Printhead incorporating a two dimensional array of ink ejection ports

• US 7,287,827 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• 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:
  US11/785,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 347/40, 347/42, 347/44, 347/54, 347/56, 347 62- 65, 347/67, 347/68, 347/70, 347/71, 60527-529
• US Class Current: 347/40
• 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 2/17513 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 2002/14459 : Matrix arrangement of the pressure chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14475 : characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 : Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• 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 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 printhead is provided for an inkjet printer. The printhead includes a wafer substrate assembly defining rows of evenly spaced ink inlet channels. Rows of ink ejection nozzle arrangements extend from the wafer substrate assembly and are in fluid communication with respective ink inlet channel rows. Each nozzle arrangement defines an ink ejection port from which ink can be ejected. Adjacent rows of ink ejection nozzle arrangements are axially offset relative to each other so that the resulting two dimensional array of ink ejection ports is a non-orthogonal grid.

Claims

1. A printhead for an inkjet printer, the printhead comprising:

a wafer substrate assembly defining rows of evenly spaced ink inlet channels; and

rows of ink ejection nozzle arrangements extending from the wafer substrate assembly and in fluid communication with respective ink inlet channel rows, each nozzle arrangement defining an ink ejection port from which ink can be ejected, adjacent rows of ink ejection nozzle arrangements being axially offset relative to each other so that the resulting two dimensional array of ink ejection ports is a non-orthogonal grid.

2. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein each nozzle arrangement is substantially rectangular without gaps between adjacent rows of nozzle arrangements, such that adjacent rows are continuous.

3. A printhead as claimed in claim 2, without gaps between adjacent nozzle arrangements in each row, such that adjacent nozzle arrangements are continuous.

4. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rows of ink ejection nozzle arrangements are alternately positioned along their respective axes.

5. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ink ejection ports are aligned with respective ink inlet channels.

6. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein each nozzle arrangement comprises:

an elongate lever arm pivotally mounted relative to the wafer substrate assembly;

a nozzle chamber structure defining a nozzle chamber for receiving ink from one of the ink inlet channels, the nozzle chamber structure comprising a static portion extending from the wafer substrate assembly and defining one of the ink ejection ports through which ink in the nozzle chamber can be ejected, the nozzle chamber structure further comprising a movable wall portion mounted to the lever arm at a location such that the lever arm terminates in a free end within the nozzle chamber; and

a thermal actuator operatively mounted to the wafer substrate assembly and coupled to the lever arm such that, upon actuation, the thermal actuator pivots the lever arm to move its free end within the nozzle chamber and thereby eject ink in the nozzle chamber from said ink ejection port.

7. A printhead as claimed in claim 6, wherein the thermal actuator comprises:

an anchor extending from the wafer substrate assembly; and

a pair of actuator arms extending from the anchor towards the lever arm which, in use, bend as a result of differential thermal expansion.