摘要 |
<p>A system provides an optimum energy pulse to a resistive heating element (34) in an ink jet print head (10). The optimum energy pulse provides an optimal energy density at a surface of the heating element (34) to cause optimal nucleation of ink adjacent the surface of the heating element (34). The system includes storing in memory (26) values related to heating element dimensions, heating element electrical characteristics, and ink characteristics. Also stored in memory are expressions that provide mathematical relationships between the heating element dimensional values, the heating element electrical values, the ink characteristics, and the amplitude and duration of the optimum energy pulse. The system also includes retrieving from memory the store values and expressions, and determining, based on the expressions, the amplitude and duration of the optimum energy pulse. The system further generates the optimum energy pulse based on the determined amplitude and duration, and provides the optimum energy pulse to the heating element (34). The energy density provided by the optimum energy pulse is large enough to cause the ink near the heating element to form a bubble and a droplet, but not so large that energy is wasted which cannot be transferred into the ink after the bubble is formed.</p> |