INK DROP COLLECTION DEVICE

Abstract: The invention is an ink drop catcher for use in a drop marking device such as an ink jet printer. The catcher receives drops which are not to be deposited on the recording medium. The catcher includes a labyrinth passage through which the drops pass to retum to the ink supply. An electrode disposed along the labyrinth passage senses the current flow created by the accumulation af the charges from a series of test drops. This current flow is used by phasing circuitry to insure that the drops are correctly charged at the time they are formed.

Description: Background of the Invention This invention relates to ink drop collection devices for use in drop marking devices, such as ink jet printers. Such drop marking devices are capable of marking a recording medium, such as paper, labels, and many other surfaces, by creating electrically charged ink drops which are directed onto the recording medium. Drops which are not charged or are inadequately charged do not reach the recording medium but instead pass into a drop collection device including an ink catcher which returns the ink to a reservoir for further use. The ink drops are created by forcing the ink under pressure through a nozzle orifice to create a stream which is perturbated, for example, by a piezo-electric device associated therewith. The series of discrete drops thereby formed are then charged by a charging electrode, the degree of charge determining the amount of deflection when the drops thereafter pass through a constant electric field maintained by the deflection electrodes. At the time that a drop is created its electrical charge must be established by the charging electrode. The charge to be placed on a drop is determined by the magnitude of the signal applied to the charging electrode. This signal is usually referred to in the art as the video signal. If the video signal is in the process of rising or falling or is not present at the time that a drop is formed the charge on the drop will not be proportional to the video signal as intended. This is usually referred to as a phase problem and must be overcome in order to reliably charge selected drops to accurately place drops on the recording medium. In order to place specific charges on given drops it is necessary to know when drop separation is occurring, that is, the time relationship of drop formation relative to the video signal. If the video signal is not kept in phase with drop separation, the uniformity and fidelity of printing on the medium is adversely affected. In order to maintain the correct phase relationship, ink jet systems are typically provided with a phase control system, usually of the feedback type, wherein low charge test drops, not intended to strike the recording medium, are generated, sent to the catcher, and their charge sensed. This information is used to alter the phase of the video signal to achieve the correct magnitude and phase of the video signal at the time that each newly formed drop passes through the charging electrode. The phase circuitry system itself forms no part of the present invention. A typical phase control circuit which can be used with the present invention is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,465,351, which patent is hereby incorporated by reference. Other phase control networks can be suitably employed with the present invention. Phase control systems require the use of some type of sensing element for detecting the charge present on the test drops. One type of sensing element commonly employed is an ink catcher having a sensing electrode which contacts the test drops received in the catcher. The charge accumulation from the test drops produces a current flow, the magnitude of which, relative to the expected value, can be used to correct and maintain the phase relationship between the video signal and the formation of the drops. To accurately determine the charge on the drops, it is necessary to provide a sensing electrode which is sensitive and accurate in a rather difficult environment. Specifically, it is necessary to detect very small charges from a collection of ink drops in an ink jet printing head remotely located from the phasing circuitry. Noise and spurious signals have heretofore required the use of shielding and fairly large collection passages to ensure producing a reliable phasing signal. Such prior arrangements were bulky and, therefore, interfered with the desire to make the print head as small as possible. One known such collection passage comprises an electrically shielded return conduit of substantial length. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink drop collection device which is small in size, highly reliable and provides a significant reduction in signal noise. This object is achieved, according to the present invention, by the provision of an ink drop collection device having an ink drop catcher comprising a housing formed of electrically insulating material which has a labyrinth passage formed therein with an entry end of the passage disposed to receive ink drops directed thereat and with the sensing electrode being disposed near the entry end of the passage for physically contacting the ink drops entering the passage to permit sensing of the electrical charges thereon, there being provided a further electrode connected to ground and disposed near an exit end of the passage which physically contacts the stream of ink formed by the drops collected in the passage to create a circuit path through the electrically conductive ink between the sensing electrode and ground to reduce electrical noise. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating the elements of a drop marking system and a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention. Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the second embodiment illustrating the labyrinth passage. Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the third embodiment. Detailed Description As indicated in the background section of the specification, it is necessary to maintain proper phase relationship between the time of formation of the ink drops and the video signal so that each drop will have the desired electric charge impressed thereon as it is formed. In order to maintain correct phase, a burst of test drops are generated during the dwell time between printing of messages, having only a small charge imposed thereon. This charge is insufficient to clear the ink catcher and so the drops do not strike the recording medium. On the other hand, the charge is large enough to be detected by the sensing device incorporated in the present invention. Measuring this small test charge and comparing it against the values for correct and incorrect phasing permit control of the phase. As indicated previously, the circuitry for monitoring and adjusting phase forms no part of the present invention and a typical circuit is disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 3,465,351. Referring to Figure 1, a system incorporating the ink catcher and drop charge sensing device of the present invention is illustrated. Ink drops emanate from the ink jet nozzle orifice 2, which is located at one end of a typical nozzle housing 3. The ink passing through the nozzle and issuing as a stream is acted upon by the piezo electric device 5 to cause the ink stream to break up into a series of discrete drops. As the drops are formed they pass, and are charged by, a charging electrode 4. Subsequently, the charged drops pass through a deflection field created by deflection electrodes 7 and 8. The amount the drops are deflected is a function of the charge on each drop thus permitting control of the placement of the drops onto the recording medium 12. Drops not intended to strike the recording medium are collected by an ink catcher 13 which communicates with a vacuum return line 6 via a labyrinth passage 14. During idle time, when the system is on but is not printing messages on the medium, test drops are generated for insuring correct phase between the video signal and drop formation. The test drops are charged in the charging electrode 4 with only a relatively small charge which is insufficient to cause the drops to be deflected over the ink catcher 13. Thus, like an uncharged drop, these test drops are collected by the catcher and pass into the labyrinth passage 14. These test drops contain a charge which can be detected by a sensing electrode 10 disposed in a first portion of the labyrinth passage. The sensing electrode is electrically connected to phasing circuitry and is in physical contact with the ink drops as they enter the labyrinth. The drops form an electrically conductive stream of liquid in the labyrinth passage thereby forming a liquid path between the sensing electrode 10 and a ground electrode 11 disposed at the end of the passage. In one embodiment the ground electrode 11 may be formed as a connecting conduit element for interconnecting the labyrinth passage with the vacuum line 6. Alternatively, the ground electrode can be formed in the same manner as the sensing electrode and the vacuum line connected directly to the labyrinth passage. It has been found that down stream from the ground electrode the remainder of the vacuum return line does not need shielding or other electrical isolation. Because inks used in continuous feed ink jet printers are electrically conductive, the ink in the labyrinth passageway 14 acts like a resistor between the sensing electrode 10 and the ground electrode 11. This resistance must be high enough (i.e., the path long enough) to prevent shorting the drop charges detected by the sensing electrode 10. The resistance path is necessary to obtain an accurate measurement of the drop charges by the sensing electrode 10. In particular, the ground electrode path insures that the test current detected by the electrode 10 is relatively free of electrical noise and spurious signals caused by agitation of the ink. Consequently, the labyrinth passage 14 has to be sized such that the distance between the electrodes 10 and 11 is sufficient to obtain the desired signal quality. Conversely the maximum distance between the electrodes is restricted only by the physical constraints on the print head into which the ink catcher and passage are incorporated. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that ink jet heads are desirably as small as possible and may be remotely located from the control electronics and the ink supply. The requirements of small sensing elements and adequate separation of the sensing and ground electrodes has heretofore required the use of insulated conduit, shielding and assemblies which are costly and difficult to build. The invention, as illustrated in Figure 1, is an integral unit which meets the design criteria for an accurate sensing device and which is both compact and simple to manufacture. The two required electrical connections, the sensing electrode and the ground electrode, are provided relatively close together "as the crow flies" but adequately separated because of the use of a labyrinth passage through which the ink stream must flow. Thus, the desire to electrically separate the ground electrode from the sensing electrode by a circuit path distance sufficient to insure that a useful signal is obtained at the sensing electrode is accomplished. Preferably the labyrinth passage is formed in a block or housing of insulating material, such as Delryn plastic or other suitable material. The passage can be molded into the plastic or formed in any other suitable way. Shielding can be provided if necessary. For purposes of exemplifying the invention, the following dimensions and voltages are given. These values are not critical to the invention but are illustrative of a working embodiment. During dwell periods, when the print head is not producing drops for marking on the medium 12, a series of test drops are charged by applying a relatively low voltage to the charging electrode 4, usually in the range of 10 to 40 volts (typically 90 plus volts are used for charging drops to be deflected onto the recording medium). These low voltage drops are collected by the catcher 13 and enter the labyrinth passage 14 formed in the block of insulating material 9. As the drops form a stream in the passage, the charges thereon are detected as a current by the sensing electrode 10. For example, a series of 160 drops having a charge of 40 volts each will create a current of approximately 10 nanoAmps if there is proper synchronization between drop formation and the video signal. This current is provided to a phase control network of any suitable type as, for example, disclosed in the aforementioned Patent No. 3,465,351. If the correct current is detected, phase remains unchanged. If a lower than expected current is detected, this indicates incorrect phasing between drop formation and the video signal. The phase control network then alters the phase relationship until proper phase is re-established. In order to reduce electrical noise so that the signal detected by the electrode 10 is accurate at such low current values, the ink flow in the labyrinth is grounded via the electrode 11. Because the ink has a finite resistivity, typically 700 ohm-cm, if the electrical separation between the electrodes is sufficient, the sensing electrode will obtain a proper, low noise signal. For inks typically used in drop marking systems a minimum effective length of the labyrinth passage is about 3.8 to 5.1 cm (1-1/2 to 2 inches). Typically a 10.2 cm four inch) path is employed with satisfactory results. The present invention provides a 10.2 cm (four inch) effective path length in a space of only approximately 3.8 cm (one and one-half inches) due to the use of the labyrinth passage arrangement which, of course, can take various forms. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the invention in which the labyrinth passage is provided in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the passage shown in the Figure 1 embodiment. In all functional respects the operation of the invention is the same as the Figure 1 embodiment. The Figure 4 embodiment shows a further arrangement of the labyrinth passage. In this embodiment the drops pass from the catcher downwardly to a passage which progresses radially outwardly to a point of connection with the vacuum line via the ground electrode. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other labyrinth arrangements are possible and contemplated by the present invention. For example, multi-layered labyrinth passages can be used where significantly longer passage lengths are desired. The result of the construction disclosed herein is an integral and compact ink catcher and drop charge sensing device as compared with existing apparatus.

Claims: An ink drop collection device for use in a drop marking system employing electrically conductive ink drops to mark a recording medium (12), the collection device being adapted to collect, for reuse, ink drops which are not directed onto the recording medium and comprising an ink drop catcher with which is associated a sensing electrode (10) for sensing the electrical charges on the ink drops received by the catcher, and the ink drop collection device being characterised in that the ink drop catcher comprises a housing formed of electrically insulating material (9) having a labyrinth passage (14) formed therein, an entry end (13) of said passage (14) being disposed to receive ink drops directed thereat to permit entry into said passage and an exit end of said passage permitting egress therefrom, the sensing electrode (10) being disposed near the entry end (13) of said passage (14) for physically contacting the ink drops entering said passage (14) to permit sensing of the electrical charges thereon, and in that an electrode (11) is connected to ground disposed near the exit end of said passage (14) for physically contacting the stream of ink formed by the drops collected in said passage (14) to create a circuit path through the electrically conductive ink between the sensing electrode (10) and ground to reduce electrical noise. An ink drop collection device as claimed in Claim 1 comprising circuit means connected to said sensing electrode (10) for sensing the electrical charges of the ink drops contacting said sensing electrode (10). An ink drop collection device as claimed in Claims 1 or 2 wherein said housing is formed of nonconducting plastic material (9) and said labyrinth passage (14) is molded therein. An ink drop collection device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the length of the labyrinth passage (14) formed in the housing is at least twice the length dimension of the housing. An ink drop collection device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the ground electrode (11) is in the form of an electrically conductive conduit member (6) permitting ink flow from said exit end of the passage (14).

Inventors: EREMITY, FRANK
Applicants: VIDEOJET SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B41J2
IPC codes: B41J2