3942results about "Inking apparatus" patented technology

We describe a system of electronically active inks which may include electronically addressable contrast media, conductors, insulators, resistors, semiconductive materials, magnetic materials, spin materials, piezoelectric materials, optoelectronic, thermoelectric or radio frequency materials. We further describe a printing system capable of laying down said materials in a definite pattern. Such a system may be used for instance to: print a flat panel display complete with onboard drive logic; print a working logic circuit onto any of a large class of substrates; print an electrostatic or piezoelectric motor with onboard logic and feedback or print a working radio transmitter or receiver.

The invention provides a method for forming a film pattern, in which a method for forming a film pattern by the ink-jet method is improved, an increase in film thickness is achieved efficiently with simple steps, a requirement for a decrease in line width is met and, in addition, problems such as breaks and short circuits are not brought about when a conductive film is made. The method can include a first discharging step, wherein droplets are discharged in the whole film formation region with a pitch larger than the diameter of the droplet after being hit onto the substrate. In the second discharging step, droplets are discharged at positions in the whole film formation region different from the discharge positions in the first discharging step with the same pitch as that in the first discharging step. In the third discharging step, droplets are discharged in the whole film formation region with a pitch smaller than the pitch in the first discharging step. The substrate is treated beforehand in order to have the contact angle of 60 degrees or more with respect to the droplets.

The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.

The invention provides a method of producing a through-hole, a substrate used to produce a through-hole, a substrate having a through-hole, and a device using such a through-hole or a substrate having such a through-hole, which are characterized in that: a through-hole can be produced only by etching a silicon substrate from its back side; the opening length d can be precisely controlled to a desired value regardless of the variations in the silicon wafer thickness, and the orientation flat angle, and also regardless of the type of a silicon crystal orientation-dependent anisotropic etchant employed; high productivity, high production reproducibility, and ease of production can be achieved; a high-liberality can be achieved in the shape of the opening end even if temperature treatment is performed at a high temperature for a long time; and a high-precision through-hole can be produced regardless of the shape of a device formed on the surface of a substrate.

A camera system comprising:

• • at least one area image sensor for imaging a scene;
  • a camera processor means for processing said image scene in accordance with a predetermined scene transformation requirement; and
  • a printer for printing out said processed image scene on print media, utilizing printing ink stored in a single detachable module inside said camera system;
  • said camera system comprising a portable hand held unit for the imaging of scenes by said area image sensor and printing said scenes directly out of said camera system via said printer.

The invention provides exemplary methods and apparatus for dispensing liquids as an atomized spray. In one particularly preferably method, a liquid is dispensed as an atomized spray from a vibratable member having a front surface and a rear surface, with the member having at least one tapered hole between the surfaces for dispensing the liquid. The tapered hole has a larger cross-sectional area at the rear surface than at the front surface. The liquid is delivered from a supply container to the rear surface of the vibratable member in an amount sufficient to cover the hole with liquid. The vibratable member is then vibrated to dispense at least a portion of the liquid through the hole and from the front surface. Additional liquid is delivered from the supply container and to the rear surface in volumes that are substantially equal to the volumes dispensed.

The image forming method includes the steps of: ejecting and depositing an ink containing a coloring material and a radiation polymerizable compound on an intermediate transfer body, the radiation polymerizable compound having a molecular structure including a radical polymerizable group and a cationically polymerizable group; then irradiating the ink on the intermediate transfer body with a first radiation so that one of the radical polymerizable group and the cationically polymerizable group is selectively polymerized and cured; then heating the selectively polymerized and cured ink to a temperature not lower than a softening point of the selectively polymerized and cured ink and not higher than a temperature above the softening point by 10° C., while transferring the selectively polymerized and cured ink from the intermediate transfer body to a recording medium; and then irradiating the ink on the recording medium with a second radiation so that the other of the radical polymerizable group and the cationically polymerizable group is polymerized and cured.

A liquid circulation apparatus includes: a plurality of liquid ejection elements each of which includes a nozzle, a pressure chamber which is connected to the nozzle and accommodates liquid, and a piezoelectric element which displaces a wall of the pressure chamber to eject the liquid in the pressure chamber through the nozzle; a plurality of individual supply channels which are respectively connected to the liquid ejection elements; a common supply channel which is connected to the individual supply channels, the liquid being supplied from the common supply channel to the liquid ejection elements through the individual supply channels; a plurality of individual circulation channels which are respectively connected to the liquid ejection elements; a common circulation channel which is connected to the individual circulation channels, the liquid being circulated from the liquid ejection elements to the common circulation channel through the individual circulation channels; and a control device which controls a circulation volume of the liquid circulated from the liquid ejection elements to the common circulation channel, by adjusting a supply volume of the liquid supplied from the common supply channel to the liquid ejection elements in accordance with an ejection volume of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection elements.

A media cartridge is disclosed for insertion into a cartridge receptacle of a printer. The media cartridge includes a cartridge housing having one or more shifting ribs on the cartridge housing. At a position of initial insertion of the media cartridge into the cartridge receptacle, the shifting ribs are configured to center a length of media and an ink ribbon of the media cartridge between a print head and a platen roller in the cartridge receptacle. As the insertion of the media cartridge into the cartridge receptacle continues, the shifting ribs shift the length of media and the ink ribbon toward one of the print head and the platen roller.

A method of enhancing print quality of a continuous ink jet printing device and such a printing device in which selected droplets in a stream of droplets are selectively deflected to impinge on a print medium, the method including the steps of providing a plurality of ink droplets, each printing ink-droplet being substantially same size, providing a gas flow that deflects the plurality of ink droplets, monitoring uniformity of the gas flow, and adjusting a flow characteristic of the gas flow based on the monitored uniformity. The step of adjusting flow characteristic of the gas flow is attained by changing flow rate of the gas flow or flow area of the outlet. In one embodiment, the step of monitoring uniformity of gas flow includes monitoring trajectory paths of the deflected plurality of ink droplets.

Inkjet apparatus includes: a tank; a first flow channel; a first liquid chamber; a second flow channel; a second liquid chamber; a first liquid movement; a second liquid movement device; a first pressure determination device; a second pressure determination device; a pressure control device which controls pressures in the first and second liquid chambers by respectively controlling the first and second liquid movement devices, in accordance with determination results of the first and second pressure determination devices, in such a manner that the internal pressures of the first and second liquid chambers respectively remain at the target pressures; a circulation path through which the liquid inside the first liquid chamber is circulated without passing through the inkjet head; and a deaeration device which is provided at an intermediate point of the circulation path and which removes dissolved gas.

An optical scanner is capable of effectively correcting a difference with respect to the sub-scanning direction between the positions of optical spots for scanning photoconductor drums of a tandem type color image forming apparatus. The optical scanner includes an optical axis adjusting part. The optical axis adjusting part uses a deflecting mirror or a wedge-shaped prism to deflect the optical axis of an optical beam with respect to the sub-scanning direction. As a result, it is possible to accurately correct a resist difference among individual image forming stations and form a high-quality color image without any color displacement.

A fluid injection device for ejecting fluid droplets in response to electrical signals comprises an oscillating surface that has one or more tapered apertures, each aperture having a first and second opening. The first opening of each aperture is larger than the second opening. The first opening is in surface tension contact with the fluid to be ejected. The fluid interaction with the tapered aperture wall creates cycles of fluid compression and decompression inside the aperture, causing fluid to be drawn from the large opening and ejected out the small opening of the aperture. The device includes a fluid supply nozzle that transports fluid to the oscillating surface at the large opening of the apertures. A discharge valve controls the fluid supply. An electronic wave generator induces oscillation in the tapered aperture containing surface. The device is used to great advantage for fluid atomization and fluid spray.

In a tape cassette (5) to be used for a tape printing device (1), a roll part T0 of a print tape T having a preset tape width is firmly attached to the under surface of a rotation support section (21a) of a tape unit (20) by a lower spool (22). The tape unit (20) is provided with a tape identification section (30) for identifying the type etc. of the rolled tape. In the tape identification section (30), a vertical through hole (61) as a tape width identification part is provided varying its position depending on the tape width. Meanwhile, a cassette case body (32) and a cassette cover (33) of the tape cassette (5) are provided with a tape detection part (50a, 50b) to which the tape identification section (30) can be set or attached, while being provided with a projection (52) as a tape width detection part to be paired with the vertical through hole (61) so that only a tape unit (20) including a rolled print tape having a preset tape width is allowed to be attached to the tape cassette (5). By the composition, erroneous loading of an improper tape unit (20) (to which a tape of a different width has been set) in the tape cassette (5) can be prevented.

A method of operation of a fluid ejection printhead within a predetermined thermal range so as to print an image, wherein the printhead temperature is measured and below a predetermined threshold, the printhead is heated to a desired temperature before printing. Where thermal bend actuators are used in the printhead, heating is controlled so as to be insufficient to cause ejection of fluid.

The image forming apparatus includes: an intermediate transfer body; a liquid adhesion device which provides a first liquid having a viscosity not less than 15 mPa·s and not greater than 300 mPa·s at 25° C, on the intermediate transfer body; a droplet ejection device which ejects a second liquid containing a coloring material onto a region of the intermediate transfer body where the first liquid is provided by the liquid adhesion device, in a state where the first liquid on the intermediate transfer body has a thickness not less than 1.6 μm; a viscosity raising device which raises a viscosity of the second liquid on the intermediate transfer body; and a transfer device which transfers an image including dots of the second liquid formed on the intermediate transfer body, onto a recording medium.

A liquid application method includes: an application liquid supplying step of supplying an application liquid to an outer circumferential surface of a roller member which is driven to rotate; a blade abutting step of abutting a blade member against the outer circumferential surface of the roller member so as to remove the application liquid supplied in the application liquid supplying step; and a blade abutment and separation control step of controlling an operation of abutting and an operation of separating the blade member in the blade abutting step.

The image forming apparatus comprises: an ejection head which ejects droplets of a radiation curing liquid; an intermediate transfer medium on which an image is formed by the droplets ejected from the ejection head; an evaporation device which evaporates the droplets deposited on the intermediate transfer medium; a preliminary curing device which emits radiation onto the droplets deposited on the intermediate transfer medium in order to semi-cure the droplets so that the droplets do not blend with each other; and a transfer device which presses a recording medium against the intermediate transfer medium so that the image formed on the intermediate transfer medium is transferred onto the recording medium, wherein: the droplets deposited on the intermediate transfer medium are evaporated by the evaporation device; and the evaporated droplets are semi-cured by the radiation emitted from the preliminary curing device, and then the image formed on the intermediate transfer medium is transferred onto the recording medium by the transfer device.

A method and device for managing and controlling a scanning system that incorporates multiple oscillating scanners is provided by the present invention. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, a resonant frequency is determined for each of the scanners. A drive signal for driving the oscillating scanners is generated based upon the determined resonant frequencies. An amplitude adjustment circuit determines the difference between the drive signal frequency and the resonant frequency of each oscillating scanner and adjusts the amplitude of the drive signal provided to that particular oscillating scanner such that scan amplitude of each oscillating scanner is approximately equal. The offset from the resonant frequency is also used to calculate a phase adjustment for the drive signal to insure that the oscillating scanners are operating in tandem.

An image scanning apparatus and a torsion oscillator are capable of operating across a dynamic range of possible operating frequencies. The image scanning apparatus uses a light source to produce a light bean, and the oscillator scans the light beam through a scanning pattern. The oscillator includes a plate member having a non-rectangular shape. At least one magnet is disposed on the plate. A surface of the plate member includes a reflective surface for reflecting a light beam. A frame is disposed in a spaced apart relation to a lower surface of the plate member. The fame includes at least one coil configured to induce an electromagnetic force on the at least one magnet to thereby oscillate the reflective surface to a rotational angle of oscillation at an oscillation frequency. The system also includes an imaging surface disposed in the path of the scanning pattern so that the light beam scans across the imaging surface, and a mechanical drive to move the imaging surface. A control system controls electric current provided to the at least one coil to achieve the oscillation.

A print roll unit includes an elongate ink reservoir core defining a plurality of ink chambers which each extend along the core. The chambers are isolated to store respective inks. A roll of print media includes a tubular former in which the core can be received and a length of print media which is wound upon the former. A housing includes a pair of molded covers which can be fastened together in a releasable manner to house the roll of print media.

A cartridge assembly is disclosed. The cartridge assembly includes a cartridge housing defining an internal chamber. At least one rotatable spool is housed in the internal chamber. In the wall of the cartridge housing, a ribbon lock is formed. The ribbon lock has an engaged position and a disengaged position. In the engaged position, the ribbon lock is biased into engagement with the rotatable spool(s) to inhibit rotation of the rotatable spool(s). In the disengaged position, the ribbon lock is urged away from the rotatable spool(s) to disengage the ribbon lock from the rotatable spool(s) to permit rotation of the spool(s).

A color laser printer producing a color image using a single laser scanning unit includes a lighting unit including first and second laser diodes emitting beams of one polarization, a polarization prism transmitting or reflecting incident beams depending on a direction of polarization, and third and fourth laser diodes disposed in a different direction from the first and second laser diodes with respect to the polarization prism, a rotary polygon mirror that reflects the beam emitted along the same path from the lighting unit, an f-θ lens that focuses the beam reflected by the rotary polygon mirror, first and second polarization beam splitters, each of which transmits or reflects the beam passing through the f-θ lens depending on the direction of the polarization, and first through fourth photoconductive units on which the beams reflected and transmitted through the first and second polarization beam splitters are incident. In the color laser printer, lengths of optical paths between the f-θ lens and each of the first through fourth photoconductive units are equal. The color laser printer is constructed such that a plurality of light sources emitting the beams of one polarization are arranged separately and the beams emitted from the light sources are combined by the polarization prism to enter the f-θ lens, thereby reducing a thickness of the f-θ lens.

The image forming apparatus includes: an image forming device which forms an image on a recording medium; a transparent UV ink droplet ejection device which ejects and deposits droplets of transparent UV ink onto the recording medium; a UV light irradiation device which irradiates UV light onto the transparent UV ink having been deposited on the recording medium; a gloss condition setting device which sets a gloss condition of the image; and a UV light irradiation control device which controls an irradiation timing of the UV light irradiated from the UV light irradiation device in accordance with the gloss condition.

A method and system for exposing a light sensitive material using device for forming a row of spots of light onto the light sensitive material located on a focal plane, device for modulating each of the spots according to imaging data so that at any point of time, the row of spots forms a data pattern according to the imaging data, device for generating relative motion between the imaging mechanism and the light sensitive material on the focal plane, the direction of motion substantially parallel to the direction of the row of spots on the light sensitive material; and data synchronizing device for shifting the imaging data into the modulating device at a rate determined by the speed of relative motion to maintain the image of any data pattern substantially stationary on the light sensitive material.

Ribbon tension detecting means (20, 21), which are formed of a plate-like lever body (35) each, are located individually on the upstream side and the downstream side of a platen (7) with respect to its travel. The plate-like lever body (35) has first and second rollers (47, 48) on the upstream and downstream sides with respect to travel of a ribbon, and swings around an axis of rotation of the second roller (48), depending on a tension of the ribbon traveling guided by the rollers (47, 48). If the amount of its swing is not less than or not more than a fixed value, a ribbon feed motor (18) or a ribbon take-up motor (19) is driven. Further, the ribbon tension detecting means (20, 21) are provided with a smoothing member which touches the ink ribbon (13) to remove wrinkles from the ink ribbon (13).

A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a cleaning unit, a regular flushing unit, capping unit, and an ejection-amount measuring unit as droplet ejecting head maintenance units used for function maintenance, function recovery, adjustment, or inspection of a liquid ejecting head. The droplet ejecting head maintenance units are arranged in a group in a movable platen as a maintenance-unit installing section. The movable platen is supported by an accessory stand physically separated from a main body.

The image forming method is for forming an image on an image formation body by using an ink liquid including a coloring material and an aggregation treatment agent including a component that causes the coloring material to aggregate. The image forming method includes: an aggregation treatment layer formation step of forming, on the image formation body, a semisolid aggregation treatment layer that includes the aggregation treatment agent and has a moisture content ratio not more than 56%; an ink droplet deposition step of ejecting droplets of the ink liquid and depositing the droplets of the ink liquid onto the image formation body where the aggregation treatment layer has been formed; and a solvent removal step of removing a liquid solvent present on the image formation body after the ink droplet deposition step.

It is an object of this invention to make the amounts of liquid discharged from the nozzles of a liquid discharge head uniform. To achieve this object, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus for discharging a liquid to a medium using a liquid discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging the liquid, characterized by comprising a discharge amount changing device which can change the amounts of liquid discharged from the respective nozzles of the liquid discharge head independently of each of the plurality of nozzles, the discharge amount changing device including a voltage control device which can change a driving voltage value of a driving pulse to be supplied to each of the plurality of nozzles.

In this optical scanning device, a plurality of scanning optical systems are arranged in a main scanning direction. Each of the scanning optical systems includes a deflecting unit performing an optical scanning by oscillation. Scanning frequencies of the deflecting units are substantially equal to one another. Each of the deflecting units is provided with means for varying the scanning frequency. The scanning frequency of each of the deflecting units is set midway between a maximum value and a minimum value of a resonance frequency intrinsic to the deflecting unit.