Patents by Inventor Deane A. Gardner
Deane A. Gardner has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 10022751Abstract: In an embodiment, a tile device includes a plurality of piezoelectric transducers elements and a base adjoining and supporting the plurality of piezoelectric transducers elements. The base includes integrated circuitry programmed to successively configure operational modes of the tile, according to a pre-programmed sequence, to successively select respective subsets of the piezoelectric transducers elements for activation. The integrated circuitry includes pulser logic to selectively activate such subsets, and demultiplexer logic to communicate from the tile sense signals resulting from such activation. In another embodiment, the demultiplexer logic is part of a first voltage domain of the tile, and the pulser logic is part of a second voltage domain of the tile. The base may include circuitry to protect the demultiplexer logic from a relatively high voltage level of the second voltage domain.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2014Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: FUJIFILM DIMATIX, INC.Inventors: Arman Hajati, Deane Gardner, Christopher M. Daft
-
Patent number: 9475093Abstract: Switchable micromachined transducer arrays are described where one or more switches, or relays, are monolithically integrated with transducer elements in a piezoelectric micromachined transducer array (pMUT). In embodiments, a MEMS switch is implemented on the same substrate as the transducer array for switching operational modes of the transducer array. In embodiments, a plurality of transducers are interconnected in parallel through MEMS switch(es) in a first operational mode (e.g., a drive mode) during a first time period, and are then interconnected through the MEMS switch(es) with at least some of the transducers in series in a second operational mode (e.g., a sense mode) during a second time period.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2013Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: FUJIFILM DIMATIX, INC.Inventors: Arman Hajati, Deane Gardner
-
Patent number: 9381740Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method of driving an inkjet module having a plurality of ink jets. The method includes applying a voltage waveform to the inkjet module, the voltage waveform including a first pulse and a second pulse, activating one or more of the ink jets contemporaneously to applying the first pulse, wherein each activated ink jet ejects a fluid droplet in response to the first pulse, and activating all of the ink jets contemporaneously to applying the second pulse without ejecting a droplet.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2014Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Deane A. Gardner
-
Patent number: 9375850Abstract: Embodiments reduce capacitive cross-talk between micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) arrays through grounding of the substrate over which the arrays are fabricated. In embodiments, a metal-semiconductor contact is formed to a semiconductor device layer of a substrate and coupled to a ground plane common to a first electrode of the transducer elements to suppress capacitive coupling of signal lines connected to a second electrode of the transducer elements.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2013Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: FUJIFILM DIMATIX, INC.Inventors: Arman Hajati, Dimitre Latev, Deane Gardner, Hung-Fai Stephen Law
-
Patent number: 9270205Abstract: A method for regenerative driving of one or more transducers includes, for each of a plurality of driving cycles, enabling a number of transducers for driving, configuring a configurable capacitive energy storage element based on the number of enabled transducers and a desired overall capacitance, transferring a predetermined quantity of energy from a power supply to a first inductive energy transfer element, distributing the predetermined quantity of energy from the first inductive energy transfer element to the configurable capacitive energy storage element and to one or more other capacitive energy storage elements, each of the other capacitive energy storage elements coupled to an associated transducer, transferring energy from the one or more capacitive energy storage elements and from the configurable capacitive energy storage element to a second inductive energy transfer element, and transferring energy from the second inductive energy transfer element to the power supply.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2013Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: FUJIFILM DIMATIX INC.Inventors: Deane A. Gardner, Paul A. Hoisington
-
Publication number: 20150343493Abstract: In an embodiment, a tile device includes a plurality of piezoelectric transducers elements and a base adjoining and supporting the plurality of piezoelectric transducers elements. The base includes integrated circuitry programmed to successively configure operational modes of the tile, according to a pre-programmed sequence, to successively select respective subsets of the piezoelectric transducers elements for activation. The integrated circuitry includes pulser logic to selectively activate such subsets, and demultiplexer logic to communicate from the tile sense signals resulting from such activation. In another embodiment, the demultiplexer logic is part of a first voltage domain of the tile, and the pulser logic is part of a second voltage domain of the tile. The base may include circuitry to protect the demultiplexer logic from a relatively high voltage level of the second voltage domain.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2014Publication date: December 3, 2015Inventors: Arman Hajati, Deane Gardner, Christopher M. Daft
-
Patent number: 9195237Abstract: A method and system of facilitating development of fluids having a variety of elemental compositions are disclosed. A graphical user interface allows user interaction with a lab deposition system to control fluid drop ejection of fluids through multiple nozzles. Fluid drop ejection and drop formation can vary from fluid to fluid, and require adjustments to waveform parameters of a drive pulse applied to the multiple nozzles. The system implements a drop watcher camera system to capture real-time still and video images of fluid drops as they exit the multiple nozzles. The captured drop formation of the fluid drops are displayed to the user, and based on the images the waveform parameters are adjusted and customized specific for individual fluid. In addition to adjusting the drive pulse that effects fluid drop ejection, a tickle pulse can also be adjusted and customize to prevent clogging of the nozzles.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2014Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Deane A. Gardner, Paul A. Hoisington, Daniel Cote
-
Publication number: 20150069934Abstract: A method for regenerative driving of one or more transducers includes, for each of a plurality of driving cycles, enabling a number of transducers for driving, configuring a configurable capacitive energy storage element based on the number of enabled transducers and a desired overall capacitance, transferring a predetermined quantity of energy from a power supply to a first inductive energy transfer element, distributing the predetermined quantity of energy from the first inductive energy transfer element to the configurable capacitive energy storage element and to one or more other capacitive energy storage elements, each of the other capacitive energy storage elements coupled to an associated transducer, transferring energy from the one or more capacitive energy storage elements and from the configurable capacitive energy storage element to a second inductive energy transfer element, and transferring energy from the second inductive energy transfer element to the power supply.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2013Publication date: March 12, 2015Inventors: Deane A. Gardner, Paul A. Hoisington
-
Publication number: 20140244052Abstract: A method and system of facilitating development of fluids having a variety of elemental compositions are disclosed. A graphical user interface allows user interaction with a lab deposition system to control fluid drop ejection of fluids through multiple nozzles. Fluid drop ejection and drop formation can vary from fluid to fluid, and require adjustments to waveform parameters of a drive pulse applied to the multiple nozzles. The system implements a drop watcher camera system to capture real-time still and video images of fluid drops as they exit the multiple nozzles. The captured drop formation of the fluid drops are displayed to the user, and based on the images the waveform parameters are adjusted and customized specific for individual fluid. In addition to adjusting the drive pulse that effects fluid drop ejection, a tickle pulse can also be adjusted and customize to prevent clogging of the nozzles.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2014Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Deane A. Gardner, Paul A. Hoisington, Daniel Cote
-
Publication number: 20140219063Abstract: Embodiments reduce capacitive cross-talk between micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) arrays through grounding of the substrate over which the arrays are fabricated. In embodiments, a metal-semiconductor contact is formed to a semiconductor device layer of a substrate and coupled to a ground plane common to a first electrode of the transducer elements to suppress capacitive coupling of signal lines connected to a second electrode of the transducer elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2013Publication date: August 7, 2014Inventors: Arman Hajati, Dimitre Latev, Deane Gardner, Stephen Law
-
Patent number: 8789924Abstract: A fluid ejector includes a fluid ejection module and an integrated circuit element. The fluid ejection module includes a substrate having a plurality of fluid paths, a plurality of actuators, and a plurality of conductive traces, each actuator configured to cause a fluid to be ejected from a nozzle of an associated fluid path. The integrated circuit element is mounted on the fluid ejection module and is electrically connected with the conductive traces of the fluid ejection module such that an electrical connection of the module enables a signal sent to the fluid ejection module to be transmitted to the integrated circuit element, processed on the integrated circuit element, and output to the fluid ejection module to drive the actuator.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2013Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Andreas Bibl, Deane A. Gardner, John A. Higginson, Kevin von Essen
-
Publication number: 20140184677Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method of driving an inkjet module having a plurality of ink jets. The method includes applying a voltage waveform to the inkjet module, the voltage waveform including a first pulse and a second pulse, activating one or more of the ink jets contemporaneously to applying the first pulse, wherein each activated ink jet ejects a fluid droplet in response to the first pulse, and activating all of the ink jets contemporaneously to applying the second pulse without ejecting a droplet.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2014Publication date: July 3, 2014Applicant: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Deane A. Gardner
-
Patent number: 8740334Abstract: A method and system of facilitating development of fluids having a variety of elemental compositions are disclosed. A graphical user interface allows user interaction with a lab deposition system to control fluid drop ejection of fluids through multiple nozzles. Fluid drop ejection and drop formation can vary from fluid to fluid, and require adjustments to waveform parameters of a drive pulse applied to the multiple nozzles. The system implements a drop watcher camera system to capture real-time still and video images of fluid drops as they exit the multiple nozzles. The captured drop formation of the fluid drops are displayed to the user, and based on the images the waveform parameters are adjusted and customized specific for individual fluid. In addition to adjusting the drive pulse that effects fluid drop ejection, a tickle pulse can also be adjusted and customize to prevent clogging of the nozzles.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2006Date of Patent: June 3, 2014Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Deane A. Gardner, Paul A. Hoisington, Daniel Cote
-
Patent number: 8733272Abstract: Fluid ejection apparatuses and processes for making the same are disclosed. An apparatus for ejecting fluid droplets includes a substrate having a plurality of flow paths formed therein, each flow path including a respective pumping chamber and a respective nozzle, and the respective nozzle being configured to eject fluid droplets through a first surface of the substrate in response to actuation of the respective pumping chamber; and an actuation assembly including a drive electrode layer over a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface, a piezoelectric layer over the drive electrode layer, and a reference electrode layer over the piezoelectric layer, the drive electrode layer being patterned to define an individually controllable drive electrode over each of two or more pumping chambers in the substrate, and the reference electrode layer including a continuous reference electrode spanning the two or more pumping chambers in the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2010Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Deane A. Gardner, Andreas Bibl
-
Patent number: 8736887Abstract: An electronic architecture for an imaging data path allows for printing on objects that are unevenly spaced. The architecture uses a rolling image buffer into which images are copied. A hardware trigger can optionally be used in conjunction with the rolling image buffer to prevent any printing mismatches that could otherwise be caused by a software delay. The trigger relates the physical location of the object to a virtual location in the image buffer.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2013Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventor: Deane A. Gardner
-
Patent number: 8708441Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method of driving an inkjet module having a plurality of ink jets. The method includes applying a voltage waveform to the inkjet module, the voltage waveform including a first pulse and a second pulse, activating one or more of the ink jets contemporaneously to applying the first pulse, wherein each activated ink jet ejects a fluid droplet in response to the first pulse, and activating all of the ink jets contemporaneously to applying the second pulse without ejecting a droplet.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2005Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Deane A. Gardner
-
Publication number: 20140055528Abstract: A fluid ejector includes a fluid ejection module and an integrated circuit element. The fluid ejection module includes a substrate having a plurality of fluid paths, a plurality of actuators, and a plurality of conductive traces, each actuator configured to cause a fluid to be ejected from a nozzle of an associated fluid path. The integrated circuit element is mounted on the fluid ejection module and is electrically connected with the conductive traces of the fluid ejection module such that an electrical connection of the module enables a signal sent to the fluid ejection module to be transmitted to the integrated circuit element, processed on the integrated circuit element, and output to the fluid ejection module to drive the actuator.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2013Publication date: February 27, 2014Applicant: FUJIFILM CorporaitonInventors: Andreas Bibl, Deane A. Gardner, John A. Higginson, Kevin von Essen
-
Patent number: 8579412Abstract: A fluid ejector includes a fluid ejection module and an integrated circuit element. The fluid ejection module includes a substrate having a plurality of fluid paths, a plurality of actuators, and a plurality of conductive traces, each actuator configured to cause a fluid to be ejected from a nozzle of an associated fluid path. The integrated circuit element is mounted on the fluid ejection module and is electrically connected with the conductive traces of the fluid ejection module such that an electrical connection of the module enables a signal sent to the fluid ejection module to be transmitted to the integrated circuit element, processed on the integrated circuit element, and output to the fluid ejection module to drive the actuator.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2009Date of Patent: November 12, 2013Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Andreas Bibl, Deane A. Gardner, John A. Higginson, Kevin Von Essen
-
Publication number: 20130293632Abstract: A method for cleaning a nozzle plate includes applying a first solution to a surface of the nozzle plate, and applying a second solution different from the first solution to the surface of nozzle plate to remove the first solution from the surface of nozzle plate. The first solution wets the nozzle plate and is a solvent to dried ink deposited on the surface of the nozzle plate. The surface of the nozzle plate is non-wetting to the second solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2012Publication date: November 7, 2013Inventors: Christoph Menzel, Deane A. Gardner
-
Patent number: 8573750Abstract: Systems and apparatus for ejecting fluid. A fluid injection apparatus includes a fluid ejector unit for ejecting a droplet of fluid, an integrated circuit, and a conductive trace electrically coupling the fluid ejector unit and the integrated circuit. A portion of the conductive trace includes a fuse.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2009Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: FUJIFILM CorporationInventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Andreas Bibl, Mats G. Ottosson, Deane A. Gardner