Nozzle arrangement for a printhead integrated circuit incorporating a lever mechanism

• US 7,465,027 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2007
• 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:
  US11/954,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20080088675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 347/12, 347/13, 347/20, 347/40, 347/42, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347 61- 64, 347/67, 60527-529
• 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 2/17503 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 2002/14435 : Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14475 : characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber
• 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 19/073 : Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49083 : Heater type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 : Switch making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 : Contact or terminal manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

The invention relates to a nozzle arrangement for a printhead integrated circuit, the arrangement having walls defining a chamber and a roof with an ink ejection port defined in a substrate that incorporates drive circuitry. The arrangement further includes a motion transmitting structure formed on the substrate and having an effort formation, a lever arm formation and a load formation. The lever arm formation is interposed between the effort formation and the load formation. A resiliently deformable sealing structure is interposed between the lever arm formation and the substrate to permit pivotal movement of the lever arm formation with respect to the substrate. A thermal bend actuator is connected to the drive circuitry and is reciprocally displaceable with respect to the substrate on receipt of a signal from said drive circuitry. The actuator is connected to the effort formation so that reciprocal movement of the actuator towards and away from the substrate is converted into reciprocal angular displacement of the ejecting member via the motion-transmitting structure, to eject ink in the chamber from the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for a printhead integrated circuit, the arrangement having walls defining a chamber and a roof with an ink ejection port positioned on a substrate that incorporates drive circuitry, said arrangement comprising:

a motion transmitting structure formed on the substrate and having an effort formation, a lever arm formation and a load formation, the lever arm formation interposed between the effort formation and the load formation;

a resiliently deformable sealing structure interposed between the substrate and the lever arm formation to permit pivotal movement of the lever arm formation with respect to the substrate;

a thermal bend actuator connected to the drive circuitry and being reciprocally displaceable with respect to the substrate on receipt of a signal from said drive circuitry, the actuator being connected to the effort formation; and

an ink ejecting member connected to the load formation so that said reciprocal displacement of the actuator towards and away from the substrate is converted into reciprocal angular displacement of the ejecting member via the motion-transmitting structure, to eject ink in the chamber from the ink ejection port.

2. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the chamber walls include a distal end wall, a proximal end wall and a pair of opposed sidewalls to define a rectangular chamber, the roof defining a port nozzle rim and a recess positioned about the rim to inhibit ink spread.

3. The nozzle arrangement of claim 2, wherein the ink ejecting member is fixed to the load formation and extends towards the distal end wall, said member having corrugations to strengthen the member against flexure during operation.

4. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the thermal bend actuator includes an actuator arm having an active portion and a passive portion, the active portion including a pair of inner legs and the passive portion defined by a leg positioned on each side of the pair of inner legs, a bridge portion interconnecting the active inner legs and the passive legs, each active leg fixed to an active anchor formation extending from the substrate, said anchor formations electrically connecting the inner legs to a drive circuitry layer of the substrate.

5. The nozzle arrangement of claim 4, wherein each passive leg is fixed to a passive anchor formation electrically isolating said passive legs from the drive circuitry layer.

6. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the lever arm formation and the roof together define ridges forming a fluidic seal during ink ejection, said ridges inhibiting ink spreading by providing suitable adhesion surfaces for a meniscus formed by the ink.

7. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the roof and the lever arm formation are demarcated by a slotted opening in fluid communication with the chamber, the slotted opening demarcating a resiliently flexible connector in the form of a pair of opposed flexural connectors configured to experience torsional deformation in order to accommodate pivotal movement of the lever arm formation during operation of the nozzle arrangement.