Dual-mode inkjet nozzle operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9844933-B2
Application number	US-201615040314-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2016
Priority date	Apr 28, 2012
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

An inkjet printhead includes an inkjet nozzle with a main actuator and at least one peripheral actuator in the same firing chamber. A determination is made as to whether the inkjet nozzle has sat idle, e.g., not firing for a threshold period of time. When the inkjet nozzle has sat idle, both the main actuator and the peripheral actuator are activated to jet at least one ink drop to renew the inkjet nozzle to mitigate decap conditions. When the inkjet nozzle has not sat idle, only the main actuator is activated to jet ink drops.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inkjet printhead, comprising:
an inkjet nozzle, comprising:
a firing chamber defining an orifice;
a main actuator located in the firing chamber; and
at least one peripheral actuator located adjacent to the main actuator in the firing chamber; and

a print engine comprising:
an idle timer to determine if the inkjet nozzle has sat idle for longer than a threshold period of time;
a boost mode that operates when the inkjet nozzle has sat idle, the boost mode comprises actuating simultaneously the main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator to jet at least one ink drop; and
a normal mode that operates when the inkjet nozzle has not sat idle, the normal mode comprising actuating only the main actuator to jet a plurality of ink drops.

2. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein:
the main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator comprises a main resistor flanked by two peripheral resistors; and
the orifice is centered along an axis from a back wall of the firing chamber to a center of an ink inlet of the firing chamber.

3. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein:
the main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator comprises a main resistor and a peripheral resistor; and
the peripheral resistor is located between the main resistor and an ink inlet of the firing chamber.

4. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein:
the main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator comprises a main resistor and a peripheral resistor; and
the main resistor is offset to one side of the firing chamber and flanked on the other side by the peripheral resistor.

5. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator comprises a peripheral resistor flanked by two main resistors; and
the orifice is centered along an axis from a back wall of the firing chamber to a center of an ink inlet of the firing chamber.

6. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein the inkjet nozzle further comprises first and second transistors controlled by the print engine to connect the main actuator to the at least one peripheral actuator and to the at least one waveform source.

7. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein the main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator are selected from the group consisting of resistive heating element actuators and piezoelectric material actuators.

8. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein the firing chamber comprises a tray ceiling with multiple heights over the main actuator and the at least one peripheral actuator.

9. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein a substrate forms a floor of the firing chamber and the orifice forms a ceiling of the firing chamber.

10. The inkjet printhead of claim 1 , wherein ink barriers form a sidewall of the firing chamber, wherein the sidewall defines an ink inlet for receiving bulk ink from an ink feed supply slot.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Taff Brian M
• Torniainen Erik D
• Kearl Daniel A

Classifications

• B41J2/14056

  Plural heating elements per ink chamber · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/04551 Primary

  using several operating modes · CPC title

• B41J2/0458

  controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles · CPC title

• B41J2/04588

  using a specific waveform · CPC title