Iris motion ink jet printing mechanism

• US 6,283,582 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• 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:
  US09/112,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 347/44, 347/54, 347/55, 347/20, 347/47
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14314 Structure of ink jet print heads with electrostatically actuated membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• 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 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• 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 nozzle arrangement is provided which utilizes a series of actuators to produce an “iris motion effect” thereby causing the ejection of ink from a nozzle chamber. The effect is produced by a series of vanes actuated by thermal actuators arranged around an ink ejection port. The vanes pressurize the volume around the ink ejection port thereby causing the ejection of ink. The thermal actuators, each has an expanding, flexible arm, and a rigid arm. The flexible arms include a conductive heater material encased within an expansion material such as polytetrafluoroethylene having a high coefficient of thermal expansion. The heater material is constructed so as to concertina upon expansion and can be of a serpentine form.

Claims

1. An ink jet nozzle arrangement comprising:

at least one nozzle chamber having an ink ejection port defined in one wall thereof;

a plurality of vane units being adapted to be actuated by vane actuators and arranged around said ink ejection port, said vane units being adapted to be actuated by said vane actuators so as to pressurize the volume around said ink ejection port thereby causing the ejection of ink from said ink ejection port.

2. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said vane actuators comprise thermal actuators.

3. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said thermal actuators comprises an expanding, flexible arm, and a rigid arm.

4. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 3 wherein each flexible arm comprises a conductive heater material encased within an expansion material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion.

5. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 3 wherein said expansion material comprises substantially polytetrafluoroethylene.

6. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein said conductive heater material is constructed so as to concertina upon expansion of said expansion material.

7. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein said heater material is of a serpentine form and is concertinaed upon heating so as to allow substantially unhindered expansion of said expansion material during heating.

8. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein said vane units operate as an iris around said ink ejection port.

9. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein said conductive heater material comprises substantially copper.

10. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said vane units are arranged circumferentially around said ink ejection port.

11. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the vane units are of a part-circular form.

12. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein four vane units are arranged around said ink ejection port.

13. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein an outer surface of said nozzle chamber includes a plurality of etchant holes defined in said one wall of the nozzle chamber to facilitate rapid etching of sacrificial layers during construction.