Fluid supply arrangment for a micro-electromechanical device

• US 6,644,793 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/307,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 347/85, 347/86, 347/87, 347/94
• US Class Current: 347/85
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04565 detecting heater resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04571 detecting viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04585 controlling heads based on thermal bent actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry 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 2/1637 molding
• 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 2/1646 : thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 : Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection

Abstract

A fluid supply arrangement for a micro-electromechanical device includes a fluid supply unit that is connectable to the micro-electromechanical device with a suitable fluid distribution device. The fluid supply unit has a housing that defines at least one elongate storage chamber, for holding fluid for supply to said fluid distribution device, and a series of baffles spaced along the storage chamber. The baffles extend transversely so that consecutive baffles and the housing define a series of chamber portions. Each chamber portion is in fluid communication with a respective fluid inlet of the fluid distribution device.

Claims

1. A fluid supply arrangement for a micro-electromechanical device, the fluid supply arrangement comprising

a fluid supply unit that is connectable to the micro-electromechanical device with a suitable fluid distribution device, the fluid supply unit having a housing that defines at least one elongate storage chamber, for holding fluid for supply to said fluid distribution device, and a series of baffles spaced along the storage chamber and extending transversely so that consecutive baffles and the housing define a series of chamber portions, each chamber portion being in fluid communication with respective fluid inlets of the fluid distribution device.

2. A fluid supply arrangement as claimed in claim 1, which includes the fluid distribution device in the form of a manifold, the manifold being connectable to the micro-electromechanical device and defining a plurality of fluid outlets corresponding with respective fluid supply passages of the micro-electromechanical device.

3. A fluid supply arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the series of baffles are defined by a baffle unit that is enclosed by the housing, the baffle unit being configured to define holes to provide the fluid communication between each chamber portion and a respective fluid inlet.

4. A fluid supply arrangement as claimed in claim 3, in which the baffle unit and the housing define a number of storage chambers for holding different forms of the fluid.

5. A micro-electromechanical device that includes a fluid supply arrangement as claimed in claim 1.