Methods and apparatus for droplet deposition

Abstract

A method is provided for depositing droplets of fluid onto a medium using a droplet deposition head. For an actuation cycle, the method includes the steps of: receiving input data; designating all fluid chambers (12) within an array (10) of fluid chambers as emission chambers or non-emission chambers based on the input data, to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and actuating the walls (14) of the chambers such that: for each non-emission chamber, if the non-emission chamber is adjacent to a row of emission chambers, one wall is actuated in a first direction while another wall remains in a neutral position; if the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, two walls are actuated simultaneously in the first direction; and if the non-emission chamber is not adjacent to a row of emission chambers, two walls remain in a neutral position, or are actuated simultaneously in the first direction, or are actuated simultaneously in a second direction; and for each emission chamber, each of the first wall and the second wall is actuated consecutively in the first direction. Other methods, droplet deposition heads, droplet deposition apparatuses, and computer programs are also provided.

Description

Invention Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for depositing droplets of fluid onto a medium using a droplet deposition head (such as a printhead); and to a droplet deposition head and a droplet deposition apparatus including such a droplet deposition head, configured to perform this method. Background of the Invention

[0002] Droplet deposition heads are now widely used, both in more traditional applications (such as inkjet printing) and in materials deposition applications (such as 3D printing and other rapid prototyping technologies), as well as for printing raised patterns on surfaces, such as Braille or decorative raised patterns. In such materials deposition applications, it may be necessary to use droplet deposition heads to deposit relatively large amounts of fluid onto a medium. In some cases, the fluid may possess novel chemical properties to adhere to the new medium and enhance the functionality of the deposited material.

[0003] Recently, inkjet printheads have been developed capable of depositing ink and varnish directly onto tiles with high reliability and throughput. This allows for the customization of patterns on tiles to the exact specifications of customers, while also reducing the need to stock all types of tiles.

[0004] In other applications, droplet deposition heads can be used to form elements, such as color filters used in LCD or OLED displays in flat-panel TV manufacturing.

[0005] Therefore, it should be understood that droplet deposition heads continue to evolve and specialize to adapt to new and / or increasingly challenging deposition applications. Nevertheless, despite the significant progress made in the field of droplet deposition heads, there is still room for improvement.

[0006] As background to this work Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a mechanism for ejecting droplets of fluid from an array of fluid chambers. It shows an array 10' of fluid chambers 12 forming part of a droplet deposition head, and a simplified representation of the same array is shown below. One side of each chamber is defined by a substrate 15. Adjacent fluid chambers 12 are separated by actuable sidewalls 14 formed of a piezoelectric material such as lead zirconate titanate (also known as PZT). The interior of each chamber 12 on each side of each piezoelectric wall 14 is coated with a metal layer serving as an electrode to apply a potential difference to the corresponding wall. That is, in this earlier example, within a given chamber 12, the metal electrode layer extends from the inner wall of one side of the chamber to the inner wall of the other side. However, this is by no means the only electrode configuration that can be used. For example, each electrode extending from the inner wall of one side of the chamber to the inner wall of the other side can be cut along the center of the fluid chamber (e.g., by laser), effectively dividing the electrode into two independently addressable electrodes (such as...). Figure 2 (As shown).

[0007] If the same potential is applied to electrodes on either side of a given wall, resulting in no potential difference across the wall, the wall remains stationary. On the other hand, if different potentials are applied to electrodes on either side of a given wall, the wall moves due to the inverse piezoelectric effect (which converts potential difference into movement). A moving wall can be called an "active" wall, while a stationary wall can be called a "non-active" wall.

[0008] Figure 1 A simplified representation of an array of chambers is shown, where two chambers experience a reduction in volume due to inward movement of their walls. As a result, the pressure in these two chambers increases (indicated by "+"), while the pressure in the adjacent chamber decreases (indicated by "-"). If the potential difference applied to the walls is sufficiently high (e.g., to overcome surface tension effects and losses caused by the device), droplets of fluid are forced out of the chamber under the increased pressure ("+") through nozzle 16. Such chambers are referred to herein as "firing" chambers because they eject ("firing") droplets of fluid. Figure 1 Two chambers are also shown (at the far right of the figure) that do not undergo volume changes because their walls remain stationary. These chambers are referred to as “non-firing” chambers because they do not eject droplets of fluid. It should be noted that chambers indicated by “-” can be firing chambers (because they are also capable of firing later in the same actuation cycle) or non-firing chambers (if their walls do not move in a manner that causes ejection in the same actuation cycle). However, for simplicity, throughout this specification, firing chambers will be indicated by “+” or “-”, and non-firing chambers will be left blank because the associated pressure increase / decrease is insufficient to cause ejection.

[0009] The chamber 12 is formed as a channel closed on one side by a cover member 17 that contacts an actuable wall; for each chamber, a nozzle 16 for fluid injection is disposed in the cover member 17. The cover member 17 may include a metal or ceramic cover plate providing structural support, and a thinner overlying nozzle plate in which the nozzle is formed. Alternatively, the relatively thin nozzle plate may be used as the cover member alone.

[0010] exist Figure 1 In the example (and indeed throughout this disclosure), each actuable piezoelectric wall 14 may be included in an array orientation ( Figure 1 (From left to right) and the direction of passage extension (enter) Figure 1The piezoelectric wall is divided into upper and lower halves in a plane defined by the page (in the image). The upper and lower halves of the piezoelectric wall can be polarized in opposite directions perpendicular to the channel extension and array direction, such that when a potential difference is applied to the wall perpendicular to the array direction, the two halves deflect to bend toward one of the fluid chambers; the deflected wall adopts a shape similar to a V-shape, so this can be referred to as “V-mode” actuation. Alternatively, each of the actuable piezoelectric walls can be polarized in a uniform manner in a single direction (i.e., not as upper and lower halves polarized in opposite directions), such that when a potential difference is applied to the wall, the wall deflects under “shear mode” actuation. Other methods of providing electrodes and polarized walls have also been proposed, which provide the ability to deflect the wall with a similar bending motion.

[0011] Particularly relevant background art is provided in WO 2010 / 055345 A1, which discloses a method for depositing droplets onto a substrate (so-called "printing mode 1"), employing an apparatus such as an inkjet printhead having: an array of channels acting as fluid chambers, the array being separated by interspersed walls, each channel communicating with an orifice or nozzle for releasing droplets of fluid (such as ink) contained within the channel. Each of the walls separates two adjacent channels and is actuable such that, in response to a first potential difference, the wall will deform to decrease the volume of one channel and increase the volume of the other channel, and in response to a second potential difference, the wall will deform to produce the opposite effect on the volume of adjacent channels. The method includes the following steps: receiving input data, such as an array of image data pixels; based on the input data, designating all channels within the array as emission channels or non-emission channels to generate multiple sets of one or more consecutive emission channels separated by multiple sets of one or more consecutive non-emission channels; actuating the walls of certain channels such that for each non-emission chamber, the walls move in the same manner or remain stationary, and for each emission chamber, the walls move in the opposite direction (see...). Figure 3 ), or one wall is stationary while the other wall moves (see Figure 4 These actuations cause each emission channel to release at least one fluid droplet, the resulting droplets forming points on a straight line disposed on the substrate, for example, to form a line representation of image data pixels. These points are separated on the line by gaps corresponding to non-emission channels.

[0012] Figure 2A droplet deposition head is shown, comprising an array 10 of fluid chambers 12 separated by partition walls 14 formed of a piezoelectric material (e.g., PZT), each fluid chamber 12 communicating with an orifice (nozzle) 16 for releasing droplets of fluid, each of the partition walls 14 separating two adjacent fluid chambers 12, and each fluid chamber 12 being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0013] In this example, each wall 14 has a "common" electrode 19 (to which a common potential is applied) on one side (right side in the illustrated example), and an "active" electrode 18 on the other side (left side as shown). The electrodes are connected to a drive circuit (not shown). Wall movement is induced by applying a drive potential to the "active" electrode 18 using a drive waveform comprising a sequence of drive pulses. If the drive potential is greater than or less than the common potential, the wall moves toward the electrode with the highest potential.

[0014] Figure 3 The movement of the walls in printing mode 1 is shown in more detail. In this figure and throughout this disclosure, the underlines of the fluid chambers indicate that they (based on the input data) are designated as the emission chambers in a given cycle, a "-" in a chamber indicates that the chamber is experiencing a pressure decrease (due to an increase in the volume of the chamber as a result of one or both of the walls of the actuation chamber), and a "+" in a chamber indicates that the chamber is experiencing a pressure increase (due to a decrease in the volume of the chamber as a result of one or both of the walls of the actuation chamber).

[0015] exist Figure 3 In the printing mode 1 shown, the walls of the ejection chamber move in opposite directions, meaning that the volume of the chamber alternately increases and decreases to cause ejection, while the walls of the non-ejection chamber move in the same way, meaning that the volume / pressure inside the chamber does not change, and therefore there is no fluid ejection.

[0016] At this point, it should be noted that, in order for the walls of the droplet deposition head to move bidirectionally in printing mode 1, the common potential applied to the "common" electrode is between the highest and lowest driving potentials. Due to the electrode configuration of this droplet deposition head and the application of a common potential to one of the electrodes on each wall, at least the walls of the non-emission chambers located between different rows of emission chambers will always move in the same manner.

[0017] In other words, if the driving potential applied to the "active" electrode is greater than the common potential, the wall moves toward the "active" electrode; however, if the driving potential applied to the "active" electrode is less than the common potential, the wall moves toward the "common" electrode. If the driving potential applied to the "active" electrode is substantially equal to the common potential applied to the "common" electrode, the wall remains stationary (i.e., remains in its neutral, unacted, or stationary position).

[0018] In printing mode 1, the movement of the walls of the non-emission chamber prevents fluid stagnation, which would otherwise cause nozzle blockage over time. However, moving the walls of the non-emission chamber is energy inefficient and may introduce unwanted levels of heat into the droplet deposition head. Furthermore, it is difficult to eject a single droplet, i.e., 1 dpd (dpd = droplet per point), because there is insufficient energy in the wall movement to eject such a droplet.

[0019] Therefore, it is hoped that the limitations of printing mode 1 mentioned above can be overcome and a more energy-efficient printing method can be achieved, which can also eject single droplets when needed.

[0020] Further relevant background information is provided in WO 2010 / 055344 A1, WO 2017 / 118843 A1 and WO 2018 / 224821 A9. Invention Overview

[0021] Various aspects of the invention are set forth in the appended independent claims, while specific embodiments of the invention are set forth in the appended dependent claims.

[0022] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for depositing droplets of fluid onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising:

[0023] An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing fluid droplets, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0024] Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls may be selectively configured as one of: (a) a driving potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential;

[0025] Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying a driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in a first direction, and in response to applying a common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0026] For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0027] Receive input data;

[0028] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0029] A common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, a driving potential or a common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the chamber, such that:

[0030] For each non-launch room

[0031] If a non-launching chamber is adjacent to a row of launching chambers, one wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in a neutral position.

[0032] If the non-launch chamber is a single non-launch chamber between multiple rows of launch chambers, then both walls are simultaneously actuated in the first direction, and

[0033] If a non-launch chamber is not adjacent to a row of launch chambers, the two walls remain in a neutral position, or are simultaneously actuated in a first direction, or simultaneously actuated in a second direction; and

[0034] For each launch room,

[0035] Each of the first and second walls is continuously actuated in the first direction;

[0036] During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the one or more consecutive emission chambers in a row to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding to the size of the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0037] By utilizing the walls of the launch chamber that move in the same direction but at different times during the actuation cycle, this provides a more energy-efficient printing method than the aforementioned printing mode 1, which is also capable of ejecting single droplets when needed.

[0038] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for depositing droplets of fluid onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising:

[0039] An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0040] Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls may be selectively configured as one of: (a) a driving potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential;

[0041] Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying a driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in a first direction, and in response to applying a common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0042] For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0043] Receive input data;

[0044] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0045] A common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, a driving potential or a common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the chamber, such that:

[0046] For at least the first launch chamber,

[0047] The first wall of the first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in a first direction and then returns to a neutral position, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in a neutral position; and

[0048] During the actuation cycle, at the moment when the first launch chamber is about to eject droplets of fluid from the first launch chamber, and substantially simultaneously with the first wall of the first launch chamber returning to the neutral position, the second wall of the first launch chamber is selectively actuated in a first direction, thereby causing the first launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first launch chamber, and then the second wall of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position;

[0049] During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the one or more consecutive emission chambers in a row to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding to the size of the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0050] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for depositing droplets of fluid onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising:

[0051] An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0052] Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls is optionally configured as one of: (a) a first driving potential, (b) a second driving potential and (c) a common potential, the common potential being between the first driving potential and the second driving potential;

[0053] Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying a first driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformed position in a first direction; in response to applying a second driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformed position in a second direction; and in response to applying a common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0054] For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0055] Receive input data;

[0056] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0057] A common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, a first driving potential, a second driving potential, or a common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the chamber, such that:

[0058] For at least the first launch chamber,

[0059] The first wall of the first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then in the second direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains primarily in a neutral position; and

[0060] During the actuation cycle, at the moment when the first ejector chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first ejector chamber, substantially simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first ejector chamber in the second direction, the second wall of the first ejector chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, thereby causing the first ejector chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first ejector chamber, and then the second wall of the first ejector chamber returns to the neutral position;

[0061] Optionally, immediately before the moment when the first ejection chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first ejection chamber during the actuation cycle, and simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first ejection chamber in the first direction, the second wall of the first ejection chamber is actuated in the second direction;

[0062] During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the one or more consecutive emission chambers in a row to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding to the size of the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0063] With respect to the second and third aspects of the invention, preferably, the repetitive actuation occurs substantially at the resonant frequency of the emission chamber, or substantially at a harmonic or subharmonic of the resonant frequency of the emission chamber.

[0064] Therefore, advantageously, the printing modes of the second and third aspects of the present invention enable the droplet deposition head to be actuated at a high frequency, while also achieving a reduction in the number of accidental droplets and the amount of ink leaking from the fluid chamber during use, which would otherwise lead to the generation and ejection of unexpected large droplets.

[0065] Also provided are droplet deposition heads, droplet deposition apparatuses, and computer programs for performing the methods of the first, second, and third aspects of the present invention. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0066] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0067] Figure 1 An array of fluid chambers forming part of a droplet deposition head is shown, wherein some walls of the chambers have been actuated, and below them is a simplified representation of the same array with the same actuated walls;

[0068] Figure 2An end view of the array of fluid chambers is shown, illustrating the common electrode connected to a common potential and the active electrode;

[0069] Figure 3 It is a simplified representation of the so-called "printing mode 1";

[0070] Figure 4 This is another simplified representation of printing mode 1;

[0071] Figure 5 It is a simplified representation of the so-called "printing mode 2" of the fluid chamber array and the corresponding steps of ejecting droplets;

[0072] Figure 6 The first and second mirror arrays of the fluid chamber are shown, each array being configured to implement Figure 5 Printing mode 2;

[0073] Figure 7 This is another representation of the corresponding steps in printing mode 2 and ejecting droplets;

[0074] Figure 8 It shows the use of Figure 7 The pattern of pixels to be printed in the printing mode;

[0075] Figure 9 An array of fluid chambers is shown, in which some chamber walls are repeatedly actuated according to a first “harmonic” actuation mode;

[0076] Figure 10 It shows Figure 9 An array of fluid chambers in which additional walls are selectively actuated to induce the ejection of droplets;

[0077] Figure 11 An array of fluid chambers is shown, in which some chamber walls are repeatedly actuated according to a second “harmonic” actuation mode, and other walls are selectively actuated to induce the ejection of droplets;

[0078] Figure 12 This illustrates printing multiple consecutive lines (in this case, four consecutive lines) using a row of multiple consecutive launch chambers.

[0079] Figure 13 It shows the use of Figure 12 The pattern of pixels to be printed in the printing mode;

[0080] Figure 14 It shows Figure 11 A variation of the printing pattern in which some selectively actuated walls are then driven by a so-called "priming pulse" immediately before the droplet ejection moment;

[0081] Figure 15 It shows the use of Figure 14 The pattern of pixels to be printed in the printing mode;

[0082] Figure 16 An example of a drive waveform including a starting pulse immediately preceding the injection pulse is shown;

[0083] Figure 17 It shows Figure 11 Another variation of the printing mode, in which some selectively actuated walls are driven by a so-called “cancelation pulse” before the moment of droplet ejection;

[0084] Figure 18 It shows the use of Figure 17 The pattern of pixels to be printed in the printing mode; and

[0085] Figure 19 An example of a drive waveform including a cancellation pulse preceding the jet pulse is shown.

[0086] In the accompanying drawings, similar elements are always indicated by similar reference numerals.

[0087] Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0088] These embodiments represent the best known ways of putting the invention into practice. However, they are not the only methods to achieve this objective.

[0089] This embodiment relates to what is referred to herein as "Printing Mode 2".

[0090] Overview of droplet deposition heads and droplet deposition devices

[0091] For further details, please refer to the following: Figure 2 For example, the droplet deposition head used in printing mode 2 includes an array 10 of fluid chambers 12 separated by partitions 14 formed of piezoelectric material. Each fluid chamber 12 communicates with an orifice 16 for releasing droplets of fluid. Each of the partitions 14 separates two adjacent fluid chambers 12. Each fluid chamber 12 is defined by a first wall in a first direction relative to the fluid chamber 12 and a second wall in a second direction relative to the fluid chamber 12, the second direction being opposite to the first direction. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the first direction is to the left and the second direction is to the right, but this is not mandatory. It should also be noted that the array 10 of fluid chambers 12 may not represent the total number of fluid chambers present in the droplet deposition head; additional arrays of fluid chambers may also exist (e.g., such as...). Figure 6 (as shown), which may be separated or terminated by one or more non-emission chambers.

[0092] Each of the walls 14 has a first (“active”) electrode 18 on a first side of the wall and a second (“common”) electrode 19 on a second side of the wall, which are connected to a drive circuit (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the first side is in a first direction relative to the wall and the second side is in a second direction relative to the wall, but this is not necessarily the case, and in alternative embodiments, the first electrode and the second electrode may be reversed.

[0093] The second electrode 19 of each wall is connected to a common potential (which can be ground, 0V, or another value, such as a positive potential greater than ground). The first electrode 18 of each wall can be selectively set by a drive waveform to one of the following: (a) a drive potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive potential (e.g., +V) is higher than the common potential (e.g., 0V). However, as described above, in an alternative embodiment, the drive potential may be lower than the common potential.

[0094] In the illustrated embodiment, all second electrodes 19 are simultaneously and constantly controlled to the same common potential to simplify the drive circuitry and control electronics. However, in an alternative embodiment, all second electrodes 19 do not need to be controlled to the same common potential; instead, one or more second electrodes 19 from different groups can be controlled to different common potentials. Therefore, the common potential does not need to be the same for each wall 14. Furthermore, one or more second electrodes 19 from different groups can receive the common potential at different times, rather than simultaneously and constantly.

[0095] Each of the walls 14 is actuable such that, in response to applying a driving potential to the corresponding first electrode 18, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in a first direction, and in response to applying a common potential to the corresponding first electrode 18, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0096] In other words, by applying a driving potential signal to the first electrode 18 and a common potential signal to the second electrode 19, a potential difference is created on the corresponding wall 14, which is the difference between the driving potential signal and the common potential signal. This potential difference causes deformation (actuation) of the wall. If the wall does not deform, there must be no potential difference on the wall; this is achieved by applying the same signal (i.e., the common potential signal) to both the first and second electrodes.

[0097] Such as Figure 2The depicted device is often referred to as a "side-shooter" because the nozzles are positioned approximately on the side of the fluid chamber; the nozzles are typically equidistant from each end. In this configuration, the ends of the channels are typically kept open to allow all channels to communicate with one or more common fluid manifolds. This further allows flow to be established along the length of the channels during use of the device, preventing fluid stagnation and sweeping debris from the nozzles. It is generally found advantageous that this flow rate along the length of the channels is greater than the maximum flow rate through the nozzles due to fluid release. In other words, when the device is operated at its maximum spray frequency, the average fluid flow rate through each nozzle is less than the flow rate along each channel. Preferably, this flow rate is at least three times, or more preferably five times, the maximum flow rate through the nozzles due to fluid release.

[0098] To provide the maximum density of deposited droplets, preferably, each channel or chamber within the array is filled with a jetting fluid, such as ink, during use, and is provided with orifices or nozzles for jetting the fluid.

[0099] Printing Mode 2

[0100] To address the temperature rise and high power consumption experienced by printing mode 1, this printing mode 2 was introduced, in which the walls of the launch chamber typically move in the same direction (in the same manner) but at different times within a single actuation cycle.

[0101] As described in more detail below, Figure 5 Provided Figure 2 The device undergoes a series of actuations according to printing mode 2, which is a first example and helps to illustrate the general principle of the mode. The naming and orientation conventions used above are maintained (i.e., referring to the first and second orientations).

[0102] At different times within a single cycle, chambers 1-5 experience increased pressure (indicated by "+") due to inward movement of one of their walls, resulting in a decrease in the volume of these chambers. It can also be seen in the figure that this inward movement causes a decrease in pressure in adjacent chambers (indicated by "-"), as the wall movement acts to increase the volume of those adjacent chambers. In the simplified representation used herein, walls are represented by V-shapes ("<" or ">") or vertical lines: the direction of wall deflection is indicated by the direction the V-shape points, while an undeformed wall is represented by a vertical line.

[0103] In more detail, Figure 5 An actuator is schematically shown, comprising an array of seven fluid chambers separated by actuable walls, the array being configured as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the diagram, a row of launch chambers 1 to 5 (indicated by underlines) are separated by non-launch chamber 0 and non-launch chamber 6.

[0104] Therefore, in this example, all fluid chambers within the array of fluid chambers are designated as either emission chambers (1 to 5) or non-emission chambers (0 and 6). As is characteristic of shared-wall devices, each fluid chamber shares its wall with its adjacent chambers. This means that in a row of emission chambers, not all fluid chambers will emit completely simultaneously.

[0105] In previous applications (e.g., WO 2010 / 055345 A1), it has been described that (substantially) half of the emission chambers emit in the first half of the cycle, while (substantially) the other half of the emission chambers emit in the second half of the cycle. However, the ejection of droplets from all emission chambers (the first half of the cycle and the second half of the cycle) occurs substantially simultaneously, forming a line of individual droplets in the deposition medium separated by gaps corresponding to the non-emission chambers.

[0106] Conversely, in this printing mode 2, in at least two stages (e.g., Figure 5 Phases 2.1 and 2.2, or Figure 7 Phases 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 provide all the wall movements responsible for launching the droplets. In these phases, the ejection of the droplets occurs within a single cycle.

[0107] In the illustrated printing mode 2, each of the walls 14 is actuable such that, in response to applying a driving potential to the corresponding first electrode 18, the corresponding wall will move from its neutral (rest) position to its deformed (actuated) position in a first direction, and in response to applying a common potential to the corresponding first electrode 18, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0108] For a given (single) actuation cycle, this actuation method includes the following steps:

[0109] Receive input data;

[0110] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers 12 within array 10 are designated as emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0111] A common potential is applied to the second electrode 19, and based on the input data, a driving potential or a common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode 18 to actuate the wall 14 of the chamber 12.

[0112] More specifically, for each non-launch room,

[0113] If a non-launching chamber is adjacent to a row of launching chambers, one wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in a neutral position (i.e., stationary).

[0114] If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then two walls are simultaneously actuated in the first direction (so as not to change the volume of the chamber), and

[0115] If a non-launch chamber is not adjacent to a row of launch chambers, the two walls remain in a neutral position or are simultaneously actuated in the first direction (or alternatively, if the chamber is configured for actuation in the second direction, it can be simultaneously actuated in the second direction).

[0116] Meanwhile, for each launch room,

[0117] Each of the first and second walls is actuated sequentially in the first direction (but not necessarily one before the other).

[0118] During the actuation cycle, actuation causes each of one or more consecutive emission chambers in a row to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of fluid on a line disposed on a medium, the body of fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding to the size of the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0119] Figure 5 Example

[0120] exist Figure 5 In a specific example, the actuation of wall 14 is performed in the following steps:

[0121] Step 1: Begin an actuation cycle and designate all fluid chambers as emission chambers (1 to 5) or non-emission chambers (0). and 6)

[0122] For simplicity, at the start of the actuation cycle, all the walls 14 within the array 10 of fluid chambers are in a neutral position (i.e., stationary) by applying a common potential to the first electrode 18 and the second electrode 19. Thus, the volume of each fluid chamber 12 is initially constant. However, this may not always be the case.

[0123] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers 12 within array 10 are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers for the actuation cycle, in order to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers.

[0124] Steps 2.1 and 2.2: Actuate the wall to eject one or more droplets.

[0125] For each fluid chamber designated as a non-emission chamber:

[0126] If a non-launching chamber is adjacent to a row of launching chambers, one wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in a neutral position, i.e., stationary (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 5(As shown in fluid chambers 0 and 6). (Incidentally, movement of a single wall does generate a pressure wave, but it is not sufficient on its own to cause a jet.)

[0127] If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are actuated simultaneously in the first direction so as not to change the volume of the chamber (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 7 (As shown in fluid chamber 2).

[0128] If a non-launch chamber is not adjacent to a row of launch chambers, the two walls remain in a neutral position or are simultaneously actuated in the first direction (or alternatively, if the chamber is configured for actuation in the second direction, it can be simultaneously actuated in the second direction).

[0129] Simultaneously, for each launch chamber, each of the first and second walls is actuated sequentially in a first direction (however, as discussed in more detail below, it is not necessarily a specific one preceding the other). For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, due to the shared-wall architecture, the wall can be actuated in the following two phases:

[0130] In the first stage (2.1):

[0131] Simultaneously actuating walls W1, W3, and W5 in the first direction increases the volume of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5, and draws fluid (e.g., ink) into them (the so-called "draw" step of the first stage); at the same time

[0132] Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain in their neutral positions (i.e., at rest);

[0133] After a short period between 2.1 and 2.2, walls W1, W3, and W5 are released and returned to their neutral positions, reducing the volume of launch chambers 1, 3, and 5 and increasing the pressure inside the launch chambers (the so-called "release" step of the first phase); and

[0134] In the second phase (2.2):

[0135] Simultaneously actuating walls W2, W4, and W6 in the same first direction reduces the volume of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5, reinforcing the actuation and forming droplets for ejection at the nozzle (the so-called "reinforcement" step of the first stage), while simultaneously increasing the volume of emission chambers 2 and 4 and drawing fluid (e.g., ink) into emission chambers 2 and 4 (the "drawing in" step of the second stage); at the same time

[0136] Walls W1, W3, and W5 remain in their neutral positions (i.e., stationary).

[0137] Step 3: End the actuation cycle

[0138] After a short period of time, walls W2, W4, and W6 are released and returned to their neutral positions, reducing the volume of launch chambers 2 and 4, increasing the pressure inside the launch chambers (the "release" step of the second stage), and forming droplets for spraying at the corresponding nozzles.

[0139] The droplets are ejected by nozzles corresponding to the emission chambers, because each emission chamber receives energy from its two walls during the two phases 2.1 and 2.2 of the cycle, which is different from non-emission chamber 6, which does not receive energy from wall W7 during the first phase and therefore does not emit.

[0140] That is, in stage 2.2, droplets are ejected from chambers 1, 3, and 5 due to the actuation of walls W2, W4, and W6 in the first direction, which reduces the volume of chambers 1, 3, and 5 and forces the droplets out. This follows the actuation of walls W1, W3, and W5 in the first direction in stage 2.1 to increase the volume of chambers 1, 3, and 5 and draw in fluid. Therefore, for these chambers 1, 3, and 5, each of the first and second walls has been actuated asynchronously (the first wall actuates before the second wall actuates). Thus, each of chambers 1, 3, and 5 receives energy from both of its walls during the cycle.

[0141] On the other hand, regarding the ejection of droplets from chambers 2 and 4, this occurs in phase 3 due to the movement of walls W2, W4, and W6 back to their neutral positions, reducing the volume of chambers 2 and 4 to their original volumes, and due to the earlier movement of walls W3 and W5 in phase 2.1 of the cycle. Therefore, for these chambers 2 and 4, each of the first and second walls has been actuated asynchronously (the second wall actuates before the first). Thus, each of chambers 2 and 4 receives energy from both of its walls during the cycle. Furthermore, the initial draw pulses of walls W3 and W5 (in step 2.1) can be considered as pre-push pulses for the ejection of chambers 2 and 4, introducing energy into the chamber in question so that when the other wall returns to its neutral position, it will be able to perform the desired ejection.

[0142] Chambers 1, 3, and 5 represent a first group of ejection chambers, in which all ejection chambers in this first group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets. Similarly, chambers 2 and 4 represent a second group of ejection chambers, in which all ejection chambers in this second group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets. The second group of ejection chambers is actuated to eject droplets after the first group, with both the first and second groups actuated within a single actuation cycle. Thus, within an actuation cycle, the ejection chambers within each group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets, with each group itself being actuated continuously. However, droplets from subsequent groups land on the medium substantially simultaneously with those from the first group.

[0143] Therefore, in conclusion, regarding Figure 5 For the first launch chamber (e.g., chamber 1), this actuation method includes the following steps during the actuation cycle:

[0144] The first wall (wall W1) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1) is actuated in a first direction, while the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber remains in a neutral position, thereby increasing the volume of the first launch chamber and causing it to draw in a certain amount of fluid, and then the first wall (wall W1) of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position; then

[0145] The second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1) is actuated in a first direction while the first wall (wall W1) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1) remains in a neutral position, thereby reducing the volume of the first launch chamber and causing the first launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid in the first launch chamber, and then the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber is returned to the neutral position.

[0146] like Figure 5 As shown, the second launch chamber (chamber 2) may be adjacent to the first launch chamber (chamber 1), and the second launch chamber is positioned in a second direction relative to the first launch chamber, such that the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber is the first wall of the second launch chamber. During the actuation cycle, the actuation of the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber in the first direction is performed, while the second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber remains in a neutral position, thereby increasing the volume of the second launch chamber and causing the second launch chamber to draw in a certain amount of fluid simultaneously with the ejection of droplets from the first launch chamber.

[0147] As described above, due to the energy already present in the second launch chamber (due to the earlier movement of the second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber during the actuation cycle), the return of the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber to the neutral position during the actuation cycle causes droplets of fluid to be ejected from the second launch chamber.

[0148] However, if desired, the method may further include the following supplementary step in the actuation cycle: actuating the second wall (wall W3) of the second emission chamber in a first direction while the first wall (wall W2) of the second emission chamber remains in a neutral position, thereby reducing the volume of the second emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the second emission chamber; and then returning the second wall (wall W3) of the second emission chamber to the neutral position. Furthermore, the potential difference applied to the second wall in the supplementary step can be varied to “fine-tune” the characteristics (such as volume and / or velocity) of the ejected droplets released from the second emission chamber.

[0149] As mentioned above, Figure 5 The array of fluid chambers shown does not necessarily represent the total number of fluid chambers present in the droplet deposition head. Instead, for example, as... Figure 6 As shown, an additional array of fluid chambers may also exist, wherein the first array includes fluid chambers 0 to 6, and the second array includes fluid chambers 7 to 13. Chambers 1 to 5 form a first row of emission chambers, and chambers 8 to 12 form a second row of emission chambers. As shown, the emission chambers of the first and second arrays of fluid chambers may be separated by one or more non-emission chambers (in the illustrated example, chambers 6 and 7) to advantageously isolate the actuation of the first array from the actuation of the second array.

[0150] As shown in the figure, in order to operate the first and second arrays in a balanced manner, the second array of the fluid chamber (chambers 7 to 13) can be arranged as a substantially mirror image of the first array of the fluid chamber (chambers 0 to 6). Furthermore, as also shown in the figure, the movement of the walls of the second array of the fluid chamber can substantially reflect the movement of the walls of the first array of the fluid chamber, so as to again enable the first and second arrays to operate in a balanced manner, where any vibration in one array substantially cancels out the corresponding vibration in the other array, achieving more accurate printing.

[0151] from Figure 6 The example can be understood as follows: the two walls of each launch chamber in the first row of launch chambers (chambers 1 to 5) move continuously in a first direction, and the two walls of each launch chamber in the second row of launch chambers (chambers 8 to 12) move continuously in a second direction. The movement of the walls of the launch chambers in the second row of launch chambers (chambers 8 to 12) reflects the movement of the walls of the launch chambers in the first row of launch chambers (chambers 1 to 5), and in this example, the two rows of launch chambers are separated by a row of non-launch chambers comprising two fluid chambers (chambers 6 and 7).

[0152] However, it should be noted that not all of these features are necessary. For example, the first and second rows of launch chambers can be separated by any number of non-launch chambers, and the movement of the walls of the launch chambers in the second row does not necessarily reflect the movement of the walls of the launch chambers in the first row. The actuation cycle can begin from the first wall of each launch chamber in the first and second rows, or from the second wall of each launch chamber in the first and second rows, or any combination thereof. (In other words, in the second row of launch chambers, walls W8, W10, and W12 (instead of walls W9, W11, and W13) can be actuated in the first stage.)

[0153] Figure 7 Example

[0154] Figure 7 Provided Figure 2 The device undergoes a series of actuations according to printing mode 2, as in the second example. Figure 8The pattern of pixels to be printed is shown. This example will focus particularly on the highlighted row of pixels, where the first, third, and fifth pixels are white pixels, and the second and fourth pixels are black pixels. This means that, in order to print this particular row, fluid chambers 0, 2, and 4 are designated as non-emission chambers, and fluid chambers 1 and 3 are designated as emission chambers.

[0155] As described above, the wall of each non-emission chamber is actuated such that:

[0156] If a non-launching chamber is adjacent to a row of launching chambers, one wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in a neutral position, i.e., stationary (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 7 (As shown in fluid chamber 0 and fluid chamber 4).

[0157] If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are actuated simultaneously in the first direction so as not to change the volume of the non-emission chamber (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 7 (As shown in fluid chamber 2).

[0158] If a non-launch chamber is not adjacent to a row of launch chambers, the two walls remain in a neutral position or are simultaneously actuated in the first direction (or alternatively, if the chamber is configured for actuation in the second direction, it can be simultaneously actuated in the second direction).

[0159] Simultaneously, for each launch chamber, each of the first and second walls is continuously actuated in a first direction (but not necessarily one before the other). For example, as Figure 7 As shown, the wall can be actuated as follows:

[0160] In the first stage (2.1):

[0161] The actuation wall W1 in the first direction increases the volume of the emission chamber 1 and draws fluid (e.g., ink) into the emission chamber 1 (the "drawing in" step of the first stage); simultaneously

[0162] Walls W2, W3, and W4 remain in their neutral positions (i.e., at rest);

[0163] After a short period of time between 2.1 and 2.2, wall W1 is released and returns to its neutral position, reducing the volume of launch chamber 1 and increasing the pressure inside launch chamber 1 (the "release" step of the first stage).

[0164] In the second phase (2.2):

[0165] Simultaneously actuating walls W2 and W3 in the same first direction reduces the volume of emission chamber 1, enhances actuation, and forms droplets for ejection at the nozzle (the "enhancement" step of the first stage). Simultaneously, by moving both walls W2 and W3 in the first direction, the volume of non-emission chamber 2 is kept constant, while simultaneously increasing the volume of emission chamber 3 and drawing fluid (e.g., ink) into emission chamber 3 (the "drawing in" step of the second stage).

[0166] Walls W1 and W4 remain in their neutral positions (i.e., at rest);

[0167] After a short period between steps 2.2 and 2.3, walls W2 and W3 are released and returned to their neutral positions, maintaining a constant volume in non-launch chamber 2 and reducing the volume of launch chamber 3 while increasing the pressure inside launch chamber 3 (the "release" step of the second stage); and

[0168] In the third stage (2.3):

[0169] The actuation wall W4 in the same first direction reduces the volume of the emission chamber 3, enhances actuation, and forms droplets for ejection at the nozzle (the "enhancement" step of the second stage), and

[0170] After a short period of time, Wall W3 was released and returned to its neutral position.

[0171] More generally, regarding Figure 7 The actuation method, in its steps, enables a first row of emission chambers (chamber 1; the first row may include one or more chambers) and a second row of emission chambers (chamber 3; the second row may also include one or more chambers) to be separated by a single non-emission chamber (chamber 2), the non-emission chamber being in a second direction relative to the first row of emission chambers (chamber 1), and the second row of emission chambers (chamber 3) being in a second direction relative to the non-emission chambers (chamber 2), such that...

[0172] In the first row of launch chambers, the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1) adjacent to the non-launch chamber (chamber 2) is the first wall of the non-launch chamber (chamber 2), and

[0173] In the second row of launch chambers, the first wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber (chamber 3) adjacent to the non-launch chamber (chamber 2) is the second wall of the non-launch chamber (chamber 2).

[0174] The method includes, during the actuation cycle:

[0175] The first wall (wall W1) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1) is actuated in a first direction, while the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber remains in a neutral position, and then the first wall (wall W1) of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position; then

[0176] Simultaneously actuating the second wall (wall W2) of the first emission chamber (chamber 1) and the first wall (wall W3) of the second emission chamber (chamber 3) in a first direction, thereby maintaining a constant volume of the non-emission chamber (chamber 2), while the second wall (wall W4) of the second emission chamber (chamber 3) remains in a neutral position, thereby causing the first emission chamber (chamber 1) to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, and then causing the second wall (wall W2) of the first emission chamber (chamber 1) and the first wall (wall W3) of the second emission chamber (chamber 3) to return to the neutral position; then

[0177] The second wall (wall W4) of the second launch chamber (chamber 3) is actuated in the first direction, while the first wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber (chamber 3) remains in a neutral position, thereby causing the second launch chamber (chamber 3) to eject droplets of fluid in the second launch chamber, and then the second wall (wall W4) of the second launch chamber (chamber 3) is returned to the neutral position.

[0178] Harmonic Actuation Mode

[0179] It was observed that at higher printing frequencies, printing modes 1 and 2 are most stable at the subharmonic of the acoustic resonant frequency (or within a small band around that subharmonic). In conventional multi-cycle printing modes, a "cancellation pulse" is used to effectively cancel the pressure wave remaining in the channel after actuation, essentially restoring the pressure in the channel to its initial state before actuation. Single-cycle emission schemes typically do not allow for (effective) cancellation pulses. However, in the "harmonic actuation mode" described hereafter, the inventors have found that intentionally actuating at or near the fundamental acoustic resonant frequency (also referred to herein as the "harmonic frequency") or its subharmonic (i.e., 1 / N of the acoustic resonant frequency, where N is an integer) can translate into advantages.

[0180] Therefore, we will now refer to Figures 9 to 19 A variation of the above printing mode 2 is described, wherein certain walls (usually but not necessarily every other wall) within one or more emission chambers oscillate between a neutral position and a first direction (e.g.) Figure 9 and Figure 10 ) or between the first and second directions (e.g.) Figure 11The actuation is repeated and simultaneous. At a specific moment during the actuation cycle when the ejection chamber is to eject droplets, substantially simultaneously with an instance of inward movement opposite to that of the repeatedly actuated wall, another wall of the ejection chamber is selectively actuated in the inward direction within the ejection chamber. The phrase "substantially simultaneous" should be understood to mean "at the same moment, or slightly earlier, or slightly later" the instances of inward movement opposite to that of the repeatedly actuated wall, in any case, such as to place the fluid in the chamber below an increased pressure sufficient to cause droplet ejection. For example, substantially at the moment when the other wall of the chamber is selectively actuated from its neutral position in a first direction, the repeatedly actuated wall can move inward from the first direction to a neutral direction (e.g., Figure 10 ), or move inward from the first direction to the second direction (e.g. Figure 11 To optimize the efficiency of the actuation process, preferably, the repeatedly actuated wall is actuated substantially at the fundamental resonant frequency of the emission chamber (also referred to herein as the “harmonic frequency”) or substantially at a harmonic or subharmonic of the resonant frequency of the emission chamber.

[0181] Figure 9 and Figure 10 Example (first example of harmonic actuation mode)

[0182] Figure 9 and Figure 10 The first example of a harmonic actuation mode is shown. Figure 10 Essentially Figure 9 The continuation, in which Figure 9 This illustrates the repetitive actuation of certain walls (walls W1, W3, and W5) preferably at the harmonic frequency of the room, between the first direction and the neutral position. Then, Figure 10 One method is shown in which certain fluid chambers (chamber 1 to chamber 5) designated as emission chambers are able to draw in liquid and then eject droplets of fluid when actuating a relative wall at a specific time in a first direction (inward direction) (simultaneously with the inward movement of the wall in the opposite direction of repeated actuation).

[0183] Therefore, in Figure 9 In step 0, the staggered walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated in the first direction at (or substantially at) the harmonic frequency of the chambers, and then return to a neutral position. This movement is repeated oscillatingly and provides energy to the system without ejecting droplets, because the energy imparted to the fluid meniscus in the adjacent chambers of the walls is insufficient to overcome surface tension effects and losses caused by the nozzles. Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain in the neutral position (i.e., stationary). Following the naming and orientation conventions used above, the repeatedly actuated walls W1, W3, and W5 can be considered as the first walls in the first direction relative to chambers 1, 3, and 5, while walls W2, W4, and W6 can be considered as the second walls in the second direction relative to chambers 1, 3, and 5.

[0184] like Figure 9The underscore in Figure 10 As indicated by the (maintained) instruction, in step 1 of the actuation method, all fluid chambers are designated as emission chambers (chambers 1 to 5) or non-emission chambers (chambers 0 and 6) based on the input data. The aforementioned repeated actuation of the first wall may be performed before the chambers are designated, but in any case continues after the chambers are designated.

[0185] Then, refer to Figure 10 The walls of each non-emission chamber (chamber 0 and chamber 6) are actuated such that:

[0186] If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are actuated simultaneously in the first direction so as not to change the volume of the non-emission chamber; otherwise...

[0187] Actuate one wall in the first direction while the other wall remains in a neutral position, or both walls remain in a neutral position.

[0188] The walls of each launch chamber (chamber 1 to chamber 5) are actuated such that:

[0189] In the first stage (2.1):

[0190] Walls W1, W3, and W5 maintain (essentially) the movement in the first direction at the harmonic frequency of the chamber; simultaneously

[0191] Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain in a neutral position (i.e., stationary);

[0192] After a short period between stages 2.1 and 2.2, walls W1, W3, and W5 are released and (essentially) return to a neutral position at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, reducing the volume of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5 and increasing the pressure within them.

[0193] In the second phase (2.2):

[0194] Due to the action of the jet pulses in the drive waveform, walls W2, W4, and W6 are actuated in the same first direction substantially simultaneously with walls W1, W3, and W5 returning to the neutral position. This adds the energy required to eject all droplets from all emission chambers into the actuation cycle, reducing the volume of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5, and forming droplets for ejection at each corresponding nozzle.

[0195] Increase the volume of emission chambers 2 and 4 and draw ink into emission chambers 2 and 4; simultaneously

[0196] Walls W1, W3, and W5 remain in a neutral position (i.e., stationary);

[0197] After a short period between 2.2 and 2.3, walls W2, W4, and W6 are released and return to their neutral positions;

[0198] In the third stage (2.3):

[0199] Walls W1, W3, and W5 remain (essentially) moved in the first direction at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, reducing the volume of emission chambers 2 and 4 and forming droplets for ejection at each corresponding nozzle; simultaneously

[0200] Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain in a neutral position (i.e., stationary);

[0201] After a short period between 2.3 and 3, walls W1, W3 and W5 are released and (essentially) return to their neutral positions at the harmonic frequencies of the chamber;

[0202] After the launch, walls W1, W3 and W5 are actuated again in the first direction and then (basically) return to the neutral position at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, as shown in step 0.

[0203] More generally, regarding Figure 9 and Figure 10 For a given (single) actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0204] Receive input data;

[0205] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0206] A common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, a driving potential or a common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the chamber, such that:

[0207] For at least the first launch chamber (e.g., chamber 1, chamber 3, and chamber 5).

[0208] The first launch chamber or the first wall (walls W1, W3, and W5) of each first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in a first direction and then returns to a neutral position, while the second wall (walls W2, W4, and W6) of the first launch chamber or each first launch chamber remains in the neutral position; and

[0209] During the actuation cycle, at the moment when one or more first emission chambers will eject droplets of fluid from those chambers, substantially simultaneously with the return of the first wall of the first emission chamber to a neutral position (i.e., before the first wall of the corresponding first emission chamber is actuated again in the first direction), the second wall (walls W2, W4, and W6) of the corresponding first emission chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, thereby causing the corresponding first emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from its respective chamber, and then the second wall (walls W2, W4, and W6) of the corresponding first emission chamber returns to the neutral position. The aforementioned "moment in the actuation cycle" at which the selective actuation of the second wall occurs can immediately follow the designated emission chamber and before the completion of the first repeated actuation of the first wall, although preferably the first wall is repeatedly actuated at least once before the selective actuation of the second wall occurs.

[0210] During the actuation cycle, actuation causes each of the one or more consecutive emission chambers in a row to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding to the size of the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0211] like Figure 10 As shown, the first launch chamber or each first launch chamber may be a member of a first group of one or more launch chambers (chamber 1, chamber 3 and chamber 5), which is interleaved with the corresponding launch chambers in a second group of one or more launch chambers (chamber 2 and chamber 4), wherein the first wall (walls W1, W3 and W5) of each member in the first group of launch chambers is simultaneously and repeatedly actuated in a first direction and then returns to a neutral position.

[0212] Therefore, the second launch chamber (e.g., chamber 2), which is a member of the second group of launch chambers, can be adjacent to the corresponding first launch chamber (e.g., chamber 1), with the second launch chamber relative to the first launch chamber in a second direction, such that the second wall of the first launch chamber (e.g., wall W2) is the first wall of the second launch chamber.

[0213] The method may also include, during the actuation cycle:

[0214] The second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber (chamber 2) is held in a neutral position, while the second wall (wall W2) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1) is actuated to eject droplets of the fluid in the first launch chamber; then

[0215] At substantially the same time as the first wall (wall W2) of the second launch chamber (chamber 2) is in a neutral position, the second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber (chamber 2) is actuated in a first direction, thereby causing the second launch chamber (chamber 2) to eject droplets of fluid in the second launch chamber, and then causing the second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber (chamber 2) to return to the neutral position.

[0216] It should be understood that the second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber (chamber 2) is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and returns to the neutral position synchronously with the repeated actuation of the first wall (wall W1) of the first launch chamber (chamber 1), not only because the second wall (wall W3) of the second launch chamber can be the first wall of a subsequent launch chamber in the first group (e.g., chamber 3 as shown in the figure), and because all the first walls of the launch chambers in the first group are repeatedly actuated synchronously with each other.

[0217] Chambers 1, 3, and 5 represent a first group of ejection chambers, in which all ejection chambers in this first group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets. Similarly, chambers 2 and 4 represent a second group of ejection chambers, in which all ejection chambers in this second group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets. The second group of ejection chambers is actuated to eject droplets after the first group, with both the first and second groups being actuated within a single actuation cycle. Therefore, within an actuation cycle, the ejection chambers within each group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets, with each group itself being continuously actuated.

[0218] Figure 11 Example (Second example of harmonic actuation mode)

[0219] Figure 11 It shows something similar to Figure 10 A second example of harmonic actuation modes. However, in Figure 10 In the middle, the wall can be actuated between the neutral position and the first direction, while Figure 11 In this case, the walls can be actuated between a first direction and a second direction. This is achieved by connecting the second electrode of each wall to a common potential (e.g., +V), and selectively setting the first electrode of each wall to one of the following: (a) a first driving potential (e.g., 0V), (b) a second driving potential (e.g., +++V), and (c) a common potential (e.g., +V), the common potential being between the first driving potential and the second driving potential. Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying a first driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformed position in the first direction; in response to applying a second driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformed position in the second direction; and in response to applying a common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0220] Therefore, in Figure 11In step 0, the staggered walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated in the first direction and then in the second direction at (or substantially at) the harmonic frequency of the chambers, without stopping at the neutral position. This movement is repeated in an oscillating manner and provides energy to the system without ejecting droplets, because the energy imparted to the fluid meniscus in the adjacent chambers of the walls is insufficient to overcome surface tension effects and losses caused by the nozzles. Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain in the neutral position (i.e., stationary). Following the naming and orientation conventions used above, the repeatedly actuated walls W1, W3, and W5 can be considered as the first walls in the first direction relative to chambers 1, 3, and 5, while walls W2, W4, and W6 can be considered as the second walls in the second direction relative to chambers 1, 3, and 5.

[0221] like Figure 11 The underlined text indicates that the fluid chamber is designated as a launch chamber (in this case, chambers 1, 3, and 5) or a non-launch chamber (chambers 0, 2, 4, and 6) based on the input data. The aforementioned repetitive actuation of the first wall can be performed before the chamber is designated, but in any case continues after the chamber is designated.

[0222] The walls of each launch chamber (chamber 1 to chamber 5) are actuated such that:

[0223] In the first stage (2.1):

[0224] In the first direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated at the harmonic frequency of the chamber; simultaneously

[0225] Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain in a neutral position (i.e., stationary);

[0226] In the second phase (2.2):

[0227] In the second direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated at the harmonic frequency of the chamber; simultaneously

[0228] Due to the action of the jet pulses in the driving waveform, and substantially simultaneously with the actuation of walls W1, W3, and W5 in the second direction, walls W2, W4, and W6 in the first direction are actuated, such that the energy required to eject all droplets from all emission chambers is added to the actuation cycle, reducing the volume of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5, and forming droplets for ejection at each corresponding nozzle; and

[0229] After the emission, the walls W1, W3 and W5 are actuated again in the first direction and then in the second direction (basically) at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, as shown in step 0.

[0230] For each non-emission chamber, if a row of non-emission chambers is not a single non-emission chamber located between multiple rows of emission chambers, then the actuation wall is actuated during the actuation cycle such that:

[0231] A wall is actuated only in the first direction (e.g., wall W6) or in both the first and second directions (e.g., wall W1), while the other wall remains in a neutral position (e.g., walls W0 and W7); or

[0232] Both walls remain in a neutral position.

[0233] On the other hand, if a single non-emission chamber is located between multiple rows of emission chambers, then the actuation wall is activated during the actuation cycle such that:

[0234] In the first stage (2.1), a wall (e.g., wall W3) is actuated in a first direction while a second wall (e.g., wall W2) remains in a neutral position; then

[0235] In the second stage (2.2), a wall (e.g., wall W2 and wall W4) is actuated in the first direction, while another wall (e.g., wall W3 and wall W5) is actuated in the second direction.

[0236] More generally, regarding Figure 11 For a given (single) actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0237] Receive input data;

[0238] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0239] A common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, a first driving potential, a second driving potential, or a common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the chamber, such that:

[0240] For at least the first launch chamber (e.g., chamber 1, chamber 3, and chamber 5).

[0241] In the first direction and then in the second direction, the first launch chamber or the first wall (walls W1, W3, and W5) of each first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated without stopping at the neutral position, while the second wall (walls W2, W4, and W6) of the first launch chamber or each first launch chamber remains in the neutral position; and

[0242] During the actuation cycle, at the moment when one or more first emission chambers are to eject droplets of fluid from those chambers, substantially simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the emission chamber in the second direction, the second wall (walls W2, W4, and W6) of the corresponding first emission chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, causing the corresponding first emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from its respective chamber. The second wall (walls W2, W4, and W6) then returns to a neutral position. As described above, the aforementioned "moment in the actuation cycle" at which the selective actuation of the second wall occurs can immediately follow the designated emission chamber and before the completion of the first repeated actuation of the first wall, although preferably the first wall is repeatedly actuated at least once before the selective actuation of the second wall occurs.

[0243] The first launch chamber or each first launch chamber may be a member of a first group of one or more launch chambers (chamber 1, chamber 3 and chamber 5), which is interleaved with the corresponding launch chambers in a second group of one or more launch chambers (chamber 2 and chamber 4), wherein the first wall (walls W1, W3 and W5) of each member in the first group of launch chambers is actuated repeatedly in a first direction and then in a second direction.

[0244] Figure 12 Example - Printing multiple lines

[0245] Now for reference Figure 12 In the case where it is desired to print a series of five droplets from chamber 1 to chamber 5, all chambers from chamber 1 to chamber 5 will be designated as launch chambers. However, in practice, the release of walls W2 and W4 and the movement of walls W3 and W5 in the first direction may be sufficient or insufficient to eject droplets from chambers 2 and 4.

[0246] If the driving pulses applied to walls W2 and W4 have a sufficiently high potential difference to overcome the surface tension effect upon release of these walls, droplets will be ejected from chambers 2 and 4. However, it is expected that the droplets will exhibit velocity and / or volume variations that result in a loss of printing uniformity.

[0247] One way to solve this problem is to print the droplets as multiple continuous lines, such as... Figure 12 As shown, for example, generating such Figure 13 The pattern shown. Thus, the energy of the previous pulse causes all chambers 1 to 5 to overcome the surface tension effect and, as... Figure 12 The launch is shown. However, this can cause consecutive droplets to merge during flight, again affecting print uniformity.

[0248] It should be noted that, for reference Figure 11 and Figure 12The wall motion described is the same. Droplets can be ejected from every other nozzle, or from each nozzle. This may depend on the number of rows printed. This can lead to the formation of uneven droplets in the printhead. The basic implementation will now refer to... Figures 14 to 19 Improvements were made in the more advanced technologies described.

[0249] Figure 14 A variant that uses a starting pulse

[0250] Figure 14 It shows Figure 11 A variation of the harmonic actuation mode. In this example, a so-called "starting pulse" is included in the drive waveform to ensure different droplet ejections.

[0251] and Figure 11 Similar to the example, in Figure 14 In the first and second directions, the staggered walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated (essentially) at the harmonic frequency of the chamber. This motion is repeated, providing some energy to the system without ejecting droplets. Figure 11 and Figure 14 Step 0).

[0252] For the purpose of injection, all fluid chambers are designated as either emission chambers (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) or non-emission chambers (0 and 6). Figure 14 This demonstrates how wall movement can spray a single line, resulting in something like... Figure 15 The pattern shown.

[0253] To explain the effect of the initiation pulse, note wall W2 (the second wall of the first emission chamber (chamber 1)). Figure 11 In phase 2.1, it remained in a neutral position, but in Figure 14 In the modified stage 2.1, the first wall (W1) of the first emission chamber is actuated substantially simultaneously in the first direction (by means of an initiation pulse) in the second direction. This actuation of the second wall (W2) of the first emission chamber occurs immediately before stage 2.2, in which the first emission chamber ejects droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber. In effect, the actuation of wall W2 in stage 2.1 is used to initiate wall W2 so that it is actuated to provide more energy when it induces droplet ejection in stage 2.2. Therefore, after stage 2.2, wall W2 still possesses sufficient energy to effectively facilitate successful droplet ejection in stage 2.3.

[0254] More specifically, the walls of each launch chamber (chamber 1 to chamber 5) are actuated such that:

[0255] In the first stage (2.1):

[0256] In the first direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, providing some energy to the chamber; simultaneously

[0257] The starting pulse actuates walls W2 and W4 in the second direction, giving the chamber some starting energy.

[0258] In the second phase (2.2):

[0259] In the second direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated at the harmonic frequency of the chamber; simultaneously

[0260] Due to the action of the jet pulse in the drive waveform, the actuation walls W2, W4 and W6 in the first direction are actuated substantially simultaneously with the actuation walls W1, W3 and W5 in the second direction, so that the energy required to eject all droplets from all the ejection chambers is added to the actuation cycle, reducing the volume of ejection chamber 1, ejection chamber 3 and ejection chamber 5, and forming droplets for ejection at each corresponding nozzle.

[0261] In the third stage (2.3):

[0262] In the first direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated again at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, providing some energy to the chamber; simultaneously

[0263] Walls W2, W4, and W6 are released, and chambers 2 and 4 eject droplets due to the starting energy previously imparted by the starting pulse; and

[0264] After the emission, the walls W1, W3 and W5 are actuated again in the first direction and then in the second direction (basically) at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, as shown in step 0.

[0265] For each non-emission chamber, the wall is actuated such that:

[0266] A wall is actuated only in the first direction (e.g., wall W6) or in both the first and second directions (e.g., wall W1), while the other wall remains stationary (e.g., walls W0 and W7); or

[0267] Both walls remain in a neutral position.

[0268] Figure 16 It shows, for example, that can be applied to Figure 14 The example drive waveform of wall W2 includes a starting pulse (a pulse of the "second drive potential", at nominal level ++V, causing actuation in the second direction in stage 2.1) followed by a jet pulse (a pulse of the "first drive potential", at nominal level 0V, causing actuation in the first direction in stage 2.2), and then returns to the common potential (at nominal level +V).

[0269] from Figure 16 It can be seen that when the start pulse is delivered, the relative amplitudes of the second drive potential (++V), the first drive potential (0V), and the common potential (+V) can optionally be such that the difference between the second drive potential (++V) and the common potential (+V) is less than the difference between the common potential (+V) and the first drive potential (0V).

[0270] Figure 17 A variant that eliminates pulses

[0271] Figure 17 It shows Figure 11 A variation of the harmonic actuation mode. In this example, a so-called "elimination pulse" is included in the drive waveform to ensure that droplets are ejected only every other nozzle.

[0272] and Figure 11 and Figure 14 Similar to the example, in Figure 17 In the process, the staggered walls W1, W3, and W5 move (essentially) at the harmonic frequencies of the chamber in the first and second directions. This movement is repeated, providing some energy to the system without ejecting droplets (step 0).

[0273] For the purpose of injection, all fluid chambers are designated as either emission chambers (1, 3, and 5) or non-emission chambers (0, 2, 4, and 6).

[0274] To explain the effect of pulse elimination, it should be noted that Figure 17 Stages 2.3 and 2.4 correspond to Figure 11 Phases 2.1 and 2.2. However, Figure 17 Additionally, this includes stages 2.1 and 2.2 preceding stages 2.3 and 2.4 (delivering the cancellation pulse in stage 2.2). Referring again to wall W2 (the second wall of the first transmission chamber (chamber 1)), in... Figure 17 In stage 2.2, simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall (W1) of the first emission chamber in the second direction, the wall W2 is actuated in the second direction (by means of the pulse cancellation). This occurs... Figure 17 Prior to stage 2.4, in stage 2.4, droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber are ejected from the first emission chamber. In stage 2.2, the walls W3 and W4 of the next emission chamber (chamber 3) are actuated in the same way, and chamber 3 is separated from chamber 1 by a non-emission chamber (chamber 2); the walls W5 and W6 of another emission chamber (chamber 5) are also actuated in the same way, and chamber 5 is separated from chamber 3 by another non-emission chamber (chamber 4). Figure 17The effect of eliminating the pulse in stage 2.2 is to cause both walls of non-emission chamber 2 and non-emission chamber 4 to move simultaneously (i.e., in stage 2.2) in the same direction (i.e., the second direction). This ensures that the surface tension effect is not overcome in non-emission chamber 2 and non-emission chamber 4 during the remainder of the actuation cycle. Therefore, in stage 2.4, when droplets are ejected from each of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5, no droplets are ejected from non-emission chamber 2 and non-emission chamber 4.

[0275] More specifically, the walls of each chamber are actuated such that:

[0276] In the first stage (2.1):

[0277] In the first direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated at the harmonic frequency of the chamber; simultaneously

[0278] Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain stationary;

[0279] In the second phase (step 2.2):

[0280] Due to the action of the elimination pulse (more specifically, which is applied to walls W2, W4 and W6 to ensure that no droplets are ejected from chambers 2, 4 and 6), walls W1 to W6 are actuated in the second direction;

[0281] In the third stage (2.3):

[0282] In the first direction (basically), the walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated again at the harmonic frequency of the chamber; simultaneously

[0283] Walls W2, W4, and W6 remain stationary;

[0284] In the fourth stage (2.4):

[0285] In the second direction (basically), walls W1, W3, and W5 are actuated again at the channel harmonic frequency; simultaneously

[0286] Due to the action of the jet pulses in the driving waveform, and substantially simultaneously with the actuation of walls W1, W3, and W5 in the second direction, walls W2, W4, and W6 in the first direction are actuated, such that the energy required to eject all droplets from all emission chambers is added to the actuation cycle, reducing the volume of emission chambers 1, 3, and 5, and forming droplets for ejection at each corresponding nozzle; and

[0287] After the emission, the walls W1, W3 and W5 are actuated again in the first direction and then in the second direction (basically) at the harmonic frequency of the chamber, as shown in step 0.

[0288] Figure 19 It shows, for example, that can be applied to Figure 17The example drive waveform for wall W2 includes a cancel pulse (a pulse of the "second drive potential," at nominal level ++V, causing actuation in the second direction in stage 2.2), followed by a jet pulse (a pulse of the "first drive potential," at nominal level 0V, causing actuation in the first direction in stage 2.4) and then a return to the common potential (at nominal level +V). It can be seen that the drive waveform also returns to the common potential during the brief period between the cancel pulse and the jet pulse; this brief period corresponds to the duration of stage 2.3, during which wall W2 is temporarily in a neutral position.

[0289] from Figure 19 It can also be seen that when the elimination pulse is delivered, the relative amplitudes of the second driving potential (++V), the first driving potential (0V), and the common potential (+V) can optionally be such that the difference between the second driving potential (++V) and the common potential (+V) is less than the difference between the common potential (+V) and the first driving potential (0V).

[0290] General considerations

[0291] In all of the above-described printing modes, the droplet deposition apparatus (including one or more droplet deposition heads) may further include a computer that communicates data with the droplet deposition heads, wherein the computer is programmed to perform specified steps based on input data. The computer may also be programmed to provide instructions to the droplet deposition heads to cause them to perform actuation steps.

[0292] Alternatively or additionally, the droplet deposition head, or each droplet deposition head, may be equipped with an onboard processor programmed to perform the specified steps based on the input data.

[0293] A computer program may be provided that includes instructions for causing the droplet deposition head or droplet deposition apparatus to perform the printing method discussed.

[0294] For example, WO 2018 / 224821 A9 provides further details on how the droplet deposition head can be controlled in response to the provided image data and in response to the generation of a drive waveform used to provide a potential signal to actuate the walls of the emission chamber.

[0295] It should be understood that, depending on the application, the methods described herein and the droplet deposition head can be used to deposit a variety of fluids.

[0296] For example, a droplet deposition head can eject ink droplets that can travel to a piece of paper or card, or to other receiving media, such as ceramic tiles or molded articles (e.g., cans, bottles, etc.), to form an image, as is the case in inkjet printing applications (where the droplet deposition head can be an inkjet printhead, or more specifically, an inkjet printhead that drips on demand).

[0297] Alternatively, droplets of fluid can be used to construct structures. For example, electroactive fluids can be deposited onto a receiving medium, such as a circuit board, to prototype electrical devices.

[0298] In another example, a polymer containing a fluid or molten polymer can be deposited in a continuous layer to create a prototype model of an object (as in 3D printing).

[0299] In other applications, droplet deposition heads can be adapted to deposit droplets containing solutions of biological or chemical materials onto receiving media such as microarrays.

[0300] The droplet deposition head for such optional fluids is constructed roughly similarly to a print head, with some modifications to handle the specific fluid in question.

[0301] The droplet deposition head described herein can be an on-demand droplet deposition head. In such a head, the pattern of the ejected droplets varies according to the input data provided to the head.

[0302] Using all of the above printing modes, the potential difference applied to the chamber wall can be varied to "fine-tune" the characteristics of the ejected droplets (such as volume and / or velocity). Furthermore, additional wall motions of varying amplitudes can also be used, or alternatively, to "fine-tune" these characteristics of the ejected droplets.

[0303] Furthermore, in the example drive waveforms given above, the potential levels of the electrodes applied to the chamber wall are described as positive potentials (e.g., +V or ++V) or zero / ground potentials. However, if the drive electronics allow, one or more of the drive potential and common potential can take negative values, provided, of course, that the relative relationship between the drive potential and common potential results in the desired actuation behavior of the wall (if two such drive potentials are used to achieve bidirectional actuation of the wall, the common potential is between the first and second drive potentials).

[0304] Finally, it should be noted that a wide range of examples and variations are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the foregoing description should be understood as providing numerous non-limiting examples that will help those skilled in the art to understand the invention and demonstrate how it can be implemented.

[0305] Various aspects of this disclosure may be implemented in one or more of the following embodiments:

[0306] Project 1): A method for depositing fluid droplets onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising:

[0307] An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0308] Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls can be selectively set to one of the following: (a) a driving potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential;

[0309] Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying the driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in the first direction, and in response to applying the common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0310] For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0311] Receive input data;

[0312] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0313] The common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, either the driving potential or the common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the fluid chamber, such that:

[0314] For each non-launch room

[0315] If the non-emission chamber is adjacent to a row of emission chambers, then one wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in the neutral position.

[0316] If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are simultaneously actuated in the first direction, and

[0317] If the non-emission chamber is not adjacent to a row of emission chambers, the two walls remain in the neutral position, or are simultaneously actuated in the first direction, or simultaneously actuated in the second direction; and

[0318] For each launch room,

[0319] Each of the first wall and the second wall is continuously actuated in the first direction;

[0320] During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the emission chambers in a row of one or more consecutive emission chambers to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding in size to the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0321] Project 2): According to the method of Project 1), wherein, for the first launch chamber, the method includes, during the actuation cycle:

[0322] The first wall of the first launch chamber is actuated in the first direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby increasing the volume of the first launch chamber and causing it to draw in a certain amount of fluid. Then, the first wall of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

[0323] The second wall of the first launch chamber is actuated in the first direction while the first wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby reducing the volume of the first launch chamber and causing the first launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first launch chamber, and then the second wall of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

[0324] Project 3): According to the method described in Project 2), the second launch chamber is adjacent to the first launch chamber, and the second launch chamber is in the second direction relative to the first launch chamber such that the second wall of the first launch chamber is the first wall of the second launch chamber.

[0325] During the actuation cycle, the actuation of the second wall of the first emission chamber in the first direction is performed, while the second wall of the second emission chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby increasing the volume of the second emission chamber and causing the second emission chamber to draw in a certain amount of fluid while ejecting droplets from the first emission chamber.

[0326] Project 4): According to the method of Project 3), wherein, during the actuation cycle, the second wall of the first emission chamber is returned to the neutral position so that droplets of fluid are ejected from the second emission chamber.

[0327] Project 5): The method according to Project 3) further includes: during the actuation cycle, actuating the second wall of the second emission chamber in the first direction while the first wall of the second emission chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby reducing the volume of the second emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid in the second emission chamber, and then returning the second wall of the second emission chamber to the neutral position.

[0328] Project 6): According to the method of Project 1), wherein, for a first row of launch chambers and a second row of launch chambers separated by a single non-launch chamber, the non-launch chambers are in the second direction relative to the first row of launch chambers, and the second row of launch chambers are in the second direction relative to the non-launch chambers, such that,

[0329] In the first row of launch chambers, the second wall of the first launch chamber adjacent to the non-launch chamber is the first wall of the non-launch chamber, and

[0330] In the second row of launch chambers, the first wall of the second launch chamber adjacent to the non-launch chamber is the second wall of the non-launch chamber.

[0331] The method includes, during the actuation cycle:

[0332] The first wall of the first launch chamber is actuated in the first direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position, and then the first wall of the first launch chamber is returned to the neutral position; then

[0333] Simultaneously actuating the second wall of the first launch chamber and the first wall of the second launch chamber in the first direction, while the second wall of the second launch chamber remains in the neutral position, causes the first launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first launch chamber, and then returns the second wall of the first launch chamber and the first wall of the second launch chamber to the neutral position; then

[0334] The second wall of the second launch chamber is actuated in the first direction while the first wall of the second launch chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby causing the second launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the second launch chamber, and then the second wall of the second launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

[0335] Project 7): A method for depositing fluid droplets onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising:

[0336] An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0337] Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls can be selectively set to one of the following: (a) a driving potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential;

[0338] Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying the driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in the first direction, and in response to applying the common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0339] For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0340] Receive input data;

[0341] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0342] The common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, either the driving potential or the common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the fluid chamber, such that:

[0343] For at least the first launch chamber,

[0344] The first wall of the first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then returns to the neutral position, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position; and

[0345] During the actuation cycle, at the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, substantially simultaneously with returning the first wall of the first emission chamber to the neutral position, the second wall of the first emission chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, thereby causing the first emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, and then the second wall of the first emission chamber returns to the neutral position;

[0346] During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the emission chambers in a row of one or more consecutive emission chambers to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding in size to the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0347] Project 8): The method according to Project 7), wherein the first launch chamber is a member of a first group of launch chambers, the first group of launch chambers being staggered by corresponding launch chambers in a second group of one or more launch chambers, and wherein the first wall of each of the members of the first group of launch chambers is simultaneously and repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then returns to the neutral position.

[0348] Project 9): According to the method described in Project 7) or Project 8),

[0349] In this configuration, a second launch chamber, which is a member of one or more launch chambers in the second group, is adjacent to the first launch chamber, and the second launch chamber is positioned relative to the first launch chamber in the second direction such that the second wall of the first launch chamber is the first wall of the second launch chamber.

[0350] Furthermore, the method further includes, during the actuation cycle:

[0351] The second wall of the second emission chamber is held in the neutral position while the second wall of the first emission chamber is actuated to eject droplets of the fluid in the first emission chamber; then

[0352] At substantially simultaneous with the first wall of the second launch chamber being in the neutral position, the second wall of the second launch chamber is actuated in the first direction, causing the second launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the second launch chamber, and then the second wall of the second launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

[0353] Item 10): According to the method of Item 9), the second wall of the second launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and returns to the neutral position in sync with the repeated actuation of the first wall of the first launch chamber.

[0354] Item 11): The method according to any one of Items 7) to 10), wherein, during the actuation cycle, for each non-emission chamber,

[0355] If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are actuated simultaneously in the first direction; otherwise...

[0356] One wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in the neutral position, or both walls remain in the neutral position.

[0357] Item 12): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 11), wherein the common potential is a ground potential or 0V.

[0358] Item 13): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 11), wherein the common potential is a positive potential greater than the ground potential.

[0359] Item 14): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 13), wherein the driving potential is greater than the common potential.

[0360] Project 15): A method for depositing fluid droplets onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising:

[0361] An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;

[0362] Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls can be selectively configured as one of: (a) a first driving potential, (b) a second driving potential and (c) the common potential, wherein the common potential is between the first driving potential and the second driving potential;

[0363] Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying the first driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformed position in the first direction; in response to applying the second driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from the neutral position to the deformed position in the second direction; and in response to applying the common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position.

[0364] For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps:

[0365] Receive input data;

[0366] Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and

[0367] The common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, the first driving potential, the second driving potential, or the common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the fluid chamber, such that:

[0368] For at least the first launch chamber,

[0369] The first wall of the first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then in the second direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position; and

[0370] During the actuation cycle, at the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, substantially simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first emission chamber in the second direction, the second wall of the first emission chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, thereby causing the first emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, and then the second wall of the first emission chamber returns to the neutral position;

[0371] Optionally, immediately before the moment when the first ejector chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first ejector chamber during the actuation cycle, the second wall of the first ejector chamber is actuated in the second direction simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first ejector chamber in the first direction (i.e., due to the waveform providing the starting pulse).

[0372] During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the emission chambers in a row of one or more consecutive emission chambers to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding in size to the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

[0373] Item 16): The method according to Item 15), wherein the first launch chamber is a member of a first group of launch chambers, the first group of launch chambers being staggered by corresponding launch chambers in a second group of one or more launch chambers, and wherein the first wall of each of the members of the first group of launch chambers is simultaneously and repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then in the second direction.

[0374] Item 17): The method according to Item 15) or Item 16), wherein, during the actuation cycle, for each non-emission chamber, the wall is actuated such that:

[0375] If the row of non-emission chambers is not a single non-emission chamber located between multiple rows of emission chambers, then one wall is actuated only in the first direction or in both the first and second directions, while the other wall remains in the neutral position; or

[0376] Both walls remain in the neutral position.

[0377] Item 18): The method according to Item 15) or Item 16), wherein, during the actuation cycle, for each non-emission chamber, the wall is actuated such that:

[0378] If a single non-launching chamber is located between multiple rows of launching chambers, then:

[0379] A wall is actuated in the first direction, while the second wall remains in the neutral position; then

[0380] A wall is actuated in the first direction, while another wall is actuated in the second direction.

[0381] Item 19): The method according to any one of Items 15) to 18), wherein, for a row of a plurality of consecutive emission chambers, the emission chambers are actuated to deposit droplets into a plurality of consecutive lines.

[0382] Item 20): According to the method of Item 15), wherein, immediately before the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid in the first emission chamber during the actuation cycle, the second wall of the first emission chamber is actuated in the second direction simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first emission chamber in the first direction.

[0383] Item 21): According to the method of Item 15), wherein, before the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid in the first emission chamber during the actuation cycle, simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first emission chamber in the second direction, the second wall of the first emission chamber is actuated in the second direction.

[0384] Item 22): The method according to Item 20) or Item 21), wherein the actuation of the second wall of the first emission chamber in the second direction is performed by applying a second driving potential to a first electrode of the second wall of the first emission chamber, the second driving potential such that the difference between the second driving potential and the common potential is less than the difference between the common potential and the first driving potential.

[0385] Item 23): The method according to any one of Items 15) to 22), wherein the common potential is a positive potential greater than the ground potential.

[0386] Project 24): According to the method of Project 23), wherein the first driving potential is greater than the common potential, and the second driving potential is less than the common potential.

[0387] Project 25): According to the method described in Project 24), wherein the second driving potential is a ground potential or 0V.

[0388] Item 26): The method according to any one of Items 7) to 25), wherein, prior to the step of designating all fluid chambers in the array as emission chambers or non-emission chambers based on the input data, the repeatedly actuated wall is actuated once or more.

[0389] Item 27): The method according to any one of Items 7 to 26), wherein the transmitting chamber or the first wall of each transmitting chamber is actuated substantially at the resonant frequency of the transmitting chamber, or substantially at a harmonic or subharmonic of the resonant frequency of the transmitting chamber.

[0390] Item 28): The method according to any one of Items 3) to 6), 9), or 10), wherein the first launch chamber is a member of a first group of launch chambers, and the second launch chamber is a member of a second group of launch chambers.

[0391] During the actuation cycle, the emission chambers in the first group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets, and

[0392] The launch chambers in the second group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets after the launch chambers in the first group.

[0393] Item 29): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 28), wherein the array of fluid chambers is a first array of fluid chambers, and the droplet deposition head further includes a second array of fluid chambers.

[0394] Item 30): The method according to Item 29), wherein the emission chambers of the first array of fluid chambers and the second array of fluid chambers are separated by one or more non-emission chambers.

[0395] Item 31): The method according to Item 29) or Item 30), wherein the second array of fluid chambers is arranged to be substantially a mirror image of the first array of fluid chambers.

[0396] Project 32): According to the method of Project 31), wherein the movement of the walls of the second array of the fluid chamber substantially reflects the movement of the walls of the first array of the fluid chamber.

[0397] Item 33): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 32), wherein the wall is formed with two regions of piezoelectric material of opposite polarities so as to exhibit V-shaped deformation in response to the application of the driving potential to the respective first electrode.

[0398] Item 34): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 32), wherein each wall is formed of a piezoelectric material polarized in a uniform manner in a single direction so as to exhibit shear mode deformation in response to the application of the driving potential to the respective first electrode.

[0399] Item 35): The method according to any one of Items 1) to 34), wherein different walls or different groups of walls can be set to different common potentials.

[0400] Item 36): A droplet deposition head configured to perform the method according to any one of items 1 to 35).

[0401] Item 37): The droplet deposition head according to Item 36) includes a processor programmed to perform specified steps based on the input data.

[0402] Item 38): A droplet deposition apparatus comprising one or more droplet deposition heads, said droplet deposition apparatus being configured to perform the method according to any one of items 1 to 35).

[0403] Item 39): The droplet deposition apparatus according to Item 38) further includes a computer that communicates data with the one or more droplet deposition heads, wherein the computer is programmed to perform specified steps based on the input data.

[0404] Item 40): The droplet deposition apparatus according to Item 39), wherein the computer is further programmed to send instructions to the one or more droplet deposition heads to cause the one or more droplet deposition heads to perform actuation steps.

[0405] Item 41): A computer program comprising instructions that cause the droplet deposition head according to Item 36) or the droplet deposition apparatus according to any one of Items 38 to 40) to perform the method according to any one of Items 1 to 35).

Claims

1. A method for depositing fluid droplets onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising: An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction; Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls can be selectively set to one of the following: (a) a driving potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential; Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying the driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in the first direction, and in response to applying the common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position. For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps: Receive input data; Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and The common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, either the driving potential or the common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the fluid chamber, such that: For each non-launch room If the non-emission chamber is adjacent to a row of emission chambers, then one wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in the neutral position. If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are simultaneously actuated in the first direction, and If the non-emission chamber is not adjacent to a row of emission chambers, the two walls remain in the neutral position, or are simultaneously actuated in the first direction, or simultaneously actuated in the second direction; and For each launch room, Each of the first wall and the second wall is continuously actuated in the first direction; During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the emission chambers in a row of one or more consecutive emission chambers to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding in size to the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, For the first launch chamber, the method includes, during the actuation cycle: The first wall of the first launch chamber is actuated in the first direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby increasing the volume of the first launch chamber and causing it to draw in a certain amount of fluid. Then, the first wall of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position. The second wall of the first launch chamber is actuated in the first direction while the first wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby reducing the volume of the first launch chamber and causing the first launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first launch chamber, and then the second wall of the first launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The second launch chamber is adjacent to the first launch chamber, and the second launch chamber is positioned relative to the first launch chamber in the second direction, such that the second wall of the first launch chamber is the first wall of the second launch chamber. During the actuation cycle, the actuation of the second wall of the first emission chamber in the first direction is performed, while the second wall of the second emission chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby increasing the volume of the second emission chamber and causing the second emission chamber to draw in a certain amount of fluid while ejecting droplets from the first emission chamber.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, During the actuation cycle, the second wall of the first emission chamber is returned to the neutral position, causing fluid droplets to be ejected from the second emission chamber.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: During the actuation cycle, the second wall of the second emission chamber is actuated in the first direction while the first wall of the second emission chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby reducing the volume of the second emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the second emission chamber, and then the second wall of the second emission chamber returns to the neutral position.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, For a first row of launch chambers and a second row of launch chambers separated by a single non-launch chamber, the non-launch chambers are in the second direction relative to the first row of launch chambers, and the second row of launch chambers are in the second direction relative to the non-launch chambers, such that, In the first row of launch chambers, the second wall of the first launch chamber adjacent to the non-launch chamber is the first wall of the non-launch chamber, and In the second row of launch chambers, the first wall of the second launch chamber adjacent to the non-launch chamber is the second wall of the non-launch chamber. The method includes, during the actuation cycle: The first wall of the first launch chamber is actuated in the first direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position, and then the first wall of the first launch chamber is returned to the neutral position; then Simultaneously actuating the second wall of the first launch chamber and the first wall of the second launch chamber in the first direction, while the second wall of the second launch chamber remains in the neutral position, causes the first launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first launch chamber, and then returns the second wall of the first launch chamber and the first wall of the second launch chamber to the neutral position; then The second wall of the second launch chamber is actuated in the first direction while the first wall of the second launch chamber remains in the neutral position, thereby causing the second launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the second launch chamber, and then the second wall of the second launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

7. A method for depositing fluid droplets onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising: An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction; Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls can be selectively set to one of the following: (a) a driving potential different from the common potential and (b) the common potential; Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying the driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformable position in the first direction, and in response to applying the common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position. For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps: Receive input data; Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and The common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, either the driving potential or the common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the fluid chamber, such that: For at least the first launch chamber, The first wall of the first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then returns to the neutral position, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position; and During the actuation cycle, at the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, substantially simultaneously with returning the first wall of the first emission chamber to the neutral position, the second wall of the first emission chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, thereby causing the first emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, and then the second wall of the first emission chamber returns to the neutral position; During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the emission chambers in a row of one or more consecutive emission chambers to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding in size to the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The first launch chamber is a member of a first group of launch chambers, which is interleaved with corresponding launch chambers in a second group of one or more launch chambers, and wherein the first wall of each member of the first group of launch chambers is simultaneously and repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then returns to the neutral position.

9. The method according to claim 8, in, A second launch chamber, being a member of one or more launch chambers in the second group, is adjacent to the first launch chamber, and the second launch chamber is positioned relative to the first launch chamber in the second direction such that the second wall of the first launch chamber is the first wall of the second launch chamber. Furthermore, the method further includes, during the actuation cycle: The second wall of the second emission chamber is held in the neutral position while the second wall of the first emission chamber is actuated to eject droplets of the fluid in the first emission chamber; then At substantially simultaneous with the first wall of the second launch chamber being in the neutral position, the second wall of the second launch chamber is actuated in the first direction, causing the second launch chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the second launch chamber, and then the second wall of the second launch chamber returns to the neutral position.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The second wall of the second launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and returns to the neutral position in sync with the repeated actuation of the first wall of the first launch chamber.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, During the actuation cycle, for each non-emission chamber, If the non-emission chamber is a single non-emission chamber between multiple rows of emission chambers, then both walls are actuated simultaneously in the first direction; otherwise... One wall is actuated in the first direction while the other wall remains in the neutral position, or both walls remain in the neutral position.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The common potential is the ground potential or 0V.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The common potential is a positive potential that is greater than the ground potential.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The driving potential is greater than the common potential.

15. A method for depositing fluid droplets onto a medium using a droplet deposition head, the droplet deposition head comprising: An array of fluid chambers separated by walls formed of piezoelectric material, each fluid chamber communicating with an orifice for releasing a droplet of fluid, each of the walls separating two adjacent fluid chambers, and each fluid chamber being defined by a first wall relative to the fluid chamber in a first direction and a second wall relative to the fluid chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction; Each of the walls has a first electrode on a first side of the wall and a second electrode on a second side of the wall, wherein the second electrode of each of the walls is connected to a common potential, and wherein the first electrode of each of the walls can be selectively configured as one of: (a) a first driving potential, (b) a second driving potential and (c) the common potential, wherein the common potential is between the first driving potential and the second driving potential; Each of the walls is actuable such that, in response to applying the first driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from a neutral position to a deformed position in the first direction; in response to applying the second driving potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will move from the neutral position to the deformed position in the second direction; and in response to applying the common potential to the corresponding first electrode, the corresponding wall will return to or remain in the neutral position. For the actuation cycle, the method includes the following steps: Receive input data; Based on the input data, all fluid chambers within the array are designated as either emission chambers or non-emission chambers to generate multiple rows of one or more consecutive emission chambers separated by multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers; and The common potential is applied to the second electrode, and based on the input data, the first driving potential, the second driving potential, or the common potential is selectively applied to the first electrode to actuate the wall of the fluid chamber, such that: For at least the first launch chamber, The first wall of the first launch chamber is repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then in the second direction, while the second wall of the first launch chamber remains in the neutral position; and During the actuation cycle, at the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, substantially simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first emission chamber in the second direction, the second wall of the first emission chamber is selectively actuated in the first direction, thereby causing the first emission chamber to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber, and then the second wall of the first emission chamber returns to the neutral position; During the actuation cycle, the actuation causes each of the emission chambers in a row of one or more consecutive emission chambers to release at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming the body of a fluid on a line disposed on the medium, the body of the fluid on the line being used to separate a corresponding gap in each of the multiple rows of one or more consecutive non-emission chambers, the size of each such gap being approximately corresponding in size to the corresponding row of non-emission chambers.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The first launch chamber is a member of a first group of launch chambers, which is interleaved with corresponding launch chambers in a second group of one or more launch chambers, and wherein the first wall of each of the members of the first group of launch chambers is simultaneously and repeatedly actuated in the first direction and then in the second direction.

17. The method according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein, During the actuation cycle, for each non-emission chamber, the wall is actuated such that: If the row of non-emission chambers is not a single non-emission chamber located between multiple rows of emission chambers, then one wall is actuated only in the first direction or in both the first and second directions, while the other wall remains in the neutral position; or Both walls remain in the neutral position.

18. The method according to claim 15 or claim 16, wherein, During the actuation cycle, for each non-emission chamber, the wall is actuated such that: If a single non-launching chamber is located between multiple rows of launching chambers, then: A wall is actuated in the first direction, while the second wall remains in the neutral position; then A wall is actuated in the first direction, while another wall is actuated in the second direction.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein, For a row of multiple consecutive emission chambers, the emission chambers are actuated to deposit droplets into multiple continuous lines.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein, Immediately before the moment when the first emission chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first emission chamber during the actuation cycle, the second wall of the first emission chamber is actuated in the second direction simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first emission chamber in the first direction.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein, As the waveform provides the starting pulse, the second wall of the first emission chamber is actuated in the second direction.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein, Before the moment when the first ejection chamber is to eject droplets of fluid from the first ejection chamber during the actuation cycle, simultaneously with the actuation of the first wall of the first ejection chamber in the second direction, the second wall of the first ejection chamber is actuated in the second direction.

23. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein, The actuation of the second wall of the first emission chamber in the second direction is performed by applying a second driving potential to a first electrode of the second wall of the first emission chamber, the second driving potential being such that the difference between the second driving potential and the common potential is less than the difference between the common potential and the first driving potential.

24. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein, The common potential is a positive potential that is greater than the ground potential.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein, The first driving potential is greater than the common potential, and the second driving potential is less than the common potential.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The second driving potential is ground potential or 0V.

27. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 26, wherein, Before the step of designating all fluid chambers in the array as emission chambers or non-emission chambers based on the input data, the repeatedly actuated walls are actuated once or more.

28. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 27, wherein, The transmitting chamber or the first wall of each transmitting chamber is actuated substantially at the resonant frequency of the transmitting chamber, or substantially at a harmonic or subharmonic of the resonant frequency of the transmitting chamber.

29. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, 9 or 10, wherein, The first launch chamber is a member of the first group of launch chambers, and the second launch chamber is a member of the second group of launch chambers. During the actuation cycle, the emission chambers in the first group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets, and The launch chambers in the second group are simultaneously actuated to eject droplets after the launch chambers in the first group.

30. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The array of fluid chambers is a first array of fluid chambers, and the droplet deposition head also includes a second array of fluid chambers.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein, The emission chambers of the first array of fluid chambers and the second array of fluid chambers are separated by one or more non-emission chambers.

32. The method according to claim 30 or claim 31, wherein, The second array of fluid chambers is arranged as a substantially mirror image of the first array of fluid chambers.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein, The movement of the walls of the second array of the fluid chambers substantially reflects the movement of the walls of the first array of the fluid chambers.

34. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 and 29, wherein, The walls are formed by two regions of piezoelectric material with opposite polarities, so as to exhibit V-shaped deformation in response to the application of the driving potential to the respective first electrode.

35. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein, The walls are formed by two regions of piezoelectric material with opposite polarities, so as to exhibit V-shaped deformation in response to the application of the first driving potential or the second driving potential to the corresponding first electrode.

36. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 and 29, wherein, Each wall is formed of a piezoelectric material polarized in a uniform manner in a single direction, so as to exhibit shear-mode deformation in response to the application of the driving potential to the corresponding first electrode.

37. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein, Each wall is formed of a piezoelectric material polarized in a uniform manner in a single direction, so as to exhibit shear-mode deformation in response to the application of the first driving potential or the second driving potential to the corresponding first electrode.

38. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Different walls or different groups of walls can be set to different common potentials.

39. A droplet deposition head configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 38.

40. The droplet deposition head of claim 39, comprising a processor programmed to perform any specified step of the method of any one of claims 1 to 38 based on the input data.

41. A droplet deposition apparatus comprising one or more droplet deposition heads, the droplet deposition apparatus being configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 38.

42. The droplet deposition apparatus of claim 41, further comprising a computer for data communication with the one or more droplet deposition heads, wherein, The computer is programmed to perform any specified step of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 38 based on the input data.

43. The droplet deposition apparatus according to claim 42, wherein, The computer is also programmed to send instructions to the one or more droplet deposition heads to cause the one or more droplet deposition heads to perform actuation steps.

44. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program comprising instructions that cause the droplet deposition head according to claim 39 or 40 or the droplet deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 41 to 43 to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 38.

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