Ink jet printer drive means
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorPeter H. Reitberger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The ink in an ink jet printer is accelerated by means of cylindrically-shaped electromagnetically energized pressure waves wherein plates of metal serve as electrodes between which a capacitor is discharged. The capacitor along with the resistance losses and the inductance of the leads represent a damped oscillating circuit to reduce the back pressure waves. Other means of damping include a soft hose having an exponentially shaped portion, porous material in a passageway between a pair of air chambers, and a plastic foil placed between the pressure wave drive means and the nozzle.
Claims18
Apparatus for producing characters on record media in dot matrix form comprising a
- body portion having an inlet, an
- ink chamber within said body portion and containing fluid under pressure, a
- pair of metallic electrodes adjacent said chamber and spaced to accommodate said fluid therebetween, an
- outlet of said body portion forming an aperture of reduced diameter from that of said inlet,
- electrical conducting means extending through said chamber and connected with one of said electrodes for receiving current and insulated from the other electrode and producing an azimuthal magnetic field in said fluid for generating a force in the direction of said aperture, and
- means connected with said electrical conducting means and with the other electrode for switching operation of said conducting means whereby discharge of current between said electrodes in said magnetic field is transmitted to the ink fluid for producing pressure waves therein and causing ejection of ink from the aperture in droplet form.
An ink jet printer comprising a
- body portion, an ink chamber formed within said body portion and containing fluid under pressure,
- means for supplying ink into said ink chamber, a
- nozzle in said body portion communicating with said ink chamber and disposed for ejecting droplets of ink on record media spaced therefrom,
- metallic means comprising a pair of electrodes adjacent said ink chamber and spaced to accommodate said fluid therebetween,
- electrical conducting means positioned in and extending through said chamber and connected with one of said electrodes for receiving current and insulated from the other electrode and producing an azimuthal magnetic field in said fluid for generating a force in a predetermined direction, and
- means connected with said electrical conducting means for intermittent actuation thereof and with the other electrode whereby discharge of current between said electrodes in said magnetic field is transmitted to the ink fluid for producing pressure waves to cause ejection of ink in droplet form from said nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.