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US 8,770,707 B2Granted
Drop detector assembly and method
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsAlexander Govyadinov, Andrew L. Van Brocklin, Donald W. Schulte, Terry McMahon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drop detector assembly includes an ejection element formed on a substrate to eject a fluid drop, and a light detector formed on the substrate to detect light scattered off of the fluid drop. A fluid drop ejected from a nozzle formed in a transparent nozzle plate scatters light that is detected through the transparent nozzle plate.
Claims14
A drop detector assembly comprising:
- an ejection element formed on a substrate to eject a fluid drop;
- a transparent nozzle plate;
- and
- a light detector formed on the substrate to detect light, through the transparent nozzle plate, scattered off of the fluid drop as the fluid drop passes through a light beam.
1 more element
A method of detecting fluid drop ejections in a fluid ejection device comprising:
- ejecting a fluid drop through a light beam from a nozzle formed in a transparent nozzle plate;
- and
- detecting through the transparent nozzle plate, scattered light reflected off of the fluid drop.
A drop detection system comprising:
- a fluid ejection assembly having a fluid drop ejection element integrated on a die substrate;
- a transparent nozzle plate;
- a light detector integrated on the die substrate;
- and
- an electronic controller to control the ejection element to eject a fluid drop and to control the light detector to detect light, through the transparent nozzle plate, scattered off of the fluid drop as the fluid drop passes through a light beam.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.