Ink-jet recording device featuring separating of large and small droplets

Claim 2

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibrations of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said ink column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, charging and deflecting means arranged in a manner to hold therein a part of said ink column in which said ink droplets separate and fly from said ink column, said charging and deflecting means charging the smaller one of said ink droplets in response to a recording signal applied to said charging and deflecting means and deflecting the charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon immediately after the separation of said ink droplets from said ink column.

Claim 3

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein said charging and deflecting means includes a first pair of opposed electrodes arranged so that said ink column and said ink droplets pass therebetween, said first pair of electrodes being insulated from each other, bias voltage between said first pair of electrodes, and recording signal-applying means to apply said recording signal between said first pair of electrodes and said ink column.

Claim 4

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein said charging and deflecting means includes a first pair of opposed electrodes arranged so that said ink column and said ink droplets pass therebetween, said first pair of electrodes being insulated from each other, and recording signal-applying means to apply said recording signal to said first pair of electrodes, and a second pair of opposed electrodes which are arranged in planes intersecting orthogonally to said first pair of electrodes, said second pair of electrodes being insulated from each other and arranged so that said ink column and the part of said ink column in which said ink droplets separate and fly from said ink column pass therebetween, and bias voltage-applying means to apply a bias voltage between said second pair of electrodes.

Claim 5

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 2, wherein said charging and deflecting means includes a second pair of opposed electrodes constructed integrally with said first pair of electrodes, said second pair of electrodes being constructed so that a spacing between said second pair of electrodes increases gradually in a traveling direction of said ink droplets.

Claim 6

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said bias voltage-applying means includes bias power sources which are respectively connected to said first pair of electrodes and which have polarities opposite to each other.

Claim 7

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said bias voltage-applying means is set so that said ink column situated between said first pair of electrodes is not charged by said bias voltage.

Claim 8

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 5, wherein said first pair of electrodes are parallel flat plates and are set so that said ink column passes through substantially the center between said first pair of electrodes, and wherein absolute values of the voltages of the respective bias power sources of the opposite polarities are set so as to be substantially equal to each other.

Claim 9

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibrations of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, and a pair of charging and deflecting means for charging one of said smaller and larger ink droplets in response to a recording signal applied to said pair of charging and deflecting means and for deflecting said charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon immediately after the separation of said ink droplet from an end point of said ink column, said pair of charging and deflecting means being disposed to oppose each other in the region of the end point of said ink column and extending in a traveling direction of said smaller and larger ink droplets.

Claim 10

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibrations of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, and a pair of charging and deflecting means for charging one of said smaller and larger ink droplets in response to a recording signal applied to said pair of charging and deflecting means and for deflecting said charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon immediately after the separation of said ink droplet from an end point of said ink column, said pair of charging and deflecting means being disposed to oppose each other in the region of the end point of said ink column and extending in a traveling direction of said smaller and larger ink droplets.

Claim 11

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibrations of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, and a pair of opposed charging and deflecting electrode means arranged so that said ink column and said larger and smaller ink droplets pass therebetween, said pair of opposed charging and deflecting electrode means being insulated from each other, said charging and deflecting electrode means being integrally formed to charge one of said smaller and larger ink droplets in response to a recording signal and to deflect said charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon.

Claim 12

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibrations of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, and a pair of opposed charging and deflecting electrode means arranged so that said ink column and said larger and smaller ink droplets pass therebetween, said pair of opposed charging and deflecting electrode means being insulated from each other, said charging and deflecting electrode means being integrally formed to charge one of said smaller and larger ink droplets in response to a recording signal and to deflect said charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon.

Claim 13

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 9, wherein a further pair of deflecting electrode means are disposed in a travel direction of said smaller and larger ink droplets for further deflecting said charged droplets in accordance with a quantity of static charges thereon.

Claim 14

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 9, wherein said charging and deflecting electrode means are formed of a first pair of opposed parallel flat electrodes and a second pair of opposed flat electrodes constructed so that a spacing between said second pair of flat electrodes increases gradually in a traveling direction of said smaller and larger ink droplets.

Claim 15

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 9 or 11, further comprising power sources providing voltages of opposite polarities respectively connected to said pair of charging and deflecting electrode means for deflecting said charged ink droplets.

Claim 16

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibration of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, a pair of opposed charging electrode means arranged so that said ink column and said larger and smaller ink droplets pass therebetween, said charging electrode means being formed to charge one of said smaller and larger ink droplets in response to a recording signal applied to said pair of opposed charging electrode means, and a pair of opposed deflecting electrode means arranged so that said ink column and said larger and smaller ink droplets pass therebetween, said pair of deflecting electrode means being insulated from each other and arranged in planes intersecting orthogonally to said charging electrode means, said deflecting electrode means being formed to deflect said charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon.

Claim 17

An ink-jet recording device comprising: a nozzle which is supplied with ink pressurized to a predetermined pressure and which spouts an ink column from a nozzle hole thereof, vibration applying means to apply mechanical vibration of predetermined magnitude to said nozzle so as to separate a larger ink droplet and a smaller ink droplet from said column alternately and successively and to cause them to fly, a pair of opposed charging electrode means arranged so that said ink column and said larger and smaller ink droplets pass therebetween, said charging electrode means being formed to charge one of said smaller and larger ink droplets in response to a recording signal applied to said pair of opposed charging electrode means, and a pair of opposed deflecting electrode means arranged so that said ink column and said larger and smaller ink droplets pass therebetween, said pair of deflecting electrode means being insulated from each other and arranged in planes intersecting orthogonally to said charging electrode means, said deflecting electrode means being formed to deflect said charged ink droplets in correspondence with a quantity of static charges thereon.

Claim 18

An ink-jet recording device according to claim 13, further comprising power sources providing voltages of opposite polarities respectively connected to said pair of deflecting electrode means.