Laser triggered inkjet firing
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsFrederic Adam Ornellas, Michael A. Garris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printing system has a laser scanner and a print bar such as a page-width-array printhead associated with an array of photodetectors. The scanner scans the array of photodetectors, to selectively light activate photodetectors in the array. Each photodetector, when activated by the scanner triggers its associated inkjet nozzle(s) in the printhead to deposit ink on a media surface. In one embodiment the page-width-array is stationary and the media is periodically advanced as ink drops are deposited.
Claims24
A printhead for applying markings on media, comprising:
- one or more print elements which can be selectively activated to apply markings on media;
- a photosensitive detector coupled to said one or more print elements via a flex circuit to control activation of said print elements during a printing operation thereby causing a predetermined pattern of markings to be applied by said print elements to the media.
An imaging apparatus comprising:
- a printhead having at least one print element;
- a photosensitive member electrically coupled to said at least one print element;
- and
- an optical scanner for directing light toward the photosensitive member to selectively activate said at least one print element during a printing operation, wherein the optical scanner includes a two-axis deflector for generating a periodic two-dimensional scan path of the light.
A printing system for applying markings to media comprising:
- advance means for transporting media through a print zone;
- a print bar having a plurality of ink firing elements extending across the print zone;
- photosensitive means operatively coupled to said print bar with a flex circuit for selectively activating certain of said ink firing elements;
- and
- optical scanning means for directing light toward said photosensitive means in accordance with a pattern of dots to be applied to the media by said ink firing elements.
A method for printing an image on media comprising:
- positioning media in a print zone;
- providing a plurality of ink ejectors with respect to the media such that an image is formed on the media when an ink ejector is selectively activated;
- coupling a plurality of photodetectors respectively to the plurality of ink ejectors such that the ink ejector is activated upon light activation of the photodetector;
- and
- directing a modulated laser beam to scan across the photodetectors in a periodic two-dimensional scan path to cause a pattern of ink dots to be applied to the media from the ink ejectors.
A method of printing comprising:
- periodically advancing media through a print zone;
- holding the media in a stationary position during a printing operation;
- mounting a plurality of printing elements on a print bar over the print zone;
- connecting individual print elements through a flex circuit to a photosensitive member having an array of photodetectors;
- scanning a laser beam across the array of photodetectors to sequentially target individual photodetectors in accordance with a pattern of dots to be printed on the media, thereby causing selective print elements to be activated during a printing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.