Abstract: An active switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting a power source such as a solar array to a charge storage device is disclosed. The active switch allows a minimal amount of reverse back current flow from the charge storage device to the power source having a low on-resistance.

Abstract: A micro-solar insolation circuit having a boost regulator or DC—DC converter used to transfer the power available from a solar cell source, at a value close to its optimum, to a load is provided. The micro-solar insolation circuit comprises a comparator for generating an error signal based on a solar cell reference voltage wherein a modulator controller receives the error signal and changes its duty cycle based on the error signal. The modulator controller controls a high-speed switch in association with a synchronous rectifier for loss-less current limiting.

Abstract: An electronic driver circuitry for an RF switch diode used in Acoustic Ink Jet Printing (AIP) systems is disclosed The electronic driver circuitry consists of a PMOS transistor and a poly resistor used to control the on/off states of the RF switch diode wherein the drive current for the RF switch diode is the same as the current in the PMOS transistor. To compensate for undesirable variations in the RF switch diode, the driver circuitry is designed such that the current in the PMOS transistor is adjusted in an opposite direction to cancel the unwanted variations.

Abstract: A pin grid array insertion and extraction tool is disclosed that is used to both insert and extract pin grid array connectors. The tool comprises a rigid window frame defined by bars connected to handles wherein the bars define straight slots and ramped slots on an elongated side that engage tabs and sliders of a header and socket of a pin grid array connector. The ramped slots are used to generate mechanical advantage and bring the insertion force seen by an operator's hand down to reasonable levels when engaging or disengaging connector pins to or from their mating receptacles. By using ramped slots the insertion and extraction tool can be made very compact in almost every dimension.

Abstract: An intermediate platen cover is provided between a platen and a platen cover of a photocopying machine to prevent displacement of a document on the platen. The intermediate platen cover is transparent to allow the user to see placement of the document and to not interfere with the background lower surface of the platen cover during photocopying.

Abstract: An electronic driver circuitry for an RF switch diode D1 used in Acoustic Ink Jet Printing (AIP) systems that compensates and cancels out undesired variations and non-idealities is disclosed. The electronic driver circuitry consists of a second RF switch diode D2 used as a compensation diode that is placed in close physical proximity to the RF switch diode D1 used for RF switching. To compensate for undesirable variations in the RF switch diode D1, the driver circuitry is designed such that the current in the RF switch diode D2 is adjusted in an opposite direction to cancel the unwanted variations of the RF switch diode D1.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide on-demand drop volume modulation by utilizing a single transducer driving waveform to drive an ink jet. The driving waveform includes at least a first portion and a second portion that each excites a different modal resonance of ink in an ink jet orifice to produce ink drops having different volumes. A control signal is applied to the driving waveform to actuate the selected portion of the waveform to eject the desired ink drop volume. The apparatus and method improves resolution in gray scale printing by knowing an input request and placing a combination of small drops and large drops in a conventional blue noise halftone screen represented as a threshold array such that throughput and image quality goals are met while decreasing jetting robustness risk.

Abstract: A universal voltage fuser heater lamp is described for use in either United States or European markets having different voltage standards. The fuser lamp comprises first and second filaments having equal resistance and a switching mechanism for connecting a power supply to the fuser lamp. The switching mechanism connects the first and second filaments in a parallel configuration when the voltage is 120 Volts and connects the first and second filaments in series when the voltage is 240 Volts from the power supply.

Abstract: Acoustic filters for use in an ink jet print head are disclosed. The ink jet print head defines a plurality of operating plates held together in a superimposed relationship forming an ink jet print head defining a plurality of ink manifolds, ink inlets, ink drop-forming orifices and a plurality of acoustic filters. The acoustic filters are a plurality of compliant areas connected by an acoustic filter constriction aperture and a plurality of separate compliant areas all connected to ink manifolds for suppressing unwanted frequencies during print modes.

Abstract: A differential amplifier circuit connected to an impedance transport circuit is disclosed. The impedance transport circuit transports an AC input impedance to an output impedance and invert its polarity thereby enabling the common-mode gain of the differential amplifier to be varied. This impedance transport circuit utilizes two MOS transistors and an Op-Amp that causes the drain voltages of the transistors to be equal.

Abstract: A drip plate design is provided for a solid ink color printer which reliably directs on-demand ink flow and securely retains solidified ink. The drip plate design includes a combination of one or more sized and shaped cutouts and protrusions for anchoring a solidified ink stick when the printer is not in operation and protrusions that impede downward movement of independent portions of an ink stick so that they remain in contact with a heated melt plate long enough to substantially melt, thereby inhibiting the unchecked sliding off of large separated slivers and chunks of ink during melt and delivery.

Abstract: A compliant imaging surface for offset printing comprising a drum having an outer compliant elastomeric layer affixed to the drum, the outer compliant elastomeric layer being sufficiently compliant to contact ink pixels having at least first and second heights so as to fix the ink pixels to the final receiving medium. A second outer rigid layer is affixed to the outer compliant elastomeric layer and acts to keep pressure across a span of one pixel with the outer compliant elastomeric layer acting to allow deformation on the pixel to pixel span.

Abstract: A method for calibrating a VCO within a phase locked loop circuit is disclosed. First, a DAC output voltage is set to its minimum, and a counter M is adjusted until a comparator is its threshold voltage. Next, the DAC is set to another voltage, and counter M is again adjusted to the comparator threshold. This process is repeated for as many steps as desired. When the phase locked loop circuit requests an instantaneous frequency, an interpolation of the requested frequency against the curve created by the above-described method gives the value required by the DAC.

Abstract: A III-V nitride blue laser diode has an amplifier region and a modulator region. The amplifier region has a constant current to keep the region near the lasing threshold. The modulator region has a small varying forward current or reverse bias voltage which controls the light output of the laser. This two section blue laser diode requires much lower power consumption than directly modulated lasers which reduces transient heating and “drooping” of the light output.

Abstract: A printing system produces prints from a print job written in one of a plurality of page description languages with the print job assuming the form of a print job stream. The printing system includes a page description language guesser having a plurality of page description language analyzing units for sampling the print job stream, each analyzing unit outputting an information signal which provides information regarding the print job stream. The PDL guesser, which receives the information signals, processes the information signals and outputs a filtered signal which indicates the page description language in which the print job is written. The page description language (PDL) analyzing unit verifies that in the data sample all command operator strings, their associated parameters and interspersed data are valid for a particular PDL or Image Format.

Abstract: An application system is described for applying a two-step transfix process whereby an ink image is applied onto an intermediate transfer surface and then transferred to a receiving substrate, followed re-transfixing the ink image by pulling the receiving medium back through a duplex path. The system includes an applicator assembly for uniformly distributing a liquid layer onto a support surface defining an elastomer release surface to produce the intermediate transfer surface. The system uses the elastomer transfer surface in combination with a hard drum for near perfect image transfer of the ink image onto the receiving substrate wherein lensing of the ink image is greatly reduced.

Abstract: An application system is described for applying a two-step transfer and fusing process in an ink jet based imaging system whereby an ink image is applied onto an intermediate transfer surface and then transferred to a receiving substrate, followed by an independent secondary fuser. The secondary fuser operates at one or more temperatures for processing the receiving medium having means for holding the final receiving substrate thereby allowing extending dwell times for increased cooling capabilities for facilitating hot fusing temperatures beyond the cohesive failure temperature of the ink.