Injection device with supply conduit actuator

Abstract

A device configured to eject one or more droplets of viscous medium, comprising: a housing that at least partially defines a spray chamber; a supply conduit that supplies viscous medium to the spray chamber; a nozzle; an impact device configured to force one or more droplets of viscous medium to be ejected as one or more droplets through the conduit of the nozzle; and a supply conduit actuator, the supply conduit actuator being configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to the viscous medium flowing from the spray chamber through the supply conduit based on movement of the impact device through at least a portion of the supply conduit independently of the impact device to adjust the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments described herein generally relate to the field of "jetting" droplets of viscous media onto a substrate. More specifically, the exemplary embodiments relate to improving the performance of a jetting device and to a jetting device configured to "jet" droplets of viscous media onto a substrate. Background Art

[0002] Jetting devices are well known and are primarily used and configured to spray droplets of a viscous medium (eg, solder paste or glue) onto a substrate prior to mounting a device on the substrate.

[0003] The injection device (also referred to herein as the "device") may include a nozzle space (also referred to herein as an injection chamber) configured to accommodate a small amount ("amount") of viscous medium before injection, a nozzle (also referred to herein as a jet nozzle) coupled to the nozzle space (for example, connected to the nozzle space), an impact device configured to impact and inject the viscous medium in the form of droplets from the nozzle space through the nozzle, and a feeder configured to feed the medium into the nozzle space.

[0004] In some cases, good and reliable performance of the device may be a more important factor in the implementation of the above two measures, and high accuracy and repeatability must be maintained during long-term operation. In some cases, the lack of these factors may lead to unexpected changes in the deposits on the workpiece (e.g., circuit boards), which may cause errors in such workpieces. Such errors may reduce the reliability of such workpieces. For example, unexpected changes in one or more of the deposit size, deposit arrangement, deposit shape, etc. on the workpiece (circuit board) may make the circuit board more susceptible to bridging, short circuits, etc.

[0005] In some cases, good and reliable control of the droplet size may be an important factor in the implementation of the above two measures. In some cases, the lack of such control may lead to unexpected changes in the deposit on the workpiece (e.g., circuit board), which may cause errors in such workpiece. Such errors may reduce the reliability of such workpiece. For example, unexpected changes in one or more of the deposit size, deposit arrangement, deposit shape, etc. on the workpiece (circuit board) may make the circuit board more susceptible to bridging, short circuits, etc. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to some exemplary embodiments, a device configured to eject one or more droplets of viscous medium may include: a housing having an inner surface at least partially defining an ejection chamber, the ejection chamber configured to hold a viscous medium; a supply conduit in fluid communication with the ejection chamber; a nozzle having a conduit in fluid communication with the ejection chamber; an impact device including an impact end surface at least partially defining the ejection chamber; and a supply conduit actuator configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion of the supply conduit to the viscous medium flowing from the ejection chamber through the supply conduit based on independent movement of the impact device through at least a portion of the supply conduit to adjust the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit. The supply conduit may be configured to supply the viscous medium into the ejection chamber. The impact device may be configured to cause an increase in the internal pressure of the viscous medium in the ejection chamber by moving through at least a portion of the space defined by one or more inner surfaces of the housing to reduce the volume of the ejection chamber, thereby forcing the one or more droplets of viscous medium to be ejected as one or more droplets through the conduit of the nozzle.

[0007] The impact device may include a piezoelectric actuator.

[0008] The supply conduit actuator may comprise a piezoelectric actuator.

[0009] The supply conduit actuator may be configured to reduce the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit when the supply conduit actuator is fully extended, rather than blocking the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit.

[0010] The supply conduit actuator may be coupled to the supply conduit at an outlet aperture of the supply conduit on one or more interior surfaces of the housing that at least partially define a spray chamber.

[0011] The apparatus may further include a sensor device configured to monitor the one or more droplets and generate sensor data based on the monitoring results, whereby the sensor data indicates the value of one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets. The apparatus may further include a control device configured to receive and process the sensor data to determine the value of the one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets, and in response to determining that the difference between the value of the one or more characteristics and the corresponding target value of the one or more characteristics at least satisfies one or more corresponding droplet characteristic thresholds, adjustably control the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit by adjustably controlling the movement of the supply conduit actuator.

[0012] The control device can be configured to control the supply conduit actuator to determine a difference between the one or more characteristics and a target value of the one or more characteristics, and in response to determining that the difference at least meets a threshold value, control the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to a new fluid dynamic resistance by adjustably controlling the movement of the supply conduit actuator.

[0013] The one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets may include at least one of a velocity of the one or more droplets, a diameter of the one or more droplets, or a volume of the one or more droplets.

[0014] The control device may be configured to control the impact device and the supply conduit actuator so that the supply conduit actuator increases the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from a first magnitude to a second magnitude, and then causes the impact device to eject the one or more droplets while maintaining the fluid dynamic resistance at the second magnitude.

[0015] The control device may be configured to control the impact device and the supply conduit actuator such that the supply conduit actuator reduces the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from the second magnitude to the first magnitude after a rest period following ejection of the one or more droplets.

[0016] According to some exemplary embodiments, a method of controlling an apparatus configured to eject one or more droplets of a viscous medium onto a substrate may be provided. The apparatus may include: a housing having an inner surface at least partially defining an ejection chamber, the ejection chamber configured to hold a viscous medium; a supply conduit in fluid communication with the ejection chamber, the supply conduit configured to supply the viscous medium into the ejection chamber; a nozzle having a conduit in fluid communication with the ejection chamber; and an impact device including an impact end surface at least partially defining the ejection chamber, the impact device configured to cause an increase in the internal pressure of the viscous medium in the ejection chamber by moving through at least a portion of a space defined by one or more inner surfaces of the housing to reduce the volume of the ejection chamber, thereby forcing the one or more droplets of the viscous medium to be ejected as one or more droplets by the conduit through the nozzle. The method may include controlling a supply conduit actuator to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to the viscous medium flowing from the ejection chamber through the supply conduit based on causing the supply conduit actuator to move independently of the impact device through at least a portion of the supply conduit, thereby adjusting the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit.

[0017] The control may move the supply conduit actuator to a fully extended position to reduce the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit without blocking the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit.

[0018] The method may also include processing sensor data received from the sensor device based on the sensor device monitoring the one or more droplets to determine one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets, and, based on the determined one or more characteristics, adjustably controlling the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit by adjustably controlling movement of a supply conduit actuator.

[0019] The adjustably controlling may include determining a difference between the one or more characteristics and a target value for the one or more characteristics, and in response to determining that the difference at least meets a threshold value, controlling the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to a new fluid dynamic resistance by adjustably controlling movement of a supply conduit actuator.

[0020] The one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets may include at least one of a velocity of the one or more droplets, a diameter of the one or more droplets, or a volume of the one or more droplets.

[0021] The controlling may cause the supply conduit actuator to increase the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from a first magnitude to a second magnitude, and the method may further include subsequently causing the impaction device to eject the one or more droplets while maintaining the fluid dynamic resistance at the second magnitude.

[0022] The method may further include causing a supply conduit actuator to reduce the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from the second magnitude to the first magnitude during a rest period after ejecting the one or more droplets.

[0023] The impact device may include a piezoelectric actuator.

[0024] The supply conduit actuator may comprise a piezoelectric actuator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Some exemplary embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0026] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spray device 1 showing some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0027] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a spray device of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a spraying device showing some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0029] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an injection device of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0030] Figure 5A , 6A and 7A is Figure 4 , shown in FIG. 1 , are enlarged cross-sectional views of region A of a spray device of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein in different configurations during a spray operation.

[0031] Figure 5B , 6B 7B and 7B are respectively taken along the section lines VB-VB', VIB-VIB' and VIIB-VIIB' Figure 5A , 6A 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views of corresponding portions of injection devices of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0032] Figure 8 is a timing diagram illustrating changes in movement of an impact device and a supply conduit actuator during a spraying operation for some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0033] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an injection device to perform one or more injection operations according to some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0034] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of an injection device including a control device showing some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0035] Fig.11 yes Figure 4 FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A of a spray device of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some exemplary embodiments are shown. In the accompanying drawings, the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same elements.

[0037] Some detailed exemplary embodiments are disclosed herein. However, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are only representative and are only used for the purpose of describing the exemplary embodiments. The exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many alternative forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.

[0038] It should be understood that there is no intention to limit the exemplary embodiments to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, exemplary embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the appropriate scope. In the description of the figures, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

[0039] The purpose of the exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein is to make the disclosure thorough and sufficient and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Many specific details are set forth herein, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, in order to thoroughly understand the implementation methods of the technology disclosed herein. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein can be implemented in many different forms without adopting specific details, and these details and forms should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0040] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein only, and are not restrictive. Unless otherwise expressly stated in the context, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said" used herein are intended to cover plural forms. The terms "include", "comprise" and "have" and their variations refer to the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups. The method steps, processes and operations described herein should not be interpreted as having to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown, unless such order is explicitly identified as the order of execution. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be adopted.

[0041] When an element or layer is referred to as being "above" or "engaged," "connected," or "coupled" to another element or layer, the element or layer may be directly above or directly engaged, connected, or coupled to another element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly above" or "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intermediate elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.) should be interpreted in a similar manner. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0042] Although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. can be used in this article to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer and / or part from another element, component, region, layer and / or part. Unless the context clearly indicates, the terms "first", "second", etc. and other numerical terms used in this article do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, without departing from the teaching of the exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or part.

[0043] For ease of explanation, spatially relative terms (e.g., "inside," "outside," "below," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," etc.) may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as shown in the figure. Spatially relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the accompanying drawings. For example, if the device is flipped in the accompanying drawings, the elements described as being "below" or "below" other elements or features will be "above" other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "below" can cover the position and orientation of above and below. The device can also be in other orientations (rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and spatially relative descriptors are used here to describe accordingly.

[0044] When the words “about” and “substantially” are used in conjunction with numerical values ​​in the present specification, unless expressly defined otherwise, it is meant that the relevant numerical values ​​include a tolerance of ±10% of the numerical values.

[0045] It should be noted that in the context of the present application, the term "viscous medium" is understood to be a high-viscosity medium having a viscosity (e.g., dynamic viscosity) of typically about or above 1 Pa·s (e.g., solder paste, flux, adhesive, conductive adhesive, or any other kind of fluid medium used to fasten components to a substrate, conductive ink, resistor paste, etc., all of which typically have a viscosity of about or above 1 Pa·s). The term "jetted droplet", "droplet" or "shot droplet" is understood to be a volume of viscous medium that is forced through a nozzle and moves toward a substrate in response to an impact by an impact device.

[0046] It should also be noted that in the context of the present application, the term "jetting" should be interpreted as a non-contact deposition process that uses a fluid jet to form droplets of a viscous medium and eject the droplets from a nozzle onto a substrate, in contrast to contact discharge processes such as "fluid wetting". In contrast to discharge devices and discharge processes that use a needle for contact discharge in combination with gravity and adhesion forces relative to a surface to discharge a viscous medium on a surface, an ejector or nozzle assembly for ejecting or ejecting a viscous medium should be understood as a device that includes an impact device such as a piezoelectric actuator and a plunger, which is used to quickly build up pressure in an ejection chamber by a rapid movement (e.g., a rapid controlled mechanical movement) of the impact device (e.g., a rapid movement of the plunger) over a period of time that may be longer than about 1 microsecond but shorter than about 50 microseconds, thereby deforming the fluid in the ejection chamber, and this fluid deformation forces the viscous medium droplets through the nozzle. In one embodiment, the ejection control unit intermittently applies a driving voltage to the piezoelectric actuator, thereby causing intermittent extension of the piezoelectric actuator and reciprocating movement of the plunger relative to the assembly housing of the ejector or nozzle assembly.

[0047] "Jeting" of a viscous medium is to be understood as the process of ejecting or shooting droplets of a viscous medium, wherein the ejection of the droplets of the viscous medium onto a surface is performed while at least one nozzle is moving, without stopping at each location on the workpiece where the viscous medium is to be deposited. Jetting of a viscous medium is to be interpreted as the process of ejecting or shooting droplets of a viscous medium, wherein the ejection of the droplets through the nozzle is controlled by an impact device that establishes a rapid pressure pulse in the ejection chamber over a period of time typically greater than about 1 microsecond and less than about 50 microseconds. In order for the movement of the impact device to be fast enough to establish a pressure pulse in the ejection chamber, thereby forcing individual droplets or droplets of a relatively high viscosity fluid (having a viscosity of about or greater than 1 Pa·s) to be ejected from the ejection chamber through the nozzle, the breakup is caused by the impulse of the droplet itself, rather than by gravity or movement of the needle in the opposite direction. The volume of each droplet to be ejected onto the workpiece may be between about 100 picoliters and about 30 nanoliters. The point diameter of each droplet may be between about 0.1 millimeters and about 1.0 millimeters. The jet velocity (i.e., the velocity of each droplet) may be between about 5 m / s and about 50 m / s. The velocity of the jet mechanism (e.g., an impact mechanism for an impact nozzle) may be as high as about 5 m / s to about 50 m / s, but is typically lower than the jet velocity, e.g., between about 1 m / s and about 30 m / s, and depends on the momentum transfer through the nozzle.

[0048] The terms "jet" and "sprayhead assembly" in the present disclosure and claims refer to the breaking of fluid filaments caused by the movement of the fluid element, as opposed to the slower natural breaking similar to dripping, in which the breaking of fluid filaments is driven by gravity or capillary forces, for example.

[0049] In order to distinguish the "jetting" of viscous media droplets using a "jet head assembly" (e.g., ejector-based non-contact jetting techniques) from the slower natural drop breakage driven by gravity or capillary forces, we introduce below a dimensionless quantity that describes the threshold of the drop-to-jet transition for filament breakage for different cases and fluids driven by different physical mechanisms.

[0050] For elastic fluids, the terms "jet" and "jet head assembly" refer to the elastic fluids that can be used by referring to the Weissenberg number Wi = λU jet / R is the definition of the ejected droplet, where λ is the principal relaxation time of the fluid, U jet is the velocity of the fluid, R is the radius of the jet, and the drip-spray threshold is approximately 20 <Wi th <40.

[0051] For fluids where fracture is controlled by viscous thinning, the terms "jet" and "jet head assembly" may be used to refer to the fluid composition defined by Ca = η0U. jet The definition of the capillary number described by / γ for the ejected droplet is introduced to introduce Ca th The drop-to-ejection threshold is ≈10, where η0 is the yield viscosity and γ is the surface tension.

[0052] For fluids where fracture is governed by inertial dynamics, the terms "jet" and "jet assembly" refer to the fluid that can be fractured using the reference ρU 2 jet The Weber number represented by R / γ is used to define the spray droplet to introduce the We th ≈ 1, where ρ is the fluid density.

[0053] The ability to eject a more precise and / or accurate amount of viscous medium from a given distance at a specific location on a moving workpiece is a hallmark of viscous jetting. These properties allow the application of higher viscosity fluids (e.g., above 1 Pa·s) while compensating for the considerable height variations on the workpiece (h = about 0.4 to about 4 mm). Compared to inkjet technology, the volumes are larger (between about 100 picoliters and about 30 nanoliters) and the viscosities are also larger (viscosities of about or above 1 Pa·s).

[0054] At least some exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology provide higher application speeds due to the "in-flight" jetting principle of an ejector-based jetting technique that applies the viscous medium without stopping at each location on the workpiece where the viscous medium is to be deposited. Thus, the ability of the ejector-based jetting technique to jet droplets of viscous medium onto the first (horizontal) surface while the at least one nozzle is in motion without stopping at each location is superior to the capillary needle dispensing technique in terms of time savings.

[0055] Typically, the ejector is controlled by software. The software needs to obtain instructions on how to apply the viscous medium to a specific substrate, or to follow a given (or desired or predetermined) ejection scheme or ejection process. These instructions are called "jetting programs". Therefore, the ejection program supports the process of ejecting droplets of viscous medium onto the substrate, which process can also be called a "jetting operation". The ejection program can be generated by a pre-processing step performed off-line before the ejection operation.

[0056] As described herein, a "viscous medium" may be solder paste, flux, adhesive, conductive adhesive, or any other category ("type") of medium used to fasten components to a substrate, conductive ink, resistor paste, etc. However, exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein should not be limited to only these examples.

[0057] A "substrate" may be a "workpiece". A workpiece may be any carrier, including any carrier of electronic components. A workpiece may include, but is not limited to, a piece of glass, a piece of silicon, a substrate based on one or more organic materials, a printed circuit board, a piece of plastic paper, any combination thereof, or any other type of carrier material. A "workpiece" may be a board (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB) and / or a flexible PCB), a substrate for a ball grid array (BGA), a chip scale package (CSP), a quad flat package (QFP), a wafer, a flip chip, etc.

[0058] It should also be noted that, in contrast to contact discharge processes such as "fluid wetting", the term "jetting" should be interpreted as a non-contact discharge process that uses a fluid jet to form one or more droplets of a viscous medium and ejects them from a nozzle onto a substrate. It should also be noted that the term "jetting" and any "jetting operation" described herein may include incremental ejection of one or more droplets to incrementally form one or more deposits on a substrate. However, it should also be understood that the term "jetting" and any "jetting operation" described herein are not limited to incremental ejection of one or more droplets for incrementally forming one or more deposits on a substrate. For example, the term "jetting" and any "jetting operation" described herein may include a "screen printing" operation, for example, as the term is well known, which transfers a viscous medium to a substrate so that multiple deposits are formed on the substrate simultaneously or substantially simultaneously (e.g., simultaneously within manufacturing tolerances and / or material tolerances).

[0059] The term "deposit" may refer to an amount of connected viscous medium applied at a location on a workpiece as a result of one or more jetted droplets.

[0060] For some exemplary embodiments, the solder paste may include about 40% to about 60% by volume of solder balls, and the remaining volume may be flux.

[0061] In some exemplary embodiments, the volume percentage of the average-sized solder balls may be in the range of about 5% to about 40% of the total volume of the solid phase material in the solder paste. In some exemplary embodiments, the average diameter of the solder balls of the first portion may be in the range of about 2 microns to about 5 microns, and the average diameter of the solder balls of the second portion may be in the range of about 10 microns to about 30 microns.

[0062] The term "deposit size" refers to the area on a workpiece (eg, substrate) that will be covered by the deposit. An increase in droplet volume generally results in an increase in deposit height and deposit size.

[0063] In some exemplary embodiments, a jetting device may include a jetting chamber in communication with a viscous medium supply source, and a nozzle ("jet nozzle") in communication with the jetting chamber. The jetting chamber may be defined at least in part by one or more inner surfaces of a housing of the jetting device and one or more surfaces of the nozzle. One or more surfaces of the impact device (including the impact end surface) may be understood to at least partially define the jetting chamber. Prior to ejecting a droplet, the viscous medium may be supplied to the jetting chamber from a viscous medium supply source. The volume of the jetting chamber may then be rapidly reduced (e.g., based on movement of the impact device through a portion of the housing), resulting in a well-defined volume and / or mass ("amount") of viscous medium being forced to eject at high speed from an orifice or outlet hole ("outlet orifice") of the nozzle and onto a substrate, thereby forming a deposit or dot of the viscous medium on the substrate. The ejected amount (e.g., the amount of viscous medium forced through the outlet hole and thereby ejected from the jetting device) is hereinafter referred to as a droplet or a shot.

[0064] In some exemplary embodiments, the jetting device includes a supply conduit actuator configured to move independently of the impact device through at least a portion of the supply conduit to adjust the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit. The fluid dynamic resistance of the at least a portion of the supply conduit and the overall fluid dynamic resistance of the jetting device in some exemplary embodiments are adjusted based on the adjustment of the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit. For example, before, during and after a portion of the jetting operation, the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least a portion of the supply conduit through which the supply conduit actuator passes to the viscous medium flowing therethrough can be controlled and / or increased, wherein the impact device causes the one or more droplets to be ejected from the jetting chamber through the nozzle. As described herein, the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least a portion of the supply conduit through which the supply conduit actuator passes can be understood to include the fluid dynamic resistance of a portion or all of the entire supply conduit to the viscous medium flowing therethrough, the fluid dynamic resistance of a portion or all of the jetting device to the viscous medium flowing into or out of the jetting chamber and / or nozzle through the supply conduit, the overall fluid dynamic resistance of a portion or all of the jetting device, and any combination thereof, etc. The viscous medium flowing through at least a portion of the supply conduit through which the supply conduit actuator is permeable as described herein can include viscous medium flowing "forward" into the injection chamber through the supply conduit and / or viscous medium flowing "backward" from the injection chamber and / or nozzle through the supply conduit (i.e., flow from the injection chamber through the supply conduit, rather than flow from the injection chamber to the nozzle, which flow is referred to herein as "backflow" of viscous medium from the injection chamber).

[0065] In some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator can be controlled to increase the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit between independent spraying operations, so that the viscous medium can flow through the supply conduit to the spraying chamber at the lower fluid dynamic resistance of the supply conduit, thereby replacing ("replenishing") the amount of viscous medium in the spraying chamber that is sprayed as one or more droplets during each spraying operation.

[0066] It will be appreciated that the supply conduit actuator may "extend" through the supply conduit portion by at least partially "moving" through at least a portion of the supply conduit portion, thereby adjusting the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the supply conduit portion. It will be appreciated that moving through the supply conduit portion may include moving through a limited portion of the supply conduit portion such that the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the supply conduit portion varies between two separate values ​​but is not completely occluded (e.g., reduced to a zero value or size such that the cross-sectional flow area is completely blocked).

[0067] Since the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion of the supply conduit through which the supply conduit actuator can pass is independently controlled by controlling the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit by means of movement of the supply conduit actuator, and droplets are ejected individually by independent control of the impact device, it is possible to mitigate or minimize the backflow of the viscous medium from the ejection chamber through the supply conduit during the ejection operation, and it is possible to more accurately control the characteristics of the droplets ejected during the ejection operation and make them more uniform ("consistent") between the droplets, so that the droplets have more consistent characteristics and one or more target values ​​for these characteristics are more accurate. As a result, the reliability and performance of the ejection device can be improved, and the reliability and performance of the workpiece formed based on the ejection of one or more droplets on the substrate by the ejection device can be improved.

[0068] In some exemplary embodiments, control of the fluid dynamic resistance through operation of the supply duct actuator (also referred to herein as control and / or adjustment) can also be based on sensor data generated by one or more sensor devices that monitor one or more sprayed droplets and / or one or more deposits formed on the substrate due to the one or more sprayed droplets reaching the substrate, thereby enabling the fluid dynamic resistance to be repeatedly adjusted in a single operation or after continuous spraying operations to adjust the characteristics of the sprayed droplets based on adjustments to the movement range of the supply duct actuator during the spraying operation and adjustments to the restriction of the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the at least a portion of the supply duct through which the supply duct actuator passes to approach or achieve one or more target characteristics.

[0069] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spray device 1 showing some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0070] The spraying device 1 can be configured to dispense ("spray") one or more droplets of a viscous medium onto a substrate (e.g., a plate 2, which can be a "workpiece") to produce ("constitute", "form", "provide", etc.) a plate 2 having one or more deposits therein. The above-mentioned "dispensing" process performed by the spraying device 1 can be referred to as "spraying".

[0071] For ease of explanation, the substrate may be referred to as a circuit board and the gas may be referred to as air herein.

[0072] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 1In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figure, the spraying device 1 includes an X-beam 3 and an X-carriage 4. The X-carriage 4 can be connected to the X-beam 3 via an X-track 16, and can reciprocate along the X-track 16 (e.g., configured to reciprocate). The X-beam 3 can be reciprocatingly connected to a Y-track 17 so that the X-beam 3 can move perpendicular to the X-track 16 (e.g., configured to be movable). The Y-track 17 can be rigidly mounted in the spraying device 1. Generally, the above-mentioned movable element can be configured to move based on the operation of one or more linear motors (not shown) that can be included in the spraying device 1.

[0073] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 1 ), the spraying device 1 comprises a conveyor 18 configured to convey the plate 2 through the spraying device 1 and a locking device 19 for locking the plate 2 while the spraying is taking place.

[0074] Docking device 8 (in Figure 1 Not visible in Figure 2 ) can be connected to the X-car 4 so that the spray head assembly 5 can be releasably mounted on the docking device 8. The spray head assembly 5 can be used to dispense (i.e., spray) solder paste droplets that impact the board 2 and form a deposit on the board 2. The spray device 1 can also include a visual device. In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 1 The visual device is a camera 7. The camera 7 can be controlled by a control device of the spraying device 1 (in Figure 1 2 ) is used to determine the position and / or rotation of the plate 2 and / or to check the result of the discharge process by observing the deposits on the plate 2 .

[0075] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 1 In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 1 In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figure, the air flow generator 6 is a compressed air source (e.g., a compressed air tank, a compressor, etc.). The air flow generator 6 can communicate with the docking device 8 through an air duct interface, which can be connected to a complementary air duct interface. In some exemplary embodiments, the air duct interface can include an inlet nozzle 9 of the docking device 8, such as Figure 2 shown.

[0076] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the injection device 1 may include a control device (in the example of FIG. Figure 1 Such a control device may include a memory storing an instruction program and a processor configured to execute the instruction program to operate and / or control one or more parts of the injection device 1 to perform an "injection" operation.

[0077] In some exemplary embodiments, the spraying device 1 may be configured to operate as follows. The board 2 may be placed on a conveyor 18 and fed into the spraying device 1 via the conveyor 18. The board 2 may be fixed by means of a locking device 19 if and / or when the board 2 is in a specific position below the X-carriage 4. Reference marks may be located by means of a camera 7, which are pre-arranged on the surface of the board 2 and used to determine its precise position. Then, solder paste may be applied to the board 2 at a desired position by moving the X-carriage over the board 2 according to a specific (or alternative, predetermined, preprogrammed) pattern and operating the spray head assembly 5 at a predetermined position. Such operation may be at least partially implemented by a control device that controls one or more parts of the spraying device 1 (e.g., by processing images captured by the camera 7 to locate reference marks, controlling motors to move the X-carriage over the board 2 according to a specific pattern, operating the spray head assembly 5, etc.).

[0078] It should be understood that some exemplary embodiments of the spray device 1 may include Figure 1 Different combinations of components are shown and may be omitted Figure 1 Some or all of the components shown are outside of the spray head assembly 5. In some exemplary embodiments, the spray device 1 may be limited to the spray head assembly 5.

[0079] It should be understood that Figure 1 The spray device 1 shown may include any exemplary embodiment of the spray device described herein. In particular, it should be understood that Figure 1 The spray device 1 shown may include any exemplary embodiment of the supply conduit actuator 50 described herein and shown in other figures, especially in Figure 4-7B In the exemplary embodiment of the spray head assembly 5 shown in FIG. It should be understood that Figure 1 The illustrated injection device may include a supply conduit actuator 50 as described herein, and may thereby be configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of said portion of the injection device 1, including the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 of the injection device 1 as described herein, based on movement through at least a portion of the supply conduit 31 and independently of the impact device 21 of the injection device 1, to adjust the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31.

[0080] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a spray device 1 according to some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein, the spray device 1 including a docking device 8 and a spray head assembly 5 . Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a spray head assembly 5 of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. In one or more exemplary embodiments of the spray device 1 (including Figure 1The spraying device 1 ) shown may include a docking device 8 and a spray head assembly 5 .

[0081] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The spray head assembly 5 may include an assembly holder 11 configured to connect the spray head assembly 5 to the assembly bracket 10 of the docking device 8. The spray head assembly 5 may include an assembly housing 15. The spray head assembly 5 may include a supply container 12 configured to supply a viscous medium.

[0082] The spray head assembly 5 can be configured to be connected to the airflow generator 6 via a pneumatic interface having an inlet 42, which is arranged to be in airtight engagement with a complementary pneumatic interface having an outlet 41 of the docking device 8. The outlet 41 is connected to an inlet connector 9, which can be connected to the airflow generator 6 via an internal conduit of the docking device 8.

[0083] The spray head assembly 5 can be configured to: spray different types / categories of solder paste; spray droplets with different droplet sizes / ranges (e.g., overlapping or non-overlapping ranges) and / or spray droplets of various types of viscous media (solder paste, glue, etc.). In addition, the spray head assembly 5 can be used for additional spraying and / or repair.

[0084] It should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, the spray device 1 may be limited to the spray head assembly 5, for example Figure 3 The spray head assembly 5 shown and does not include Figure 1-2 It should also be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, the spray device 1 may be limited to a limited portion of the spray head assembly 5, such as a portion or all of the assembly housing 15 of the spray head assembly 5. Figure 2 The illustrated spray head assembly may include a supply conduit actuator 50 as described herein, and may thereby be configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of said portion of the spray head assembly 5, including the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 of the spray head assembly 5 as described herein, based on movement through at least a portion of the supply conduit 31 and independently of the impact device 21 of the spray head assembly 5, to adjust the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31.

[0085] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an injection device 1 of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0086] Now please refer to Figure 4, the contents and functions of the device enclosed in the assembly housing 15 of the spray head assembly 5 of the spray device 1 will be explained in more detail below. It should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, the spray device 1 may include some or all elements of the spray head assembly 5, including some or all elements of the assembly housing 15.

[0087] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 4 In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 4 In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the impact device 21 may include a piezoelectric actuator having a plurality (“a certain amount”) of relatively thin piezoelectric elements stacked together to form an actuator portion 21a, which is a piezoelectric actuator portion. Figure 4 As shown, the upper end of the actuator portion 21a can be rigidly (e.g., fixedly) connected to the assembly housing 15. The spray head assembly 5 can also include a sleeve 25 (also referred to herein as a "housing") rigidly connected to the assembly housing 15. The impact device 21 can also include a plunger 21b, which is rigidly connected to the lower end of the actuator portion 21a and can move axially along the axis 401 while slidably extending (e.g., "moving") through the piston hole 35 in the sleeve 25. It should be understood that the piston hole 35 can be referred to as a space (e.g., a fixed volume of space) defined by one or more inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25. It should therefore be understood that based on being configured to move through the piston hole 35 in the sleeve 25, the impact device 21 is configured to move through at least a portion of the space (e.g., a fixed volume of space) defined by one or more inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25. A disc spring (not shown) can be included in the spray head assembly 5 to elastically balance the plunger 21b against the assembly housing 15 and provide a preload for the actuator portion 21a.

[0088] Although Figure 4 The illustrated exemplary embodiment shows the impact device 21 as a piezoelectric actuator, whereby the actuator portion 21a is a piezoelectric actuator portion, but it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and the impact device 21 can be any device configured to achieve controllable, repeatable and precise reciprocating motion through the piston bore 35, whereby the actuator portion 21a can be any such known actuator configured to achieve such movement. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the impact device 21 can be a reciprocating lever arm connected to the plunger 21b, a pneumatic actuator device, a combination of one or more piezoelectric and / or pneumatic actuator devices and a fulcrum configuration, any combination thereof, etc.

[0089] In some exemplary embodiments, the spray device 1 includes a control device 1000. The control device 1000 can be configured to intermittently apply a driving voltage to the impact device 21 (e.g., by being programmed and electrically connected to the impact device 21), thereby causing intermittent extension ("movement") of the impact device 21 and reciprocating motion of the plunger 21b relative to the component housing 15 according to solder pattern printing data (e.g., "spraying program"), for example, the impact device 21 includes a piezoelectric actuator, and the actuator portion 21a extends (e.g., moves) based on the applied driving voltage and causes the plunger 21b to move. Such data can be stored in a memory included in the control device 1000. The driving voltage can be further described herein as including and / or being included in a "control signal", which includes an "impact device control signal". It should be understood that the extension of the device through the space (including the extension of the impact device 21 as described herein) can be referred to herein as the device "moving" through the space.

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 4 In the exemplary embodiment shown), the spraying device 1 includes a nozzle 26 configured to be operably directed toward (e.g., facing) the plate 2, and can spray one or more droplets 40 of a viscous medium onto the plate 2. The nozzle 26 may include a conduit 28 that extends through the entire interior (e.g., "thickness") of the nozzle from an inlet hole 29 on an inner surface 26a that at least partially defines the spray chamber 24 to an outlet hole 30 (also referred to herein as an "outlet orifice") in an outwardly facing outer surface 26b of the component housing 15, through which the droplets 40 can be sprayed.

[0091] In some exemplary embodiments, the plunger 21b includes a piston that is configured to extend through the piston hole 35 slidably and axially movably along the axis 401, and, due to the extension / movement, the end face of the piston portion of the plunger 21b ("impact end face 23") can be arranged close to the nozzle 26.

[0092] like Figure 4 As shown, a portion of the piston hole 35 may be a spray chamber 24, wherein the spray chamber 24 is defined by the shape of the impact end surface 23 of the plunger 21b, one or more inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25, and the nozzle 26 (e.g., defined by at least some inner surfaces 26a). In some exemplary embodiments, the spray chamber 24 may be defined as a limited portion of the piston hole 35 that is not occupied by the impact device 21 (e.g., a space defined by one or more inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25).

[0093] like Figure 4As shown, the injection conduit 28 is defined by one or more inner surfaces 26i of the nozzle and can have a volume shape that approximates a combination of at least one truncated conical space and a cylindrical space. It should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, the conduit 28 can have any shape defined by one or more inner surfaces 26i of the nozzle 26, which defines a conduit between the inlet hole 29 and the outlet hole 30 leading to the injection chamber 24.

[0094] The axial movement of the plunger 21b along the axis 401 toward the nozzle 26 (the movement is caused by the intermittent extension of the actuator part 21a (for example, the piezoelectric actuator part), and the movement involves the plunger 21b being at least partially or completely received in the cavity of the piston hole 35) can cause the volume of the injection chamber 24 to decrease rapidly, thereby causing rapid pressurization (for example, an increase in internal pressure) and the injection of any viscous medium located in the injection chamber 24 and / or the conduit 28 through the outlet hole 30, including the movement of any viscous medium contained in the injection chamber 24 to be discharged from the injection chamber 24 and reach the outlet hole 30 through the conduit 28.

[0095] See also Figure 2 , a viscous medium can be supplied from a supply container 12 to the spray chamber 24 through a feeding device. The feeding device may be referred to herein as a viscous medium supply 430. The feeding device may be configured to allow a viscous medium (e.g., "solder paste") to flow to the nozzle 26 through one or more conduits. The feeding device may include a motor (not shown, and may be an electric motor) having a motor shaft partially disposed in a tubular bore, the motor shaft extending through the assembly housing 15 to an outlet, the outlet communicating with the piston bore 35 through a supply conduit 31. As shown, the supply conduit 31 may include a channel 37 extending through the sleeve 25 through an outlet hole 38 to the piston bore 35 (thus extending to the spray chamber 24), and thereby communicating with the spray chamber 24 fluid, and the supply conduit 31 may also include a separate conduit 36 ​​outside the sleeve 25, the conduit 36 ​​extending between the channel 37 and the viscous medium supply source 430. The end of the motor shaft may form a rotatable feed screw disposed in the tubular bore and coaxial with the tubular bore. A portion of the rotatable feed screw may be surrounded by an array of resilient elastomeric A-rings coaxially disposed in the tubular bore, with the threads of the rotatable feed screw in sliding contact with the innermost surfaces of the A-rings.

[0096] Pressurized air obtained from the above-mentioned pressurized air source (such as airflow generator 6) at the spray head assembly 5 can be used by the spray head assembly 5 to apply pressure to the viscous medium contained in the supply container 12, thereby feeding the viscous medium to the inlet 34 connected to the viscous medium supply source 430.

[0097] The electronic control signal provided by the control device 1000 of the injection device 1 to the motor of the feed device of the viscous medium source 430 can rotate the motor shaft, and thereby rotate the rotatable feed screw to a desired angle, or rotate at a desired speed. In this way, with the rotational movement of the motor shaft, the solder paste captured between the threads of the rotatable feed screw and the inner surface of the a-ring can be made to reach the piston hole 35 from the inlet 34 through the outlet and the supply conduit 31. A sealing a-ring can be provided at the top of the piston hole 35 and the sleeve 25 to prevent any viscous medium fed to the piston hole 35 from escaping from the piston hole 35 and interfering with the action of the plunger 21b.

[0098] The viscous medium can then be fed into the spray chamber 24 via the supply conduit 31. Figure 4 As shown, the supply conduit 31 may include a passage 37 that may extend through the sleeve 25 to the injection chamber 24 through an outlet hole 38 in a side wall of the injection chamber 24 (e.g., an inner surface 25i of the sleeve 25 that at least partially defines the piston hole 35 and thereby at least partially defines the injection chamber 24).

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the supply duct 31 including the channel 37 can be distinguished from the injection chamber 24 based on the fact that the injection chamber 24 is at least partially defined by the impact end surface 23 of the impact device 21, while the supply duct 31 is defined by one or more inner surfaces (e.g., the inner surface 37i of the channel 37) independent of any surface of the impact device 21.

[0100] As further described below, in some exemplary embodiments, the spray device 1 is configured to adjust ("control") the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, including the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion of the supply conduit 31 to the viscous medium 490 flowing through the supply conduit 31 from the spray chamber 24, based on adjusting the cross-sectional flow area A of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31. When the spray chamber 24 is pressurized based on the movement of the impact device 21 through the piston hole 35 to force one or more droplets 410 of the viscous medium 490 to be ejected from the spray chamber 24 through the spray conduit 28, the fluid dynamic resistance can be controlled based on reducing the fluid dynamic resistance between independent spraying operations, thereby enabling improved flow of the viscous medium 490 from the viscous medium supply source 430 through the supply conduit 31 into the spray chamber 24, and increasing the fluid dynamic resistance during a spraying operation, thereby reducing or preventing backflow of the viscous medium 490 from the spray chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31. It should be understood that adjusting the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to the flow of the viscous medium can thereby adjust a portion or all of the fluid dynamic resistance of the injection device 1 to the flow of the viscous medium, such as the fluid dynamic resistance of the viscous medium flowing into or out of the injection chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31 and / or the nozzle 26.

[0101] In some exemplary embodiments, since the jetting device 1 is configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, the jetting device 1 can be configured to control the balance of the viscous medium flowing toward the jetting chamber 24 and flowing in the direction away from the nozzle 26 through the supply conduit 31 in the jetting device 1 during a jetting operation in which the impact device 21 moves through the piston hole 35 to force one or more droplets 410 to be ejected from the nozzle 26. In some exemplary embodiments, since the jetting device 1 is configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, the jetting device 1 can be configured to exert better control over one or more characteristics of the droplets 410 ejected by the jetting device 1 (including at least one of the volume, shape, or velocity of the ejected droplets 410) based on controlling the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 during and / or between jetting operations. As a result, the value of one or more properties of the droplets 410 can be controlled to more consistently approach and / or conform to the value of one or more target properties by controlling the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, thereby improving the consistency of the droplets ejected by the ejection device on the substrate (and / or reducing unexpected variations) and / or reducing satellite droplet formation. Therefore, the ejection device can be configured to improve the uniformity of the deposit on the workpiece, reduce variations and undesirable satellite deposits, thereby improving the performance and / or reliability of the workpiece.

[0102] Please still refer to Figure 4 , and refer to Figures 5A-7B The injection device 1 may include a supply conduit actuator 50, which is configured to move (e.g., extend) at least partially through the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to adjust the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, and thereby adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least portion 37a of the supply conduit 31.

[0103] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 4 and Figure 5A , 6A 7A), the supply conduit actuator 50 may include a piezoelectric actuator having a plurality ("a certain amount") of relatively thin piezoelectric elements stacked together to form an actuator portion 50a as a portion of the piezoelectric actuator. Figure 4As shown, the upper end of the actuator portion 50a can be rigidly (e.g., fixedly) connected to the assembly housing 15. The supply conduit actuator 50 can also include a plunger 50b that is rigidly connected to the lower end of the actuator portion 50a and can move axially while slidably extending (e.g., "moving") through the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31. A disc spring (not shown) can be included in the spray head assembly 5 to elastically balance the plunger 50b against the assembly housing 15 and provide a preload for the actuator portion 50a.

[0104] Although Figure 4-7B The exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing shows that the supply conduit actuator 50 is at least partially located in the sleeve 25 and is configured to extend into (e.g., pass through) the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 located in the channel 37, but it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment is not limited to this, and the supply conduit actuator 50 can be completely located outside the sleeve 25 and can be configured to extend into the portion of the conduit 36 ​​located outside the channel 37 (e.g., between the channel 37 and the viscous medium supply source 430).

[0105] Although Figure 4 The illustrated exemplary embodiment shows the supply conduit actuator 50 as a piezoelectric actuator, whereby the actuator portion 50a is a piezoelectric actuator portion, but it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and the supply conduit actuator 50 may be any device configured to achieve controllable, repeatable, and precise reciprocating movement of the portion 37a through the supply conduit 31, whereby the actuator portion 50a may be any such known actuator configured to achieve such movement. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be a reciprocating lever arm connected to the plunger 50b.

[0106] In some exemplary embodiments, the control device 1000 can be configured (e.g., by being programmed and electrically connected to the supply conduit actuator 50) to intermittently apply a drive voltage to the supply conduit actuator 50 according to the injection operation, thereby causing the supply conduit actuator 50 to intermittently extend, and thereby causing the plunger 50b to reciprocate relative to the component housing 15, for example, the supply conduit actuator 50 includes a piezoelectric actuator, and the actuator portion 50a extends (e.g., moves) based on the applied drive voltage and causes the plunger 50b to move. Such data can be stored in a memory included in the control device 1000. The drive voltage can be further described herein as including and / or included in a "control signal", which "control signal" includes a "supply conduit actuator control signal". It should be understood that the extension of the device through the space (including the extension of the supply conduit actuator 50 as described herein) can be referred to herein as the device "moving" through the space.

[0107] like Figure 4As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the control device 1000 can be communicatively coupled to the impact device 21 and the supply duct actuator 50 via separate independent communication lines, so that the control device 1000 can be configured to control the impact device 21 and the supply duct actuator 50 independently of each other, and thereby configured to make the impact device 21 and the supply duct actuator 50 move independently of each other.

[0108] Therefore, the control device 1000 can be configured to control the movement of the supply conduit actuator 50 to control the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, and because the control device 1000 controls the impact device 21 based on the control of the fluid dynamic resistance, the control device 1000 exerts control over one or more characteristics of the droplets 410 ejected during the injection operation.

[0109] like Figure 4 As shown and Figure 5A , 6A As further shown in FIGS. 7A and 7A , the supply conduit actuator 50 may be positioned at a given distance 72 from the supply conduit outlet orifice 38, thereby being configured to move through the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 that is positioned at the given distance 72 from the outlet orifice 38 of the supply conduit 31. In some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be positioned at the outlet orifice 38 of the supply conduit 31 such that the distance 72 may be a zero value or distance, or a small proportion of the length of the passage 37 (e.g., less than about 10% of the length of the passage 37 from the outlet orifice 38 to the exterior of the cannula 25). In some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be configured to provide better control of the hydrodynamic resistance of the viscous medium flowing into and / or out of the jet chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31 based on being positioned at the outlet orifice 38 and thereby configured to restrict the flow of the viscous medium from the jet chamber 24 through substantially any portion of the supply conduit 31.

[0110] Please still refer to Figure 4 , the spraying device 1 may include one or more sensor devices 60, which are also referred to herein as one or more sensors, which are configured to generate sensor data based on monitoring one or more sprayed droplets 410, wherein the sensor data, when processed (e.g., processed by the control device 1000), may indicate one or more characteristics of the one or more sprayed droplets 410, including at least one of the volume of the droplet 410, the shape of the droplet 410, the diameter of the droplet 410, the velocity of the droplet 410, any combination thereof, etc. As shown, the sensor device 60 may be configured to monitor one or more sensor fields 62, and thereby be able to monitor one or more droplets 410 located at and / or passing through the one or more sensor fields 62, and generate sensor data based on the droplets.

[0111] In some exemplary embodiments, the sensor device 60 may be a sensor (e.g., a camera, a beam scanning device, an ultrasonic sensor, etc.) configured to monitor a sensor field 62 oriented to intersect the flight direction of the ejected droplet 410 before the droplet 410 reaches the plate 2 and forms one or more deposits thereon. Based on being a sensor configured to monitor the sensor field 62, the sensor device 60 may be configured to generate sensor data (e.g., data indicating reflections of a beam from the droplet 410, data indicating a captured image of the droplet 410, etc.), which may be processed (e.g., processed by the control device 1000) to determine a value (e.g., amplitude) of one or more characteristics of the droplet 410 that is in flight and within the sensor field 62.

[0112] It should be understood that the sensor device 60 can be connected via one or more communication lines (in Figure 4 4 ) is communicatively coupled to the control device 1000, so that the control device 1000 can be configured to receive sensor data generated by the sensor device 60 based on monitoring one or more droplets 410 in the sensor field 62. In some exemplary embodiments, the control device 1000 can be configured to adjust the magnitude ("level") of the reduced fluid dynamic resistance of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 (this is achieved by controlling the movement of the supply conduit actuator 50 during the spraying operation) to adjust one or more characteristics of the sprayed droplets 410 to reduce the difference between the one or more characteristics and one or more corresponding target droplet characteristics, thereby improving the performance of the spraying device 1 based on improving and / or optimizing the characteristics of the sprayed droplets 410. Therefore, the spraying device 1 can be configured to implement a feedback operation, wherein the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 can be controllably adjusted during the spraying operation to controllably adjust one or more characteristics of the sprayed droplets 410.

[0113] Now please refer to Figure 5A-5B , 6A-6B and 7A-7B, which respectively show some exemplary embodiments Figure 4 The morphology of the portion of the nozzle assembly 5 in the area A shown at different points in the spraying operation is also referred to Figure 8 , the contents and functions of the injection device 1 including the supply conduit actuator 50 will be explained in more detail below. It should be understood that although Figure 4 Some components of the spray head assembly 5 are not shown. Figures 5A-7B , but in the case of having the same Figures 5A-7B The exemplary embodiment of the spray head assembly 5 of any corresponding part may still include the elements.

[0114] Figure 5A , 6A and 7A is Figure 4 , shown in FIG. 1 , are enlarged cross-sectional views of region A of a spray device of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein in different configurations during a spray operation. Figure 5B , 6B 7B and 7B are respectively taken along the section lines VB-VB', VIB-VIB' and VIIB-VIIB' Figure 5A , 6A 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views of corresponding portions of injection devices of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. Figure 8 is a timing diagram illustrating the changes in motion of an impact device and a supply conduit actuator during a spraying operation of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.

[0115] Please refer to the overall Figures 5A-7B In some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be configured to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to the viscous medium 490 flowing from the ejection chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31 based on the movement of at least a portion of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 independently of the movement of the impact device 21, so as to adjust the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31. As described herein, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be controlled by the control device 1000 of the ejection device 1, for example, based on one or more control signals transmitted by the control device 1000 to the supply conduit actuator 50, so as to controllably move at least the actuator portion 50a of the supply conduit actuator 50 based on the control signal (e.g., a driving voltage included in the control signal), thereby controllably moving the plunger 50b through the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, so as to controllably adjust the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a, and thereby adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least portion 37a.

[0116] like Figures 5A-7BAs shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be configured to move (e.g., extend) between a separated position L1 (also referred to herein as a rest position) and L2 (also referred to herein as an extended position), for example, to move the end surface 52 of the plunger 50b to adjust the cross-sectional flow area A between a rest area A1 associated with a reduced magnitude of the fluid dynamic resistance HR1 of the at least a portion 37a and a smaller injection area A2 associated with an increased magnitude of the fluid dynamic resistance HR2. It should be understood that the supply conduit actuator 50 can be in the rest position based on the end surface 52 being in the rest position L1 at least relative to the sleeve 25 and / or the assembly housing 15, and the supply conduit actuator 50 can be in the extended position based on the end surface 52 being in the extended position L2 relative to the sleeve 25 and / or the assembly housing 15. It should be understood that the supply conduit actuator 50 can be reversibly controlled (e.g., by the control device 1000) to move the end surface 52 between independent specific positions L1 and L2, thereby changing the cross-sectional flow area A between independent specific size areas, and thereby changing the fluid dynamic resistance HR of the at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 at different times associated with the injection operation to controllably restrict or allow the viscous medium to flow through the supply conduit 31. In addition, as described herein, the control device 1000 can adjust the position of L1 and / or L2 relative to the sleeve 25 and / or the assembly housing 15, thereby adjusting the cross-sectional flow area A1 and / or A2, to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance HR1 and / or HR2, thereby adjusting one or more characteristics of the droplets 410 injected during one or more injection operations. Such adjustments can be based on processing sensor data generated by one or more sensor devices 60 of the injection device 1.

[0117] Now please refer to Figure 5A-5B , Figure 6A-6B , Figure 7A-7B and Figure 8 The supply conduit actuator 50 can be controlled to move separately and independently from the impact device 21 during the injection operation, thereby increasing the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 (e.g., from HR1 to HR2) independently of (e.g., before) the impact device 21 is controlled to force one or more droplets 410 through the nozzle 26, maintaining the increased fluid dynamic resistance amplitude (e.g., HR2) while the impact device 21 is controlled to force one or more droplets 410 through the nozzle 26, and reducing it to a stationary amplitude (e.g., HR1) after the impact device 21 is controlled to stop forcing one or more droplets 410 through the nozzle 26.

[0118] Figure 5A and 5BThe spray device 1 is shown in a rest state, including the supply conduit actuator 50 in a rest state ("rest position"), wherein the end face 52 of the supply conduit actuator 50 is in a rest position L1 relative to the sleeve 25 and / or the assembly housing 15. Figure 5A and 5B At the same time reference Figure 8 In the injection operation starting at time t0, the impact device 21 and the supply conduit actuator 50 can be in their respective rest positions, so that the end surface 52 of the plunger 50b is in the rest position L1 relative to the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, whereby the portion 37a has a first cross-sectional flow area A=A1. In addition, Figure 5A and 5B In the embodiment of the present invention, the supply conduit 31 can be configured to enable the viscous medium 490 to flow to the injection chamber 24 through the supply conduit or to enhance or maximize the flow of the viscous medium 490 through the supply conduit to the injection chamber 24, for example, to fill the injection chamber 24 to replenish any viscous medium 490 lost from the injection chamber in a previous injection operation.

[0119] Fig. 6A and 6B The blocked state of the injection device including the supply conduit actuator 50 in the blocked state (“blocked position”) is shown, wherein the end surface 52 of the supply conduit actuator 50 moves from the rest position L1 to the lower extended position L2 relative to the sleeve 25 and / or the assembly housing 15, so that the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 is reduced to a smaller second area A2 by the portion of the plunger 50b that at least partially occupies the first area A1 of the portion 37a. Based on the reduction of the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 as the supply conduit actuator 50 moves, the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 (e.g., the fluid dynamic resistance to the viscous medium 490 flowing out of the injection chamber 24 and / or flowing into the injection chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31) can be increased (e.g., increased from HR1 to HR2), thereby at least restricting the viscous medium 490 from flowing out of the injection chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31.

[0120] In some exemplary embodiments (including Figure 6A-6BIn the exemplary embodiment shown), the extended position of the supply conduit actuator (in which the end face 52 is in the extended position L2) is a fully extended (e.g., maximum extended) position of the supply conduit actuator 50, wherein the supply conduit actuator 50 is configured to move between the static position (L1) and the fully extended position (e.g., L2), and is not configured to be able to (e.g., unable to) further pass through the portion 37a to limit the cross-sectional flow area to less than the second area A2. In some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 is configured to extend to the fully extended position (e.g., in which the end face 52 is in the position L2), wherein the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 is not completely blocked (e.g., A=A2 is not a zero value or zero size) even when the supply conduit actuator 50 is in the fully extended position. Again, in some exemplary embodiments, the supply conduit actuator 50 can be configured to reduce the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 when the supply conduit actuator 50 is fully extended, but not to block the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion of the supply conduit 31. Thus, at any position to which the supply conduit actuator 50 is configured to move, the cross-sectional flow area A can have at least some non-zero minimum value. Thus, the supply conduit actuator 50 can be configured to reduce or prevent complete obstruction of the flow of the viscous medium 490 through the supply conduit 31, thereby reducing or preventing the likelihood of particles (e.g., solder balls) in the viscous medium 490 from agglomerating and / or becoming damaged by impinging on the supply conduit actuator 50 and / or between the supply conduit actuator 50 and the inner surface 37i of the supply conduit 31 and / or flowing through the excessively reduced cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31.

[0121] In some exemplary embodiments, the magnitude of the second area A2 may be 0% to about 90% smaller than the magnitude of the first area A1. In some exemplary embodiments, the magnitude of the second area A2 may be 0% to about 80% smaller than the magnitude of the first area A1. In some exemplary embodiments, the magnitude of the second area A2 may be about 50% to about 90% smaller than the magnitude of the first area A1. In some exemplary embodiments, the magnitude of the second area A2 may be about 50% to about 80% smaller than the magnitude of the first area A1.

[0122] Fig. 7A and 7B The spray device 1 including the supply conduit actuator 50 is shown in an extended state (e.g., extended position), when the impact device 21 moves through the piston hole 35, and the impact device 21 moves to the spray state (e.g., spray position) to reduce the volume of the spray chamber 24, thereby forcing the viscous medium 490 to flow out of the spray chamber 24 and through the nozzle 26 to form one or more droplets 410. Figure 7A-7B and Figure 8 As shown, when the impact device 21 is Figure 6A-6B The static state shown is Figure 7A-7B The supply conduit actuator 50 may be maintained in the extended state (e.g., extended position) while moving between the spraying states shown ("simultaneously"). Figures 6A-7B As shown, the supply conduit actuator 50 can be moved between the static state and the extended state separately (eg, independently) from the movement of the impact device 21 to cause one or more droplets 410 to be ejected through the nozzle 26 .

[0123] Now please refer to Figures 5A-7B At the same time reference Figure 8 The supply duct actuator 50 and the impact device 21 can be separately and independently controlled (for example, by the control device 1000 through independent control signals transmitted thereto to the supply duct actuator 50 and the impact device 21) to control the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply duct 31 associated with the ejection of one or more droplets 410 through the nozzle 26, so that the fluid dynamic resistance increases at least prior to the ejection (for example, before the ejection) and during the ejection, thereby reducing or preventing the backflow of the viscous medium from the ejection chamber 24 and / or the nozzle 26 through the supply duct 31 during the ejection of one or more droplets 410, and the fluid dynamic resistance decreases after the ejection (for example, subsequently), thereby being able to support, improve, and enhance the flow of the viscous medium 490 to the ejection chamber 24 (for example, for replenishing the ejected viscous medium 490 in the ejection chamber 24).

[0124] like Figure 8 and Figure 5A-5B As shown, the spraying operation can be started at time t0, wherein the spraying device 1 is in a static state (e.g., static position, retracted state, retracted position, etc.), at which time, based on the driving voltage V1 applied (e.g., by the control device 1000) to the impact device 21 being a first amplitude V 1a (may be zero value, low value, etc.), the impact device 21 is in a static state, and based on the driving voltage V2 (separated from the driving voltage V1) applied (for example, by the control device 1000) to the supply conduit actuator 50 is a first amplitude V 2a (which may be a zero value, a low value, etc.), the supply catheter actuator 50 is also in a static state (e.g., a static position, a retracted state, a retracted position, etc.). Figure 8 and Figure 5A-5B As shown, based on the first amplitude V 2aThe driving voltage V2 of 100 can make the supply conduit actuator 50 in a static state (e.g., static position, retracted state, retracted position, etc.), wherein the end surface 52 of the supply conduit actuator 50 is in a first position L1 (e.g., static position), whereby the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 is a first area A1, and thus the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to the viscous medium flowing into and / or out of the ejection chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31 is in a first lower magnitude HR1. The first magnitude HR1 of the fluid dynamic resistance can improve the flow of the viscous medium 490 flowing into / out of the ejection chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31.

[0125] like Figure 8 and Figure 6A-6B As further shown, at time t0, the driving voltage V2 applied to the supply conduit actuator 50 can be increased from the first driving voltage V 2a The voltage V is changed (for example, by the control device based on the execution of the injection program stored in the memory of the control device 1000) to the second drive voltage V 2b (e.g., high voltage, extension voltage, etc.) to move the supply conduit actuator 50 from the static position to the extended position (e.g., extended state), so that the end surface 52 of the supply conduit actuator 50 moves from the first position L1 to the second position L2, thereby at least partially changing the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 from Figure 5B The first area A1 shown is limited to Figure 6B It should be understood that the first position L1 and the second position L2 can be referred to as the first distance and the second distance of the end surface 52 from the opposite inner surface 37i of the supply conduit 31. Figure 8 As shown, the restriction of the cross-sectional area A of portion 37a can cause the fluid dynamic resistance of at least the portion 37a to the viscous medium 490 (e.g., backflow) flowing toward the injection chamber 24 and / or out of the injection chamber 24 and through the supply conduit 31 to increase from a first amplitude HR1 to a larger second amplitude HR2.

[0126] Please still refer to Figure 8 In some exemplary embodiments, at time t1, the driving voltage V2 may be increased from the first amplitude V to the 2a Adjust to the second amplitude V 2b , thereby causing the supply conduit actuator 50 to move rapidly from the static position to the extended position in a step-change manner. In some exemplary embodiments, the drive voltage V2 can be gradually changed 801 (e.g., continuously or in a series of small, incremental step changes) from the first amplitude V to the extended position between time t1 and time t2. 2a Adjust to the second amplitude V 2b, so that the supply conduit actuator 50 gradually moves from the static position to the extended position in a gradual manner between time t1 and t2. Because the supply conduit actuator 50 gradually moves between the static position and the extended position rather than in a step-change manner, so that the cross-sectional flow area A gradually changes between time t1 and time t2, the risk of damaging the particles in the viscous medium 490 and / or the particles in the viscous medium 490 agglomerating can be reduced or prevented.

[0127] Please still refer to Figure 8 as well as Figure 6A-6B 7A-7B, at time t3 after time t1 and time t2, the driving voltage V1 applied to the impact device 21 can be increased from the first driving voltage V 1a is changed (for example, by the control device 1000 based on executing an injection program stored in the memory of the control device 1000) to the second driving voltage V 1b (e.g., high voltage, spraying voltage, etc.) to move the impact device 21 from the static state to the extended state (e.g., extended position, spraying state, spraying position, etc.), so that the impact end surface 23 of the impact device 21 moves through the piston hole 35 to reduce the volume of the spray chamber 24, increase the internal pressure of the viscous medium 490 in the spray chamber 24, thereby forcing at least some of the viscous medium 490 to pass through the nozzle 26 to form one or more droplets 410. Figure 8 As shown, in the time period from time t3 to time t3' (also called "rising time"), the driving voltage V1 can be increased from the first driving voltage V 1a becomes the second driving voltage V 1b The time period from time t3 to time t3' may be a time period greater than about 1 microsecond but less than about 50 microseconds. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and in some exemplary embodiments, the time period from time t3 to time t3' may be less than 1 microsecond.

[0128] like Figure 6B , Figure 7B and Figure 8 As shown, at a certain time (e.g., t1 to t2) before the start of droplet ejection at time t3, the supply duct actuator 50 can be made (e.g., by the control device 1000) to increase the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion 37a of the supply duct 31 from the first amplitude (HR1) to the second amplitude (e.g., HR2), and after the fluid dynamic resistance is increased to the second amplitude (HR2), the impact device 21 can be made to eject one or more droplets 410 (e.g., by the control device 1000) based on controlling the driving voltage V1 applied to the impact device 21 from time t3 to time t4 while maintaining the fluid dynamic resistance at the second level (e.g., HR2). Although Figure 8The driving voltage V1 is shown to increase from V 2a Change to V 2b And return to V 2a , but it should be understood that although the fluid dynamic resistance remains at HR2, the injection between time t3 and time t4 can be driven by the voltage V1 from V 1a To V 1b And return to V 1a The plurality of independent, different cycles of the supply conduit actuator 50 are performed such that a plurality of droplets 410 are ejected from time t3 to time t4. Since the fluid dynamic resistance is maintained at an increased magnitude (HR2) based on the supply conduit actuator 50 being maintained in the extended position before and during the injection of the impact device 21 between time t3 and t4, the backflow of the viscous medium 490 during the injection can be reduced or prevented. In addition, since the supply conduit actuator 50 is in the extended position, one or more characteristics of the droplets 410 can be adjusted based on the fluid dynamic resistance at an increased magnitude (HR2).

[0129] Please still refer to Figure 8 , after the ejection by the impact device 21 ends at time t4, for example, during the duration of the rest period from time t4 to time t5, the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 can be maintained at an increased magnitude (HR2). After the rest period has elapsed, at time t5, the drive voltage V2 applied to the supply conduit actuator 50 can be changed in the form of a step change at time t5 or gradually changed (e.g., continuously or in a series of smaller, incremental step changes) over a period of time from time t5 to t6 to the first magnitude V 2a , so that the supply conduit actuator 50 moves to the position as Figure 5A-5B The static position shown in FIG. 1 is thereby increased from the restricted second area A2 to the larger first area A1 of the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, thereby reducing the fluid dynamic resistance of at least the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 from HR2 to HR1. As a result, the flow of the viscous medium 490 into and / or out of the spray chamber 24 through the supply conduit 31 can be improved before a subsequent independent spraying operation. Figure 8 As shown, during the time period from time t4 to time t4', the driving voltage V1 can be increased from the second driving voltage V 1b becomes the second driving voltage V 1a The static period can be when the driving voltage V1 reaches the amplitude V 1a At time t4', instead of the drive voltage V1 starting from V 1b becomes V 1a It can be understood that when the driving voltage reaches the second driving voltage V at time t4' 1aAfter the amplitude of HR2, the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 can be maintained at the increased amplitude (HR2). The time period from time t4 to time t4' can be a time period greater than about 1 microsecond but less than about 50 microseconds. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and in some exemplary embodiments, the time period from time t4 to time t4' can be less than 1 microsecond.

[0130] Roughly like Figure 8 As shown, during the ejection operation, the supply conduit actuator 50 can be controlled to increase the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to an increased magnitude by controlling the impact device 21 before and during the ejection of one or more droplets 410, wherein the control of the supply conduit actuator 50 can be independent of the impact device 21 and configured to enable the formation of a greater magnitude (HR2) of fluid dynamic resistance during the ejection of droplets (e.g., throughout the elapsed time period between time t3 and t4). By adjusting the fluid dynamic resistance before and after the operation of the impact device 21 to eject one or more droplets 410, the likelihood of maintaining the fluid dynamic resistance stable during the operation of the impact device 21 to eject one or more droplets 410 (e.g., during the elapsed time period between time t3 and t4) can be increased, thereby increasing the likelihood that the ejected droplets 410 have more consistent values ​​of one or more specific characteristics.

[0131] Although Figure 5A , 6A 7A shows that the impact device 21 includes a plunger 21b having an impact end face 23 that defines a portion of the injection chamber 24, and the plunger 21b moves through the piston hole 35 to reduce the volume of the injection chamber 24, but it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment of the spray head assembly 5 is not limited to this.

[0132] For example, Fig.11 yes Figure 4 FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A of a spray device of some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein, as shown in FIG. Figure 4-8 As described, the impact device 21 includes at least an actuator part 21a and a plunger 21b, and also includes a membrane 21c comprising a flexible material, wherein the membrane 21c includes an impact end face 23c defining the upper boundary of the injection chamber 24, and the impact end face 23 of the plunger 21b is in contact with the upper surface 23b of the membrane 21c, so that the plunger 21b is isolated from the injection chamber 24 by the membrane 21c.

[0133] Although Fig.11The impact device 21 is shown to include a plunger 21b, but it should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, there may be no plunger 21b, so that the actuator portion 21a is in direct contact with the upper surface 23b of the membrane 21c, and the impact end surface 23 is the lower surface of the actuator portion 21a that contacts the upper surface 23b, whereby the actuator portion 21a can directly act on the membrane 21c. Fig.11 As shown, a portion of the impact device 21 including the actuator portion 21a and may also include the plunger 21b is located in an independent space 27 isolated from the ejection chamber 24 by the membrane 21c, and the independent space 27 is at least partially defined by one or more independent inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25 and the upper surface 23b of the membrane 21c. As shown, the plunger 21b and / or the actuator portion 21a may have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the space 27, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. As further shown, the piston hole 35 may include at least a space defined by the sleeve inner surface 25i to accommodate at least the membrane 21c, and may also include a space 27 to accommodate the plunger 21b and / or the actuator portion 21a, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0134] Fig.11 The nozzle assembly 5 shown in FIG. Figures 5A-7B The spray head assembly shown in FIG. 1 operates similarly, and as Figure 8 As shown, the impact device reduces the volume of the spray chamber 24 to force one or more droplets 410 of the viscous medium 490 in the spray chamber 24 to be ejected through the conduit 28 of the nozzle 26 to become one or more droplets 410. In addition, Fig.11 The supply conduit actuator 50 shown in FIG. 5 may be used with Figure 4-7B The supply conduit actuator 50 shown and described in FIG. 1 is the same and may operate in the same manner as described with reference to any of the exemplary embodiments herein.

[0135] like Fig.11 As shown, one or more surfaces 21d of the membrane 21c are fixed to one or more corresponding inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25 by any known means for fixing a flexible material to a rigid material (e.g., clamping, bonding, sintering, friction fit, etc.), so that the one or more surfaces 21d of the membrane 21c are held in place and do not move during the injection operation.

[0136] In passing Fig.11During the spraying operation performed by the impact device 21 shown, at least the actuator portion 21a can move the impact end surface 23 in contact with the upper surface 23b downward toward the nozzle 26, thereby pushing the membrane 21c (the membrane includes a flexible material) downward toward the nozzle 26 to deform 1101 (e.g., "pushed"), so that the membrane 21c passes through a portion of the space 1102 within the space defined by one or more inner surfaces 25i of the sleeve 25, so that the impact end surface 23c passes through a portion of the space 1102 to reach the spraying position 1104 (e.g., the extended position), so that the volume of the spraying chamber 24 is reduced, and the reduction in volume is equal to the volume of the space portion 1102 passed by the membrane 21c when deformed. As shown in the figure, during operation, the surface 21d of the membrane 21c can remain fixed to the one or more inner surfaces 25i. Since the membrane 21c passes through the space portion 1102 and thus reduces the volume of the ejection chamber 24, the impact device can force one or more droplets of the viscous medium 490 to be ejected through the conduit 28 of the nozzle 26 as one or more droplets 410. The above-mentioned deformation 1101 of the membrane 21c, at least based on the actuator portion 21a causing the impact end surface 23 to push the upper surface 23b of the membrane 21c downward, can be used as Figure 8 A portion of the operations performed from time t3 to time t3' in is performed. Figure 8 As shown, from time t3' to time t4, the membrane 21c can be maintained in the deformed position (e.g., such that the impact end face 23c is maintained at position 1104), and based on at least the actuator portion 21a moving the impact end face 23 upward and away from the nozzle 26, the membrane 21c can be relaxed to Fig.11 The initial position shown in FIG. 1 is to release the pressure applied to the upper surface 23b of the membrane 21c, which acts as Figure 8 As described above, it should be understood that Fig.11 The supply conduit actuator 50 shown may be used in the same manner as in reference Figures 5A-7B and Figure 8 The supply conduit actuator 50 described above operates in the same manner.

[0137] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating an ejection device to eject one or more droplets and adjusting a fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion of the ejection device based on sensor data according to some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. Fig. 9 The illustrated method may be implemented by a spraying device 1 including a supply conduit actuator 50 of any of the exemplary embodiments included herein. Fig. 9The method shown may be implemented by the control device 1000, for example based on the control device 1000 executing a program of instructions stored in a memory of the control device 1000. As shown, the method may include performing one or more injection operations 901 once, or repeatedly performing these injection operations.

[0138] At S902, the supply conduit actuator 50 may be controlled (eg, by the control device 1000 based on application of a specific drive voltage and / or control signal to the supply conduit actuator) to move from a rest position to an extended position (eg, as Figure 6A-6B As shown in Figure 8 31 from time t1 to time t2), thereby passing through the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31, so that the end surface 52 of the supply conduit actuator 50 moves from the specific static position L1 to the specific extended position L2, thereby reducing the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 from the first area A1 to the second area A2, and thereby increasing the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to the viscous medium flowing from the injection chamber through the supply conduit 31. Such control of the supply conduit actuator 50 can be implemented independently of any control of the impact device 21 of the injection device 1, and the impact device 21 can be controlled to cause the viscous medium droplet 410 to be ejected through the nozzle 26, so that the supply conduit actuator 50 moves independently of the impact device 21 at operation S902. In some exemplary embodiments, in order to pass through portion 37a, end surface 52 may only pass through a limited portion of portion 37a so that a cross-sectional flow area A of portion 37a is not blocked and viscous medium 490 flowing through portion 37a is not completely blocked.

[0139] After S902, at S904, while the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 is maintained at an elevated level (e.g., amplitude) due to the movement of the supply conduit actuator 50 at S902, the impact device 21 may be controlled (e.g., by the control device 1000 based on applying a specific drive voltage and / or control signal to the impact device 21) to move from the rest position to the extended position (e.g., as Figure 7A-7B As shown and in Figure 8The impact device 21 is controlled to move the impact end surface 23 / 23c of the impact device 21 through the piston hole 35 to reduce the volume of the spray chamber 24, thereby forcing at least a portion of the viscous medium 490 in the spray chamber and / or the nozzle 26 to move through the nozzle 26 and through the outlet hole 30, thereby forming one or more viscous medium droplets 410. The one or more droplets can be separated from the remaining viscous medium 490 in the spray device 1 and thus sprayed from the nozzle 26 to the plate 2 to form one or more deposits on the surface 2a of the plate 2. Such control of the impact device 21 can be implemented independently of any control of the supply conduit actuator 50, so that the impact device 21 moves independently of the supply conduit actuator at operation S904. Operation S904 may end as the impact device 21 returns to the rest position (eg, at time t4 ′), such that the volume of the ejection chamber 24 returns to a larger rest volume, and the operation of ejecting one or more droplets 410 through the nozzle 26 ends.

[0140] At S908, at the same time as the end of operation S904 (e.g., at the end of operation S904 or after a period of inactivity has passed after the end of operation S904), the supply conduit actuator 50 may be controlled (e.g., by the control device 1000 based on applying a specific driving voltage and / or control signal to the supply conduit actuator) to move it from the extended position back to the inactivity position (e.g., as Figure 5A-5B As shown and in Figure 8 The end surface 52 of the supply duct actuator 50 moves from the specific extended position L2 back to the specific static position L1, thereby increasing the cross-sectional flow area A of the portion 37a of the supply duct 31 from the second area A2 to the first area A1, thereby reducing the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion 37a of the supply duct 31 to the viscous medium flowing from the injection chamber through the supply duct 31, thereby improving the flow of the viscous medium 490 through the supply duct 31.

[0141] At S910, at the same time as operation S908 ends or after a period of time has passed after operation S908 ends, the viscous medium supply source 430 may be controlled (e.g., by the control device 1000) to cause the viscous medium to flow through the supply conduit 31 and to the ejection chamber 24 through the portion 37a of the supply conduit 31 to supplement the viscous medium 490 ejected through the nozzle 26 at operation S904. Since the fluid dynamic resistance of the at least portion 37a is reduced at operation S908, a larger flow rate of the viscous medium 490 through the supply conduit 31 can be achieved compared to a case where the supply conduit actuator 50 is in the extended position.

[0142] At S922, it is determined (e.g., based on an injection program executed by the control device 1000) whether an additional injection operation 901 is to be performed. If so, Fig. 9 As shown, the method returns to operation S902 and controls the supply conduit actuator 50 to return to the extended position to prepare for the next ejection of one or more droplets 410. If not, the operation ends.

[0143] Please still refer to Fig. 9 , the feedback operation 951 can be performed simultaneously with the injection operation 901, performed after the injection operation 901, and / or performed between consecutive injection operations 901. Fig. 9 An exemplary embodiment is shown in which the feedback operation 951 is performed after the injection operation 901 and / or between consecutive injection operations 901, but it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment is not limited to this, and one or more operations of the feedback operation 951 can be performed simultaneously with at least a portion of the injection operation 901, including being performed simultaneously with one or more operations of the injection operation 901 and / or being performed between two or more consecutive operations of the injection operation.

[0144] like Fig. 9 As shown, feedback operation 951 may be an optional operation and may be performed from Fig. 9 The feedback operation 951 is omitted in the method performed in the embodiment, so that only the injection operation 901 is performed, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. In some exemplary embodiments, the feedback operation 951 is omitted in the method performed in the embodiment, so that only the injection operation 901 is performed. Fig. 9 During the method shown, at least one injection operation 901 and at least one feedback operation 951 may be performed. Fig. 9 As further shown, through operation S922 , multiple repetitions of the method may result in multiple executions of the injection operation 901 and the feedback operation 951 .

[0145] Referring now to the feedback operation 951, at S912, the sensor device 60 of the spraying device may generate sensor data based on monitoring one or more droplets 410 sprayed during the spraying operation 901 through the sensor field 62 (e.g., at operation S904). The sensor device 60 may be configured to generate sensor data including captured images of droplets 410 passing through the sensor field 62, information indicating reflection of one or more beams of light (e.g., one or more beams of light emitted by the light emitter of the sensor device 60 and reflected back to the light sensor of the sensor device 60) from the droplets 410 in the sensor field 62, any combination thereof, etc. The sensor data may be transmitted to the control device 1000 and / or to an independent computing device that may be external to the spraying device 1.

[0146] At S914, sensor data may be received from the sensor device 60 and processed (e.g., at the control device 1000) to determine values ​​(e.g., amplitude) of one or more characteristics of the droplets 410 monitored by the sensor device 60 and represented by the sensor data. In some exemplary embodiments, the sensor data, when processed (e.g., by the control device 1000), may indicate values ​​of one or more characteristics of one or more ejected droplets 410, including values ​​of one or more of the volume of the droplet 410, the shape of the droplet 410, the diameter of the droplet 410, the velocity of the droplet 410, any combination thereof, etc. Thus, the sensor data may be processed to determine values ​​of one or more characteristics of the ejected droplets 410.

[0147] At S916, the values ​​of one or more characteristics determined at S914 may be compared to target values ​​for one or more characteristics, and a difference between the values ​​may be determined. For example, where the value determined at S914 based on processing sensor data is the volume of the ejected droplet 410, at S916, the determined volume may be compared to the target droplet volume value, and a difference therebetween may be determined (e.g., by subtraction). The comparison at S916 may be implemented for multiple characteristics that may be determined in parallel at S914. The target values ​​for one or more characteristics may be stored in a memory (e.g., a memory of the control device 1000 and / or a memory external to the ejection device 1) and may be accessed as part of performing operation S916.

[0148] At S918, it may be determined whether the determined difference between the sensed determined value of one or more characteristics of the sprayed droplet 410 and the target value at least satisfies a threshold value. The threshold value associated with the difference in the value of the one or more characteristics may be stored in a memory (e.g., a memory of the control device 1000 and / or a memory external to the spray device 1) and may be accessed as part of performing operation S918. If not (e.g., S918=No), the feedback operation S951 may end, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown. The determination at S918 may include performing multiple determinations in parallel about multiple independent characteristic values ​​determined at S914 and compared with corresponding target values ​​at S916. In some exemplary embodiments, the determination at S918 may include determining whether at least a majority of the characteristics for which the difference is determined at S916 at least satisfies a threshold difference, so that in response to a determination that at least a majority of the multiple characteristics for which the difference is determined at S916 and / or one or more specific characteristics of the multiple characteristics at least reach the difference threshold, a "yes" determination result may be reached at S918.

[0149] If S918=yes (e.g., the difference between the determined value of one or more characteristics and the corresponding target value of one or more characteristics at least satisfies a certain threshold), then at S920, a new fluid dynamic resistance (e.g., HR2') and / or extension position (e.g., L2') to be achieved and maintained for operation of the supply conduit actuator 50 during the subsequent ejection operation 901 is determined. Operation S920 may include accessing a database (e.g., a lookup table) to determine the value of the new extension position (e.g., new extension position L2') of the supply conduit actuator 50 during the ejection operation (e.g., between operations S902 and S908). The database may be a lookup table that associates specific incremental changes in one or more specific characteristics of the droplet 410 with corresponding changes in the value / magnitude of the increased level of fluid dynamic resistance (e.g., HR2) caused by movement of the supply conduit actuator 50 during the ejection operation 901, and the magnitude change of the fluid dynamic resistance may be independently applied to the stored association of the change in fluid dynamic resistance with the change in position of the supply conduit actuator 50 to determine the new extension position of the supply conduit actuator 50. The database may be a lookup table that associates specific incremental changes in one or more specific characteristics of the droplet 410 with corresponding changes in the extended position (e.g., position L2) of the supply conduit actuator 50 that resulted in increased fluid dynamic resistance during the ejection operation 901. As described herein, the database (e.g., a lookup table) that associates the magnitude of changes in one or more specific characteristics of the droplet 410 with corresponding changes in the extended position (e.g., L2) of the supply conduit actuator 50 and / or corresponding changes in the increased fluid dynamic resistance HR2 caused by movement of the supply conduit actuator 50 to the extended position may be combined by known empirical methods of achieving the changes in the fluid dynamic resistance and / or extended position of the supply conduit actuator 50 and determining the corresponding changes in one or more characteristics of the ejected droplet 410.

[0150] Operation S920 may include accessing a database to determine a change in the raised position of the supply conduit actuator 50, the change being indicated by the database as corresponding to all or a specific proportion (e.g., 50%) of a determined difference value (e.g., magnitude and direction) between a target value and a determined value of one or more characteristics (determined at S916). The injection program implemented in a subsequent injection operation 901 may be modified to move the supply conduit actuator 50 from a rest position (e.g., L1) to a new extended position (e.g., L2' that is different from L2) based on applying the determined change in extended position to the initial extended position (e.g., L2) of the supply conduit actuator 50 during the previous injection operation 901. Therefore, in the subsequent injection operation 901 performed after operation S920, at operation S902, the supply duct actuator 50 can be moved from the static position (e.g., L1) to a new extended position (e.g., L2') to adjust the fluid dynamic resistance of at least portion 37a of the supply duct 31 to a new increased level (e.g., HR2'), so that one or more characteristics of the droplet 410 ejected based on the injection of the droplet 410 at S904 can be adjusted to be close to and / or consistent with the corresponding target values ​​of one or more characteristics accessed at S916.

[0151] In some exemplary embodiments, the feedback operation 951 can be performed completely simultaneously with the injection at S904 between successive movements of the impact device 21 and thereby between successive injections of droplets 410, so that the supply duct actuator 50 can be controlled to move directly from the initial extended position (e.g., L2) achieved at S902 to a new extended position (e.g., L2') during the injection at S904, without having to wait for the injection at S904 to end before making adjustments.

[0152] It should be understood that the feedback operation 951 can be implemented as part of the optimization to adjust the increased fluid dynamic resistance (e.g., HR2) implemented by the supply conduit actuator 50 during the injection operation 901 so that the value of one or more characteristics of the injected droplets 410 approaches and / or matches the corresponding target value, thereby causing the injection device 1 to inject droplets 410 having more consistent and / or more desired characteristics.

[0153] Fig. 9 A bypass 941 of the feedback operation 951 is shown in the case where the feedback operation is not performed after or simultaneously with the injection operation 901. In some exemplary embodiments, in the case where the feedback operation 951 is performed after or simultaneously with the injection operation 901, the bypass 941 may be omitted.

[0154] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of a spraying device 1 including a control device 1000 showing some exemplary embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. Fig.10 The spray device 1 shown in the figure may be any exemplary embodiment of the spray device 1 shown and described herein, including Figure 1-4 , Figure 5A-5B , Figure 6A-6B , Figure 7A-7B and Fig.11 Any of the spraying devices 1 and / or spray head assemblies 5 shown in the drawings, and the control device 1000 can be configured to implement any operation of the spraying device 1 of any exemplary embodiment included herein, including Figure 8-9 The operation shown.

[0155] In some exemplary embodiments (including Fig.10 In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the control device 1000 may be included in the spray device 1. In some exemplary embodiments, the control device 1000 may include one or more computing devices. The computing device may include a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop, a netbook, some combination thereof, etc.

[0156] In some exemplary embodiments (including Fig.10 In the exemplary embodiment shown), the control device 1000 may be included in one or more instances of a processing circuit, may include one or more instances of a processing circuit, and / or may be implemented by one or more instances of a processing circuit, such as hardware (including logic circuits); a hardware / software combination (such as a processor that executes software); or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuit may more specifically include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a system on a chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. In some exemplary embodiments, the processing circuit may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage device (such as a memory, such as a solid-state drive (SSD)) storing an instruction program, and a processor configured to execute the instruction program to implement the functions of the control device 1000 of any exemplary embodiment described herein and thereby implement one or more injection operations of the injection device 1 of any exemplary embodiment described herein.

[0157] Please refer to Fig.10 , the control device 1000 may include a memory 1020 , a processor 1030 , a communication interface 1050 , and a control interface 1060 . The memory 1020 , the processor 1030 , the communication interface 1050 , and the control interface 1060 may communicate with each other through a bus 1010 .

[0158] The communication interface 1050 can use various network communication protocols to transmit data from external devices. For example, the communication interface 1050 can transmit sensor data generated by a sensor (not shown) of the control device 1000 to an external device. The external device may include, for example, an image providing server, a display device, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, and a laptop computer), a computing device (e.g., a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, and a netbook), an image output device (e.g., a television and a smart TV), and an image acquisition device (e.g., a camera and a video camera).

[0159] Processor 1030 can execute the instruction program and control control device 1000. Processor 1030 can execute the instruction program to control one or more parts of the spraying device 1, including one or more spraying operations, by generating control signals and / or transmitting control signals to one or more elements of the spraying device 1 of any exemplary embodiment via one or more control interfaces 1060, so that one or more droplets of viscous medium are sprayed (e.g., sprayed to plate 2). The instruction program to be executed by processor 1030 can be stored in memory 1020.

[0160] The memory 1020 may store information. The memory 1020 may be a volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 1020 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The memory may store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor 1030, cause at least one processor 1030 to perform one or more methods, functions, processes, etc. described herein. In some exemplary embodiments, the processor 1030 may execute one or more computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1020.

[0161] In some exemplary embodiments, the control device 1000 may transmit control signals to one or more components of the spraying device 1 to perform and / or control a spraying operation, thereby spraying one or more droplets (e.g., spraying to the plate 2). For example, the control device 1000 may send one or more sets of control signals to one or more airflow generators, actuators, control valves, some combination thereof, etc. according to one or more instruction programs. Such instruction programs, when implemented by the control device 1000, may cause the control device 1000 to generate control signals and / or send control signals to one or more components of the spraying device 1, thereby causing the spraying device 1 to perform one or more spraying operations.

[0162] In some exemplary embodiments, the control device 1000 may be configured to operate in accordance with any of the timing diagrams shown and described herein (including Figure 8In some exemplary embodiments, the processor 1030 may generate and / or send one or more control signals according to the timing diagram shown in FIG. Figure 8 The timing diagrams shown execute one or more instruction programs stored in the memory 1020 to cause the processor 1030 to generate and / or send one or more sets of control signals.

[0163] In some exemplary embodiments, the communication interface 1050 may include a user interface including a display panel, a touch screen interface, a tactile interface (e.g., a "button," a "keypad," a "keyboard," a "mouse," a "cursor," etc.), some combination thereof, etc. Information may be provided to the control device 1000 via the communication interface 1050 and stored in the memory 1020. Such information may include information related to the plate 2, information related to the viscous medium to be ejected onto the plate 2, and information related to one or more droplets of the viscous medium, or some combination thereof, etc. For example, such information may include information indicating one or more characteristics associated with the viscous medium, information indicating one or more characteristics (e.g., size) associated with one or more droplets to be ejected onto the plate 2, or some combination thereof, etc.

[0164] In some exemplary embodiments, the communication interface 850 may include a USB and / or HDMI interface. In some exemplary embodiments, the communication interface 1050 may include a wireless network communication interface.

[0165] The above description is exemplary and descriptive only. This description is not exhaustive. Even if not explicitly shown or described, the individual elements or features of a particular exemplary embodiment are generally not limited to that particular instance, but can be used interchangeably in a selected embodiment according to actual conditions. They may also be different in many ways. Such changes should not be considered as departing from the exemplary embodiments, and all such modifications should be considered to be included within the scope of the exemplary embodiments described herein.

Claims

1. A device configured to eject one or more droplets of a viscous medium, the device comprising: a spray chamber configured to contain a viscous medium; a supply conduit in fluid communication with the spray chamber, the supply conduit being configured to supply a viscous medium into the spray chamber; a nozzle in fluid communication with the spray chamber; an impact device at least partially defining the ejection chamber, the impact device being configured to cause an internal pressure of the viscous medium in the ejection chamber to increase by moving through at least a portion of the ejection chamber to reduce a volume of the ejection chamber, thereby forcing the one or more droplets of viscous medium to be ejected through the nozzle as one or more droplets; a supply conduit actuator configured to adjust a cross-sectional flow area of ​​at least a portion of the supply conduit based on movement of the impact device through at least a portion of the supply conduit independently of the movement of the impact device through the at least a portion of the supply conduit without blocking the cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit, thereby adjusting a hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to a viscous medium flowing through the supply conduit from the ejection chamber; a sensor device configured to monitor the one or more droplets and generate sensor data based on the monitoring results, whereby the sensor data indicates a value of one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets; as well as a control device configured to control the supply conduit actuator and the impact device to control the fluid dynamic resistance of at least a portion of the supply conduit associated with ejecting the one or more droplets, thereby: causing the fluid dynamic resistance to increase at least before and during ejection of the one or more droplets; and reducing the fluid dynamic drag after ejecting the one or more droplets; Wherein, the control device is further configured to: receiving and processing the sensor data to determine values ​​of one or more properties of the one or more droplets, and In response to determining that a difference between the value of the one or more characteristics and the corresponding target values ​​of the one or more characteristics at least satisfies one or more corresponding droplet characteristic thresholds, the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit is adjustably controlled by adjustably controlling movement of the supply conduit actuator.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the impact device comprises a piezoelectric actuator.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the supply conduit actuator comprises a piezoelectric actuator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supply conduit actuator is coupled to the supply conduit at an outlet opening of the supply conduit on one or more interior surfaces of the housing that at least partially define the spray chamber.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to control the supply conduit actuator to determining a difference between the one or more characteristics and a target value for the one or more characteristics, and In response to determining that the difference at least satisfies a threshold value, the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit is controlled to a new fluid dynamic resistance by adjustably controlling movement of the supply conduit actuator.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more properties of the one or more droplets include at least one of the following properties: the velocity of the one or more droplets, the diameter of the one or more droplets, or The volume of the one or more droplets.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to control the impact device and the supply conduit actuator to The supply conduit actuator is caused to increase the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from a first magnitude to a second magnitude, and then the impact device is caused to eject the one or more droplets while maintaining the fluid dynamic resistance at the second magnitude.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the control device is configured to control the impact device and the supply conduit actuator to The supply conduit actuator is caused to reduce the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from the second magnitude to the first magnitude during a rest period after ejecting the one or more droplets.

9. A method of controlling an apparatus configured to eject one or more droplets of a viscous medium onto a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a spray chamber configured to hold a viscous medium; a supply conduit in fluid communication with the spray chamber, the supply conduit being configured to supply a viscous medium into the spray chamber; a nozzle in fluid communication with a spray chamber; an impact device at least partially defining the spray chamber, the impact device configured to cause an internal pressure of a viscous medium in the spray chamber to increase by moving through at least a portion of the spray chamber to reduce the volume of the spray chamber, thereby forcing the one or more droplets of viscous medium to be sprayed through the nozzle as one or more droplets, and a supply conduit actuator configured to move independently of the impact device through a portion of a supply conduit to adjust a cross-sectional flow area of ​​the portion of the supply conduit without blocking the cross-sectional flow area, thereby adjusting a fluid dynamic resistance of the at least a portion of the supply conduit to the viscous medium flowing from the spray chamber through the supply conduit, the method comprising: controlling the supply conduit actuator to increase fluid dynamic resistance; controlling the impact device to eject the one or more droplets while maintaining increased fluid dynamic resistance; and controlling the supply conduit actuator to reduce the fluid dynamic drag after ejecting the one or more droplets; processing sensor data received from the sensor device to determine one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets, the sensor data generated based on the sensor device monitoring the one or more droplets; determining a difference between one or more characteristics and a target value for one or more characteristics, and In response to determining that the difference at least satisfies a threshold value, the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit is adjustably controlled by adjustably controlling movement of a supply conduit actuator.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the adjustably controlling comprises: In response to determining that the difference at least satisfies a threshold value, the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit is controlled to a new fluid dynamic resistance by adjustably controlling movement of the supply conduit actuator.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more characteristics of the one or more droplets include at least one of the following characteristics: the velocity of the one or more droplets, the diameter of the one or more droplets, or The volume of the one or more droplets.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein The controlling causes the supply conduit actuator to increase the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from a first magnitude to a second magnitude, and The method also includes subsequently causing an impact device to eject the one or more droplets while maintaining the fluid dynamic drag force at a second magnitude.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: The supply conduit actuator is caused to reduce the fluid dynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from the second magnitude to the first magnitude during a rest period after ejecting the one or more droplets.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the impact device comprises a piezoelectric actuator.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the supply conduit actuator comprises a piezoelectric actuator.

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