Ink jet printhead having an ultrasonic maintenance system incorporated therein and an associated method of maintaining an ink jet printhead by purging foreign matter therefrom

An inkjet printhead, comprising:

• a main body portion having a front side surface and an internal ink-carrying channel extending through said main body portion and opening outwardly at said front side surface, said ink-carrying channel being in fluid communication with an ink supply to receive an ink flow therefrom;
• means for ejecting droplets of ink from said ink-carrying channel;
• ultrasonic vibrating means mounted to an exterior surface of said main body portion;
• a piezoelectric actuator acoustically coupled to said ink-carrying channel;
• and
• means for applying a first voltage differential across said piezoelectric actuator acoustically coupled to said ink-carrying channel, said first voltage differential causing a first deformation of said piezoelectric actuator which imparts a first pressure pulse to said ink-carrying channel to effect ejection of a droplet of ink therefrom:
• wherein ultrasonic vibration generated from said ultrasonic vibrating means forcibly ejects foreign matter from said ink-carrying channel;
• and
• wherein said ultrasonic vibrating means further comprises a piezoelectric crystal.

An ink jet printhead, comprising:

• a body having parallel intersecured generally plate-like top, bottom and intermediate sections with each section having a top side surface, a bottom side surface and aligned front edge surfaces;
• a front end section joined to said top, intermediate and bottom sections along said aligned front edge surfaces thereof, said front end section having a spaced series of ink discharge orifices extending rearwardly therethrough;
• a spaced, parallel series of internal deflectable sidewall sections extending rearwardly through said body from said front end section thereof and laterally bounding a spaced series of internal ink-carrying channels interdigitated with said sidewall sections and opening outwardly through said discharge orifices, said ink-carrying channels being in fluid communication with an ink supply to receive an ink flow therefrom;
• ultrasonic vibrating means mounted on said top side surface of said top section of said body;
• wherein ultrasonic vibration generated by said ultrasonic vibrating means forcibly ejects foreign matter from said ink-carrying channels and said discharge orifices;
• a controller;
• and
• connection means for electrically connecting said controller with each of said deflectable sidewall sections to apply a selected voltage differential thereacross;
• wherein application of a first voltage differential to a first sidewall section laterally bounding one of said ink-carrying channels causes ejection of a droplet of ink from said ink-carrying channel and wherein application of a second voltage differential greater in magnitude than said first voltage differential to said first sidewall section causes forcible ejectment of foreign material from said ink-carrying channel and said discharge orifice.