Ink jet with narrow chamber

• US 7,207,654 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• 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): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US10/698,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20040090493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347/63, 347/65, 347/67, 347/94, 347/61, 60527-529, 310306-307, 337139-141
• 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 2/1601 Production of bubble jet print heads B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence
• 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 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 : with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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: 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 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• 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 with an actuator disposed in an ink chamber. An ink inlet supplies ink, and an ink ejection port allows ink to be ejected selectively. The ink inlet is located to refill the ink chamber at a position that is radially displaced from the axis of the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead, the nozzle arrangement including:

(a) a nozzle chamber for holding ink;

(b) an actuator in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber, the actuator being moveable with respect to the nozzle chamber upon actuation by passing an electric current through a portion of the actuator to cause differential thermal expansion in the actuator;

(c) a fluid ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber for allowing ejection of ink upon movement of an operative portion of the actuator relative to the nozzle chamber during actuation, the fluid ejection port defining an ejection axis generally perpendicular to a plane within which the fluid ejection port is disposed; and

(d) an inlet channel in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber for supplying ink thereto from an ink supply;

wherein the inlet channel is positioned for supplying ink to refill the nozzle chamber at a position radially displaced from the ejection axis.

2. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inlet channel is orientated such that the ink enters the nozzle chamber along an inlet axis that is substantially parallel to, but displaced from, the ejection axis.

3. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the fluid ejection port is formed in a roof portion that at least partially defines the nozzle chamber, the nozzle arrangement being configured such that, upon actuation, an operative portion of the actuator is moved relative to the fluid ejection port, thereby causing the ink to be ejected from the fluid ejection port.

4. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, in which:

at least part of the operative portion of the actuator defines a roof portion that at least partially defines the nozzle chamber; and

the fluid ejection port is formed in the roof portion;

wherein the nozzle arrangement is configured such that, upon actuation, the roof portion, and thereby the fluid ejection port, are moved relative to the nozzle chamber, thereby causing the ink to be ejected from the fluid ejection port.

5. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, configured such that, upon return of the actuator to a quiescent position after actuation and ejection of the ink through the fluid ejection port, the nozzle chamber is refilled with ink via the inlet channel.

6. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the nozzle chamber is refilled with ink from the inlet channel due to a reduction in pressure within the nozzle chamber caused by surface tension of a concave ink meniscus across the fluid ejection port after ink ejection.

7. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises at least one passive anchor and at least one active anchor, wherein the active anchor is resistively heatable by means of the electric current to cause thermal expansion relative to the passive anchor.

8. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is moveable within a plane upon actuation, the plane intersecting and being parallel with the ejection axis.

9. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the actuator is mounted to flex about an anchor point upon actuation.

10. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the inlet channel is located in a plane that is parallel to both the inlet channel axis and the ejection axis and which intersects both axes.

11. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is rotatably moved about a pivot region upon actuation and the inlet channel is disposed closer to the pivot region than to the ejection port.

12. A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead, the nozzle arrangement including:

(a) a nozzle chamber for holding ink;

(b) an actuator in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber, the actuator being moveable with respect to the nozzle chamber upon actuation;

(c) a fluid ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber for allowing ejection of ink upon movement of an operative portion of the actuator relative to the nozzle chamber during actuation, the fluid ejection port defining an ejection axis generally perpendicular to a plane within which the fluid ejection port is disposed;

(d) an inlet channel in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber for supplying ink thereto from an ink supply; and

(e) a raised rib formation disposed on a floor or wall of the nozzle chamber adjacent the inlet channel, for impeding backflow of ink during the actuation,

wherein the inlet channel is positioned for supplying ink to refill the nozzle chamber at a position radially displaced from the ejection axis.

13. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the rib formation at least partially encircles the inlet channel.

14. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the rib formation comprises a collar that encircles the inlet channel.

15. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the rib formation comprises a radially inward-extending lip.