Ink aerosol filtration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9315037-B2
Application number	US-201214435951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2012
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

An ink aerosol filtration system includes an inlet, a filtration chamber communicated with the inlet and including at least one filter member, and an airflow source communicated with the filtration chamber to generate flow into the inlet, through the filtration chamber and through the at least one filter member, wherein the airflow source is controlled to maintain substantially constant pressure at the inlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ink aerosol filtration system, comprising:
an inlet;
a filtration chamber communicated with the inlet and including at least one filter member; and
an airflow source communicated with the filtration chamber to generate flow into the inlet, through the filtration chamber and through the at least one filter member,
wherein the airflow source is controlled to maintain substantially constant pressure at the inlet,
wherein the at least one filter member comprises a first filter member adjacent the inlet, and a second filter member between an inlet side and an outlet side of the filtration chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the airflow source generates reduced pressure at the inlet.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure sensor communicated with an inlet side of the filtration chamber to measure pressure at the inlet side of the filtration chamber and provide feedback for control of the airflow source to maintain the substantially constant pressure at the inlet.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a nozzle assembly at the inlet, the nozzle assembly including:
a nozzle body communicated with the filtration chamber,
a nozzle opening formed in the nozzle body,
a nozzle passage communicated with the nozzle opening and extended through the nozzle body, and
a collection trough formed in the nozzle body.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plenum chamber communicated with the filtration chamber; and
an outlet communicated with the plenum chamber,
wherein the airflow source is communicated with the plenum chamber to generate the flow into the inlet, through the filtration chamber and through the at least one filter member, through the plenum chamber, and out the outlet.

6. A printing system, comprising:
a printhead to eject ink drops through a print zone toward a print media; and
a filtration system to filter ink aerosol generated with the ejected ink drops, the filtration system including:
a filtration chamber communicated with an inlet open to the print zone,
a nozzle assembly at the inlet, the nozzle assembly including: a nozzle body communicated with the filtration chamber, a nozzle opening formed in the nozzle body, a nozzle passage communicated with the nozzle opening and extended through the nozzle body, and a collection trough formed in the nozzle body,
at least one filter member within the filtration chamber, and
an airflow source communicated with the filtration chamber to draw the ink aerosol into the inlet, through the filtration chamber and through the at least one filter member,
wherein the airflow source is controlled to maintain substantially constant pressure at the inlet.

7. The printing system of claim 6 , wherein the filtration system further includes:
a pressure sensor communicated with an inlet side of the filtration chamber to measure pressure at the inlet side of the filtration chamber and provide feedback for control of the airflow source to maintain the substantially constant pressure at the inlet.

8. The printing system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one filter member of the filtration system comprises a first filter member provided adjacent the inlet, and a second filter member provided between an inlet side and an outlet side of the filtration chamber.

9. The printing system of claim 6 , wherein the printhead includes at least one column of orifices through which ink drops are ejected, and wherein a length of the inlet of the filtration system is oriented and extended substantially parallel with the at least one column of orifices.

10. The printing system of claim 6 , wherein the airflow source generates reduced pressure at the inlet.

11. The printing system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a plenum chamber communicated with the filtration chamber; and
an outlet communicated with the plenum chamber,
wherein the airflow source is communicated with the plenum chamber to generate the flow into the inlet, through the filtration chamber and through the at least one filter member, through the plenum chamber, and out the outlet.

12. A method of printing, comprising:
ejecting ink drops from a printhead toward a print media through a print zone, including forming ink aerosol in the print zone with the ejecting of the ink drops;
drawing the ink aerosol from the print zone through an inlet to a filtration chamber;
filtering the ink aerosol in the filtration chamber; and
during the drawing the ink aerosol and the filtering the ink aerosol, maintaining substantially constant pressure at the inlet,
wherein maintaining the substantially constant pressure at the inlet includes monitoring a pressure at an inlet side of the filtration chamber and controlling an airflow source communicated with the filtration chamber based on the pressure at the inlet side of the filtration chamber.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein drawing the ink aerosol includes drawing the ink aerosol through a nozzle opening of a nozzle body and into the filtration chamber through a nozzle passage of the nozzle body, and collecting a portion of the ink aerosol in a collection trough formed in the nozzle body.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein filtering the ink aerosol includes filtering the ink aerosol with a first filter member provided adjacent the inlet to the filtration chamber and filtering the ink aerosol with a second filter member provided between an inlet side and an outlet side of the filtration chamber.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Gasso Puchal Xavier
• Tarrida Tirado Francesc
• Gros Gras Xavier

Classifications

• B01D46/0041

  for feeding · CPC title

• B01D46/446

  by pressure measuring · CPC title

• B41J2/1714 Primary

  Conditioning of the outside of ink supply systems, e.g. inkjet collector cleaning, ink mist removal (B41J2/08, B41J2/16517, B41J2/18 take precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2/17563 Primary

  Ink filters · CPC title