Wide format printer having high speed printhead

• US 7,934,796 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• 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): Nguyen; Lamson D
• Application Number:
  US12/435,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20090213179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 347/12, 347/13, 347/15, 347/40, 347/43, 347/42, 347/49, 347/105
• US Class Current: 347/42
• 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 11/06 Flat page-size platens or smaller flat platens having a greater size than line-size platens B41J11/0085 takes precedence
• 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 2/15 for serial printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16 Production of nozzles
• 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 2/175 : Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• 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 2/25 : Print wires
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 : Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 : Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 : Framework
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 : Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• 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 printer is provided having, supported by a support structure, a print assembly and feed mechanism for feeding print media though a printing zone. The print assembly has an elongate carrier mounted to the support structure which mounts printhead integrated circuits and control circuitry connected to the printhead ICs. The elongate printing zone defined by the printhead ICs is at least 914 mm. Each printhead IC incorporates nozzle arrangements having a nozzle, ink chamber, ink inlet, actuator, and drive circuit to achieve ink ejection at more than one billion ink drops per second. The printhead ICs 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 of print media, with consecutive ends of the printhead integrated circuits overlapping to ensure continuous printing in the printing zone.

Claims

1. A pagewidth inkjet printer comprising:

a support structure;

a print assembly supported by the support structure, the print assembly comprising;

an elongate carrier mounted to the support structure;

a plurality of printhead integrated circuits mounted on the carrier, the elongate printing zone is defined by the printhead integrated circuits to be at least 914 mm, 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; and

control circuitry positioned on the carrier and operatively connected to the printhead integrated circuits to control operation thereof, and

a feed mechanism supported by the support structure for feeding print media though the printing zone,

wherein the nozzle arrangements and control circuitry are configured so that the printhead integrated circuits are controlled by the control circuitry to print more than one billion drops of ink per second, and

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 of print media, with consecutive ends of the printhead integrated circuits overlapping to ensure continuous printing in the printing zone.

2. A printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead integrated circuits are controlled by the control circuitry to print at least 1.8 billion drops of ink per second.

3. A printer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the printhead integrated circuits are controlled by the control circuitry to print up to 21.6 billion drops of ink per second.

4. A printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry incorporates a plurality of print engine integrated circuits positioned on the carrier, each print engine integrated circuit being connected to an associated number of the printhead integrated circuits.

5. A printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein each print engine integrated circuit is connected to up to sixteen printhead integrated circuits.

6. A printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein each print engine integrated circuit drives operation of at least 100,000 nozzle arrangements.

7. A printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein each print engine integrated circuit incorporates processing circuitry for processing print data to be printed by the printhead integrated circuits.

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

9. A printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the a plurality of modules are detachably mounted on the carrier, one printhead integrated circuit being incorporated in each module.

10. A printer 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.