Ink pumping
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorSing Yan Wan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present subject matter describes a system for ink pumping. In an example implementation, the system comprises a tube having a first end and a second end, a peristaltic pump to pump ink through the tube, a first ink port, and a second ink port. The system includes a first fluid chamber between the first end of the tube and the first ink port. The first fluid chamber is configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the first end to dampen flow of the pumped ink. The system also includes a second fluid chamber between the second end of the tube and the second ink port. The second fluid chamber is configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the second end to dampen flow of the pumped ink.
Claims16
A system comprising:
- a tube having a first end and a second end;
- a peristaltic pump to pump ink through the tube;
- a first ink port;
- a second ink port;
- a first fluid chamber between the first end of the tube and the first ink port, the first fluid chamber configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the first end to dampen flow of the pumped ink;
- a first bi-directional interconnector having a flowpath to which the first fluid chamber is integral;
- and
- a second fluid chamber between the second end of the tube and the second ink port, the second fluid chamber configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the second end to dampen flow of the pumped ink.
A system comprising:
- a tube mounted on a roller assembly, the roller assembly including at least one roller to squeeze the tube, at different positions, to pump ink through the tube through peristaltic action;
- a first bi-directional interconnector connected at a first end of the tube, the first bi-directional interconnector having a flowpath to which a first fluid chamber of the first bi-directional interconnector is integral, the first fluid chamber configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the first end to dampen flow of the pumped ink;
- and
- a second bi-directional interconnector connected at a second end of the tube, the second bi-directional interconnector having a flowpath to which a second fluid chamber of the second bi-directional connector is integral, the second fluid chamber configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the second end to dampen flow of the pumped ink.
A printer comprising:
- an array of systems for pumping ink in the printer, each of the systems comprising:
- an epicyclic roller assembly having at least one roller coupled to a planetary gear assembly mounted on a planet shaft;
- a tube mounted on the epicyclic roller assembly, the at least one roller configured to squeeze the tube, at different positions, to flow ink through the tube through peristaltic action;
- a first fluid chamber connected at a first end of the tube, the first fluid chamber configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the first end to dampen flow of the pumped ink;
- a first bi-directional interconnector having a flowpath to which the first fluid chamber is integral;
- a second fluid chamber connected at a second end of the tube, the second fluid chamber configured to hold the ink entering and exiting the tube through the second end to dampen flow of the pumped ink;
- and
- a scalable drive shaft coupled to the planet shaft and connectable to a planet shaft of another system to form the array of systems.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.