Micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism with electro-magnetic actuation

• US 7,465,023 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• 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:
  US11/501,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/40, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347 61- 65, 347/67
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• 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 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• 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 micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism for an inkjet printhead includes a substrate. A nozzle chamber structure is arranged on the substrate and defines a nozzle chamber and an outlet in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. An ink ejection member is suspended within the chamber and is displaceable towards and away from the outlet to eject ink from the outlet. The ink ejection member is capable of electro-magnetic actuation. An electro-magnetic actuator is configured to actuate the ink ejection member so that ink is ejected from the outlet.

Claims

1. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism for an inkjet printhead, the ink ejection mechanism comprising:

a substrate;

a nozzle chamber structure arranged on the substrate and defining a nozzle chamber and an outlet in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber;

a ink ejection member suspended within the chamber and displaceable towards and away from the outlet to eject ink from the outlet, the ink ejection member being capable of electro-magnetic actuation; and

an electro-magnetic actuator configured to actuate the ink ejection member so that ink is ejected from the outlet.

2. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ink ejection member is magnetic.

3. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a resilient fastening means which fastens the permanent magnet to the nozzle chamber structure and thereby suspends the permanent magnet within the chamber.

4. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ink ejection member comprises a pair of adjoining portions, one of the portions being positively polarized and the other being negatively polarized.

5. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ink ejection member is in the form of a paddle with one of said adjoining portions defining one layer of the paddle and the other of said adjoining portions defining another layer of the paddle.

6. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a wafer substrate layer, and a drive circuitry layer deposited on the wafer substrate layer and configured to drive the actuator.

7. A micro-electromechanical ink ejection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a pair of coils each located within the chamber on a respective side of the ink ejection member.