Print assembly and printer having wide printing zone

• US 7,832,837 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Lam S
• Application Number:
  US11/944,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 347/5, 347/9, 347/12, 347/13, 347/42, 347/32, 347/3
• US Class Current: 347/42
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/15 for serial printing
• 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 2202/19 : Assembling head units
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 : Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• 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 print assembly is provided having an elongate carrier that is mountable on a support structure of a printer to be positioned an operative distance from a platen of the printer, printhead integrated circuits mounted on the carrier, and control circuitry positioned on the carrier and operatively connected to the printhead integrated circuits to control operation thereof. The printhead integrated circuits are provided in a number and configuration such that the printhead integrated circuits define an elongate printing zone between the carrier and the platen of at least 914 mm. Each printhead integrated circuit incorporates nozzle arrangements each having a nozzle, an ink chamber, an ink inlet, an actuator, and a drive circuit to achieve the ejection of ink from the nozzle arrangement. The print assembly has more than 150,000 of the nozzle arrangements.

Claims

1. A print assembly comprising:

an elongate carrier that is mountable on a support structure of a printer to be positioned an operative distance from a platen of the printer;

a plurality of printhead integrated circuits mounted on the carrier, the printhead integrated circuits being provided in a number and configuration such that the printhead integrated circuits define an elongate printing zone between the carrier and the platen, each printhead integrated circuit incorporating a plurality of nozzle arrangements, each nozzle arrangement comprising a nozzle, an ink chamber, an ink inlet, an actuator, and a drive circuit to achieve the ejection of ink from the nozzle arrangement;

a plurality of controllers positioned on the carrier, each controller being operatively connected to a respective group of the printhead integrated circuits to control operation thereof;

a plurality of capping devices mounted on the carrier to correspond with respective printhead integrated circuits, each capping device being reciprocally displaceable to cap the respective printhead integrated circuits; and

an elongate camshaft positioned along the elongate carrier and along the plurality of capping devices and a translating member interconnecting the elongate camshaft and the plurality of capping devices, so that rotational movement of the elongate camshaft driven by a motor results in reciprocal movement of the plurality of capping devices between their operative to cap the printhead integrated circuits and inoperative positions in which ink can be ejected from the printhead integrated circuits,

wherein said print assembly comprises more than 150,000 said nozzle arrangements.

2. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least 200,000 nozzle arrangements.

3. A print assembly as claimed in claim 2, comprising between 300,000 and 800,000 nozzle arrangements.

4. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein between 40 and 100 printhead integrated circuits are mounted on the carrier.

5. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive circuit of each nozzle arrangement is defined by CMOS drive circuitry on a silicon wafer substrate on which each printhead integrated circuit is formed.

6. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead integrated circuits are each positioned at a common angle of greater than zero degrees and less than ninety degrees with respect to a straight line extending at right angles to a feed direction, with consecutive ends of the printhead integrated circuits overlapping to ensure continuous printing in the printing zone.

7. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier includes a plurality of modules, one printhead integrated circuit being incorporated in each module, and the modules being detachably mounted on the carrier to facilitate replacement of the modules.

8. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein an ink reservoir assembly is mounted on the carrier in fluid communication with the printhead integrated circuits, the ink reservoir assembly being configured to supply the printhead integrated circuits with at least three inks of different colors.

9. A print assembly as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one flexible printed circuit board interconnected between the controllers and the drive circuit of each printhead integrated circuit.

10. A pagewidth inkjet printer comprising:

a support structure;

a platen positioned in the support structure;

a print assembly as claimed in claim 1 positioned on the support structure; and

a feed mechanism that is positioned on the support structure for feeding a print medium through the printing zone via the platen.