In order to produce uniform vibrations at the face of the transducer, grooves extend up from the distal end of the transducer about 9/10 of the way to the surface of the transducer which is bonded to the aroustic cavity material. These grooves should have a width of about 0.56 mm.