Plural Pulses Patents (Class 347/11)
  • Patent number: 7857406
    Abstract: An inkjet head driving apparatus which drives an inkjet head for use in gradation printing which is performed to cause a capacity of each of a plurality of pressure chambers filled with ink to be changed by a drive pulse applied to an actuator, an ink drop to be emitted onto a recording medium from a nozzle communicating with the corresponding pressure chamber, and the number of ink drops emitted to be controlled according to the number of drive pulses, the driving apparatus including a drive signal generating section which applies a deboost pulse to decrease pressure in the pressure chamber before the drive pulse for emitting a first drop of ink is applied, wherein the deboost pulse includes a pulse applied to expand or contract the capacity of the pressure chamber for a predetermined length of time, and a quiescent time following the pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuhito Komai
  • Patent number: 7850266
    Abstract: An element substrate for a recording head includes groups of heating resistors that are disposed next to one another in each group; logic circuits configured to time-divisionally drive the heating resistors in units of one block; a heat enable signal line common to the groups of heating resisters, the heat enable signal line supplying a heat enable signal to each of the groups of heating resisters; and delay circuits connected to the heat enable signal line at positions between the groups of heating resisters. A signal output from each delay circuit to the next group is inverted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ryo Kasai
  • Patent number: 7850264
    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: February 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshinao Kondoh
  • Patent number: 7850267
    Abstract: In a method of controlling drive of a function liquid droplet ejection head in which a plurality of nozzle arrays are arranged, the nozzle arrays have function liquid droplet ejection amounts which are different from each other per unit nozzle. The drive of the plurality of nozzle arrays is controlled by using a single drive signal having a plurality of ejection pulses corresponding to the plurality of nozzle arrays in one print cycle. Thus, even if a plurality of nozzle arrays having function liquid droplet ejection amounts which are different from each other per unit nozzle are disposed in one function liquid droplet ejection head, easy drive control is possible without lowering printing throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hidenori Usuda
  • Patent number: 7845747
    Abstract: A printhead IC comprising: an array of nozzles; and, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses to the nozzles in accordance with the print data; wherein, the drive pulses consist of ejection pulses with sufficient energy to eject printing fluid from the nozzles designated to fire at that time, and sub-ejection pulses with insufficient energy to eject printing fluid from the nozzles not designated to fire at that time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: John Robert Sheahan, Mark Jackson Pulver, Brian Christopher Morahan, Alireza Moini, Timothy Peter Gillespie, Michael John Webb, Angus John North, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7841679
    Abstract: The invention achieves efficient use of generation circuits of drive signals COM. The invention provides a liquid ejection method that includes: causing a certain drive signal generation unit to generate a first drive signal and a second drive signal; causing another drive signal generation unit to generate a first drive signal and a second drive signal; supplying the first drive signal generated by the certain drive signal generation unit and the second drive signal generated by the other drive signal generation unit to a certain head unit, the certain head unit being one of a plurality of head units arranged in an intersecting direction that intersects a transport direction of a medium; and ejecting liquid from the certain head unit in accordance with the first drive signal and the second drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiki Usui
  • Patent number: 7819492
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image process control unit processing an image data and generating a control signal, and a drive pattern generation unit to generate a drive pattern to drive a recording head, based on the control signal, the drive pattern generation unit generating at least a first drive pattern and a second drive pattern which is different from the first drive pattern. The drive pattern generation unit sets a reference potential of the second drive pattern as a target reference potential and applying a pattern end of the first drive pattern to one of a pull-up pattern and a pull-down pattern operation before the second drive pattern is performed, wherein the drive pattern generation unit generates one of the pull-up pattern and the pull-down pattern based on a slope value obtained by comparing the target reference potential and the end potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Watanabe, Yuji Ieiri, Kohichi Sadano, Tsuyoshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 7819491
    Abstract: An ink jet head driver including a control section that calculates a first head passing time required for the paper sheet from the leading edge to the tailing edge to pass the ink jet head, drives the piezoelectric element of the ink jet head for a predetermined time to perform precursor microvibration immediately before a leading edge of the paper sheet reaches right under the ink jet head and then drives the piezoelectric element according to the normal pixel data to form the image on the paper sheet when the first head passing time is under the deterioration time of the ink, and drives the piezoelectric element of the ink jet head for a predetermined time to perform precursor microvibration immediately before the leading edge of the paper sheet reaches right under the ink jet head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Asayo Nishimura
  • Patent number: 7802864
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes actuators provided in an inkjet head, and a drive voltage generator that drives each actuator. The drive voltage generator is configured to set the cycle time Tc, the drop cycle Td, the number of ink droplets N for a maximum tone, and the inactive period Te in a relationship of Tc=Td×N+Te, set the drop cycle Td and the inactive period Te, by referencing pressure propagation time Ta in relationships of Td=n×Ta (where n=1, 2, 3, . . . ) and Te=(0.5+m)×Ta (where m=1, 2, 3, . . . ), and make an output timing of the final drive pulse signal for a dot of a tone other than the maximum tone coincide with an output timing of the final drive pulse signal for the maximum tone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Norigoe
  • Patent number: 7802863
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes one or more ink-jet heads, a drive waveform generation circuit, a plurality of drive waveform selection circuits, and a plurality of drive signal generation circuits. The drive waveform generation circuit generates m different drive waveforms (m is equal to or greater than three). The drive waveform selection circuit selects n drive waveforms (n is smaller than m, and equal to or greater than two) from the m drive waveforms. The drive signal generation circuit selects in every predetermined recording cycle one drive waveform for one nozzle from the n drive waveforms selected by the drive waveform selection circuit, and generates a drive signal based on the drive waveform thus selected. At least one of the n drive waveforms selected by any one of the plurality of drive waveform selection circuits is the same as the drive waveform selected by another one of the drive waveform selection circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuaki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7802865
    Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method which are capable of stabilizing the amount of ink ejection and of printing a high-definition image by selecting a driving condition with heat conductivity of an electrothermal converter being taken into consideration. The heat conductivity from a heater to ink is classified into heater ranks, and, on the basis of the heater rank, a voltage of a drive pulse to be applied to the heater is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideaki Takamiya, Hitoshi Nishikori, Daisaku Ide, Hiroshi Tajika, Takashi Sato
  • Patent number: 7798591
    Abstract: A capacitive load driving circuit includes: a phase lead compensator, advancing a phase of an output signal of a filter; a series compensator, determining an error between a driving signal and an output signal of the phase lead compensator; a stabilization compensator, performing a derivative action on an output signal of the filter; a voltage comparison unit, comparing a differential voltage between a signal output from the series compensator and a signal output from the stabilization compensator, with a voltage of a predetermined triangular waveform, and outputting a pulse width modulation signal; a voltage amplification unit, amplifying the voltage of the pulse width modulation signal output, and supplying the amplified pulse width modulation signal to the input terminal of the filter; and plural capacitive loads each connected in parallel to the capacitor. A droplet ejection apparatus includes the capacitive load driving circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sunao Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 7794034
    Abstract: An image formation apparatus is disclosed, wherein a time interval between a first ink drop and a second ink drop is set at 1.5×Tc, a time interval between the second ink drop and a third ink drop is set at 1.5×Tc, and a time interval between the third ink drop and a fourth ink drop is set at 2×Tc, where Tc represents the specific vibration cycle of a pressurized ink chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuru Shingyohuchi, Mikio Ohashi, Hiroshi Noda
  • Patent number: 7794035
    Abstract: An object of this invention is to decrease the amount of ink mist while keeping the image quality high in inkjet printing. To achieve this object, printing is performed by time-divisionally driving, for each block, a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink. In preliminary discharge, the nozzles are so driven as to set the driving time interval between neighboring nozzles to the first time interval. In printing, the nozzles are so driven as to set the driving time interval between neighboring nozzles to the second time interval longer than the first time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Imahashi, Takashi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20100214335
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a pressure chamber communicated with a nozzle; an element which performs the operation of imparting a pressure change to liquid in the pressure chamber; and a pulse generation section which generates a preceding discharge pulse and a following discharge pulse that operate the element, and determines a period from the end of the generation of the preceding discharge pulse to the start of the generation of the following discharge pulse in accordance with the liquid droplet amount which is discharged from the nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoshige Kaneko
  • Patent number: 7780275
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a liquid ejection head has at least one ejection hole, and a conveyor moves a recording medium relative to the ejection head. A deflector deflects liquid droplets ejected from the ejection hole in a direction including at least a component of a direction substantially parallel to relative conveyance direction of the recording medium. A deflection angle setter sets two or more deflection angles such that when dots mutually adjacent in the direction substantially parallel to the relative conveyance direction of the medium are formed in an overlapping fashion, directions of flight of droplets ejected consecutively are deflected such that their directions of flight become different from each other. Droplet landing time differential between the first droplet and the second droplet becomes equal to or greater than quasi-fixing time period from a landing time of the first liquid droplet until the first liquid droplet becomes quasi-fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Naoki Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 7780255
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus having a recording head unit having nozzle lines driven with multi-phase drive, a moving unit to move the recording head unit in a scanning direction crossing the nozzle lines, a clock generating unit, and a recording head control section. The recording head control section includes a phase control section to control each drive phase of the nozzle lines on the basis of the clock signals, and controls the recording head unit such that, by driving the nozzle lines with the drive phases controlled by the phase control section during movement of the recording head unit by the moving unit, an image is recorded with a plurality of pixels reduced by a predetermined reduced pattern, and with predetermined times of repetition of this recording, an image recording in the recording area is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventor: Yukihiro Niekawa
  • Patent number: 7770991
    Abstract: A method and system for application in an inkjet printer containing a substantially closed ink duct in which ink is situated, said duct being operationally connected to an electromechanical transducer, the method including the steps of: actuating the transducer with a number of actuation pulses according to a predetermined actuation setting in order to eject ink drops from a duct nozzle, where a pressure wave is generated in the duct by an actuation pulse, this pressure wave causing a deformation of an electromechanical transducer which generates an electrical signal; analyzing the electrical signal; analyzing the signal for a plurality of different actuation settings, and based on which analysis, determining an actuation setting, on the one side of which setting the ejection of a drop is a stable process and on the other side of which setting, the ejection of a drop is an unstable process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Océ-Technologies B.V.
    Inventors: Hans Reinten, Thomas P. Huijgen, Hubertus M. J. M. Boesten
  • Patent number: 7770990
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a circulation flow channel connected to nozzle flow channels and via which ink from pressure chambers is circulated; actuators which changes pressure in the pressure chambers to eject the ink from the nozzles; and a circulating flow generation device which generates a circulating ink flow from an ink supply port side to a circulation flow channel side. A control apparatus applies ink ejection signals to the actuators for the pressure chambers in which the ink is ejected, the control apparatus also applies, to the actuators for the pressure chambers in which the ink is not ejected, continuous meniscus shaking signals causing the ink in the nozzles to shake to an extent which does not lead the ink to be ejected, wherein the control apparatus thins out the meniscus shaking signals at a plurality of different cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Kanji Nagashima
  • Publication number: 20100194804
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus is provided, which including: a pressure chamber communicating with a liquid supply portion and each nozzle; an element that performs an operation for providing change of pressure to liquid within the pressure chamber; and a pulse generating section that generates a pulse of which a voltage is changed to operate the element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kinya Ozawa
  • Patent number: 7766439
    Abstract: A recording apparatus including: a recording head having a plurality of actuators for performing dot printing; a drive circuit which outputs respective drive pulses to the respective actuators; and a main circuit which transmits, to the drive circuit, a drive signal for outputting the respective drive pulses to the respective actuators. The drive signal includes selection data for selecting, for each of the actuators, a drive-waveform signal which provides a waveform of each of the drive pulses, among plural sorts of drive-waveform signals. The main circuit transmits, to the drive circuit, a clock signal and a drive-waveform-data signal that is a serial signal in which is included data to generate the plural sorts of drive-waveform signals. The drive circuit includes a drive-waveform-signal generating circuit which generates the plural sorts of drive-waveform signals on the basis of the clock signal and the drive-waveform-data signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirofumi Kondo
  • Publication number: 20100188452
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus of the invention includes a drive waveform generator that generates a drive waveform signal, a modulator that pulse-modulates the drive waveform signal so as to produce a modulated signal, a digital power amplification circuit that amplifies the power of the modulated signal so as to produce an amplified digital signal, and a low pass filter that smoothes the amplified digital signal so as to produce a drive signal. The digital power amplification circuit includes multiple stages of digital power amplifiers each including a pair of switching elements that are push-pull-connected. The amplified digital signal is a multi-value signal that reaches a larger number of steps of electric potentials than the number of digital power amplifiers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20100182363
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a liquid discharging head which has a pressure generation chamber that is communicated with a nozzle orifice, and a pressure generation element that generates pressure variation in liquid in the pressure generation chamber, and which can discharge liquid from the nozzle orifice by the operation of the pressure generation element; and a driving signal generation section which generates a series of driving signals that includes a driving pulse which drives the pressure generation element, wherein the driving pulse which the driving signal generation section generates includes an expansion element which expands the pressure generation chamber, thereby drawing in the meniscus, a contraction element which varies voltage so as to contract the expanded pressure generation chamber, a re-expansion element which re-expands the pressure generation chamber after the contraction by the contraction element, thereby drawing in the meniscus, and a re-contraction element which varies v
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kinya Ozawa
  • Publication number: 20100182362
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head having: a discharge port; an actuator; and a driving circuit that selectively supplies to the actuator a discharge driving signal which includes at least one of discharge pulse signals, and a non-discharge driving signal which includes at least one of non-discharge pulse signals. The recording apparatus further includes: a transport unit; an image recording control unit; a signal number calculating unit that calculates the number of non-discharge driving signals; and a non-discharge driving control unit that controls the driving circuit to supply the number of non-discharge driving signals calculated by the signal number calculating unit, wherein the signal number calculating unit calculates the number of non-discharge driving signals such that the sum of the number of correction pulses and the total number of non-discharge pulse signals supplied to the actuator within the predetermined period is equal to a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihumi SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 7757632
    Abstract: A microdeposition system and method includes a head with a plurality of nozzles. A controller generates nozzle firing commands that selectively fire the nozzles to create a desired feature pattern. Configuration memory stores voltage waveform parameters that define a voltage waveform for each of the nozzles. A digital to analog converter (DAC) sequencer communicates with the configuration memory and the controller and outputs a first voltage waveform for a first nozzle when a nozzle firing command for the first nozzle is received from the controller. A resistive ladder DAC receives the voltage waveforms from the DAC sequencer. An operational amplifier (opamp) communicates with the resistive ladder DAC and amplifies the voltage waveforms. The nozzles fire droplets when the voltage waveforms received from the opamp exceed a firing threshold of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles O. Edwards, David Albertalli, James Middleton, George Fellingham
  • Patent number: 7758140
    Abstract: A printing apparatus uses a liquid jet apparatus including a plurality of nozzles provided to a liquid jet head, an actuator provided corresponding to each of the nozzles, and drive unit that applies a drive signal to the actuator, wherein the drive unit includes drive waveform signal generation unit that generates a drive waveform signal providing a basis of a signal for controlling the actuator, feedback correction unit for feedback-correcting the drive waveform signal generated by the drive waveform signal generation unit, modulator unit for pulse-modulating the corrected drive waveform signal feedback-corrected by the feedback correction unit, a digital power amplifier for power-amplifying the modulated signal, which is pulse-modulated by the modulator unit, and a low-pass filter for smoothing the power-amplified and modulated signal power-amplified by the digital power amplifier and supplying the actuator with the power-amplified and modulated signal as the drive signal, and the feedback correction unit
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Oshima, Kunio Tabata
  • Patent number: 7753464
    Abstract: A liquid-jet apparatus includes: a driving signal generating unit that generates a ejecting driving signal, which is a periodic signal having a plurality of pulse waveforms; a driving pulse generating unit that generates a driving pulse string for each unit region of a medium to be printed upon, on the basis of gray-scale data for the unit region, the ejecting driving signal, and information on whether the driving pulse string generated for a previous unit region includes a last pulse waveform or a pulse waveform immediately before the last pulse waveform in one cycle of the ejecting driving signal; and a control unit that drives the pressure changing unit on the basis of the driving pulse. In the liquid-jet apparatus, the one cycle of the ejecting driving signal corresponds to one unit region of the medium to be printed upon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Sayama, Toru Nagate
  • Patent number: 7748811
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus includes a liquid jet head and a driving signal generating circuit. The driving signal generating circuit generates driving signals including ejection pulses to control the ejection of liquid droplets. A first driving signal is supplied to a first actuator unit and a second driving signal is supplied to a second actuator unit. A first ejection pulse is generated, followed by a second ejection pulse generated after a delay time of ?t. The delay time ?t is set within a range that allows a liquid droplet to be ejected with reduced misting and reduced deviation from a predetermined path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Noriaki Yamashita
  • Patent number: 7748812
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus according to the present invention includes a drive waveform generator adapted to generate a drive waveform signal, a modulator adapted to execute pulse modulation on the drive waveform signal, a digital power amplifier adapted to power-amplify the modulated signal, on which the pulse modulation is executed by the modulator, with a pair of switching elements push-pull coupled with each other, a low pass filter adapted to smooth the amplified digital signal obtained by the power-amplification of the digital power amplifier, and a modulation period adjustment circuit adapted to adjust a modulation period of the pulse modulation of the modulator in accordance with a reset signal forming a basis of timing for driving an actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Oshima
  • Patent number: 7748810
    Abstract: An image processing device includes a calibrator that calibrates a pixel value of a pixel in image data. An output interface outputs to an image output device the image data calibrated by the calibrator, the image output device forming an image in accordance with the calibrated image data, wherein the reference pixel and the target pixel have a predetermined positional relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Miyamoto, Atsushi Nagahara, Yu Gu, Toru Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20100165027
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including: a rotating body that holds recording medias on a circumferential surface; an image forming section that forms an image; a generating section that generates a pulse and a reference pulse; a measuring section that measures the number of pulses; a computing section that each time when predetermined number of pulses from generation of the reference pulse has been measured, divides a pulse width of a pulse before predetermined number of pulses by a first value to compute a pulse division time; and a controlling section that each time when predetermined number of pulses are measured from generation of the reference pulse, multiplies the pulse division time by a second predetermined value, thereby obtaining a forming start time, and that controls to start image formation when the forming start time has elapsed from the measurement of predetermined number of pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Zengo, Susumu Kibayashi, Toru Nishida, Hiroaki Satoh
  • Patent number: 7744182
    Abstract: A capacitive load driving circuit that supplies driving voltage to a capacitive load includes a driving voltage waveform generating unit. The driving voltage waveform generating unit, at times of charging or discharging of the capacitive load, generates a driving voltage waveform in which potential applied to the capacitive load varies stepwise from a first potential to a second potential during a predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kota Nakayama
  • Patent number: 7740411
    Abstract: A method of forming an extended tab label is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a paper supply to a printer, the paper supply having an adhesive covering at least a portion thereof. Inputting patient-specific information through a computer to the printer. Printing the patient-specific information on the paper supply, where the paper supply containing patient-specific information thereon forms a label having a length greater than a circumference of a container accepting the label.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Inventor: Stacy Kaufman
  • Publication number: 20100149239
    Abstract: A printhead IC is provided having an array of ejection nozzles, sensing circuitry for sensing a temperature of the nozzle array which is de-activatable after a period of use, and drive circuitry for receiving print data and providing drive pulses to the nozzles to cause ejection in accordance with the print data. The drive circuitry is configured to set the duration of the drive pulses to a sub-ejection value for any nozzle which is not to eject in accordance with the print data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Inventors: John Robert Sheahan, Mark Jackson Pulver, Brian Christopher Morahan, Alireza Moini, Timothy Peter Gillespie, Michael John Webb, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7735947
    Abstract: In a droplet ejecting system, after an ink droplet is ejected a reverberation pressure change is amplified to obtain an appropriate amount of reverberation pressure change, and the ink droplet is reliably separated from a meniscus when ejecting the ink droplet. To this end, voltage including an ejecting pulse for ejecting the ink droplet is applied to a piezoactuator to generate a pressure change in a pressure chamber, and voltage including a reverberation amplifying pulse is applied to the piezoactuator to amplify the pressure change in the pressure chamber in the next cycle subsequent to the cycle of the pressure change generated by the ejecting pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masakazu Okuda
  • Publication number: 20100141698
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a pressure chamber that is in communication with a nozzle; an element that operates to cause a pressure change in liquid retained in the pressure chamber; and a discharging pulse generating unit that generates a discharging pulse for operating the element to discharge the liquid from the nozzle, wherein the discharging pulse generating unit generates an anterior discharging pulse and a posterior discharging pulse in such a manner that a time period A from the end of the anterior discharging pulse to the start of the posterior discharging pulse satisfies the following formula (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Kinya Ozawa, Junhua Zhang
  • Publication number: 20100134544
    Abstract: A voltage pulse that keeps the ejection volume within a specified range is selected for a plurality of print element columns, based on the heater rank and ink temperature information that influences the ejection volume during ink ejection. At this time, the voltage pulse is controlled so that the voltage value of the pulse is equal for a plurality of print element columns at any ink temperature and varies according to the ink temperature. This control process enables pulses of the same voltage value to be applied at all times to a plurality of nozzle columns even if these nozzle columns in the print head have different heater ranks. As a result, the ejection volumes of all nozzle columns can be kept within a specified range with high precision over a wide range of base temperature, without requiring complicated circuit configurations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideaki Takamiya, Hitoshi Nishikori
  • Patent number: 7726758
    Abstract: A method and device for providing a plurality of fire pulses in an ink jet printer, which includes a production of a plurality of fire signals. Each fire signal of the plurality of fire signals are asserted at a different timing than the other of the plurality of fire signals. The plurality of fire signals are combined to form a composite fire signal that maintains the different timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Lucas D. Barkley, David C. Stevenson
  • Patent number: 7717530
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus of the invention includes a drive waveform generator that generates a drive waveform signal, a modulator that pulse-modulates the drive waveform signal so as to produce a modulated signal, a digital power amplification circuit that amplifies the power of the modulated signal so as to produce an amplified digital signal, and a low pass filter that smoothes the amplified digital signal so as to produce a drive signal. The digital power amplification circuit includes multiple stages of digital power amplifiers each including a pair of switching elements that are push-pull-connected. The amplified digital signal is a multi-value signal that reaches a larger number of steps of electric potentials than the number of digital power amplifiers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Oshima
  • Patent number: 7712877
    Abstract: An inkjet printer whose ink discharge characteristic will rarely change even when used for a long period of time is developed. The inkjet printer has a pressure chamber and a piezoelectric actuator and a controller. The piezoelectric actuator has a first electrode, a first piezoelectric film, a second electrode, a second piezoelectric film, and a third electrode, and they are laminated together in this order. The piezoelectric actuator forms a portion of the wall defining the pressure chanter. The controller applies ink discharge signal between the first and second electrode, ink discharge signal comprises advanced voltage change from a predetermined voltage to the lower voltage and subsequent voltage change from the lower voltage to the predetermined voltage. Ink can be effectively discharged by applying the ink discharge signal, but the ink discharge signal could change piezoelectric characteristic in the second piezoelectric film due to the deformation of the first piezoelectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Hirota, Chitoshi Ueki, Shin Ishikura
  • Publication number: 20100110130
    Abstract: A printer system for providing a pre-heat signal to a printhead. The system includes a printhead having a plurality of nozzles and a print engine controller for generating drive signals in accordance with print data defining a print job for the printhead. The system is configured for selectively providing nozzles actuators with a pre-heat signal derived from a combination of signals. One of the signals in the combination is the drive signal from the print engine controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7708363
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a head and a drive signal generating section. The head has an element performing operation for ejecting ink and ejects a plurality of types of inks, an amount of each ink ejected by the head being different depending on a designated tone value. The drive signal generating section generates a drive signal having a waveform section for operating the element and generates a plurality of types of the drive signals for a specific tone value, the waveform section of each of the drive signals for the specific tone value being different depending on the types of inks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiko Hoshiyama, Hirokazu Nunokawa
  • Patent number: 7703872
    Abstract: A plurality of print modes having different drive voltage values are provided for each ink temperature and, in each print mode, the ejection volume control is performed by adjusting the drive pulse. In a high quality mode that gives priority to an image quality, a drive pulse of relatively low voltage and long pulse width is applied. In a high speed mode that gives priority to a print speed, a drive pulse of relatively high voltage and short pulse width is applied. In the high quality mode this control allows the ejection volume to be controlled in a wide temperature range, stabilizing the color reproduction. In the high speed mode this control allows the drive frequency of the print head to be raised, increasing the print speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Nishikori, Hideaki Takamiya, Hiroshi Tajika
  • Patent number: 7703870
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head (26) having a nozzle (21) with an inner diameter of 15 ?m or less to eject droplets of charged solution onto a substrate; an ejection voltage supply (25) to apply an ejection voltage to a solution inside the nozzle; a convex meniscus generator (40) to form a state in which the solution inside the nozzle rises from the nozzle in a convex shape; and an operation controller (50) to control application of a drive voltage to drive the convex meniscus generator and application of an ejection voltage by the ejection voltage supply so that the drive voltage to the convex meniscus generator is applied in timing overlapped with the application of a pulse voltage as the ejection voltage by the ejection voltage supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Kazunori Yamamoto, Yasuo Nishi, Hironobu Iwashita, Shigeru Nishio, Kazuhiro Murata
  • Patent number: 7699421
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention includes a distance obtaining unit that obtains a distance between the nozzle of the head and a medium to which the liquid is ejected. The driving signal is a periodical signal including a first pulse-wave capable of ejecting a drop of the liquid having a predetermined volume at a relatively low speed, and a second pulse-wave capable of ejecting a drop of the liquid having the predetermined volume at a relatively high speed, the predetermined volume corresponding to a predetermined level data. The driving-pulse generator is adapted to generate, when the selected level data is the predetermined level data: a driving-pulse including only the first pulse-wave when a distance obtained by the distance obtaining unit is not less than a predetermined value; and a driving-pulse including only the second pulse-wave when the distance is less than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Togashi, Satoru Hosono
  • Patent number: 7699424
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus having a printhead equipped with printing element row that includes printing elements having a plurality of heat-producing resistance elements. The apparatus includes a temperature sensing unit which senses the temperature of the printhead, a temperature distribution storage unit in which a temperature distribution along the printing element row, a temperature gradient calculating unit which calculates the temperature gradient of the printing element row from the temperature of the printhead sensed by the temperature sensing units, a predicting unit which predicts the temperature of each printing element using the temperature gradient and the temperature distribution along the printing element row, and a control unit which applies discharge pulses, which are decided based upon the predicted temperature from the predicting unit, to each of the printing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Shihoh, Shoji Kanemura, Noriyuki Chino, Hiroyasu Nomura
  • Publication number: 20100091061
    Abstract: A liquid discharging device includes a liquid discharging head which discharges liquid. A drive signal generator generates a drive pulse. A liquid receiving portion faces a nozzle-formed surface of the liquid discharging head and receives discharged liquid. Electrical change information is acquired by detecting change in an electrical characteristic between a conductive portion of the liquid discharging head and the liquid receiving portion when liquid is discharged. Correlation information shows correlation between the electrical change information and temperatures of discharged liquid. The drive signal generator generates an information acquiring drive pulse. The correlation information shows correlation between the electrical change information obtained when discharging the liquid using the information acquiring drive pulse and the temperatures of the liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Junichiro MATSUSHITA
  • Patent number: 7695084
    Abstract: The present invention provides a waveform data-processing device. This waveform data-processing device is equipped with a generation component and a sequencing component. The generation component, on the basis of each of a plurality of waveforms which are specified by respective durations and amplitudes, generates a plurality of waveform data sets. Each waveform data set is structured by partial waveform data representing, for each of nodes which are points in the waveform at which amplitude alters, a period until a next node in time and an amplitude change condition. The sequencing component sequences the partial waveform data of the respective nodes for each of the plurality of waveform data sets that have been generated by the generation component. In this waveform data-processing device, the sequencing component sequences partial waveform data of nodes with times which are the same between the waveform data sets to sequence positions which are the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichi Kawauchi
  • Patent number: 7695086
    Abstract: An ink jet printer is provided with a passage unit, an actuator, and a pulse applying device. The passage unit comprises a nozzle, a pressure chamber, and an ink passage located between the nozzle and the pressure chamber. The actuator faces the pressure chamber and comprises a first electrode, a second electrode to which a reference potential can be applied, and a piezoelectric element located between the first electrode and the second electrode. The pulse applying device is capable of applying a first voltage pulse to the first electrode such that the nozzle discharges an ink droplet, and a second voltage pulse to the first electrode such that the nozzle does not discharge the ink droplet. A voltage change on a leading edge and/or a trailing edge of the second voltage pulse is greater than a voltage change on a leading edge and/or a trailing edge of the first voltage pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Iwao, Atsuo Sakaida
  • Publication number: 20100079521
    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 level-data setting unit for setting a selected level data from a plurality of level data, based on an ejecting data; a driving-signal generator for generating a first driving signal and a second driving signal; and a driving-pulse generator for generating a driving pulse based on the selected level data and the first driving signal and the second driving signal. The first driving signal and the second driving signal are periodical signals having a same period. The first driving signal includes a first large-drop pulse-wave and a third large-drop pulse-wave. The second driving signal includes a second large-drop pulse-wave. The first large-drop pulse-wave, the second large-drop pulse-wave and the third large-drop pulse-wave have a same waveform, and appear in that order at regular intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoru Hosono, Toshiki Usui, Yasuhiko Kosugi