Inkjet printhead with staggered fluidic ports

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10532572-B2
Application number	US-201615563518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

An inkjet printhead having a fluidic chamber substrate, the fluidic chamber substrate having at least two droplet units provided in an array therein, the droplet units comprising: a fluidic chamber, a first fluidic port provided at a first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, wherein the first fluidic port is in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber, a nozzle formed in a nozzle layer provided at a second surface of the fluidic chamber substrate; and a vibration plate provided at the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, the vibration plate comprising an actuator for effecting pressure fluctuations within the fluidic chamber; and wherein the droplet units are arranged adjacent each other about an axis extending substantially in a width direction of the droplet units, wherein the first fluidic ports of the droplet units are staggered a first stagger offset distance from each other substantially in a length direction of the droplet units, and wherein a wiring layer extends over the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate and between the first fluidic ports.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inkjet printhead, comprising:
a fluidic chamber substrate comprising a plurality of droplet units provided adjacent one another in an array, the array extending in an array direction, each of the droplet units comprising:
a fluidic chamber;
a first fluidic port provided at a first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, wherein the first fluidic port is in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber;
a nozzle formed in a nozzle layer provided at a second surface of the fluidic chamber substrate and in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber; and
a vibration plate provided at the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, the vibration plate comprising an actuator for effecting pressure fluctuations within the fluidic chamber,

wherein:
corresponding first fluidic ports of the droplet units are:
arranged along the array direction, and
staggered in a direction perpendicular to the array direction at a first stagger offset distance from each other, and

a wiring layer extends over the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate and between the first fluidic ports.

2. The inkjet printhead according to claim 1 , wherein:
corresponding fluidic chambers, nozzles and actuators of the droplet units are staggered at the first stagger offset distance in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

3. The inkjet printhead according to claim 1 , wherein:
each of the droplet units further comprises a second fluidic port provided at the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, and
corresponding second fluidic ports of the droplet units are in fluidic communication with the corresponding fluidic chambers.

4. The inkjet printhead according to claim 3 wherein:
the corresponding second fluidic ports are staggered at a second stagger offset distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the array direction; and
the wiring layer further extends between the second fluidic ports.

5. The inkjet printhead according to claim 4 , wherein a separation gap is provided between a sidewall of the wiring layer and the corresponding first fluidic ports.

6. The inkjet printhead according to claim 3 , wherein:
the corresponding second fluidic ports are staggered at a second stagger offset distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the array direction; and
the first stagger offset distance is equal to the second stagger offset distance.

7. The inkjet printhead according to claim 3 , wherein the corresponding second fluidic ports are staggered at a second stagger offset distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

8. The inkjet printhead according to claim 3 , wherein:
the corresponding second fluidic ports, and corresponding fluidic chambers, nozzles and actuators of the droplet units are staggered at the first or second stagger offset distance in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

9. The inkjet printhead according to claim 1 , wherein:
the wiring layer comprises a reduced portion between the first fluidic ports; and
the width of the wiring layer is limited by a distance between the corresponding first fluidic ports.

10. The inkjet printhead according to claim 1 , wherein:
a distance between adjacent corresponding first fluidic ports is less than half the first stagger offset distance;
the wiring layer comprises a narrow portion between adjacent corresponding first fluidic ports, a width of the narrow portion being smaller than the distance between adjacent corresponding first fluidic ports; and
a thickness of the wiring layer is one tenth or less the width of the narrow portion.

11. A fluidic chamber substrate, comprising:
a plurality of droplet units provided adjacent one another in an array, the array extending in an array direction, each of the droplet units comprising:
a fluidic chamber,
a first fluidic port provided at a first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, wherein the first fluidic port is in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber;
a nozzle formed in a nozzle layer provided at a second surface of the fluidic chamber substrate and in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber; and
a vibration plate provided at the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, the vibration plate comprising an actuator for effecting pressure fluctuations within the fluidic chamber; and

wherein:
corresponding first fluidic ports of the droplet units are:
arranged along the array direction, and
staggered in a direction perpendicular to the array direction at a first stagger offset distance from each other, and

a wiring layer extends over the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate and between the first fluidic ports.

12. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 11 , wherein corresponding fluidic chambers, nozzles, and actuators of the droplet units are staggered at the first stagger offset distance in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

13. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 11 , wherein:
each of the droplet units further comprise a second fluidic port provided at the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, and
corresponding second fluidic ports of the droplet units are in fluidic communication with corresponding fluidic chambers of the droplet units.

14. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 13 , wherein:
the corresponding second fluidic ports are staggered at a second stagger offset distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the array direction; and
the wiring layer further extends between the second fluidic ports.

15. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 14 , wherein a separation gap is provided between a sidewall of the wiring layer and the corresponding first fluidic ports.

16. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 13 , wherein:
the corresponding second fluidic ports are staggered at a second stagger offset distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the array direction; and
the first stagger offset distance is equal to the second stagger offset distance.

17. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 13 , wherein the corresponding second fluidic ports are staggered at a second stagger offset distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

18. The fluidic chamber substrate according to claim 13 , wherein:
the corresponding second fluidic ports, and corresponding fluidic chambers, nozzles and actuators of the droplet units are staggered at the first or second stagger offset distance in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

19. An inkjet printer comprising:
an inkjet printhead comprising:
a fluidic chamber substrate comprising a plurality of droplet units provided adjacent one another in an array therein, the array extending in an array direction, each of the droplet units comprising:
a fluidic chamber;
a first fluidic port provided at a first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, wherein the first fluidic port is in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber;
a nozzle formed in a nozzle layer provided at a second surface of the fluidic chamber substrate and in fluidic communication with the fluidic chamber; and
a vibration plate provided at the first surface of the fluidic chamber substrate, the vibration plate comprising an actuator for effecting pressure fluctuations within the fluidic chamber;

wherein:
corresponding first fluidic ports of the droplet units are:
arranged alon

Assignees

• Xaar Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Mcmullen Robert Errol
• Mardilovich Peter

Classifications

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title

• B41J2002/14419

  Manifold · CPC title

• B41J2002/14459

  Matrix arrangement of the pressure chambers · CPC title

• B41J2002/14491

  Electrical connection · CPC title

• B41J2/14233 Primary

  of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm · CPC title