Printhead with reciprocating coils

• US 7,934,797 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• 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): Do; An H
• Application Number:
  US12/240,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20090027448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/55, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/44
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04585 controlling heads based on thermal bent actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04593 Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14314 Structure of ink jet print heads with electrostatically actuated membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16 Production of nozzles
• 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 2002/14443 : Nozzle guard
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• 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: G07F 7/08 : by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 : Card verification
• 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

The present invention relates to a printhead for an inkjet printer. The printhead includes a plurality of nozzle arrangements. Each nozzle arrangement includes a nozzle defining a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with an ink ejection port. A static coil is fixed within the chamber. A movable coil is movably attached within the chamber. An actuator is configured to provide current to the coils so that the movable coil reciprocates relative to the static coil and ink in the chamber is ejected from the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. A printhead for an inkjet printer, the printhead including a plurality of nozzle arrangements, each nozzle arrangement comprising:

a nozzle defining a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with an ink ejection port;

a static coil fixed within the chamber;

a movable coil movably attached within the chamber; and

an actuator configured to provide current to the coils so that the movable coil reciprocates relative to the static coil and ink in the chamber is ejected from the ink ejection port.

2. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coils and the nozzle chamber are configured so that the nozzle chamber is supplied with ink when the coils are brought together.

3. A printhead as claimed in claim 2, wherein the nozzle defines apertures oriented so that ink is supplied into the nozzle chamber in a direction transverse to the ink ejection direction.

4. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, in which the movable coil is attached to an inner wall of the chamber with a pair of torsional springs, one spring on each side of the movable coil.

5. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coils remain parallel with each other during said reciprocation.

6. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes a wafer substrate, in turn, including a drive circuitry layer forming part of the actuator, the printhead being formed using semi-conductor fabrication techniques.