Gutter for an ink jet printer

摘要

An improved gutter assembly for a continuous multiple stream, pagewidth ink jet printer. The gutter assembly comprises a plurality of lineal segments mounted end-to-end to provide pagewidth guttering capability. Each segment is one integral structure. The gutter assembly is mounted adjacent the stitch sensors which are located a predetermined distance from the moving recording medium. Each integral gutter segment has a generally open concave shape. The integral gutter segment has a flat surface portion roughly parallel with the trajectories of the ink droplets and a flat sloping portion with an interconnecting arcuate portion. The flat surface portion of the gutter segment is below the droplet trajectories and approximately coplanar with the stitch sensors. A plurality of relatively narrow, droplet collecting entrances are formed in the flat surface portion of the gutter segment and project upwardly therefrom above the droplet flight paths. Each projecting gutter entrance is essentially perpendicular to the flight direction of the droplets and receives the droplets from two adjacent nozzles that are not to be printed. The gutter entrance has a sloping back wall which melds into the flat surface portion. The back wall at the entrance is wider than the opposite end portion that melds into the flat surface portion at the interface between the flat surface portion and the arcuate portion of the gutter segment. The sloping back wall of the gutter entrance is narrower at a location intermediate the droplet receiving opening of the gutter entrance and the opposite end portion thereof, so that in the plane view it appears as an hour glass shape. This hour glass shape prevents interference with the droplets from separate adjacent nozzles that are directed to the stitch point pixels on the recording medium.