Ink jet printing mechanism

• US 6,227,654 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US09/112,812
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 347/44, 347/54, 347/20
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1643 thin film formation by plating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A fluid ejection apparatus is disclosed including a trough having side walls and an exposed roof the trough being substantially filled with fluid; a paddle vane located within the trough and offset from one wall when the paddle vane is in a quiescent position; an actuation mechanism attached to the paddle vane such that, upon activation of the actuation mechanism, the paddle vane is caused to move towards the one wall, resulting in an increase in pressure in the fluid between the one wall and the paddle vane, resulting in a consequential ejection of fluid via the exposed roof. Ideally, the present invention can be utilized in an ink jet printing system. The actuation mechanism can be interconnected to the paddle vane via an arm extending over one edge of the exposed roof and the actuation mechanism can comprise a coiled thermal actuator having a first conductive arm and a second substantially non-conductive arm, the conductive arm expanding upon electrical resistive heating to thereby cause the actuation of the thermal actuator. The first conductive arm can comprise substantially titanium diboride and the second non-conductive arm can comprise substantially silicon nitride. The actuation mechanism can operate in the ambient atmosphere.

Claims

1. An ink ejection arrangement which comprises

a wafer substrate which defines an ink supply channel and which incorporates drive circuitry;

side walls which are arranged on the wafer substrate and which define an ink chamber, the ink supply channel being in fluid communication with the ink chamber;

a paddle which is located in the ink chamber and which is displaceable between the side walls to eject ink from the ink chamber; and

an actuator which is connected to the paddle and to the drive circuitry and which is configured so that, upon activation of the actuator by the drive circuitry, the paddle is displaced towards one of the side walls, the ink chamber and the paddle being configured so that, when the paddle is so displaced towards one of the side walls, ink is ejected from the ink chamber.

2. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side walls defining the ink chamber are defined by an etching and deposition process carried out on the wafer substrate.

3. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the paddle is shaped to have edges which correspond generally with a transverse profile of the ink chamber.

4. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator has a resiliently flexible coiled structure, one end of the coiled structure being connected to the paddle and an opposed end of the coiled structure being connected to the drive circuitry, the actuator being configured so that, upon activation by the drive circuitry, the coiled structure partially uncoils to an extent necessary to displace the paddle towards said one of the walls, resulting in said ejection of ink.

5. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the coiled structure includes an electrical conductor which is connected to the drive circuitry and which is configured to expand upon conductive heating, thereby partially uncoiling to said necessary extent.

6. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the coiled structure includes a coiled member on which the electrical conductor is positioned, the electrical conductor being positioned to act on the coiled member partially to uncoil the coiled member, so that the paddle is displaced to said necessary extent.

7. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electrical conductor comprises substantially titanium diboride and the coiled member comprises substantially silicon nitride.

8. An ink jet arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the coiled member and the electrical conductor are defined by an etching and deposition process carried out on the wafer substrate.

9. An ink jet printhead which comprises a plurality of ink jet arrangements as claimed in claim 1.