Method for driving ink jet recording head and ink jet recorder

• US 6,962,398 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Okuda, Masakazu, Wada, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mouttet, Blaise
• Application Number:
  US10/296,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20030107617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: 347/9, 347/10, 347/11
• US Class Current: 347/10
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04516 preventing formation of satellite drops
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04581 controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/055 Devices for absorbing or preventing back-pressure

Abstract

A method of driving an ink jet recording head, and an ink jet recording apparatus. A driving wave form for driving a piezoelectric actuator includes a first voltage changing process to compress a pressure generating chamber with a rise time of t₁, and a second voltage changing process to expand the pressure generating chamber with a fall time of t₃ after the voltage is maintained during a time of t₂. The start time, the voltage changing time, and the voltage variation of the second voltage changing process are set so that, in a room temperature environment, a first peak value v₁ and a second peak value v₁ of particle velocity generated at the nozzle section satisfy the condition: 0.3≦v₂/v₁≦0.6.

Claims

1. A driving method for an ink jet recording head, including an electromechanical transducer for causing a pressure change in a pressure generating chamber filled with ink so that an ink droplet is discharged from a nozzle connected to the pressure generating chamber, said method comprising:

applying to the transducer a voltage having a waveform comprising a first voltage change for expanding the transducer to compress the volume of the pressure generating chamber, so as to discharge an ink droplet from the nozzle, and a second voltage change for compressing the transducer to expand the volume of the pressure generating chamber,

wherein a start time, a voltage changing time, and a voltage variation of the second voltage change are set so that a first peak value v₁ and a second peak value V₂ of particle velocity of ink in the nozzle satisfy the condition 0.3≦

v₂/v₁≦

0.6, and

wherein a time interval between a finish time of the first voltage change and the start time of the second voltage change is approximately one-half the resonance period of a pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

2. The driving method for an ink jet recording head as claimed in claim 1, wherein a voltage changing time of the first voltage change is approximately one-half the resonance period of the pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

3. The driving method for an ink jet recording head as claimed in claim 2, wherein the voltage changing time of the second voltage change is at least one-half the resonance period of the pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

4. The driving method for an ink jet recording head as claimed in claim 1, wherein a voltage changing time of the second voltage change is at least one-half the resonance period of the pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

5. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording characters and images, said apparatus comprising:

a pressure generating chamber including ink;

a nozzle connected to the pressure generating chamber;

an electromechanical transducer responsive to application of a driving voltage thereto for producing a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber to cause an ink droplet to be discharged from the nozzle; and

a waveform generating circuit for applying to the transducer a driving voltage having a waveform comprising a first voltage change for expanding the transducer to compress the volume of th pressure generating chamber, so as to discharge an ink droplet from the nozzle and a second voltage change for compressing the transducer to expand the volume of the pressure generating chamber,

wherein a start time, a voltage changing time, and a voltage variation of the second voltage change are set so that a first peak value v₁ and a second peak value v₂ of particle velocity of the ink in the nozzle satisfy the condition 0.3≦

v₂/v₁≦

0.6, and

wherein a time interval between a finish time of the first voltage change and the start time of the second voltage change is approximately one half the resonance period of a pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

6. The ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein a voltage changing time of the first voltage change is approximately one-half resonance period of the pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

7. The ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein a voltage changing time of the second voltage change is at least one-half the resonance period of the pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

8. The inkjet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electromechanical transducer a comprises a piezoelectric vibrator.

9. The ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the voltage changing time of the second voltage change is at least one-half the resonance period of the pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

10. The ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the electromechanical transducer comprises a piezoelectric vibrator.

11. The ink jet recording apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the electromechanical transducer comprises a piezoelectric vibrator.

12. A driving method for an inkjet recording head, including an electromechanical transducer for causing a pressure change in a pressure generating chamber filled with ink so that an ink droplet is discharged from a nozzle connected to the pressure generating chamber said method comprising:

applying to the transducer a voltage having a waveform comprising a first voltage change for expanding the transducer to compress the volume of the pressure generating chamber, so as to discharge an ink droplet from the nozzle, and a second voltage chance for compressing the transducer to expand the volume of the pressure generating chamber,

wherein a time interval between a finish time of the first voltage change and the start time of the second voltage change is approximately one-half the resonance period of a pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

13. A driving method for an ink, jet recording head, including an electromechanical transducer for causing a pressure change in a pressure generating chamber filled with ink so that an ink droplet is discharged from a nozzle connected to the pressure generating chamber, said method comprising:

applying to the transducer a voltage having a waveform comprising a first voltage change for expanding the transducer to compress the volume of the pressure generating chamber, so as to discharge an ink droplet from the nozzle, and a second voltage change for compressing the transducer to expand the volume of the pressure generating chamber, the compression and expansion of the pressure generating chamber causing a waveform in the ink within the pressure generating chamber,

wherein a time interval between a finish time of the first voltage change and the start time of the second voltage change is approximately one-half the resonance period of a pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.

14. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording characters and images, said apparatus comprising:

a pressure generating chamber including ink;

a nozzle connected to the pressure generating chamber;

an electromechanical transducer responsive to application of a driving voltage thereto for producing a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber to cause an ink droplet to be discharged from the nozzle; and

a waveform generating circuit for applying to the transducer a driving voltage having a waveform comprising a first voltage change for expanding the transducer to compress the volume of the pressure generating chamber, so as to discharge an ink droplet from the nozzle, and a second voltage change for compressing the transducer to expand the volume of the pressure generating chamber, the compression and expansion of the pressure generating chamber causing a waveform in the ink within the pressure generating chamber,

wherein a time interval between a finish time of the first voltage change and the start time of the second voltage change is approximately one-half the resonance period of a pressure wave generated in the pressure generating chamber.