Ink flow design to provide increased heat removal from an inkjet printhead and to provide for air accumulation

• US 6,120,139 A
• Filed: 04/30/1998
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Childers, Winthrop, Wade, John, Pietrzyk, Joe R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nghiem, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/071,141
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 347/92, 347/85, 347/86
• US Class Current: 347/92
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1404 Geometrical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1408 Structure dealing with thermal variations, e.g. cooling device, thermal coefficients of materials
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14145 Structure of the manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14387 Front shooter
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/07 dealing with air bubbles

Abstract

Disclosed is a printing device that overcomes the thermal problems of previous printheads caused by heat generation by providing better cooling of the printhead,avoids bubble accumulation near the printhead which can starve the printhead of ink and provides sufficient volume for air accumulation away from the printhead. The printing device including an outer housing, a substrate having a front surface on which is formed ink ejection chambers and having a back surface, an ink conduit having a distal end proximate to the back surface of the substrate, the ink conduit, the outer housing and the substrate defining an ink flow path to the ink ejection chambers and a bubble accumulation chamber in communication with the ink flow path such that bouyancy will tend to move bubbles that accumulate in the ink flow path into the bubble accumulation chamber.

Claims

1. A printing device, comprising:

an outer housing;

a substrate having a front surface on which is formed ink ejection chambers and having a back surface;

an ink conduit having a distal end proximate to the back surface of the substrate, the ink conduit, the outer housing and the substrate defining an ink flow path through which substantially all the ink flows to the ink ejection chambers; and

a bubble accumulation chamber in communication with the ink flow path such that buoyancy of bubbles that accumulate in the ink flow path moves the bubbles into the bubble accumulation chamber.

2. The printing device of claim 1, wherein channels are formed between distal end of the ink conduit and the back of the substrate to allow ink to flow to the ink ejection chambers.

3. The printing device of claim 1, wherein the distal end of the ink conduit abuts against the back surface of the substrate and wherein openings are formed in distal end of the ink conduit to allow ink to flow along the back surface of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

4. The printing device of claim 1, further including at least one laterally extending wall at the distal end of the ink conduit that extends substantially parallel to the back surface of the substrate along a portion of the back surface of the substrate to further define an ink flow path along the back of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

5. The printing device of claim 1, further including a flow director laterally extending from the housing toward the ink conduit to further define an ink flow path along the back of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

6. The printing device of claim 1, further including a flow director laterally extending from the housing toward the ink conduit, the flow director and the ink conduit having a gap therebetween that defines a bubble escape window to provide an escape path for bubbles formed in the ink flow path.

7. The printing device of claim 1, further including a scanning carriage in which the housing is mounted.

8. The printing device of claim 1, further including a supply of ink to the ink conduit.

9. A printing device, comprising:

an outer housing;

a substrate having a front surface on which is formed ink ejection chambers and having a back surface;

an ink conduit defined by the outer housing and the substrate so as to provide an ink flow path through which substantially all the ink flows, the ink flow path is directed in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate until it is proximate to the back surface of the substrate, the ink flow path then bends at approximately a right angle and flows substantially parallel to the substrate, the ink flow path then extends around an edge of the substrate and then into the ink ejection chambers, wherein the ink convectively removes heat from the substrate; and

a bubble accumulation chamber in communication with the ink flow path such that buoyancy of bubbles that accumulate in the ink flow path moves the bubbles into the bubble accumulation chamber.

10. The printing device of claim 9, wherein the distal end of the ink conduit abuts against the back surface of the substrate and wherein openings are formed in distal end of the ink conduit to allow ink to flow along the back surface of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

11. The printing device of claim 9, further including at least one laterally extending wall at the distal end of the ink conduit that extends substantially parallel to the back surface of the substrate along a portion of the back surface of the substrate to further define an ink flow path along the back of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

12. The printing device of claim 9, further including a flow director laterally extending from the housing toward the ink conduit to further define an ink flow path along the back of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

13. The printing device of claim 9, further including a flow director laterally extending from the housing toward the ink conduit, the flow director and the ink conduit having a gap therebetween that defines a bubble escape window to provide an escape path for bubbles formed in the ink flow path.

14. The printing device of claim 9, further including a scanning carriage in which the housing is mounted and a media advance mechanism.

15. The printing device of claim 9, further including a supply of ink to the ink conduit.

16. A printing device, comprising:

a substrate having a front surface on which is formed ink ejection chambers and having a back surface;

an ink conduit having a distal end that terminates less than 20 mils from the back surface of the substrate so that substantially all of the ink flows through the ink conduit, across a portion of the substrate, and into the ink ejection chambers; and

at least one bubble accumulation chamber in communication with the ink flow path for accumulating bubbles.

17. The printing device of claim 16, wherein the distal end of the ink conduit abuts against the back surface of the substrate and wherein openings are formed in distal end of the ink conduit to allow ink to flow along the back surface of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

18. The printing device of claim 16, further including at least one laterally extending wall at the distal end of the ink conduit that extends substantially parallel to the back surface of the substrate along a portion of the back surface of the substrate to further define an ink flow path along the back of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

19. The printing device of claim 16, further including a flow director laterally extending from the housing toward the ink conduit to further define an ink flow path along the back of the substrate to the ink ejection chambers.

20. The printing device of claim 16, further including a flow director laterally extending from the housing toward the ink conduit, the flow director and the ink conduit having a gap therebetween that defines a bubble escape window to provide an escape path for bubbles formed in the ink flow path.

21. The printing device of claim 16, further including a scanning carriage in which the housing is mounted and a media advance mechanism.

22. The printing device of claim 16, further including a supply of ink to the ink conduit.

23. An ink delivery device comprising:

an inkjet printhead including a substrate having a front side and having a back side, the front side having ink ejection chambers formed thereon, the printhead including a fluid ink conduit having a distal end that terminates proximate to the back surface of the substrate, the printhead including a bubble accumulation chamber for accumulating bubbles generated proximate to the back surface of the substrate;

a fluid reservoir adapted to be releasably mounted to a printing system;

a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir; and

ink contained within the fluid reservoir that passes out of the fluid outlet, to the ink conduit, out of the distal end of the ink conduit, and to the ink ejection chambers when the fluid reservoir is releasably mounted to the printing system.

24. An ink delivery device for providing ink to an inkjet printhead, the printhead coupled to a fluid inlet, the ink delivery device including:

a fluid outlet;

a fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the fluid outlet, the fluid reservoir couples with the printhead to form an ink delivery system when the fluid outlet is fluidically coupled to the fluid inlet, the ink delivery system including a substrate having a front surface on which ink ejection chambers are formed and a back surface, an ink conduit having a distal end proximate to the back surface of the substrate, so that substantially all of the ink flows through the ink conduit and across a portion of the back surface of the substrate and into the ink ejection chambers; and

a bubble accumulation chamber in communication with the ink flow path such that buoyancy of bubbles that accumulate in the ink flow path moves the bubbles into the bubble accumulation chamber.