Ink jet printhead with displaceable nozzle crown
View Patent ↗A printhead includes a substrate defining a plurality of ink inlet channels; a drive circuitry layer; and a plurality of nozzle arrangements. Each nozzle arrangement comprises a wall portion bounding a respective ink inlet channel, a crown portion defining an ink outlet, and a skirt portion depending from the crown portion. The crown, skirt and wall portions define a nozzle chamber. The printhead further includes an elongate actuator provided within the nozzle chamber and connected to the crown portion at one end and anchored to the substrate at an opposite end; and conductive pads provided at the anchor point of the elongate actuator, the conductive pads being provided between the elongate actuator and the substrate. The elongate actuator receives electrical signals from the drive circuitry via the conductive pads, and upon receipt of electrical signals from the drive circuitry, displaces towards and away from the substrate.
1. A printhead comprising:
a substrate defining a plurality of ink inlet channels;
a drive circuitry layer positioned on the substrate;
a plurality of nozzle arrangements positioned on the substrate, each nozzle arrangement comprising a wall portion bounding a respective ink inlet channel, a crown portion defining an outlet through which ink is ejected, and a skirt portion depending from the crown portion, the crown, skirt and wall portions defining a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with the respective ink inlet channel and the outlet;
an elongate actuator provided within the nozzle chamber and connected to the crown portion at one end and anchored to the substrate at an opposite end; and
conductive pads provided at an anchor point of the elongate actuator with the substrate, the conductive pads being provided between the elongate actuator and the substrate, wherein
the elongate actuator receives electrical signals from the drive circuitry via the conductive pads, and
upon receipt of electrical signals from the drive circuitry, the actuator is operable to displace towards and away from the substrate such that the crown and ink outlet is also displaced towards and away from the substrate, whereby ink is ejected from the outlet.
2. A printhead as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nozzle arrangements are arrayed so that each set includes a pair of rows of outlets.
3. A printhead as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the nozzle arrangements are arrayed so that outlets forming a first row of each set are longitudinally offset with respect to the outlets forming a second row of that set.
4. A printhead as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the elongate actuators extend substantially orthogonally with respect to the rows.
5. A printhead as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the crown portions of each set are arranged side-by-side and longitudinally offset, and are interposed between their associated actuators.
6. A printhead as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the actuators are fixed to walls located between each set and extending from the substrate.