Actuator deprime for bubble control for ink jet printhead
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsAndrew W Hays, Antonio L Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and structure for depriming an ink jet printhead. To deprime ink from a printhead at a location between a nozzle (aperture) and a particulate filter (rock screen), a force (pressure) is applied to the ink. The pressure can either be a positive pressure applied to the nozzle from the outside of the aperture plate or a negative pressure (vacuum) applied at a location upstream from the particulate filter. Because openings within the particulate filter are each smaller than the nozzle, there exists a force which is sufficient to move a meniscus of the ink from the nozzle back to the particulate filter, but which is insufficient to move the meniscus beyond the particulate filter, for example due to a surface tension of the meniscus of the ink.
Claims7
A method for depriming a printhead, comprising:
- providing a printhead, the printhead comprising:
- an aperture plate comprising at least one nozzle therein;
- and
- an ink port comprising an ink port first chamber and an ink port second chamber, wherein the ink port first chamber is separated from the ink port second chamber by a particulate filter, and wherein the ink port first chamber is upstream of the particulate filter and wherein the inkport second chamber is downstream of the particulate filter;
- filling the ink port first chamber and the ink port second chamber with ink;
- determining a first maximum pressure differential that is sustainable across a meniscus of the ink at the at least one nozzle;
- determining a second maximum pressure differential that is sustainable across a meniscus of the ink at the particulate filter;
- selecting a deprime pressure based on a width of the at least one nozzle and a width of openings within the particulate filter, wherein the deprime pressure is sufficient to overcome a force of capillarity exerted on the ink by the at least one nozzle but is insufficient to overcome a force of capillarity exerted on the ink by the particulate filter;
- and
- applying the deprime pressure to the ink within the ink port, wherein the deprime pressure is sufficient to move a meniscus of the ink from the at least one nozzle to the particulate filter, but is insufficient to move the meniscus of the ink past the particulate filter,
- wherein the deprime pressure is further selected as a value between the first maximum pressure differential and the second maximum pressure differential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.