Tuned transducer, and methods and systems for tuning a transducer

• US 6,205,315 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Montfort, David B., Falvo, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEATTY, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US09/444,703
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 310/312, 310/320, 310/321, 310/322, 310/323.19, 399/319
• US Class Current: 399/319
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 3/00 Methods or apparatus specially adapted for transmitting mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/16 of a toner pattern, e.g. a powder pattern , e.g. magnetic transfer

Abstract

A transducer includes a vibratory energy producing element that generates vibratory energy and a waveguide member coupled to the vibratory energy producing element and transmitting the vibratory energy. The waveguide member has a longitudinal axis and is divided along the longitudinal axis into a plurality of waveguide segments. The transducer is tuned, i.e., brought into specification, by altering a mass of at least one of the waveguide segments relative to a mass of the other waveguide elements.

Claims

1. A transducer, comprising:

a vibratory energy producing element that generates vibratory energy; and

a waveguide member coupled to the vibratory energy producing element and transmitting the vibratory energy, the waveguide member having a longitudinal axis and divided along the longitudinal axis into a plurality of waveguide segments, wherein a mass of at least one of the waveguide segments has been altered.

2. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the altered mass of the at least one waveguide segment is an increased mass.

3. The transducer of claim 2, wherein the increased mass is provided as a specified amount of hardenable adhesive applied to surface of the at least one waveguide segment.

4. The transducer of claim 2, wherein the increased mass is provided as a specified amount of adhesive tape applied to a surface of the at least one waveguide segment.

5. The transducer of claim 2, wherein the increased mass is provided as a specified amount of material, having a density greater than a density of the at least one waveguide segment, mechanically engaged with the at least one waveguide segment.

6. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the altered mass of the at least one waveguide segment is a decreased mass.

7. The transducer of claim 6, wherein the decreased mass results from a cavity formed in the at least one waveguide segment.

8. The transducer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one waveguide segments is positioned next to an end-most one of the plurality of waveguide segments.

9. The transducer of claim 1, wherein a mass of at least two of the waveguide segments has been altered, the altered mass of a first one of the at least two waveguide segments being an increased mass and the altered mass of a second one of the at least two waveguide segments being a decreased mass.

10. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the altered mass of the at least one waveguide segment reduces a velocity profile deviation of the waveguide member.

11. A method of tuning a transducer comprising a vibratory energy producing element that generates vibratory energy and a waveguide member coupled to the vibratory energy producing element and transmitting the vibratory energy, the waveguide member having a longitudinal axis and divided along the longitudinal axis into a plurality of waveguide segments, the method comprising:

activating the transducer;

scanning a velocity of at least some of the waveguide segments to create a velocity profile of the transducer;

detecting at least one non-uniform waveguide segment causing unacceptable velocity uniformity deviation based on the velocity profile; and

altering a mass of the at least one non-uniform waveguide segment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein altering the mass comprises decreasing the mass.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein altering the mass comprises increasing the mass.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein altering the mass comprises decreasing the mass of a first waveguide segment and decreasing the mass of a second waveguide segment.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring an impedance or an admittance of the activated transducer;

detecting a bimodal response based on the monitored impedance or admittance;

successively applying force to individual ones of the waveguide segments until the bimodal response ceases; and

identifying the waveguide segment to which force was applied when the bimodal response ceased as a waveguide segment whose mass should be altered.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein successively applying force comprises applying force at least to a waveguide segment in a predetermined position among the plurality of waveguide segments.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined position is an empirically and/or analytically determined position.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein successively applying force comprises applying, if the bimodal response does not cease when force is applied to the predetermined waveguide segment, force to another waveguide segment.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a velocity uniformity deviation of the transducer based on the velocity profile;

determining an amount by which to alter the mass of the at least one waveguide segment based on the determined velocity uniformity deviation; and

altering the mass of the at least one waveguide segment by the determined amount.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein altering the mass of the at least one waveguide segment comprises altering the mass of the at least one waveguide segment by a first predetermined amount.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining a velocity uniformity deviation of the transducer with the altered mass;

determining whether the velocity uniformity deviation is within an acceptable range; and

altering the mass of the at least one waveguide segment by a second predetermined amount if it is not within the acceptable range.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the acceptable range of the velocity uniformity deviation is from 0 to about 50%.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the acceptable range of the velocity uniformity deviation is from 0 to about 20%.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first predetermined amount is equal to the second predetermined amount.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the first predetermined amount is different from the second predetermined amount.

26. A system for tuning a transducer comprising a vibratory energy producing element that generates vibratory energy and a waveguide member coupled to the vibratory energy producing element and transmitting the vibratory energy, the waveguide member having a longitudinal axis and divided along the longitudinal axis into a plurality of waveguide segments, the system comprising:

a velocometer that outputs a velocity signal representative of a velocity of at least one of the plurality of waveguide segments or of the transducer;

a non-uniform waveguide segment detector that detects at least one non-uniform waveguide segment based on a velocity profile generated from the velocity signal; and

a mass alteration system that alters a mass of the detected at least one non-uniform waveguide segment.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the mass alteration system comprises a mass decreasing system that decreases the mass by forming a cavity at least partially through the detected at least one non-uniform waveguide segment.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the mass alteration system comprises a mass increasing system that applies mass to a surface of the detected at least one non-uniform waveguide segment.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the applied mass comprises a hardenable adhesive.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the applied mass comprises adhesive tape.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the applied mass comprises a specified amount of material, having a density greater than a density of the at least one non-uniform waveguide segment, mechanically engaged with the at least one non-uniform waveguide segment.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the mass alteration system comprises a mass decreasing system and a mass increasing system.

33. The system of claim 26, further comprising a pre-balancing system, the pre-balancing system comprising:

one of an impedance analyzer and an admittance analyzer;

a bimodal response detector that detects a bimodal response based on an impedance or an admittance analyzed by the impedance analyzer or the admittance analyzer;

a force applicator that successively applies force to individual ones of the waveguide segments until the bimodal response detector no longer detects the bimodal response; and

a controller that controls the mass altering system to alter the mass of at least the waveguide segment to which force was applied when the bimodal response was no longer detected by the bimodal response detector.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the force applicator applies force to a waveguide segment in a predetermined position among the plurality of waveguide segments.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the predetermined position is an empirically and/or analytically determined position.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein, if the bimodal response is still detected by the bimodal response detector after force is applied to the waveguide segment in the predetermined position, the force applicator applies force to another waveguide segment.

37. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

a velocity uniformity deviation determination system that determines a velocity uniformity deviation based on the velocity profile; and

a controller that controls the mass alteration system to alter the mass of the detected at least one non-uniform waveguide if the velocity uniformity deviation determined by the velocity uniformity deviation determination system is outside an acceptable range.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising a mass alteration amount determination system that determines an amount by which to alter the mass of the at least one waveguide segment based on the velocity uniformity deviation determined by the velocity uniformity deviation determination system, wherein the mass determination system alters the mass by the amount determined by the mass alteration amount determination system.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the mass alteration system alters the mass of the at least one waveguide segment by a first predetermined amount.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the velocity uniformity deviation determination system re-determines the velocity uniformity deviation of the transducer with the altered mass, and the mass alteration system alters the mass by a second predetermined amount if the re-determined velocity uniformity deviation is not within the acceptable range.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the first predetermined amount is equal to the second predetermined amount.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the first predetermined amount is different from the second predetermined amount.

43. The system of claim 37, wherein the acceptable range of the velocity uniformity deviation is from 0 to about 50%.

44. The system of claim 37, wherein the acceptable range of the velocity uniformity deviation is from 0 to about 20%.

45. The method of claim 26, wherein the mass alteration system alters the mass by a predetermined amount.

46. An image reproducing system comprising:

an image bearing member that moves in a process direction and bears an image to be reproduced, the image contained within an active width of the image bearing member;

a transducer that applies vibratory energy to the image bearing member, the transducer arranged in a direction transverse to the process direction and having a length greater than or equal to the active width, the transducer comprising;

a vibratory energy producing element that generates vibratory energy; and

a waveguide member coupled to the vibratory energy producing element and transmitting the vibratory energy to the image bearing member, the waveguide member having a longitudinal axis and divided along the longitudinal axis into a plurality of waveguide segments, a mass of at least one of the waveguide segments having been altered.