US 12,343,669 B2
Aerosol removal
Marcel Llorach To, Sant Cugat del Valles (ES); Jordi Albert Gine, Sant Cugat del Valles (ES); and Kurt Vandenbergh, Sant Cugat del Valles (ES)
Assigned to IDNEO TECHNOLOGIES, S.A.U., Barcelona (ES); and HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., Spring, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/772,227
Filed by Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Spring, TX (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/062204
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 27, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/101526, PCT Pub. Date May 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0370940 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B01D 46/00 (2022.01); B01D 46/10 (2006.01); B41J 2/165 (2006.01); B41J 29/17 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 46/0043 (2013.01) [B01D 46/0031 (2013.01); B01D 46/10 (2013.01); B41J 2/16517 (2013.01); B01D 2273/28 (2013.01); B01D 2279/00 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device comprising:
an air suction device;
an air flow baffle;
an aerosol absorber;
a droplet filter;
an air inlet, positioned, along the air flow direction, between a printhead nozzle and the aerosol absorber; and
an aerosol droplet channel, extending between the air inlet and the aerosol absorber, to collect aerosol droplets deposited thereon and direct the aerosol droplets towards the aerosol absorber; wherein the air suction device is to draw air away from an area around the printhead nozzle, past the air flow baffle, through the droplet filter, towards the air suction device, and the air flow baffle is to cause a change in air flow direction such that at least some aerosol droplets contact the aerosol absorber.
 
7. A method for removing an aerosol generated during a printing process, the method comprising:
drawing air, with aerosol droplets suspended therein, away from a printhead nozzle, towards an air flow turbulence inducer causing a change in air flow direction and turbulence in air flow, such that at least some aerosol droplets contact an aerosol absorber, and through a filter for filtering aerosol droplets from the air.