Dual nozzle single horizontal actuator ink jet printing mechanism

• US 6,336,710 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• 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:
  US09/112,764
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/44, 347/47, 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 nozzle arrangement for a printhead comprises nozzle chamber walls that define a nozzle chamber having at least two fluid ejection ports. A moveable paddle vane is located in a plane adjacent a rim of a first one of the fluid ejection ports. An actuator mechanism is attached to the moveable paddle vane and is adapted to move the paddle vane in a first direction so as to cause the ejection of fluid drops out of the first fluid ejection port and to further move the paddle vane in a second direction so as to cause the ejection of fluid drops out of a second fluid ejection port. Preferably, the nozzle arrangement further comprises a baffle located between the first and second fluid ejection ports so that the paddle vane moving in the first direction causes an increase in pressure of the fluid in the volume adjacent the first port and a simultaneous decrease in pressure of the fluid in the one volume adjacent the second port first one of the fluid ejection apertures such that, while ink is ejected from the second fluid ejection aperture, the meniscus of the first fluid ejection aperture and the at least one smaller aperture are interconnected within the nozzle chamber. Preferably, each aperture can include a ribbed rim around the outer surface thereof.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for use with a printing mechanism, the nozzle arrangement comprising:

nozzle chamber walls that define a nozzle chamber having at least two fluid ejection ports, in the form of a first fluid ejection port and a second fluid ejection port, each fluid ejection port having a rim;

a moveable paddle vane located in a plane adjacent the rim of the first fluid ejection port; and

an actuator mechanism attached to the moveable paddle vane and adapted to move the paddle vane in a first direction so as to cause the ejection of fluid drops out of the fist ejection port and further to move the paddle vane in a second alternative direction so as to cause the ejection of fluid drops out of the second fluid ejection port.

2. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a baffle located between the first and second fluid ejection ports and wherein the paddle vane and baffle are such that the movement of the paddle vane in the first direction causes an increase in pressure of the fluid in a volume adjacent the first port and a simultaneous decrease in pressure of the fluid in a volume adjacent the second port and movement in the second direction causes an increase in pressure of the fluid in the volume adjacent the second port and a simultaneous decrease in pressure of the fluid in a volume adjacent the first port.

3. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a deepened etched pit below the second fluid ejection port, the baffle and an end portion of the moveable paddle vane.

4. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein said at least one aperture is positioned substantially adjacent the first fluid ejection port.

5. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein the baffle includes a wall having portions spaced at a substantially constant radius from an axis of the second fluid ejection port.

6. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 3 wherein the moveable paddle vane includes a lip on the end portion adjacent the baffle, the lip substantially abutting a surface of the baffle during operation of the moveable paddle vane.

7. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a fluid supply channel having a rim, the fluid supply channel connecting the nozzle chamber with a fluid supply for supplying fluid to the nozzle chamber, with one surface of the paddle vane including at least one protrusion, such that, during said movement of the paddle vane in at least one of the first and second directions, said at least one protrusion mates with the rim of the fluid supply channel so as to restrict the flow of fluid into the fluid supply channel.

8. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein said at least one of the directions comprises the second direction.

9. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the walls of the chamber define at least one aperture interconnecting the nozzle chamber with ambient atmosphere, the, or each, aperture being of such a dimension that, during normal operation of the paddle vane, the surface tension effects across the, or each, aperture results in the meniscus across the, or each, aperture remaining substantially close to the, or each, aperture or within the nozzle chamber.

10. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the, or each, aperture includes a ribbed rim around the outer surface thereof.

11. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator mechanism is interconnected with the moveable paddle vane through a slot in one of the walls of the nozzle chamber.

12. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 11 wherein at least one protrusion is positioned on the actuator mechanism for minimizing any wicking of the fluid along the actuator mechanism.

13. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 11 wherein the slot exposes internal portions of the nozzle chamber to an external ambient atmosphere and an external surface adjacent the slot comprises a planar or concave surface so as to reduce wicking.

14. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 12 wherein the protrusion comprises a cusped rim on the actuator mechanism.

15. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator mechanism is a thermal actuator having at least two heater elements with a first of the heater elements being configured to be actuated to cause the paddle vane to move in the first direction and a second heater element being configured to be actuated to cause the paddle vane to move in the second direction.

16. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 15 wherein the heater elements are arranged on opposite sides of a central arm, the central arm having a low thermal conductivity.

17. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 15 wherein the heater elements are formed substantially from a copper nickel alloy.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein said central ram comprises substantially glass.

19. A plurality of nozzle arrangements as claimed in claim 1 which are grouped together spatially into spaced apart rows sot that fluid is ejected from the fluid ejection ports of each of said rows in phases.

20. A plurality of nozzle arrangements as claimed in claim 1 wherein said nozzle arrangements are grouped according to ink color and each of the nozzles in each group are supplied with an ink of the color of that group.

21. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator mechanism and the moveable paddle vane are oriented with respect to each other to form an acute angle with respect to each other.

22. A method of ejecting drops of fluid from a nozzle chamber of a nozzle arrangement having walls that define at least two fluid ejection ports defined in one of the walls of the nozzle arrangement, utilizing a moveable paddle vane attached to an actuator mechanism, said method comprising the steps of:

actuating the actuator mechanism to cause the moveable paddle vane to move in a first direction so as to eject drops from a first of the fluid ejection ports; and

actuating the actuator mechanism to cause the movable paddle to move in a second direction so as to eject drops from a second of the fluid ejection ports.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein an array of nozzle arrangement is arranged in a pagewidth printhead and the moveable paddle vane of the nozzle arrangement is driven in phase.