Printhead assembly arrangement for a wide format pagewidth inkjet printer

• US 7,246,881 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• 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): Do; An H.
• Application Number:
  US10/913,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20050007418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 347/42, 347/49, 347/85
• US Class Current: 347/49
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04 generating single droplets or particles on demand
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• 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 2/1626 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 2/17503 : Ink cartridges
• 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 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• 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 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 printhead assembly for a wide format inkjet printer includes an elongate support structure that spans a print media feed path. An ink supply assembly is mounted on the support structure and extends a length of the support structure. A plurality of printhead modules is mounted along the support structure, in an end-to-end manner, and in fluid communication with the ink supply assembly. Each printhead module incorporates an elongate printhead chip. The printhead modules are positioned on the support structure so that the printhead chips are capable of carrying out a printing operation on print media passing along the print media feed path. A plurality of print control arrangements is mounted on the support structure. Each print control arrangement is configured to control a number of the printhead chips and each printhead module includes a flexible data connector that interconnects each printhead chip of said number to the print control arrangement to facilitate relative angular orientation of the printhead modules and the print control arrangement.

Claims

1. A printhead assembly for a wide format inkjet printer, the printhead assembly comprising

an elongate support structure that spans a print media feed path, in use;

an ink supply assembly mounted on the support structure and extending a length of the support structure;

a plurality of printhead modules mounted along the support structure, in an end-to-end manner, and in fluid communication with the ink supply assembly, each printhead module incorporating an elongate printhead chip, the printhead modules being positioned on the support structure so that the printhead chips are capable of carrying out a printing operation on print media passing along the print media feed path; and

a plurality of print control arrangements mounted on the support structure, each print control arrangement being configured to control a number of the printhead chips and each printhead module including a flexible data connector that interconnects each printhead chip of said number to the print control arrangement to facilitate relative angular orientation of the printhead modules and the print control arrangement.

2. A printhead assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which the elongate support structure defines a channel that accommodates the ink supply assembly, which is connectable to a supply of ink at one end.

3. A printhead assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the elongate support structure has a pair of opposed side walls and a floor wall, the printhead modules being positioned to span the walls and the control arrangements being positioned on one of the side walls.

4. A printhead assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the ink supply assembly includes a plurality of ink reservoir structures which are mounted end-to-end in the channel, each ink reservoir structure defining a number of elongate ink channels such that, when the ink reservoir structures are positioned in the channel, the ink reservoir structures together define elongate ink reservoirs that extend the length of the channel, each ink reservoir corresponding to a respective ink to be printed.

5. A printhead assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which each print control arrangement includes a printed circuit board which incorporates a print engine controller chip and at least one memory chip.

6. A printhead assembly as claimed in claim 5, in which the printed circuit boards are connected together with suitable connectors and an endmost printed circuit board includes a suitable data connector to permit data cables to be connected to the printed circuit boards.