Aerodynamic fairing structure for inkjet printing
AssigneeHewlett-Parkard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsDaniel J. Fredrickson, Antonio Gomez
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printing device is provided which includes ink-dispensing structure which carries a printhead with a leading edge, and which moves in a printing sweep downstream across a printzone, a fairing structure, and a mounting structure which supports the fairing structure for movement with the printhead downstream from the leading edge of the printhead in a position configured to reduce aerodynamic turbulence associated with the leading edge of the printhead during movement of the printhead downstream across the printzone.
Claims20
A printing device, comprising:
- an ink-dispensing structure which carries a printhead with a leading edge, and which moves in a printing sweep downstream across a printzone;
- a fairing structure;
- and
- a mounting structure which supports the fairing structure for movement with the printhead downstream from the leading edge of the printhead in a position configured to reduce aerodynamic turbulence associated with the leading edge of the printhead during movement of the printhead downstream across the printzone.
A printing device, comprising:
- an ink-dispensing structure which receives one or more printheads having opposite edges, each of which leads in a different, opposite-direction printing sweep downstream across a printzone during a printing operation;
- a pair of spaced aerodynamic fairing structures;
- and
- mounting structure movably mounting the fairing structures with at least a leading one of the fairing structures capable of selected shifting thereof between a nondeployed position and a deployed position wherein the leading fairing structure is configured to reduce aerodynamic turbulence in a vicinity of a leading edge of an advancing ink-dispensing structure.
A method of reducing aerodynamic swath-height error in a printer having an ink-dispensing structure with a leading edge, comprising:
- moving the ink-dispensing structure in a printing sweep downstream across a printzone during a printing operation;
- establishing an aerodynamic fairing structure capable of reducing aerodynamic turbulence which would otherwise result in a vicinity of the leading edge of the printhead as the ink-dispensing structure;
- and
- selectively positioning the fairing structure in a position adjacent the leading edge of the ink-dispensing structure to reduce aerodynamic turbulence in the vicinity of the leading edge during said moving.
A method of reducing aerodynamic swath-height error in a printer having ink-dispensing printhead structure including a printhead which moves with an advancing leading edge in a printing sweep downstream across a printzone during a printing operation, the method comprising the steps of:
- moving the printhead with the advancing leading edge downstream across the printzone;
- and
- while moving the printhead, employing a likewise-advancing aerodynamic barrier at a location adjacent, traveling with, and downstream from the advancing leading edge of the printhead, thereby reducing aerodynamic turbulence adjacent the advancing leading edge of the printhead relative to aerodynamic turbulence which would otherwise be produced adjacent the advancing leading edge of the printhead upon moving the printhead downstream across the printzone.
Apparatus for reducing aerodynamic swath-height error in a printing device having an ink-dispensing structure which moves with an advancing leading edge in a printing sweep downstream across a printzone during a printing operation, the apparatus comprising:
- fairing means for impacting air flow in said printzone;
- and
- mounting means for mounting the aerodynamic fairing for movement with the printhead at a location downstream from the leading edge of the printhead, and in a position relative to the printhead which is effective, during movement of the printhead downstream, to displace aerodynamic turbulence which would otherwise result in a vicinity of the leading edge of the printhead during advancement of the printhead downstream.
A method of printing, comprising:
- scanning a printhead downstream across a printzone;
- ejecting ink droplets from the printhead onto media, during said scanning;
- controlling airflow turbulence between the printhead and the media;
- and
- in response to said controlling, depositing the ejected droplets in a preselected pattern on the media to form a desired image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.