Printhead configuration having acutely aligned nozzle actuators

• US 7,207,656 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2005
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• 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): Do; An H.
• Application Number:
  US11/030,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20050134648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04505 aiming at correcting alignment
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04516 preventing formation of satellite drops
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04518 reducing costs
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0452 reducing demand in current or voltage
• 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 2/04553 detecting ambient temperature
• 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 2/0459 Height of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04593 Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04598 Pre-pulse
• 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 2/1601 : 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 2/1628 : 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 2/1646 : thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 : Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14419 : Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/005 : for serial printing movements superimposed to character- or line-spacing movements

Abstract

A nozzle chamber structure of a printhead is positioned on the substrate to define a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with an ink supply channel and an ink ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism that is positioned on the substrate operatively with respect to the nozzle chamber to eject ink from the ink ejection port includes an elongate actuator arm that is fixed at one end to the substrate and has an ink ejection member positioned on an opposite end and in a respective nozzle chamber. The actuator arm of the nozzle arrangement is oriented at an acute angle with respect to a print medium feed direction.

Claims

1. A printhead comprising:

a substrate that defines at least one ink supply channel; and

a plurality of nozzle arrangements that are positioned on the substrate, at least one nozzle arrangement comprising

a nozzle chamber structure that is positioned on the substrate to define a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with an ink supply channel and an ink ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber; and

a micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism that is positioned on the substrate operatively with respect to the nozzle chamber to eject ink from the ink ejection port, the micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism including an elongate actuator arm that is fixed at one end to the substrate and has an ink ejection member positioned on an opposite end and in a respective nozzle chamber;

wherein said at least one nozzle arrangement is positioned so that the actuator arm of the nozzle arrangement is oriented at an acute angle with respect to a print medium feed direction.

2. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of ink supply channels arranged in groups in which the substrate defines two rows of ink supply channels for each group of ink supply channels.

3. A printhead as claimed in claim 2, in which the nozzle arrangements are oriented so that a predetermined number of nozzle chamber structures are provided for each ink supply channel, said predetermined number of nozzle arrangements being positioned so that each group of ink supply channels corresponds with two rows of nozzle chamber structures.

4. A printhead as claimed in claim 3, in which the nozzle arrangements are oriented so that the nozzle chamber structures of each pair of rows are adjacent each other, with the actuator arms of each row of nozzle arrangements being in a side-by-side orientation, such that the nozzle arrangements define three spaced pairs of rows of nozzle chamber structures corresponding to respective inks.

5. A printhead as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of nozzle arrangements in which each actuator arm of an intermediate pair of rows of nozzle arrangements are interposed between consecutive actuator arms of one of each outer pair of rows of nozzle arrangements.