Abstract: This document describes a method of removing air from an ink supply of a marking system, and systems that enable such removal. The system includes a valve that is fluidly connected to an ink supply system of a marking system. The valve is fluidly positioned in a conduit that leads from an opening in a conduit of the ink supply system to an air bubble reservoir. Activating the valve withdraws air from ink in the conduit toward an air bubble reservoir or vacuum source as the ink moves toward a printhead of the marking system.

Abstract: A marking system of a printer incorporates a bypass tube in its ink supply system to enable ink to bypass a pump during a drool process that removes air bubbles from a printhead. The bypass tube includes a valve that is opened during the drool operation and closed during normal operation of the marking system.

Abstract: A printer applies pressure through an ink supply system to enable degassed ink to flow through an ink delivery system to remove air bubbles from the printhead.

Abstract: Systems comprising: printheads configured to apply ink marks to a sheet of media; sensor(s) configured to scan the sheet of media to obtain scan data; and processor(s) configured to analyze the scan data to (i) determine whether an amount of ink spread on at least one side of the sheet of media is within a range of values, and or (ii) determine whether a difference between a first average line width associated with a first side of the sheet of media and a second average line width associated with a second side of the sheet of media is greater than a threshold value. The system is configured to perform a print job based on results of the analyzing.

Abstract: A method for operating a printing system, comprising: identifying at least one area in an electronic document for which one or more primers are to be applied prior to an application of ink on a sheet of media during a print job (wherein the primers are formulated to have different surface tensions); determining, for each pixel in the at least one area, an amount of each of the one or more primers that is to be applied based on a characteristic of content in the electronic document; generating the print job using the amount of each of the one or more primers determined for each said pixel in the at least one area; and instructing a printer to perform the print job.

Abstract: In one aspect, a print device that includes an ink line and an imaging device is configured to capture images of at least a portion of the ink line. The device is also configured to classify air pockets within the ink line by: receiving one or more images from the imaging device; using an air pocket detection model to identify an air pocket within the ink line; and using a classification model to determine one or more characteristic labels for the air pocket. The print device will use the characteristic labels to take an action corresponding to the air pocket. In a second aspect, a print device includes an ink line and a sensor configured to measure capacitance of a first portion of the ink line. The print device is configured to monitor, based on the sensor data, capacitance of the first portion of the ink line. The system will identify an air pocket in the ink line in response to detecting a decrease in the capacitance of the first portion of the ink line.

Abstract: A printer includes a printhead configured to eject high viscosity material and refill a reservoir in the printhead with high viscosity material. The printhead includes a transducer having an electroactive element and a member to which the electroactive element is mounted. An electrical signal activates the electroactive element to move the electroactive element and the member in the reservoir of high viscosity material. This movement thins the high viscosity material and enables the printhead to eject the thinned material while refilling the reservoir. The apertures through which the thinned material is ejected share a common manifold without separate chambers for each of the apertures.

Abstract: A printer includes a printhead configured to eject high viscosity material and refill a reservoir in the printhead with high viscosity material. The printhead includes a transducer having an electroactive element and a member to which the electroactive element is mounted. An electrical signal activates the electroactive element to move the electroactive element and the member in the reservoir of high viscosity material. This movement thins the high viscosity material and enables the printhead to eject the thinned material while refilling the reservoir. The apertures through which the thinned material is ejected share a common manifold without separate chambers for each of the apertures.

Abstract: A printer includes a printhead configured to eject high viscosity material and refill a manifold in the printhead with high viscosity material. The printhead includes a layer having an opening to form a reservoir to hold a volume of a high viscosity material and at least one member positioned within the receptacle formed by the opening in the layer. The at least one member has an electroactive element mounted to the member, and an electrical signal generator is electrically connected to the electroactive element. A controller operates the electrical signal generator to activate selectively the electroactive element with a first electrical signal to move the at least one member and thin the high viscosity material adjacent the at least one member to enable the thinned material to move away from the at least one member.

Abstract: A method is provided for using a single-pixel imager in order to spatially reconstruct an image of a scene. The method can comprise the following: configuring a light filtering device including an array of imaging elements to a spatially varying optical filtering process of incoming light according to a series of spatial patterns corresponding to sampling functions. The light filtering device can be a transmissive filter including a first membrane, a second membrane, and a variable gap therebetween. The method further comprises tuning a controller for manipulating a variable dimension of the gap; and, measuring, using a photodetector of the single-pixel imager, a magnitude of an intensity of the filtered light across pixel locations in the series of spatial patterns. The magnitude of the intensity can be equivalent to an integral value of the scene across the pixel locations.

Abstract: A method is provided for using a single-pixel imager in order to spatially reconstruct an image of a scene. The method can comprise the following: configuring a light filtering device including an array of imaging elements to a spatially varying optical filtering process of incoming light according to a series of spatial patterns corresponding to sampling functions. The light filtering device can be a transmissive filter including a first membrane, a second membrane, and a variable gap therebetween. The method further comprises tuning a controller for manipulating a variable dimension of the gap; and, measuring, using a photodetector of the single-pixel imager, a magnitude of an intensity of the filtered light across pixel locations in the series of spatial patterns. The magnitude of the intensity can be equivalent to an integral value of the scene across the pixel locations.

Abstract: An embodiment generally relates to a method for creating a composite material for micro-electro mechanical systems. The method includes determining a layout for a micro-electro mechanical system device and alternating depositing drops of polymer and drops of conductor to create an interwoven matrix based on the layout.

Abstract: A substantially straight beam in an unbuckled state is compressed to cause the beam to buckle using an adjustable compressor. The adjustable compressor applies force to one or both ends of the beam and limits compression on the beam to allow the beam to move between a first buckled state and a second buckled state. The first buckled state and the second buckled state comprise substantially equal magnitude and opposite direction buckling movements from the unbuckled state.

Abstract: A tunable Fabry-Perot filter (8, 118, 218, 318, 418) includes substrates (10, 12) with parallel generally planar facing principal surfaces (14, 16) including spaced apart facing reflective surface regions (20, 22) that are at least partially reflective over a wavelength range and define an optical gap (Gopt) therebetween. At least one substrate of the pair of substrates is light transmissive over the selected wavelength range to enable optical coupling with the optical gap. Electrodes (24, 26) are disposed on the facing principal surfaces of the substrates. The electrodes on the facing principal surfaces of the substrates are define an electrode gap therebetween such that electrical biasing of the electrodes simultaneously modifies the optical and electrode gaps.

Abstract: A tunable Fabry-Perot filter is supported on a substrate which may be transparent. A transparent support body is supported by the substrate and carries a first reflector. A second reflector is supported on the substrate. The first and second reflectors define a gap therebetween. The size of the gap is adjustable by flexing of the support body to modulate a wavelength of light output by the filter.

Abstract: A projection system includes a display apparatus comprising a plurality of tunable Fabry-Perot filters, each of the filters being configured for shifting between a state in which the filter transmits radiation in a bandwidth in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum and a state in which the filter transmits radiation in a bandwidth outside the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. An illuminator provides light to the plurality of Fabry-Perot filters. A control system receives image data and controls the display apparatus to project an image onto an associated display surface. The control system includes a modulator which provides wavelength modulation signals to the plurality of Fabry-Perot filters to modulate a color of pixels in the image and causes selected ones of the Fabry-Perot filters to shift into the bandwidth outside the visible range to modulate the brightness of pixels in the image.

Abstract: A optical apparatus may include a plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities and a controller. The plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities receives an incoming image. The controller controls a group of adjacent Fabry-Perot cavities of the plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities to sample spectral information from a pixel of the incoming image. The group may be designated to the pixel. Sizes of the cavities within the group may differ from one another. The sizes of the cavities within the group may be fixed during the spectral information synthesis operation.

Abstract: A spectral filter includes a two-dimensional array of Fabry-Perot cavity structures, a controller, and a sampling circuit used to switch the Fabry-Perot cavity. The filter receives an incoming image, the sampling circuit switches the cavity to generate a filter image, and the filtered image is detected by the photodetectors to convert a filtered image into digital data. The controller coordinates all the image captures functions of the spectral filter.

Abstract: An apparatus may include an illuminator, a controller, a display panel, a modulator, and a plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities. The plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities generated an image from light provided by the illuminator, each pixel of the image corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities. The controller controls the modulator to provide image modulation data to the plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities for generating the image, the modulator providing color information to a first cavity of the plurality of Fabry-Perot cavities for setting a size of the first cavity to correspond to a color of a first pixel of the image, the modulator providing gray level information to the first cavity for time-division multiplexing to correspond to a gray level of the first pixel. The display panel display pixels of the generated image based on colors and gray levels of each pixel of the generated image.

Abstract: A printhead manufacturing method includes providing a first wafer, forming a polymer layer over the first wafer, the polymer layer including at least one via, providing a metal layer over the at least one via, providing a solderable or plateable interface layer over the metal layer and the polymer layer, forming a fluid chamber in the polymer layer, providing a fluid nozzle in the first wafer, providing a second wafer, and joining the second wafer to the first layer to form the printhead. A printhead that includes a first wafer, a polymer layer over the first wafer, the polymer layer including at least one via, a metal layer over the at least one via, an interface layer over the metal layer and the polymer layer, a fluid chamber formed in the polymer layer, and a fluid chamber formed in the first wafer.