Surface bend actuator vented ink supply ink jet printing mechanism

• US 6,260,953 B1
• Filed: 07/18/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• 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, McAvoy, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US09/112,820
• Time in Patent Office: 1,095 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/54, 347/94, 347/48, 347/84, 347/85
• 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: B41J 2002/14346 Ejection by pressure produced by thermal deformation of ink chamber, e.g. buckling
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• 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

An ink jet print head includes a nozzle chamber for storage of ink to be ejected from an ink ejection nozzle formed in one wall of the nozzle chamber; and a movable paddle actuator mechanism formed in a first wall of the nozzle chamber, one end of the paddle actuator traversing along a second wall of the nozzle chamber, the second wall being substantially perpendicular to the first wall; the one end further including a flange having a surface abutting the second wall, the movable paddle actuator mechanism being operable to cause the ejection of ink from the ink ejection nozzle with the flange moving substantially tangentially to the second wall.

Claims

1. An ink jet print head comprising:

a nozzle chamber for storage of ink to be ejected from an ink ejection nozzle formed in a first wall of the nozzle chamber; and

a movable paddle actuator mechanism formed in said first wall of said nozzle chamber, one end of said paddle actuator traversing along a second wall of said nozzle chamber, said second wall being substantially perpendicular to said first wall;

said one end further having a flange including a surface adjacent said second wall, said movable paddle actuator mechanism being operable to cause ejection of ink from said ink ejection nozzle with said flange moving substantially tangentially to said second wall.

2. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an ink supply channel interconnected to said nozzle chamber for supplying ink to said nozzle chamber, said interconnection comprising a slot in a wall of said chamber, said slot being substantially opposite an end of said flange.

3. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 2 wherein said slot is arranged in a corner of a third wall of said chamber and wherein said second wall of said chamber further forms one wall of said ink supply channel.

4. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 2 is formed on a silicon wafer.

5. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 4 wherein said ink supply channel is formed by back etching a back surface of said wafer.

6. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 5 wherein said back etching comprises a plasma etching of said back surface.

7. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 4 wherein said silicon wafer is initially processed utilizing a CMOS processing system so as to form an electrical circuit required to operate said ink jet nozzle arrangement on said silicon wafer.

8. An ink jet print bead as claimed claim 2 wherein said movable paddle actuator in being actuated to eject a drop of ink, constricts a flow of ink into said nozzle chamber.

9. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 1 further including a slot around a substantial portion of said movable paddle actuator, said slot interconnecting said nozzle chamber with an external ambient atmosphere, said slot being dimensioned to provide for fluid movement during operation of said movable paddle actuator mechanism while not allowing for the ejection of fluid out of said nozzle chamber.

10. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movable paddle actuator mechanism includes a thermal actuator for actuation of said mechanism on demand.

11. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 10 wherein said thermal actuator comprises a conductive heater layer between layers of a substantially non-conductive material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion.

12. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conductive heater layer is arranged in a serpentine form so that, upon conductive heating of said conductive heater layer, said conductive heater layer forms a concertina so as to allow for substantially unhindered expansion of said substantially non-conductive material.

13. An ink jet print head as claimed in claim 10 wherein said substantially non-conductive material comprises substantially polytetrafluroethylene.