Chip layout to enable multiple heater chip vertical resolutions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802404-B2
Application number	US-201615233769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2016
Priority date	Aug 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A method of printing, including providing a fluid ejection device that includes a substrate, a plurality of drive units formed on the substrate, each drive unit including at least two drive elements electrically coupled in parallel, and a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on the substrate, each fluid ejection element of the plurality of fluid ejection elements electrically coupled with a single respective drive unit. Electrical power is selectively supplied via the plurality of drive units to the plurality of fluid ejection elements to cause fluid to be expelled from the fluid ejection device based on image data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of printing, comprising:
providing a fluid ejection device comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of drive units formed on the substrate, each drive unit comprising at least two drive elements electrically coupled in parallel; and
a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on the substrate; and

selectively supplying electrical power via the plurality of drive units to the plurality of fluid ejection elements to cause fluid to be expelled from the fluid ejection device based on image data,
wherein each of the plurality of drive units is electrically coupled with a corresponding single respective fluid ejection element.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of selectively supplying electrical power comprises:
activating one or more of the plurality of drive elements of each drive unit depending on one of a plurality of desired discrete levels of output power for the drive unit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of drive units comprises two drive elements.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of desired discrete levels of output power comprise three power levels, wherein a first power level equals no power, a second power level equals a power of one drive element fully activated and a third power level equals a power of two drive elements fully activated.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of drive units comprises four drive elements.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of desired discrete levels of output power comprise five power levels, wherein a first power level equals no power, a second power level equals a power of one drive element fully activated, a third power levels equals a power of two drive elements fully activated, a fourth level equals a power of three drive elements fully activated, and a fifth power level equals a power of four drive elements fully activated.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of activating comprises activating some but not all of the plurality of drive elements of each drive unit.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a maximum output power of each drive unit is a sum total of a maximum output power of each drive element of the drive unit.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of:
modulating two or more of the plurality of drive elements of each drive unit to output a desired electrical power, wherein the desired electrical power is between 0 and a maximum output power of the drive unit.

10. A method of printing, comprising:
providing a fluid ejection device comprising:
a substrate;
a plurality of drive units formed on the substrate, each drive unit comprising at least two drive elements electrically coupled in parallel; and
a plurality of fluid ejection elements disposed on the substrate, each fluid ejection element of the plurality of fluid ejection elements electrically coupled with a single respective drive unit; and

selectively supplying electrical power via the plurality of drive units to the plurality of fluid ejection elements to cause fluid to be expelled from the fluid ejection device based on image data,
wherein a maximum output power of each drive unit is a sum total of a maximum output power of each drive element of the drive unit.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of selectively supplying electrical power comprises:
activating one or more of the plurality of drive elements of each drive unit depending on one of a plurality of desired discrete levels of output power for the drive unit.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of drive units comprises two drive elements.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of desired discrete levels of output power comprise three power levels, wherein a first power level equals no power, a second power level equals a power of one drive element fully activated and a third power level equals a power of two drive elements fully activated.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of drive units comprises four drive elements.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of desired discrete levels of output power comprise five power levels, wherein a first power level equals no power, a second power level equals a power of one drive element fully activated, a third power levels equals a power of two drive elements fully activated, a fourth level equals a power of three drive elements fully activated, and a fifth power level equals a power of four drive elements fully activated.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of activating comprises activating some but not all of the plurality of drive elements of each drive unit.

17. The method of claim 10 , comprising the step of:
modulating two or more of the plurality of drive elements of each drive unit to output a desired electrical power, wherein the desired electrical power is between 0 and the maximum output power of the drive unit.

Assignees

• Funai Electric Co

Inventors

• Edelen John Glenn
• Semler Nicole
• Marra Michael

Classifications

• B41J2/1648

  Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators · CPC title

• B41J2/1631

  photolithography · CPC title

• B41J2/14427

  Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators · CPC title

• B41J2/1629

  wet etching · CPC title

• B41J2/1632

  machining · CPC title