Thermal cleaning of individual jetting module nozzles
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsGregory J. Garbacz, Ali G. Lopez, Chang-Fang Hsu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A liquid ejection device includes a jetting module including an array of nozzles; a thermal stimulation device associated with each nozzle of the array of nozzles; and a controller in electrical communication with each thermal stimulation device. The controller is configured to provide a first activation waveform to each thermal stimulation device and to provide a second activation waveform to each thermal stimulation device to clean the associated nozzle with liquid emitted from the associated nozzle. The second activation waveform has a higher activation component when compared to the first activation waveform.
Claims13
A method of cleaning a continuous liquid ejection device comprising:
- providing a jetting module including an array of nozzles;
- providing a thermal stimulation device associated with each nozzle of the array of nozzles;
- using a controller in electrical communication with each thermal stimulation device to provide a first activation waveform to each thermal stimulation device;
- and
- using the controller to provide a second activation waveform to increase an average power of each thermal stimulation device to clean the associated nozzle with liquid emitted from the associated nozzle, the second activation waveform having a higher activation component, when compared to the first activation waveform, that increases the average power of each thermal stimulation device, wherein the second activation waveform is provided to the thermal stimulation device for a duration of at least one second.
A method of cleaning a continuous liquid ejection device comprising:
- providing a jetting module including an array of nozzles;
- providing a thermal stimulation device associated with each nozzle of the array of nozzles;
- using a controller in electrical communication with each thermal stimulation device to provide a first activation waveform to each thermal stimulation device;
- using the controller to provide a second activation waveform to increase an average power of each thermal stimulation device to clean the associated nozzle with liquid emitted from the associated nozzle, the second activation waveform having a higher activation component, when compared to the first activation waveform, that increases the average power of each thermal stimulation device;
- identifying a clogged nozzle and the thermal stimulation device associated with the clogged nozzle;
- and
- using the controller to provide the second activation waveform to only the thermal stimulation device associated with the clogged nozzle to clean the associated nozzle with liquid emitted from the associated nozzle.
A method of cleaning a continuous liquid ejection device comprising:
- providing a jetting module including an array of nozzles;
- providing a thermal stimulation device associated with each nozzle of the array of nozzles;
- using a controller in electrical communication with each thermal stimulation device to provide a first activation waveform to each thermal stimulation device;
- and
- using the controller to provide a second activation waveform to increase an average power of each thermal stimulation device to clean the associated nozzle with liquid emitted from the associated nozzle, the second activation waveform having a higher activation component, when compared to the first activation waveform, that increases the average power of each thermal stimulation device, wherein the liquid emitted from the nozzle is a cleaning fluid having a lower boiling point than an ink normally emitted from the nozzles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.