Capacitance Actuator Driver with Intermediate Voltage Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing driving devices for capacitance type actuators in ink jet heads suffer from high power consumption and heat generation, with most of the energy extracted from the power supply being lost as heat rather than being used for actuator operation, and require multiple power supplies to reduce power consumption, which complicates the system.
Innovation Solution
A driving device that includes a driving power supply, an intermediate voltage source with a reference voltage source, a voltage follower circuit, a current limiting unit, and a smoothing capacitor, along with a controller that manages charging and discharging sequences to minimize energy loss and power consumption by using a series of charging and discharging stages with intermediate voltage levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a DC power supply directly charges and discharges the capacitance type actuator through switch elements, then the actuator can operate for ink jet, but most of the energy is consumed by resistance components and converted to heat, resulting in high power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The charging process is divided into multiple stages using intermediate voltage sources. Instead of directly charging from the DC power supply voltage E to the full charging voltage, the actuator is first charged to an intermediate voltage level, then further charged to the final voltage. This segmentation reduces the energy loss in resistance components during charging, as the energy consumption is distributed across multiple lower-voltage charging steps rather than one high-voltage step.
Solution Approach 2:
Intermediate voltage sources are introduced as mediators between the DC power supply and the actuator. These intermediate voltage sources provide intermediate potential levels that facilitate gradual charging and discharging of the actuator. By using these intermediary voltage levels, the patent reduces the energy dissipated in resistance components while maintaining the actuator's operational functionality.
2Use of energy by moving object
If multiple power supplies are used to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple power supplies are merged into a single DC power supply system with intermediate voltage generation. Instead of using separate power supplies for different voltage levels, the patent generates intermediate voltages from a single DC power supply through voltage division and buffering circuits. This merging approach maintains energy efficiency while reducing system complexity by consolidating power supply components.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate voltage source serves multiple functions: it provides intermediate charging voltage, acts as a buffer between power supply and actuator, and enables both charging and discharging operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining improved energy efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If intermediate voltage sources are introduced to reduce energy loss, then power consumption decreases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate voltage source is designed to be self-regulating through voltage follower circuits and buffering mechanisms. The circuit automatically maintains the intermediate voltage level without requiring complex external control, reducing the need for additional control components and simplifying the overall device architecture while still achieving reduced energy loss.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly reduces power consumption and heat generation by optimizing the charging and discharging process, allowing for efficient operation of the actuator with minimal energy loss and simplifying the system architecture.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage follower circuit that buffers output of the reference voltage source
Implementation Method 2
a smoothing capacitor that smoothes the output limited by the current limiting unit
Implementation Method 3
An ink jet head has a large number of piezoelectric elements, which are capacitance type actuators, as actuators for ink jet
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator is sequentially charged with output voltage “E/2” of a voltage source and output voltage “E” of a voltage source. After the charging, “Q/2” of electric charge “Q” stored in the actuator is discharged on a path returning to the voltage source. Subsequent to the discharging, the remaining all electric charge “Q/2” stored in the actuator is discharged on a closed circuit.