Direct electrostatic printing method and apparatus with increased print speed

A direct electrostatic printing device comprising:

• a pigment particle source, which provides pigment particles;
• a voltage source;
• a control unit;
• a printhead structure having a plurality of apertures through the printhead structure and having control electrodes proximate to the apertures, the control electrodes being coupled to the control unit;
• a back electrode;
• and
• an image receiving member,
• wherein:
• the image receiving member and the printhead structure move relative to each other during printing, resulting in a relative movement of the printhead structure and the image receiving member;
• the image receiving member has a first face and a second face;
• the printhead structure is positioned between the pigment particle source and the first face of the image receiving member;
• the voltage source is connected to the pigment particle source and the back electrode to thereby create an electrical field for transport of pigment particles from the pigment particle source toward the first face of the image receiving member;
• the control electrodes of the printhead structure are responsive to the control unit to thereby selectively open or close the apertures through the printhead structure to permit or restrict the transport of pigment particles during print sequences, a predetermined number of which print sequences are included in a print cycle, to thereby enable the formation of a pigment image on the first face of the image receiving member;
• the printhead structure includes deflection electrodes connected to the control unit for controlling the deflection of pigment particles in transport to thereby be able to deflect pigment particles against predetermined locations on the first face of the image receiving member in view of the image which is to be printed by means of predetermined deflection voltages related to each one of the predetermined number of print sequences, where a change of the predetermined deflection voltages of a previous print sequence to the predetermined deflection voltages of a current print sequence is time displaced relative to the beginning of the current print sequence, to thereby enable a faster print speed;
• and
• the time displacement is less than a time of transport of a pigment particle from the pigment particle source to the printhead structure.

A direct electrostatic printing device comprising:

• a pigment particle source which provides pigment particles;
• a voltage source;
• a control unit;
• a printhead structure having a plurality of apertures through the printhead structure and having control electrodes proximate to the apertures, the control electrodes being coupled to the control unit;
• a back electrode;
• and
• an image receiving member,
• wherein:
• the image receiving member and the printhead structure move relative to each other during printing, resulting in a relative movement of the printhead structure and the image receiving member;
• the image receiving member has a first face and a second face;
• the printhead structure is positioned between the pigment particle source and the first face of the image receiving member;
• the voltage source is connected to the pigment particle source and the back electrode to thereby create an electrical field for transport of pigment particles from the pigment particle source toward the first face of the image receiving member;
• the control electrodes of the printhead structure are responsive to the control unit to thereby selectively open or close the apertures through the printhead structure to permit or restrict the transport of pigment particles during print sequences, a predetermined number of which print sequences are included in a print cycle, to thereby enable the formation of a pigment image on the first face of the image receiving member;
• the printhead structure includes deflection electrodes connected to the control unit for controlling the deflection of pigment particles in transport to thereby be able to deflect pigment particles against predetermined locations on the first face of the image receiving member in view of the image which is to be printed by means of predetermined deflection voltages related to each one of the predetermined number of print sequences, where a change of the predetermined deflection voltages of a previous print sequence to the predetermined deflection voltages of a current print sequence is time displaced relative to the beginning of the current print sequence, to thereby enable a faster print speed;
• and
• the time displacement is in an order of magnitude of a time of transport of a pigment particle from the pigment particle source to the printhead structure.

A direct electrostatic printing device comprising:

• a pigment particle source, which provides pigment particles;
• a voltage source;
• a control unit;
• a printhead structure having a plurality of apertures through the printhead structure and having control electrodes proximate to the apertures, the control electrodes being coupled to the control unit;
• a back electrode;
• and
• an image receiving member,
• wherein:
• the image receiving member and the printhead structure move relative to each other during printing, resulting in a relative movement of the printhead structure and the image receiving member;
• the image receiving member has a first face and a second face;
• the printhead structure is positioned between the pigment particle source and the first face of the image receiving member;
• the voltage source is connected to the pigment particle source and the back electrode to thereby create an electrical field for transport of pigment particles from the pigment particle source toward the first face of the image receiving member;
• the control electrodes of the printhead structure are responsive to the control unit to thereby selectively open or close the apertures through the printhead structure to permit or restrict the transport of pigment particles during print sequences, a predetermined number of which print sequences are included in a print cycle, to thereby enable the formation of a pigment image on the first face of the image receiving member;
• the printhead structure includes deflection electrodes connected to the control unit for controlling the deflection of pigment particles in transport to thereby be able to deflect pigment particles against predetermined locations on the first face of the image receiving member in view of the image which is to be printed by means of predetermined deflection voltages related to each one of the predetermined number of print sequences, where a change of the predetermined deflection voltages of a previous print sequence to the predetermined deflection voltages of a current print sequence is time displaced relative to the beginning of the current print sequence, to thereby enable a faster print speed;
• and
• the time displacement is in an order of magnitude of a time of transport of a pigment particle from the pigment particle source to halfway through an aperture.

A direct electrostatic printing device comprising:

• a pigment particle source, which provides pigment particles;
• a voltage source;
• a control unit;
• a printhead structure having a plurality of apertures through the printhead structure and having control electrodes proximate to the apertures, the control electrodes being coupled to the control unit;
• a back electrode;
• and
• an image receiving member,
• wherein:
• the image receiving member and the printhead structure move relative to each other during printing, resulting in a relative movement of the printhead structure and the image receiving member;
• the image receiving member has a first face and a second face;
• the printhead structure is positioned between the pigment particle source and the first face of the image receiving member;
• the voltage source is connected to the pigment particle source and the back electrode to thereby create an electrical field for transport of pigment particles from the pigment particle source toward the first face of the image receiving member;
• the control electrodes of the printhead structure are responsive to the control unit to thereby selectively open or close the apertures through the printhead structure to permit or restrict the transport of pigment particles during print sequences, a predetermined number of which print sequences are included in a print cycle, to thereby enable the formation of a pigment image on the first face of the image receiving member;
• the printhead structure includes deflection electrodes connected to the control unit for controlling the deflection of pigment particles in transport to thereby be able to deflect pigment particles against predetermined locations on the first face of the image receiving member in view of the image which is to be printed by means of predetermined deflection voltages related to each one of the predetermined number of print sequences, where a change of the predetermined deflection voltages of a previous print sequence to the predetermined deflection voltages of a current print sequence is time displaced relative to the beginning of the current print sequence, to thereby enable a faster print speed;
• and
• the time displacement is in an order of magnitude of a time of transport of a pigment particle from the pigment particle source to just through an aperture.

A direct electrostatic printing device comprising:

• a pigment particle source, which provides pigment particles;
• a voltage source;
• a control unit;
• a printhead structure having a plurality of apertures through the printhead structure and having control electrodes proximate to the apertures, the control electrodes being coupled to the control unit;
• a back electrode;
• and
• an image receiving member,
• wherein:
• the image receiving member and the printhead structure move relative to each other during printing, resulting in a relative movement of the printhead structure and the image receiving member;
• the image receiving member has a first face and a second face;
• the printhead structure is positioned between the pigment particle source and the first face of the image receiving member;
• the voltage source is connected to the pigment particle source and the back electrode to thereby create an electrical field for transport of pigment particles from the pigment particle source toward the first face of the image receiving member;
• the control electrodes of the printhead structure are responsive to the control unit to thereby selectively open or close the apertures through the printhead structure to permit or restrict the transport of pigment particles during print sequences, a predetermined number of which print sequences are included in a print cycle, to thereby enable the formation of a pigment image on the first face of the image receiving member;
• the printhead structure includes deflection electrodes connected to the control unit for controlling the deflection of pigment particles in transport to thereby be able to deflect pigment particles against predetermined locations on the first face of the image receiving member in view of the image which is to be printed by means of predetermined deflection voltages related to each one of the predetermined number of print sequences, where a change of the predetermined deflection voltages of a previous print sequence to the predetermined deflection voltages of a current print sequence is time displaced relative to the beginning of the current print sequence, to thereby enable a faster print speed;
• and
• the time displacement is between approximately 0.1 μs to 100 μs.

A method for printing an image to an information carrier, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

• providing pigment particles from a pigment particle source;
• moving an image receiving member and a printhead structure relative to each other during printing;
• creating an electrical field for transporting of pigment particles from the pigment particle source toward a first face of the image receiving member via the printhead structure;
• selectively opening or closing apertures through the printhead structure to permit or restrict the transporting of pigment particles to thereby enable formation of a pigment image on the first face of the image receiving member during a print sequence, a predetermined number of which print sequences are included in a print cycle;
• controlling the deflection of pigment particles in transport to thereby be able to deflect pigment particles against predetermined locations on the first face of the image receiving member in view of the image which is to be printed by means of predetermined deflection voltages related to each one of the predetermined number of print sequences;
• and
• time displacing, relative to the beginning of the current print sequence, a change of the predetermined deflection voltages of a previous print sequence to the predetermined deflection voltages of a current print sequence, to thereby enable a faster print speed.