Print device and print method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682548-B2
Application number	US-201414585156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2014
Priority date	Jan 8, 2014
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A print device is configured to perform printing by an ink jet scheme including: an ink jet head including a nozzle, an ink chamber that stores ink droplets at an upstream of the nozzle, and a piezoelectric element; and a drive signal output section that outputs a drive signal for causing the piezoelectric element to be displaced. The drive signal includes a discharge driving signal for causing the piezoelectric element displaced so that ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle, and a post-discharge controlling signal for causing the piezoelectric element displaced after the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle, the drive signal output section outputs the discharge driving signal by which a voltage changes linearly from a first voltage to a second voltage which are predeterminedly set, at a timing when the ink droplets are to be discharged from the nozzle, and outputs a substantial sine wave.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A print device configured to perform printing by an ink jet scheme, the print device comprising:
an ink jet head including a nozzle that discharges ink droplets, an ink chamber that stores the ink droplets at an upstream of the nozzle, and a piezoelectric element that causes ink in the ink chamber to be discharged from the nozzle; and
a drive signal output section that outputs a drive signal being a signal for causing the piezoelectric element to be displaced,

wherein
the drive signal is a signal that includes a discharge driving signal for causing the piezoelectric element to be displaced so that the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle, and a post-discharge controlling signal for causing the piezoelectric element to be displaced so that a meniscus vibration in which a liquid surface of the ink vibrates at a position of the nozzle is settled after the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle,
wherein in a case of denoting a timing when the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle as a timing To, and
denoting a cycle of a natural vibration of a meniscus vibration in which a liquid surface of the ink vibrates at a position of the nozzle after the ink droplets are discharged as Tc,
the drive signal output section is configured to:
output, as the discharge driving signal, a signal by which a voltage changes linearly from a first voltage to a second voltage, which are predeterminedly set, at a time period, which is earlier than the timing To, when the ink droplets are to be discharged from the nozzle,
output, as the post-discharge controlling signal, a signal of a substantial sine wave having a cycle equal to the measured cycle Tc, at least after the timing To, and within a time Tc/4 from the timing To, such that
the piezoelectric element is displaced in a direction along which the meniscus vibration at the position of the nozzle after the ink droplets are discharged is suppressed,
wherein the post-discharge controlling signal has an inversed phase relationship with a natural vibration of the meniscus vibration.

2. The print device according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge driving signal is a signal in a rectangular wave form, a trapezoidal wave form, or a sawtooth wave form.

3. A print method configured to perform printing by an ink jet scheme, the print method comprising:
outputting a drive signal being a signal for causing a piezoelectric element to be displaced to an ink jet head including a nozzle that discharges ink droplets, an ink chamber that stores the ink droplets at an upstream of the nozzle, and the piezoelectric element that causes an ink in the ink chamber to be discharged from the nozzle,
wherein the drive signal is a signal that includes a discharge driving signal for causing the piezoelectric element to be displaced so that the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle, and a post-discharge controlling signal for causing the piezoelectric element to be displaced so that a meniscus vibration in which a liquid surface of the ink vibrates at a position of the nozzle is settled after the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle,
wherein in a case of denoting a timing when the ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle as a timing To, and
denoting a cycle of a natural vibration of a meniscus vibration in which a liquid surface of the ink vibrates at a position of the nozzle after the ink droplets are discharged as Tc;
outputting, as the discharge driving signal, a signal by which a voltage changes linearly from a first voltage to a second voltage, which are predeterminedly set, at a time period, which is earlier than the timing To, when the ink droplets are to be discharged from the nozzle;
outputting, as the post-discharge controlling signal, a signal of a substantial sine wave having a cycle equal to the measured cycle Tc, at least after the timing To, and within a time Tc/4 from the timing To, such that
the piezoelectric element is displaced in a direction along which the meniscus vibration at the position of the nozzle after the ink droplets are discharged is suppressed,
wherein the post-discharge controlling signal has an inversed phase relationship with a natural vibration of the meniscus vibration.

Assignees

• Mimaki Eng Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohnishi Masaru

Classifications

• B41J2/04581 Primary

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/04588

  using a specific waveform · CPC title

• B41J2/04596

  Non-ejecting pulses · CPC title