Droplet generator for an ink jet printer
AssigneeBurroughs Corporation
InventorKyriakos Christou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink jet printer having a piezoelectric capillary injector-type droplet generator. The droplet generator includes an integral body having formed within it a single chamber that receives and holds ink under capillary action. A nozzle defined by one or more continuous apertures is formed in the body in communication with the chamber. A piezoelectric crystal actuates a flexural diaphragm that forms one wall of the chamber. The flexing of the diaphragm creates pressure perturbations that force the flow of ink through the nozzle for droplet generation. Also provided are means for damping oscillations of the piezoelectric crystal to prevent unwanted secondary generation of droplets.
Claims13
An ink jet droplet generator comprising:
- a generator body having a front face and a rear face, the rear face having formed within it a central recess of substantially uniform depth to define a capillary chamber;
- a nozzle defined by a plurality of continuous aperatures communicating the front face and the capillary chamber of the generator body;
- feed means, in fluid communication with the capillary chamber, for feeding ink to the capillary chamber from an ink source;
- and
- a single planar flexure means, mounted on the rear face of the generator body in closed relation to the capillary chamber and having a distance from the nozzle to permit capillary action within the capillary chamber, for flexurally responding to an external excitation to create a pressure perturbation in the capillary chamber to force the flow of ink from the capillary chamber through the nozzle for droplet generation, a single ink dot being created on demand in response to a single flexural response.
An ink jet droplet generator comprising:
- a housing;
- a generator body disposed within the housing and having a front face and a rear face, the rear face having formed within it a central recess of substantially uniform depth to define a capillary chamber;
- a nozzle defined by a plurality of apertures communicating the front face and the capillary chamber of the generator body;
- feed means, in fluid communication with the capillary chamber, for feeding ink to the capillary chamber from an ink source;
- a single planar flexure means, mounted on the rear face of the generator body in closed relation to the capillary chamber and having a distance from the nozzle to permit capillary action within the capillary chamber, for flexurally responding to an external excitation to create a pressure perturbation in the capillary chamber to force the flow of ink from the capillary chamber through the nozzle for droplet generation, a single ink dot being created on demand in response to a single flexural response;
- and
- damping means, contained within the housing and disposed between the rear face of the generator body and the planar flexure means, and in contact with the planar flexure means, for damping out oscillatory flexing of the planar flexure means to prevent multiple generation of ink droplets from a single excitation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.