Plural Pulses Patents (Class 347/11)
  • Patent number: 8567889
    Abstract: Depositing droplets onto a substrate using an array of channels, acting as fluid chambers, separated by actuable walls. In response to a first voltage, each wall deforms to decrease the volume of one channel and increase the volume of the other channel, and, in response to a second voltage, the wall deforms so as to cause the opposite effect on the volumes of the neighboring channels. Receiving input data; assigning, based on the input data, all channels within the array as firing or non-firing to produce groups of one or more contiguous firing channels separated by groups of one or more contiguous non-firing channels; actuating walls of certain channels resulting in each of the firing channels releasing at least one droplet of fluid, the resulting droplets forming dots disposed on a straight line on a substrate, separated on the line by gaps corresponding to the non-firing channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Xaar Technology Limited
    Inventors: Paul R. Drury, Julian R. Bane, Alison Diane Morris
  • Patent number: 8567888
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element changes a pressure in a pressure chamber and ejects ink from nozzles. A driving signal generating section generates a driving signal that includes an ejection pulse PA and PB which eject ink to a piezoelectric element, and a first transition element between the ejection pulse PA and PB. A starting end and a terminal end of the ejection pulse PA are set to a reference electric potential VA, and a starting end and a terminal end of an ejection pulse PB are set to a reference electric potential VB. An electric potential difference between the reference electric potential VA and the lowest electric potential of the ejection pulse PA is smaller than an electric potential difference between the reference electric potential VB and a highest electric potential of the ejection pulse PB, and the reference electric potential VA is lower than the reference electric potential VB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shushi Makita, Kinya Ozawa
  • Patent number: 8562093
    Abstract: A printhead and a method of ejecting liquid droplets are provided. The method includes providing a printhead operable to eject liquid drops having a plurality of drop volumes Vi, for i equal to 1 through n, where n?2, with Vj>Vi when j>i. One of the plurality of drop volumes is a minimum drop volume Vmin, and a difference in drop volumes between successively larger drops equals (Vk+1?Vk) which is less than Vmin, for k equal to 1 through n?1. The method also includes ejecting liquid drops through the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Yonglin Xie
  • Patent number: 8559060
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a color printer and particularly to a color printer reducing power consumption and complying with international criteria ensuring sustained earth environment. In a color printer having multiple optical writing heads for individual recording colors, the activated periods of individual color recording heads are set to different periods and one writing period of individual recording heads is divided into multiple periods, video data for recording one dot line are divided into multiple blocks in the main scan direction, and the divided video data are used for emission at different times in the sub-scan direction, whereby a smaller number of optical writing elements are simultaneously driven for emission and the peak power consumption of the entire apparatus is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignees: Casio Electronics Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jun Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 8544975
    Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus and a method to control the same to correct characteristics of a plurality of print heads of the apparatus to have uniform characteristics includes a plurality of test patterns printed according to the timing of printing of dots through a row of odd nozzles and a row of even nozzles of each of the plurality of print heads and information of the drive timing corresponding to a brightest test pattern of the printed test patterns is stored. When a normal print operation is performed, a different drive timing is applied to each of the plurality of print heads based on the stored information, thereby compensating for the difference between the one or more characteristics of the print heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: SAMSUNG Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ho Keun Lee
  • Publication number: 20130249987
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for drive a pumping chamber of a fluid ejection system are disclosed. In one implementation, the actuator for drive the pumping chamber includes a continuous piezoelectric layer between a pair of drive electrodes and a continuous reference electrode. The pair of drive electrodes includes an inner electrode and an outer electrode surrounding the inner electrode. The actuator is further coupled to a controller which, during a fluid ejection cycle, applies a negative voltage pulse differential to the outer electrode to expand the pumping chamber for a first time period, then applies another negative voltage pulse differential to the inner electrode during a second time period after the first time period to contract the pumping chamber to eject a fluid drop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Inventors: Mats G. Ottosson, Christoph Menzel, Paul A. Hoisington
  • Patent number: 8542418
    Abstract: The systems and methods presented herein provide for calibrating a print engine of a printing system. The printing system prints image data on a print medium and scans the printed image data. Color values of the scanned image data are then measured and various tints of color values and their transition locations are identified. A calibration module estimates the original optical densities of the identified color value tints and generates a target optical density for each of the identified color value tints using the estimated original optical densities to determine print irregularities in the color values of the scanned image data. The calibration module then generates a halftone screen based on the mean optical densities and applies the generated halftone screen to the print engine to calibrate the print engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Kartheek Chandu, Larry M. Ernst, Sreenath R. Vantaram, Mikel J. Stanich
  • Patent number: 8534790
    Abstract: Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for generating each of (i) a first signal and (ii) a second signal based at least in part on a position of a carriage, where the carriage is a component of a printing device, estimating (i) a major cycle duration associated with the first signal and (ii) a first minor cycle duration associated with the second signal, estimating a position of the carriage based at least in part on the estimated major cycle duration and the estimated first minor cycle duration, and generating a plurality of print synchronization pulses based at least in part on the estimated position of the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: James Mealy
  • Patent number: 8534803
    Abstract: A liquid jet head chip has a jet plate with jet holes for jetting liquid. A piezoelectric actuator has first and second actuator plates superimposed over one another to form channels communicating with the jet holes. The first actuator plate has first partitions spaced apart from one another to form first groove portions and has first electrodes each disposed on only a portion of a side surface of a respective one of the first partitions. The second actuator plate has second partitions spaced apart from one another to form second groove portions and has second electrodes each disposed on only a portion of a side surface of a respective one of the second partitions. The first partitions of the first actuator plate extend into respective second groove portions of the second actuator plate, and the second partitions of the second actuator plate extend into respective first groove portions of the first actuator plate to form the channels communicating with the jet holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: SII Printek Inc.
    Inventor: Tomiharu Makishima
  • Publication number: 20130235104
    Abstract: Provided are an inkjet printing apparatus, whereby pulse drive periods and a pause period can be adjusted so as to fall within predetermined periods, while the volume of ink to be ejected is ensured, and a heat generating element driving method therefor. For the inkjet printing apparatus, a pulse signal drive period for a pulse driven previously, a pulse signal drive period for a pulse driven subsequently and a pause period are set to perform ejection of ink droplets one time. When the ejection period exceeds the threshold value, the pulse signal drive period for the pulse driven subsequently and the pause period are reduced to adjust the ejection period to be equal to or lower than a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yosuke Ishii, Kazuo Suzuki, Hiroaki Shirakawa, Mitsutoshi Nagamura, Yuhei Oikawa
  • Publication number: 20130235103
    Abstract: A method for operating a jetting module includes applying to a drop forming mechanism a sequence of drop formation waveforms in which a small-drop waveform applied after another identical small-drop waveform causes a small drop of volume Vs to be formed; applying a large-drop waveform after another identical large-drop waveform causes a large drop of volume VL to be formed, and applying a large-drop waveform adjacent to a small-drop waveform can be done in a way that produces a large drop having a volume VL2, where VL2 is different than VL and a small drop of volume VS2, where VS2 is different than Vs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Inventors: Robert Link, James Lee Bello, Todd Russell Griffin
  • Patent number: 8517492
    Abstract: A drive pulse P11 is turned on and off for an ink chamber to take in ink, exerting pressures thereon, and afterward, a drive pulse P12 is turned on and off. This permits, in a course of variation in pressure of ink from a value at a positive pressure peak through a value at a normal pressure to negative pressures, a negative pressure peak C to be amplified for the ink chamber to take in ink with increased power. Further, following the drive pulse P12 tuned off, a drive pulse P13 is turned on to contract a volume in ink chamber 6B, producing pressures. Then, the drive pulse P13 is turned off to enlarge the volume in ink chamber 6B, using back actions of produced pressures to have the ink chamber 6B quickly operate to take in much ink. This causes a subsequent drive pulse P11 to be turned on at a hastened timing, and the drive pulse P13 thus turned on makes a higher increase in pressure of ink in the ink chamber 6B, allowing a subsequent droplet of ink to be more quickly propelled out with an adequate pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Asayo Nishimura
  • Patent number: 8506030
    Abstract: This invention provides an element substrate having a heater selection circuit normally operable even in the use of voltage conversion circuits, which are arranged along the nozzle arrayed direction, each having a small-area in order to reduce the area of the element substrate. The element substrate according to this invention includes a heater selection circuit, which receives a signal output from a voltage conversion circuit, a block selection signal, and a print data signal, and generates and outputs a signal for performing switching by a switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoko Kurokawa, Nobuyuki Hirayama, Ryo Kasai
  • Patent number: 8500228
    Abstract: For a temperature adjustment process that uses high viscosity ink and is based on a first table, in a low temperature environment, an ink refill failure may occur and lower density may appear in high duty printing. Also for a temperature adjustment process that uses high viscosity ink and is based on second and third tables, in a low temperature environment, an ink refill failure may occur and lower density may appear. On the other hand, for a temperature adjustment process that employs a fourth table, a smaller pre-heat pulse width than that for the first table, for the conventional temperature adjustment, is employed in the same low temperature environment. Therefore, an ink refill failure does not occur, and horizontal or vertical gaps do not appear during high duty printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyomi Aono, Osamu Iwasaki
  • Publication number: 20130187967
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus which includes: an origin drive signal generation unit which generates an origin drive signal; a signal modulation unit which modulates the origin drive signal, and makes the origin drive signal as an origin modulation signal; a signal amplification unit which amplifies the origin modulation signal, and makes the origin modulation signal as a modulation signal; a signal conversion unit which converts the modulation signal to a fire drive signal, and a liquid ejecting unit which ejects liquid according to the fire drive signal, in which a frequency of the origin modulation signal, or the fire modulation signal becomes maximum when the origin drive signal is a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
  • Publication number: 20130187966
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus which includes an origin drive signal generation unit which generates the origin drive signal; a signal modulation unit which modulates the origin drive signal, and sets as an origin modulation signal; a signal amplification unit which amplifies the origin modulation signal, and sets as a modulation signal; a signal conversion unit which converts the modulation signal to fire drive signal; and a liquid ejecting unit which ejects liquid according to the fire drive signal, in which a frequency of the origin modulation signal, or the fire modulation signal is set to a predetermined value when the origin drive signal is a first value or more, and a second value or less, and when the origin drive signal is other than that, the frequency is set to a value which is less than the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 8491076
    Abstract: A method for driving a droplet ejection device having an actuator, including applying a primary drive pulse to the actuator to cause the droplet ejection device to eject a droplet of fluid in a jetting direction, and applying one or more secondary drive pulses to the actuator which reduce a length of the droplet in the jetting direction without substantially changing a volume of the droplet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Robert A. Hasenbein
  • Patent number: 8491077
    Abstract: A printing device includes one or more engines that are attachable to and detachable from the printing device and print an image on a recording medium. Each engine includes a plurality of head modules each having a plurality of heads that eject ink, one or more data transfer control units that control an image data, pixel by pixel, the image data being subjected to print and being transferred from an upper level device, and an output control unit that requests the data transfer control unit to transfer the image data in a pixel order in accordance with an ink ejection order determined by the engine mounted on the printing device, transfers the image data having been transferred in the pixel order to the head module, in the same pixel order, that is subjected to eject ink, and make the head module eject the ink onto the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Mitsutaka Nakata
  • Patent number: 8485623
    Abstract: A stationary pagewidth inkjet printhead has one or more nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis of the printhead. Each nozzle is configured to fire a droplet of ink at a plurality of predetermined different dot positions along the longitudinal axis, such that a printed dot density exceeds a nozzle density of the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Zamtec Ltd
    Inventors: Gregory John McAvoy, Emma Rose Kerr, Rónán Pádraig Seán O'Reilly, Vincent Patrick Lawlor, Misty Bagnat
  • Patent number: 8485625
    Abstract: A fluid ejecting apparatus includes a drive element that performs a driving operation when a drive waveform is applied thereto and causes a nozzle to eject fluid. A drive signal generating unit generates a first drive signal having a first drive waveform at a front section of a predetermined period and a second drive waveform at a rear section thereof. A second drive signal has a third drive waveform at a front section of the predetermined period and a fourth drive waveform at a rear section thereof. A control unit applies the first drive waveform to the drive element, which then performs a first operation, applies the fourth drive waveform to the drive element, which then performs a second operation, and applies the second drive waveform to the drive element after applying the third drive waveform thereto, so that the drive element performs a third operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Miyazawa, Toshiki Usui
  • Patent number: 8480196
    Abstract: Described herein is a method and apparatus for driving a drop ejection device to produce drops having straight trajectories. In one embodiment, a method for driving a drop ejection device having an actuator includes building a drop of a fluid with at least one drive pulse by applying a multi-pulse waveform having the at least one drive pulse and a straightening pulse to the actuator. Next, the method includes causing the drop ejection device to eject the drop with a straight trajectory in response to the pulses of the multi-pulse waveform. The straightening pulse is designed to ensure that the drop is ejected without a drop trajectory error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: FujiFilm Dimatix, Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Letendre, Jr., Xi Wang, Robert Hasenbein, Marlene McDonald, Jaan Laaspere
  • Patent number: 8471511
    Abstract: A voltage application unit causes switching elements to apply voltage to flow an electric current into corresponding windings to generate a revolving magnetic field. A period derivation unit derives an energization period of the windings. A signal generation unit generates a PWM signal for causing the voltage application unit to activate and deactivate the switching elements, such that a duty ratio decreases gradually in a predetermined time period subsequent to the derived energization period. A period specifying unit specifies a detection period of an electric current, which is supplied from the switching elements presently switched and deactivated, by a predetermined time period between an edge, which is caused when the PWM signal changes in level to deactivate the switching elements, and a time point in advance of the edge in the energization period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: ASMO Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takayuki Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 8465112
    Abstract: A droplet ejecting component of the present invention includes an ejecting component having a charge and discharge characteristic, an applying component being provided with a transistor, and an increasing component. The ejecting component ejects a droplet. When a control signal is inputted, the applying component applies an application voltage to the ejecting component, and the increasing component increases the impedance of the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshinao Kondoh
  • Patent number: 8459767
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow path forming substrate in which pressure generation chambers are formed. The pressure generation chambers communicate with nozzles that eject liquid droplets. Piezoelectric elements are positioned on the flow path forming substrate to generate pressure changes in the pressure generation chambers. Each piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body layer, a first electrode on one side of the piezoelectric body layer, and a second electrode on the opposite side of the piezoelectric body layer. The piezoelectric element is driven in a condition that the relationship between minimum voltage Vmin, and maximum voltage Vmax, which are applied to the piezoelectric element, and peak voltage Vo satisfies the expression, Vmin<Vo<Vmax. In this expression, the peak voltage Vo is a voltage value at which a primary differential coefficient of displacement by voltage, which is obtained from a displacement-voltage curve, is at a maximum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Sumi
  • Patent number: 8459768
    Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method for driving a droplet ejection device having an actuator, including applying a multipulse waveform that includes two or more drive pulses to the actuator to cause the droplet ejection device to eject a single droplet of a fluid, wherein a frequency of the drive pulses is greater than a natural frequency, fj, of the droplet ejection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Hasenbein, Paul A. Hoisington, Deane A. Gardner, Steven H. Barss
  • Patent number: 8454112
    Abstract: Provided that at least one of a plurality of recording media which are successively conveyed by a conveyance mechanism is a reference recording medium, a liquid ejection apparatus determines, for an ejection surface, an ejection region which opposes a recording region on the reference recording medium when the medium is being conveyed and a non-ejection region which does not oppose the recording region. Both of the ejection openings in the ejection region and the ejection openings in the non-ejection region carry out at least one of preliminary ejection and preliminary vibration in a recovery period. An amount of ejection of liquid in the preliminary ejection and the frequency of vibration of meniscus in the preliminary vibration are larger in the ejection openings in the ejection region than in the ejection openings in the non-ejection region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8449058
    Abstract: Described herein is a method and apparatus for driving a drop ejection device to produce variable sized drops with multi-pulse waveforms. In one embodiment, a method for driving a drop ejection device having an actuator includes applying a multi-pulse waveform having at least one drive pulse and at least one break off pulse to the actuator. The method further includes building a drop of a fluid with the at least one drive pulse. The method further includes accelerating the break off of the drop with the at least one break off pulse. The method further includes causing the drop ejection device to eject the drop of a fluid in response to the pulses of the multi-pulse waveform. The break off pulse causes the break off of the drop formed by the at least one drive pulse in order to reduce the tail mass of the drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Dimatix, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Hasenbein
  • Patent number: 8449059
    Abstract: A piezoelectric vibrator varies the pressure in a pressure chamber in accordance with a drive signal, whereby ink contained in the pressure chamber is ejected from a nozzle. The drive signal includes a slight-vibration pulse used to change the pressure in the pressure chamber to an extent that the ink is not ejected. The slight-vibration pulse includes a first changing component in which the potential changes from a reference potential in a negative direction in which the pressure in the pressure chamber is increased by the piezoelectric vibrator, a second changing component which is generated to follow the first changing component and in which the potential changes so as to cross the reference potential in a positive direction, and a third changing component which is generated to follow the second changing component and in which the potential changes to the reference potential in the negative direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8439472
    Abstract: While a conveying error of a roller depends on the eccentricity of the roller, the amount and the state of the eccentricity sometimes makes the roller have different conveying errors from one point in the longitudinal direction of the roller to another. There is provided a construction for obtaining a correction value that is suitable for the correction of the conveying error even in such a case as described above. To this end, plural test patterns are formed in the longitudinal direction of the roller. Then, a suitable correction value for correcting the conveying error that depends on the eccentricity of the roller is obtained on the basis of these test patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Yasutani, Hiroshi Tajika, Hitoshi Nishikori, Takeshi Yazawa, Satoshi Seki, Fumiko Yano, Atsushi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8419145
    Abstract: A printhead and a method of ejecting liquid droplets are provided. The method includes providing a printhead operable to eject liquid drops having a plurality of drop volumes Vi, for i equal to 1 through n, where n?2, with Vj>Vi when j>i. One of the plurality of drop volumes is a minimum drop volume Vmin, and a difference in drop volumes between successively larger drops equals (Vk+1?Vk) which is less than Vmin, for k equal to 1 through n?1. The method also includes ejecting liquid drops through the printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Yonglin Xie
  • Patent number: 8414097
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus creates a drive waveform containing a first pulse to discharge the droplet and a second pulse to cause a liquid to flow within a recording head. A data creation part creates data to select a first or second droplet discharge pulse. The first droplet discharge pulse contains the first pulse and the second pulse. The second droplet discharge pulse does not contain the second pulse. When the first or second droplet discharge pulse is selected in a subsequent drive period and when neither the first nor second droplet discharge pulse is selected in a current drive period, the second pulse is selected in the current drive period when selecting the second droplet discharge pulse in the subsequent drive period, and the second pulse is not selected in the current drive period when selecting the first droplet discharge pulse in the subsequent drive period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takafumi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20130083109
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a passage unit, a piezoelectric actuator, a drive signal generator, a driver, a voltage value changing unit, and an interval setting unit. The piezoelectric actuator applies energy to liquid in the passage unit. The drive signal generator generates a drive signal to be supplied to the piezoelectric actuator, based on a reference voltage value. The driver supplies the drive signal generated by the drive signal generator to the piezoelectric actuator. The voltage value changing unit changes the reference voltage value to a larger voltage value every time an accumulated time during which a voltage is applied between electrodes of the piezoelectric actuator satisfies a predetermined condition. The interval setting unit determines a new time interval to a next change of the reference voltage so that the new time interval is shorter than before, every time the reference voltage value is changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomoko HIBINO
  • Patent number: 8408668
    Abstract: A record head has an actuator which is selectively switchable between a small-capacity state in which the capacity of a pressure chamber connected to an outlet is V1 and a large-capacity state in which the capacity of the pressure chamber is V2 which is larger than V1. A head driving unit selectively supplies, to the actuator, ejection drive signals which change the state of the actuator to eject liquid from the outlet and non-ejection drive signals by which the state of the actuator is changed from the small-capacity state to the large-capacity state and then returns to the small-capacity state, to the extent that no ejection of the liquid occurs from the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Furuhata
  • Patent number: 8403440
    Abstract: A drop emitting device that includes a drop generator, a drive signal including a plurality of fire intervals applied to the drop generator, wherein the drive signal includes in each fire interval a bi-polar drop firing waveform or a non-firing waveform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Edward Williams, Terrance Lee Stephens
  • Patent number: 8403441
    Abstract: A driving pulse for air bubble removal flushing which is a first maintenance pulse is a driving pulse which removes air bubbles in an ink flow path of a recording head, a driving pulse for thickened ink discharge flushing which is a second maintenance pulse is a driving pulse which removes thickened ink, thereby stabilizing a meniscus, and in a maintenance process which restores ejection capability of the recording head, after an air bubble removal flushing process is executed by using the driving pulse for air bubble removal flushing, a thickened ink discharge flushing process is executed by using the driving pulse for thickened ink discharge flushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Tsubota, Shuji Yonekubo
  • Patent number: 8403452
    Abstract: A method for causing fluid to be ejected from a fluid chamber of a jet in a printhead. An actuator is actuated with a first energy imparting pulse to push fluid away from the actuator and toward a nozzle. Following a lapse of a first interval, the actuator is actuated with second energy imparting pulse to push fluid away from the actuator and toward the nozzle. Following a lapse of a second interval as measured from the second energy imparting pulse, the actuator is actuated with a break-off pulse to cause fluid extending out of an orifice of the nozzle to break off from fluid within the nozzle, wherein the second lapse is longer than the first lapse and is an inverse of the meniscus-jet mass frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Christoph Menzel, Masakazu Okuda, Steven H. Barss
  • Publication number: 20130070010
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises a printing head unit, a driving waveform generator that generates and outputs a driving waveform having four or more driving pulses in chronological order per driving cycle, and a selector that selects and applies one of multiple driving pulses to a pressure generator to cause a printing head unit to selectively discharge a liquid droplet of three or more different sizes. The driving waveform includes three or more driving pulses at least having a final driving pulse to collectively discharge the biggest liquid droplet. The driving waveform includes a micro-driving pulse for discharging a smallest droplet within a time period of from about 2×Tc to about 4×Tc after the driving waveform starts being outputted when Tc represents a natural vibration period of a separate liquid chamber of the printing head unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru TOBITA, Kunihiro Yamanaka, Naoko Kitaoka, Takashi Satou
  • Patent number: 8398194
    Abstract: A power amplifier includes: a modulator pulse-modulating a drive waveform signal serving as a reference of a drive signal applied to an actuator and outputting a plurality of modulated signals; a digital power amplifier having a plurality of digital power amplifier stages each including a pair of push-pull switching elements, amplifying the power of the plurality of modulated signals, and outputting multi-value amplified digital signals; and a low pass filter smoothing the amplified digital signals and outputting the drive signal, wherein the modulator includes a control section switching one of a state where the same modulated signal is connected to two or more of the digital power amplifier stages and a state where different modulated signals are connected to different digital power amplifier stages to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Yoshino, Atsushi Oshima, Noritaka Ide, Kunio Tabata, Nobuaki Azami, Shinichi Miyazaki
  • Publication number: 20130063507
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a head driving control unit, and a dummy ejection control unit. The dummy ejection control unit controls first dummy ejection operation to eject droplets to a continuous medium per a constant length and second dummy ejection operation to eject droplets not contributing to image formation to an image formation area. In the first dummy ejection operation, the head driving control unit applies a first non ejection pulse to a pressure generator corresponding to a non ejection nozzle. In the second dummy ejection operation, the head driving control unit applies a second non ejection pulse to the pressure generator corresponding to the non ejection nozzle. When the second non ejection pulse is applied, an amplitude or number of vibrations of a meniscus of liquid in the non ejection nozzle is greater than when the first non ejection pulse is applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Shino SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20130063509
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a head having a nozzle; a pressure-changing unit for changing pressure of liquid in the nozzle in such a manner that the liquid is ejected from the nozzle; a first level-data setting unit for setting a selected first level data from a plurality of first level data, based on an ejecting data for a first kind of liquid; a second level-data setting unit for setting a selected second level data from a plurality of second level data, based on an ejecting data for a second kind of liquid; a driving-signal generator for generating a driving signal; and a driving-pulse generator for generating a driving pulse based on the selected first or second level data and the driving signal. The plurality of first level data and the plurality of second level data are different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
  • Publication number: 20130063508
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a driving method of an ink jet head includes applying a first pulse for expanding volume of a pressure chamber in which an ink is accommodated to an actuator for applying oscillation to the pressure chamber and applying a second pulse for reducing volume of the pressure chamber to the actuator immediately before ink drops discharged from a nozzle which is communicated with the pressure chamber are separated from the nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi Norigoe
  • Patent number: 8393699
    Abstract: A capacitive load driving circuit that drives an electrical load having a capacitive component, includes: a first power supply generating a first voltage; a second power supply generating a second voltage different from the first voltage; a plurality of charge storage elements charged by the first power supply; a first connection unit that connects the plurality of charge storage elements to the electrical load by switching connections among the charge storage elements; and a second connection unit that connects the second power supply to the electrical load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Yoshino, Atsushi Oshima, Shinichi Miyazaki, Kunio Tabata, Noritaka Ide
  • Patent number: 8393702
    Abstract: A method for causing fluid to be ejected from a fluid chamber of a jet in a printhead. An actuator is actuated with a first energy imparting pulse to push fluid away from the actuator and toward a nozzle. Following a lapse of a first interval, the actuator is actuated with second energy imparting pulse to push fluid away from the actuator and toward the nozzle. Following a lapse of a second interval as measured from the second energy imparting pulse, the actuator is actuated with a break-off pulse to cause fluid extending out of an orifice of the nozzle to break off from fluid within the nozzle, wherein the second lapse is longer than the first lapse and is an inverse of the meniscus-jet mass frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Christoph Menzel, Masakazu Okuda, Steven H. Barss
  • Patent number: 8388085
    Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a printing system (100) that includes a printhead (102) having a controller (510) configured to initiate at least one precursor pulse, send the at least one precursor pulse to a first nozzle (560), remove the at least one precursor pulse from the first nozzle for a predetermined period of time to create a pause, initiate at least one firing pulse after the pause and send the at least one firing pulse to the first nozzle (560) for ejecting an ink drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Scott A. Linn
  • Publication number: 20130050318
    Abstract: An encoder sensor is mounted on a printhead and optically reads an encoder film. And a number of pulses of a pulse signal proportional to a moving amount of a printhead is counted and stored as a count value in a memory within multiple ICs. The count value stored in the memories is reset while the pulse signal outputted from the encoder sensor is blocked by a gate or while a region other than near a boundary between a penetration region and a non-penetration region of the encoder film is being read.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yukinori Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 8382225
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head having a pressure generating chamber which communicates with a nozzle opening for discharging a liquid and a pressure generating unit which generates a pressure variation within the pressure generating chamber; and a driving unit that supplies the pressure generating unit with a driving signal having an inflation element in which the pressure generating chamber is inflated, a contraction element in which the pressure generating chamber is contracted to discharge a liquid from the nozzle opening, and a re-inflation element in which the pressure generating chamber is inflated during the contraction element, wherein the re-inflation element is initiated in a state that two different phases of vibration of the meniscus within the nozzle opening are not opposite to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kinya Ozawa
  • Patent number: 8371669
    Abstract: Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for generating each of (i) a first signal and (ii) a second signal based at least in part on a position of a carriage, where the carriage is a component of a printing device, estimating (i) a major cycle duration associated with the first signal and (ii) a first minor cycle duration associated with the second signal, estimating a position of the carriage based at least in part on the estimated major cycle duration and the estimated first minor cycle duration, and generating a plurality of print synchronization pulses based at least in part on the estimated position of the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Marvell International Ltd.
    Inventor: James Mealy
  • Patent number: 8371668
    Abstract: A recording element substrate which is provided with a first recording element group and a second recording element group, each group including a plurality of recording elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryo Kasai, Tatsuo Furukawa, Nobuyuki Hirayama, Tomoko Kudo
  • Patent number: 8356869
    Abstract: A device has an output circuit arranged to receive a voltage pulse, a body diode associated with the output circuit, and a detection circuit electrically coupled to the voltage pulse and the output circuit, such that when the voltage pulse transitions from high to low, the detection circuit is configured to activate the output circuit to reduce current in the body diode. A circuit to control parasitic power dissipation in an integrated circuit has a P-channel FET having a source electrode coupled to a high voltage signal source and a drain electrode coupled to a load, a body diode associated with the P-channel FET, and a detection circuit. An apparatus has a print head arranged to dispense ink, a print driver circuit electrically coupled to the print head and configured to provide voltage pulses to actuate the ejection ports through an output circuit, and a detection circuit electrically coupled to the output circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: David L. Knierim
  • Patent number: 8353568
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an inkjet head driving apparatus. The inkjet head driving apparatus includes a multi pulse generator that receives a trigger signal, and converts and outputs the trigger signal into a multi pulse signal; an amplifier that amplifies the multi pulse signal output from the multi pulse generator; and a controller that controls the number of pulses of the multi pulse signal generated from the multi pulse generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyun Seok Lee