| 摘要 |
<p>A technique for ejecting droplets using acoustic radiation and electrostatic attraction. Ejection proceeds by acoustically raising a mound (14) of ink (18) proximate an electrode (20) and then electrostatically attracting the mound by applying a voltage to the electrode. The electric field further accelerates the mound and, since the raised mound has a restricted volume, a Rayleigh instability necks off the mound, thereby creating a droplet (12). The droplet is ejected onto a recording medium (34) by the momentum imparted to the droplet by the acoustic energy and the electrostatic force. Beneficially, the applications of the acoustic energy and the electrode voltage are used to address the ejecting droplet ejector. Droplet ejectors in a column (or row) form a column (or row) of mounds, while an electrode voltage is applied to each of the electrodes of a row (or columns) of droplet ejectors. Only the droplet ejector associated with an acoustically raised a mound and with an energized electrode ejects a droplet. <IMAGE></p> |
