Nozzle arrangement for an ink jet printhead including volume-reducing actuators
AssigneeSilverbrook Research Pty Ltd
InventorKia Silverbrook
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nozzle arrangement for an ink jet printhead includes a substrate. An actuator is arranged on the substrate for facilitating the ejection of ink from a nozzle chamber of the nozzle arrangement. The actuator includes a plurality of actuating members that are mounted on the substrate and are operatively positioned with respect to the nozzle chamber to define at least part of one of a roof wall, floor and side wall of the nozzle chamber. The actuating members are displaceable between an inoperative condition and an operative condition to reduce a volume of the nozzle chamber so that ink is ejected from the nozzle chamber. An actuating mechanism is provided for displacing the actuating members between the inoperative and operative conditions.
Claims13
A nozzle arrangement for an ink jet printhead, the nozzle arrangement comprising
- a chip wafer substrate that incorporates drive circuitry;
- a roof wall, side walls and a floor that define a nozzle chamber;
- and
- an actuator that is arranged on the substrate for facilitating the ejection of ink from the nozzle chamber of the nozzle arrangement, the actuator comprising
- at least one micro-electromachanical actuating member that is mounted on the substrate and is operatively positioned with respect to the nozzle chamber to define at least part of one of the roof wall, floor and side walls of the nozzle chamber, the, or each, actuating member being connected to the drive cicuitry layer to be heated when an electrical signal is received from the drive circuitry layer, and the, or each, actuating member being at least partially made up of a material that is capable of expansion to an extent sufficient to perform work when heated and being configured so that, upon such heating, the, or each, actuating member undergoes deformation as a result of such expansion to be displaceable between an inoperative condition and an operative condition to reduce a volume of the nozzle chamber so that ink is ejected from the nozzle chamber;
- and
- an actuating mechanism for displacing the, or each, actuating member between the inoperative and operative conditions.
An ink jet printhead which comprises
- a substrate;
- and
- a plurality of nozzle arrangements positioned on the substrate, each nozzle arrangement comprising
- a roof wall, floor and side walls that define a nozzle chamber;
- and
- an actuator that is arranged on the substrate for facilitating the ejection of ink from the nozzle chamber of the nozzle arrangement, the actuator comprising
- at least one micro-electromechanical actuating member that is mounted on the substrate and is operatively positioned with respect to the nozzle chamber to define at least part of one of the roof wall, floor and side walls of the nozzle chamber, the, or each, actuating member being connected to the drive circuitry layer to be heated when an electrical signal is received from the drive circuitry layer, and the, or each, actuating member being at least partially made up of a material that is capable of expansion to an extent sufficient to perform work when heated and being configured so that, upon such heating, the, or each, actuating member undergoes deformation as a result of such expansion to be displaceable between an inoperative condition and an operative condition to reduce a volume of the nozzle chamber so that ink is ejected from the nozzle chamber;
- and
- an actuating mechanism for displacing the, or each, actuating member between the inoperative and operative conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.