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:
Apr. 13, 1993
Filed:
Nov. 20, 1990
Paul A Hoisington, Norwich, VT (US);
Bruce A Paulson, Newport, NH (US);
Spectra, Inc., Hanover, NH (US);
Abstract
In the representative embodiments of the invention described herein, a transducer for an ink jet system includes a piezoelectric element with an array of spaced interdigitated electrodes on one side of the element. One embodiment includes two such arrays disposed near the sides of the ink jet chamber and another array of interdigitated electrodes on the opposite side of the transducer in the central region of the ink jet chamber. In that embodiment, continuous electrodes are provided on the surfaces of the transducer opposite to the surfaces bearing the interdigitated arrays. Alternate electrodes in each array and the continuous electrode on the opposite side are grounded and positive or negative potential is applied to the other electrodes in the arrays to produce deflection of the transducer element and alternate pulses of opposite polarity may be applied to polarize the piezoelectric element in opposite directions with each pulse. Using a transducer thickness of about 4 microns, ejection of a drop of given size with a given voltage pulse can be achieved with a chamber volume which is one-twentieth to one-fortieth the size of the chamber volume required for conventional transducer arrangements.