Inkjet Drive Waveform Pulse Selection for Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inkjet recording apparatuses consume excessive power due to the continuous application of minute drive pulses, even when nozzles are not discharging droplets, especially in documents with large blank areas, leading to inefficient power usage.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a drive waveform with first and second pulses, where the first pulse discharges droplets and the second pulse flows ink within the recording head without discharge, and a data creation part that selectively applies these pulses based on discharge intervals and thresholds to minimize power consumption while maintaining stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If minute drive pulses are continuously applied to all nozzles, then discharge stability is maintained, but power consumption increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different drive pulse patterns to different nozzles based on their individual discharge requirements. Nozzles that need to maintain discharge stability receive minute drive pulses, while nozzles that are not discharging receive no pulses. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliability only where needed and reducing power consumption elsewhere.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the drive waveform for each nozzle based on the actual discharge instruction signals received. The control unit varies the drive pulse application from continuous to intermittent based on real-time discharge requirements, allowing the system to adapt between reliability and power consumption requirements dynamically.
2Reliability
If minute drive pulses are applied to nozzles not discharging droplets, then discharge stability is maintained, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary minute drive pulses from the drive waveform for nozzles that are not discharging droplets. By separating the drive signal into discharge-related components and removing the redundant maintenance pulses for non-discharging nozzles, the system reduces energy loss while maintaining stability only where actually needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the drive pulse parameter from continuous application to selective application based on discharge instructions. The control unit modifies the temporal and amplitude parameters of the drive waveform dynamically, applying pulses only when and where discharge is required, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
3Manufacturing precision
If drive waveform includes both first and second pulses for all nozzles, then discharge control is precise, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the drive waveform into distinct first pulses (for droplet discharge) and second pulses (for ink flow without discharge), and further segments their application by nozzle based on discharge instructions. This segmentation allows precise control where needed while simplifying the overall system by using a standardized pulse structure applied selectively rather than uniformly to all nozzles.
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 approach reduces power consumption by minimizing the application of non-discharge pulses during idle nozzle periods, thereby optimizing energy use without compromising discharge stability or image quality.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure generating means provided to each nozzle for applying a pressure to ink in each nozzle
Implementation Method 2
the second voltage pulse causing ink inside the nozzle to flow within the nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus creates a drive waveform containing a first pulse to discharge the droplet and a second pulse to cause a liquid to flow within a recording head. A data creation part creates data to select a first or second droplet discharge pulse. The first droplet discharge pulse contains the first pulse and the second pulse. The second droplet discharge pulse does not contain the second pulse. When the first or second droplet discharge pulse is selected in a subsequent drive period and when neither the first nor second droplet discharge pulse is selected in a current drive period, the second pulse is selected in the current drive period when selecting the second droplet discharge pulse in the subsequent drive period, and the second pulse is not selected in the current drive period when selecting the first droplet discharge pulse in the subsequent drive period.