Ink jet printing mechanism that incorporates a shape memory alloy

• US 6,830,316 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US10/421,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20030202048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/48, 347/54, 347/56, 347/68
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• 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 2/16 Production of nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• 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 2/1637 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 2/1643 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 2/17513 Inner structure
• 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 2002/14435 : Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14443 : Nozzle guard
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 : in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 : Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 : Authenticate client device independently of the user
• 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: G07F 7/08 : by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 : Card verification
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49083 : Heater type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 : Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49172 : by molding of insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A method of ejecting ink from a chamber includes the step of providing a cantilevered beam actuator incorporating a shape memory alloy and transforming said shape memory alloy from its martensitic phase to its austenitic phase or vice versa to cause the ink to eject from said chamber.

Claims

1. A method of ejecting ink from a chamber, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cantilevered beam actuator incorporating a shape memory alloy; and

transforming said shape memory alloy from its martensitic phase to its austenitic phase or vice versa to cause the ink to eject from said chamber.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator comprises a conductive shape memory alloy panel in a quiescent state and which transfers to an ink ejection state upon heating thereby causing said ink ejection from the chamber.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said heating occurs by means of passing a current through said shape memory alloy.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said chamber is formed from a crystallographic etch of a silicon wafer so as to have one surface of a said chamber substantially formed by said actuator.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein said crystallographic etch includes providing side wall slots of non-etched layers of a processed silicon wafer so as to extend the chamber as a result of the crystallographic etch process.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator is formed from a conductive shape memory alloy arranged in a serpentine form.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator is attached to one wall of said chamber opposite a nozzle port from which ink is ejected.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said nozzle port is formed by back etching a silicon wafer to an epitaxial layer and etching a nozzle port hole in said epitaxial layer.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shape memory alloy is a nickel titanium alloy.