Ink droplet ejecting method and apparatus

Abstract

In an ink droplet ejecting method and apparatus, by merely adding one pulse after a driving waveform for a main ejection of ink, without changing the driving voltage, it is possible to obtain an ink droplet of a desired volume and also possible to minimize the decrease of the ink droplet speed. The pulse width Wa of a jet pulse signal A is set equal to time T required for one-way propagation through an ink chamber of a pressure wave which is generated in the ink chamber, while the pulse width Wb of an additional pulse signal B is set at 0.2T to 0.6T, and a time difference between a fall timing of the jet pulse signal A and a rise timing of the additional pulse signal B is set at 0.3T to 0.7T, whereby an ink droplet being ejected is reduced in size and only one drive voltage is sufficient. Thus, the cost can be reduced, and a decrease of the ink droplet speed is prevented.

1. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein a jet pulse signal is applied to an actuator, for changing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink and allowing a droplet of the ink to be ejected from a nozzle comprising the steps of:
 applying said jet pulse signal to said actuator in accordance with a one-dot printing instruction, said jet pulse signal having a pulse width which allows the volume of said ink chamber to increase upon application of a leading edge of said jet pulse signal to said actuator, thereby causing a pressure wave to be generated within the ink chamber, and which, after the lapse of time T required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber or after the lapse of an odd-multiple time of said time T, allows the volume of the ink chamber to decrease from the increased state to a normal state; and  
 applying an additional pulse signal to said actuator in accordance with the one-dot printing instructions, said additional pulse signal having a pulse width of approximately 0.2T to 0.6T relative to said jet pulse signal and a time difference between a trailing edge of said jet pulse signal and a leading edge of said additional pulse signal being 0.3T to 0.7T.  
 
     
     
       2. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 1 , wherein said jet pulse signal and said additional pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       3. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying an additional pulse signal includes applying an additional pulse signal with a controller that has a charging circuit, a discharge circuit, and a pulse control circuit. 
     
     
       4. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 3 , wherein the step of applying an additional pulse signal with a controller includes applying an additional pulse signal with a pulse control circuit that has a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I/O Bus, a printing data receiving circuit, and pulse generators. 
     
     
       5. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 4 , wherein the step of applying an additional pulse signal with a pulse control circuit includes applying an additional pulse signal with a ROM that has an ink droplet ejection control program storage area and a driving waveform data storage area. 
     
     
       6. An ink droplet ejecting apparatus for use with ink, comprising:
 an ink chamber fillable with ink;  
 an actuator for changing the volume of said ink chamber;  
 a driving power source for applying an electric signal to said actuator; and  
 a controller which provides control so that, in accordance with a one-dot printing instruction, a jet pulse signal and an additional pulse signal are applied to said actuator from said driving power source, thereby causing ink present in said ink chamber to be ejected, the controller providing control so that: 
 said jet pulse signal has a pulse width which allows the volume of said ink chamber to increase upon application of a leading edge of said jet pulse signal to said actuator, thereby causing a pressure wave to be generated within the ink chamber, and which, after the lapse of time T required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber or after the lapse of an odd-multiple time of said time T, allows the volume of the ink chamber to decrease from the increased state to a normal state; and  
 said additional pulse signal has a pulse width of approximately 0.2T to 0.6T relative to said jet pulse signal and a time difference between a trailing edge of said jet pulse signal and a leading edge of said additional pulse signal being 0.3T to 0.7T.  
 
 
     
     
       7. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said jet pulse signal and said additional pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       8. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the controller includes a charging circuit, a discharge circuit, and a pulse control circuit. 
     
     
       9. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the pulse control circuit includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I/O Bus, a printing data receiving circuit, and pulse generators. 
     
     
       10. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the ROM includes an ink droplet ejection control program storage area, and a driving waveform data storage areas. 
     
     
       11. An ink droplet ejecting apparatus for use with ink, comprising:
 an ink chamber fillable with ink and defining a nozzle;  
 an actuator for changing the volume of said ink chamber;  
 a driving power source for applying an electric signal to said actuator; and  
 a controller which controls the driving power source in accordance with a one-dot printing instruction to apply to the actuator a jet pulse signal and an additional pulse signal to eject a one-dot ink droplet from the nozzle, the controller determining whether said additional pulse signal is to be used based on volumes of the one-dot ink droplet ejected;  
 wherein the additional pulse signal is applied after a trailing edge of said jet pulse signal so as to allow the volume of said ink chamber to increase whereby a part of an ink droplet being ejected from the nozzle is pulled back.  
 
     
     
       12. The ink droplet apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the controller includes a charging circuit, a discharge circuit and a pulse control circuit. 
     
     
       13. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the pulse control circuit includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I/O Bus, a printing data receiving circuit, and pulse generators. 
     
     
       14. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the ROM includes an ink droplet ejection control program storage area, and a driving waveform data storage area. 
     
     
       15. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the volume of the one-dot ink droplet is varied in accordance with printing resolution set by a user. 
     
     
       16. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein said jet pulse signal and said additional pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       17. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus for use with ink, comprising:
 an ink chamber fillable with ink and defining a nozzle;  
 an actuator for changing the volume of said ink chamber;  
 a driving power source for applying an electric signal to said actuator; and  
 a controller which controls the driving power source in accordance with a one-dot printing instruction to apply to the actuator a jet pulse signal and an additional pulse signal to eject a one-dot ink droplet from the nozzle, the controller determining whether said additional pulse signal is to be used, the controller providing control so that a time difference from application of said jet pulse signal to applications of said additional pulse signal, and a pulse width of said additional pulse signal, are adjustable based on printing resolution set by the user.  
 
     
     
       18. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein:
 said jet pulse signal has a pulse width which allows the volume of said ink chamber to increase upon application of a leading edge of said jet pulse signal to said actuator, thereby causing a pressure wave to be generated within the ink chamber, and which, after the lapse of time T required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber or after the lapse of an odd-multiple time of said time T, allows the volume of the ink chamber to decrease from the increased state to a normal state; and  
 a pulse width of said additional pulse signal is controlled so as to be adjustable in a range of approximately 0.2T to 0.6T relative to said just pulse signal, and said time difference is controlled so as to be adjustable in a range of approximately 0.3T to 0.7T from a trailing edge of said jet pulse signal to a leading edge of said additional pulse signal.  
 
     
     
       19. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the controller includes a charging circuit, a discharge circuit, and a pulse control circuit. 
     
     
       20. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein the pulse control circuit includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an I/O Bus, a printing data receiving circuit, and pulse generators. 
     
     
       21. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein the ROM includes an ink droplet ejection control program storage area, and a driving waveform data storage area. 
     
     
       22. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the time difference from application of said jet pulse signal to application of said additional pulse signal is becoming smaller as the printing resolution increases. 
     
     
       23. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said jet pulse signal and said additional pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       24. The ink droplet ejecting apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the pulse width of the additional pulse becomes smaller as the printing resolution increases. 
     
     
       25. A storage medium, comprising:
 a program for applying a jet pulse signal to an actuator in accordance with a one-dot printing instruction, the jet pulse signal having a pulse width which allows the volume of an ink chamber to increase upon application of a leading edge of said jet pulse signal to the actuator, thereby causing a pressure to be generated within the ink chamber, and which, after the lapse of time T required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber or after the lapse of an odd-multiple time of said T, allows the volume of the ink chamber to decrease from the increased state to a normal state; and  
 a program for applying an additional pulse signal to the actuator in accordance with the one-dot printing instruction, the additional pulse signal having a pulse width of approximately 0.2T to 0.6T relative to said jet pulse signal, and a time difference between a trailing edge of said jet pulse signal and a leading edge of said additional pulse signal being 0.3T to 0.7T.  
 
     
     
       26. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein a jet pulse signal is applied to an actuator, for changing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink and allowing a droplet of the ink to be ejected from a nozzle, the jet pulse signal being followed by an additional pulse, comprising the steps of:
   a step for decreasing the volume of the ink chamber by applying the jet pulse signal to the actuator, to apply pressure to the ink and allow a droplet of the ink to be ejected from the nozzle; and      a step for increasing the volume of the ink chamber by applying the additional pulse signal to the actuator to pull back a part of the droplet of the ink being ejected from the nozzle by the jet pulse signal, the additional pulse having a pulse width of approximately  0 . 2 T to  0 . 6 T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber.   
     
     
       27. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 26 , wherein the jet pulse signal has a pulse width of T or an odd-multiple time of the time T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber. 
     
     
       28. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 26 , wherein the jet pulse signal and the additional pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       29. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein a jet pulse signal is applied to an actuator, for changing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink and allowing a droplet of the ink to be ejected from a nozzle, the jet pulse signal being followed by an additional pulse, comprising the steps of:
 a step for decreasing the volume of the ink chamber by applying the jet pulse signal to the actuator, to apply pressure to the ink and allow a droplet of the ink to be ejected from the nozzle; and    a step for increasing the volume of the ink chamber by applying the additional pulse signal to the actuator to pull back a part of the droplet of the ink being ejected from the nozzle by the jet pulse signal, wherein a time difference between a trailing edge of the jet pulse and a leading edge of the additional pulse is  0 . 3 T to  0 . 7 T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber.   
     
     
       30. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 29 , wherein the jet pulse signal has a pulse width of T or an odd-multiple time of time T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber. 
     
     
       31. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 29 , wherein the jet pulse signal and the additional pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       32. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein a jet pulse signal is applied to an actuator, for changing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink and allowing a droplet of the ink to be ejected from a nozzle, the jet pulse signal being followed by an additional pulse, comprising the steps of:
 a step for decreasing the volume of the ink chamber by applying the jet pulse signal to the actuator, to apply pressure to the ink and allow a droplet of the ink to be ejected from the nozzle; and    a step for increasing the volume of the ink chamber by applying the additional pulse signal to the actuator to pull back a part of the droplet of the ink being ejected from the nozzle by the jet pulse signal, the additional pulse having a pulse width of approximately  0 . 2 T to  0 . 6 T, wherein a time difference between a training edge of the jet pulse and a leading edge of the additional pulse is  0 . 3 T to  0 . 7 T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber.   
     
     
       33. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein an applied voltage to an actuator is changed, for increasing and decreasing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink, comprising the steps of:
 a first step for ejecting a droplet of the ink from a nozzle by decreasing the volume of the ink chamber; and    a second step for pulling back a part of the droplet of the ink being ejected from the nozzle by the first step, by increasing the volume of the ink chamber and maintaining the volume of the ink chamber constant, wherein a period of the second step is approximately  0 . 2 T to  0 . 6 T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber.   
     
     
       34. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 33 , further comprising a preparatory step, followed by the first step, for preparing the ejection of the droplet of the ink by increasing the volume of the ink chamber and maintaining constant the volume of the ink chamber, wherein a total period of the preparatory step and the first step is T or an odd-multiple time of the time T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber. 
     
     
       35. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 34 , wherein the preparatory step and the first step comprise applying a first pulse signal to the actuator and the second step comprises applying a second pulse signal to the actuator. 
     
     
       36. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 35 , wherein the first pulse signal and the second pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       37. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein an applied voltage to an actuator is changed, for increasing and decreasing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink, comprising the steps of:
 a first step for ejecting a droplet of the ink from a nozzle by decreasing the volume of the ink chamber; and    a second step for pulling back a part of the droplet of the ink being ejected from the nozzle by the first step, by increasing the volume of the ink chamber and maintaining constant the volume of the ink chamber, wherein a time difference between the end of the first step and the start of the second step is  0 . 3 T to  0 . 7 T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber.   
     
     
       38. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 37 , further comprising a preparatory step, followed by the first step, for preparing the ejection of the droplet of the ink by increasing the volume of the ink chamber and maintaining constant the volume of the ink chamber, wherein a total period of the preparatory step and the first step is T or an odd-multiple time of the time T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber. 
     
     
       39. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 38 , wherein the preparatory step and the first step comprise applying a first pulse signal to the actuator and the second step comprises applying a second pulse signal to the actuator. 
     
     
       40. The ink droplet ejecting method according to  claim 39 , wherein the first pulse signal and the second pulse signal have the same peak value. 
     
     
       41. An ink droplet ejecting method, wherein an applied voltage to an actuator is changed, for increasing and decreasing the volume of an ink chamber filled with ink, to generate a pressure wave within the ink chamber, thereby applying pressure to the ink, comprising the steps of:
 a first step for ejecting a droplet of the ink from a nozzle by decreasing the volume of the ink chamber; and    a second step for pulling back a part of the droplet of the ink being ejected from the nozzle by the first step, by increasing the volume of the ink chamber and maintaining constant the volume of the ink chamber, wherein a period of the second step is approximately  0 . 2 T and  0 . 6 T and a time difference between the end of the first step and the start of the second step is  0 . 3 T to  0 . 7 T, wherein T is a time required for an approximately one-way propagation of the pressure wave through the ink chamber.