TWI424930B - Printhead with non-priming cavities for pulse damping - Google Patents

Description

Print head with non-filling pockets for pulse damping

This invention relates to printers, and more particularly to inkjet printers.

Applicants have developed a wide range of printers that use a page-wide printhead rather than a conventional reciprocating printhead design. Because the printhead does not need to traverse the page laterally to deposit a line of the image, the page width design increases the print rate. When the page width print head moves at a high rate, it simply deposits ink on the medium. These print heads enable printing of full color 1600 dpi (number of dots per inch) at a rate of about 60 pages per minute, which is not possible with conventional ink jet printers.

Printing at these rates quickly consumes ink, and this creates the problem of supplying enough ink to the printhead. Not only is the flow rate high, but the distribution of ink along the entire length of the page width print head is also more complex than supplying the ink to a relatively small reciprocating print head.

The high print rate requires a relatively large ink feed flow rate that moves relatively quickly through the feed line. Sudden interruption of the printing job or simply stopping at the end of the printing page, that is, the relatively large volume of ink that is relatively fast flowing must also stop immediately. But suddenly stopping the ink momentum creates a shock wave in the ink line. The components that make up the printhead are typically stiff, and when the entire row of ink in the pipeline is stationary, the components are nearly inflexible. Because there is no flexibility in the ink line, the shock wave can exceed the Laplace pressure (the pressure provided by the surface tension of the ink at the nozzle opening, which is used to retain the ink in the nozzle chamber) and is submerged The front surface of the print head nozzle. If the nozzle is submerged, the ink may not be ejected, and the artificial result appears in the printing.

When the nozzle emissivity matches the resonant frequency of the ink line, a resonance pulse is generated in the ink. Moreover, because of the rigid configuration of the ink line, most of the nozzles for one color are simultaneously emitted, producing standard or resonant pulses within the ink line. This can cause the nozzle to flood (or be submerged), or conversely, if the Laplace pressure is exceeded, the nozzle is not filled because of the pressure drop after the peak.

Therefore, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a print head for an ink jet printer comprising: a print head integrated circuit having a nozzle for ejecting an array of ink; and a support structure for Supporting the printhead integrated circuit having an ink conduit for supplying ink to the array of nozzles; and a gas containing jet damper for being compressed by pressure pulses in the ink within the ink conduit, To dissipate the pressure pulse.

A small volume of gas can be achieved: gas compression is used to dampen pressure pulses.

Optionally, the jet damper has an array of pockets for holding the gas such that each pocket is a separate gas pocket. Optionally, the ink meniscus partially defines each of the pockets when the ink conduit of the support configuration is filled with ink.

Optionally, each pocket is a blind recess having an opening facing one or more ink conduits. Optionally, the opening of each blind recess faces only one of the ink conduits. Optionally, an opening of each blind recess is constructed to inhibit ink from filling the recess by capillary action.

Optionally, the support structure has an inlet for connecting the ink conduit to an ink supply source and an outlet for connecting the ink conduit to the waste ink outlet. Optionally, the opening to each individual pocket has an upstream edge and a downstream edge; during initial filling of the ink conduit by the ink supply source, the upstream edge contacts the ink earlier than the downstream edge; and the upstream edge is between the conduit and the interior of the pocket Having a transition surface; constructing a transition surface to prevent the filling of the cavity and removal of gas by capillary action during initial filling of the ink conduit.

Optionally, the printhead is a pagewidth printhead; and the support structure is elongate having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end; and the ink conduits have channels along which the inlet and the The support structure between the outlets extends longitudinally; and each of the channels has a series of ink feed channels along which the ink feed channels are spaced to provide the channel and the print Fluid communication between the head integrated circuits. Optionally, the ink feed channels are joined to the channel along a wall of the channel, the wall being opposite the wall including the openings to the pockets.

Optionally, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer. Optionally, the support structure is a two-piece liquid crystal polymer module, and the channels and the feed channels are formed in one of the parts, and the holes are formed in the other part.

Optionally, the support structure has a plurality of print head integrated circuits that are mounted end to end along one side. Optionally, the print head integrated circuit is mounted to the side by interposing a viscous film therebetween, the adhesive film having holes for the ink feed flow path and the print head product Fluid communication between body circuits.

In a second aspect, therefore, the present invention provides a printhead for an ink jet printer comprising: a printhead integrated circuit having nozzles for ejecting an array of ink; and a support structure, ??? mounting the printhead integrated circuit in the printer; the support structure has an ink conduit for supplying ink to the array of nozzles; the ink conduit has a dam structure to partially block ink flow; When the print head is filled, the dam structure preferentially fills the upstream section of the ink conduit.

The use of dams in downstream areas with an incorrect tendency to fill can force them to fill the downstream sections more quickly or preferentially. Although delayed by the dam, as long as the downstream section can be filled with confidence, there is no disadvantage to prioritizing the upstream section.

Optionally, the dam structure has a top profile that is constructed to provide an anchor point for use by the meniscus of the advancing ink stream. Optionally, the upstream section has a pocket on its uppermost surface; the pockets are used to hold a plurality of bags of air after the printhead is filled. Optionally, the pocket has an opening defined in the uppermost surface of the upstream section, the upstream edge of each opening is curved, and the downstream edge is relatively sharp, so the ink flowing from the upstream direction is not pumped by capillary action Into the hole. Optionally, the dam is positioned to temporarily anchor the meniscus of the advancement ink stream and deflect it to avoid contact with the relatively sharp edges of the opening of one of the pockets. Optionally, the printhead is a file that is constructed for the user to remove and replace. Alternatively, 匣 is not filled when installed and later when pumped by a pump in the printer.

In a third aspect, therefore, the present invention provides a printhead for an ink jet printer comprising: an elongated array of nozzles for ejecting ink; and a plurality of ink conduits for ink a nozzle for supplying the array, the ink conduits extending adjacent to the elongated array; and a plurality of pulsation dampers each containing a volume of gas for compressing pressure pulses within the ink conduits, and each pulse The dampers are individually in fluid communication with the ink conduits; wherein the pulsation dampers are distributed along the length of the elongate array.

A pressure pulse that moves past an elongated printhead (e.g., a pagewidth printhead) can be damped at any point within the ink flow line. But when the pulse passes through the nozzle in the printhead integrated circuit, the pulse will flood the nozzle regardless of whether the pulse is later dissipated at the damper. By incorporating multiple pulsation dampers into the ink supply conduit and in close proximity to the nozzle array, any pressure spikes are damped at locations where they can cause unwanted flooding.

Optionally, the plurality of pulsation dampers are a series of pockets that communicate to the ink conduits on one side. Optionally, each of the pockets has an opening only in one of the ink conduits, each of the ink conduits being coupled to a corresponding ink supply source, and the openings are constructed such that When the ink conduit is filled with the corresponding ink supply source, the holes are not filled with ink.

Optionally, each of the pockets is a blind recess such that the area defined by the opening is substantially equal to the area of the blind end. Optionally, each of the openings faces only one of the ink conduits. Optionally, the openings are constructed to inhibit ink from filling the recess by capillary action.

Optionally, the openings to each of the individual pockets have an upstream edge and a downstream edge, the upstream edge contacting the ink prior to initial filling of the ink conduits by the ink supply source, and The upstream edge has a transition surface between the conduit and the interior of the pocket, the transition surface being configured to prevent the pocket from being filled by capillary action and to purge air during initial filling of the ink conduit.

Optionally, the nozzles of the array are formed in at least one of the print head integrated circuits mounted to the support structure, the ink conduits being formed therein. Optionally, the printhead is a pagewidth printhead; and the support structure is elongate having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end; and the ink conduits have channels along the inlet and The support structure between the outlets extends longitudinally; and each of the channels has a series of ink feed channels along which the ink feed channels are spaced to provide the channel and the column The fluid communication between the integrated circuits of the print head. Optionally, the ink feed channels are joined to the channel along a wall of the channel, the wall being opposite the wall including the openings to the pockets.

Optionally, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer. Optionally, the support structure is a two-piece liquid crystal polymer module, and the channels and the feed channels are formed in one of the parts, and the holes are formed in the other part.

Optionally, the support structure has a plurality of print head integrated circuits that are mounted end to end along one side. Optionally, the print head integrated circuit is mounted to the side by interposing a viscous film therebetween, the viscous film having holes for the ink feed channels and the print head assemblies Fluid communication between circuits.

Therefore, in a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a print head for an ink jet printer, the print head comprising: a print head integrated circuit having an elongated shape and having a shape a nozzle for ejecting an array of ink; a support structure for supporting the printhead integrated circuit, and having an ink outlet for supplying ink to the array nozzle; wherein the ink outlets are spaced apart along the printhead integrated circuit The ink exit interval at the end of the print head integrated circuit is reduced.

By increasing the number of ink outlets near the end regions, the ink supply source can be encouraged to compensate for the slower filling of the end nozzles. This allows all of the nozzle arrays to be filled more consistently to avoid flooding the earlier filled nozzles and ink waste (or another embodiment, unfilled end nozzles).

Optionally, the support structure supports a plurality of print head integrated circuits that are constructed in an end-to-end relationship; the support structure has a plurality of ink feed channels for supplying ink to the ink outlets such that At least some of the ink feed channels adjacent the junction between the ends of the two printhead integrated circuits supply ink to two of the ink outlets on different sides of the joint. Optionally, the support structure has a modular ink manifold and a polymer film, the ink feed flow path is formed in the modular ink manifold, and the ink outlet is formed in the polymer film to enable the polymer film to be mounted. To the modular ink manifold, and the printhead integrated circuit is mounted to the other side of the polymer film. Optionally, the printhead integrated circuit has an ink inlet channel on one side of the wafer substrate, and the nozzles of the array are formed on the other side of the wafer substrate such that each ink inlet channel is connected to at least one of the ink outlets .

Optionally, the support structure has a jet damper for damping pressure pulses within the ink supplied to the printhead integrated circuit. Optionally, the jet damper has an array of pockets for holding the volume of gas such that each pocket is a separate gas pocket. Optionally, the ink meniscus partially defines each of the pockets when the ink conduit of the support configuration is filled with ink.

Optionally, the ink manifold has a series of main channels extending parallel to the head integrated circuit, and each of the pockets is a blind recess having an opening facing one or more of the main channels. Optionally, the opening of each blind recess faces only one of the main channels. Optionally, an opening of each blind recess is constructed to inhibit ink from filling the recess by capillary action.

Optionally, the support structure has an inlet for connecting the ink conduit to an ink supply source and an outlet for connecting the ink conduit to the waste ink outlet. Optionally, the opening to each individual pocket has an upstream edge that moderates the downstream edge; during initial filling of the primary channel by the ink supply, the upstream edge contacts the ink earlier than the downstream edge; and the upstream edge is between the conduit and the interior of the cavity Having a transition surface; constructing a transition surface to prevent the filling of the cavity and removal of gas by capillary action during initial filling of the ink conduit.

Optionally, the print head is a page wide print head; and the support structure is elongate having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end; and the main passages are between the inlet and the outlet The support structure extends longitudinally; and the ink feed channels are joined along the wall of the main passage to one of the main passages, the wall being opposite the wall including the openings to the pockets.

Optionally, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer. Optionally, the support structure is a two-piece liquid crystal polymer module, and the channels and the feed channels are formed in one of the parts, and the holes are formed in the other part.

Thus in a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a detachable fluid coupler for establishing a sealed fluid communication between an inkjet printhead and an ink supply. The detachable fluid coupler includes: a fixed valve member defining a valve seat; a sealing collar for sealingly sealing the valve seat; and an elastic sleeve having an annular end opposite to the fixed valve The member is fixed and the other end engages the sealing collar to bias it into sealing engagement with the valve seat; and a conduit opening movable relative to the fixed valve member for engaging the sealing collar for release Its sealing with the valve seat; wherein releasing the seal of the sealing collar from the valve seat compresses the elastic sleeve such that the intermediate section of the sleeve is displaced outwardly relative to the annular end.

Since the elastic sleeve is deflected or bent outward, the diameter of the coupler is smaller than that of a conventional coupler that uses an annular resilient member that biases the valve to close the valve and maintain residual tension . Because of the smaller outer diameter, the coupler for all of the different ink pigments is more compact and less interference when placed.

Optionally, the intermediate section of the elastomeric sleeve is an annular bend that expands outwardly when the sleeve is axially compressed. Optionally, the elastic sleeve applies a restoring force to the sealing collar when the conduit opening is withdrawn; therefore, as the axial length increases, the restoring force also increases; so when it is sealed against the valve seat, the maximum restoring force is applied To the sealing collar. Optionally, the elastomeric sleeve is attached to the inner diameter of the sealing collar. Optionally, the two annular ends of the elastomeric sleeve are substantially the same size.

Optionally, the conduit opening has an on-off valve that biases the on-off valve to seal the conduit opening such that when the conduit opening engages the sealing collar, the valve member opens the switching valve. Optionally, the on-off valve has an elastically compressible element that is generally sealingly pressed against the inwardly extending flange such that the valve member further compresses the resiliently compressible element to open the on-off valve. Optionally, the sealing collar has an elastomeric material and the conduit opening engages the sealing collar such that a fluid tight seal is formed on the spray. Optionally, a fluid tight seal is formed between the conduit opening and the sealing collar before the valve member opens the switching valve.

Optionally, the valve member has a hollow section that forms a portion of the fluid flow path through the coupler when the coupler is open. Alternatively, the valve member and the elastic sleeve are on the downstream side of the coupler, and the conduit opening is on the upstream side. Optionally, the downstream side is part of a cassette with a replaceable print head and the upstream side is part of a printer that can be placed in the printer.

Accordingly, in a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a filter for an ink jet printer, the filter comprising: a chamber divided into an upstream section and a downstream section by a filter membrane; and an inlet conduit for Establishing fluid communication between the ink supply source and the upstream section; an outlet conduit for establishing fluid communication between the downstream section and the printhead; wherein, during use, at least a portion of the inlet conduit is opposite the filter membrane rise.

By raising the inlet conduit relative to the filter membrane, it acts as a bubble trap to retain the bubble, otherwise the bubble will obstruct the filter. This allows the filter to be reduced in size for a more compact overall design.

Optionally, the chamber has a height and width corresponding to the size of the filter membrane, and its thickness is substantially less than the height and width dimensions.

The chamber constructed in this manner keeps the overall volume to a minimum and the filter membrane is placed in a generally upright plane. The buoyancy of any bubble in the room will cause the bubble to move closer to the top of the chamber and may return to the inlet duct. This unfavorable bubble is pinned on the upstream side of the filter membrane.

Optionally, during use, the outlet conduit is connected to the point where the downstream section has the lowest height, and if the bubble really begins to obstruct the filter, the bubble will eventually obstruct the lowest area of the chamber. Optionally, the filter membrane is rectangular and the inlet is connected to one corner of the upstream section and the outlet conduit is connected to the diagonally opposite corners.

Optionally, the downstream section has a support structure for supporting the filter membrane such that it is spaced from the opposing walls of the downstream section. Optionally, the opposing wall is also a wall that partially defines an upstream section of the chamber (the similar chamber houses a similar filter membrane) to construct a plurality of chambers in parallel.

Optionally, the filter is placed within the assembly of the inkjet printer for periodic replacement.

Optionally, the filter is placed in a crucible having a page width print head. Optionally, the crucible has a detachable ink coupler upstream of the filter for connection to the ink supply.

Accordingly, in a seventh aspect, the present invention provides an ink coupler for establishing fluid communication between an ink jet printer and a replaceable cartridge for mounting in the printer, the coupler The utility model comprises: a 匣 valve on the side of the 耦合 of the coupler; and a printer duct on the side of the printer of the coupler; the 匣 valve and the printer duct have a matching structure, Constructing a coupling seal when the spray is applied; wherein the valve is biased closed and configured to open when engaged with the printer conduit; such that when the engagement is released, the coupling seal is closed after the valve is closed Disengaged, and when the helium valve is separated from the printer conduit, the ink meniscus is formed and retracted from the mating structure; the helium valve has an outer surface that is constructed such that the meniscus is from the The printer tubes are cleanly separated and only pinned to the surface of the printer tubes.

The present invention allows residual ink to escape the exterior of the helium valve by carefully designing the outer surface associated with the known retracted contact angle of the ink meniscus. When the coupling seal is released and a meniscus is formed, the nature of the ink and the hydrophilicity of each valve material determine where the meniscus stops moving and eventually adheres. Because of the nature of the ink and the direction in which the engagement is disengaged, the valve material and external design can cause the meniscus to only pin to the printer valves.

Optionally, at least one of the outer surfaces of the valve has a lower hydrophilicity than at least one of the outer surfaces of the printer valve. Optionally, the cymbal is engaged with the printer by upright downward movement and disengaged by upright upward movement. Optionally, when sprayed, the coupling seal is formed prior to opening of the valve and printer valve. Optionally, the weir valve has a fixed valve member defining a valve seat, and a sealing collar for sealingly engaging the valve seat, and the elastic sleeve has an annular end that is relatively fixed to the fixed valve member, and An annular end engages the sealing collar to bias it into sealing engagement with the valve seat; and the printer valve has a conduit opening and an elastically compressible member having an inwardly extending flange, the resilient The compressible member is biased to sealingly engage the inwardly extending flange; such that the axial end of the conduit opening and the sealing collar provide the mating structure at the printer valve and the manifold, respectively.

Optionally, the fixed valve member of the helium valve engages and compresses the resiliently compressible member of the printer valve to open the printer valve. Optionally, the catheter opening of the printer valve engages and compresses the elastomeric sleeve of the sputum valve to open the sputum valve. Optionally, the fixed valve member engages the resiliently compressible member with a frustoconical surface that is pushed toward the circular contact area.

Optionally, the elastomeric sleeve and the sealing collar are integrally formed. Optionally, the elastomeric sleeve and the sealing collar are silicone resins. Optionally, the compressible element is a silicone resin. Optionally, the fixed valve member is formed from poly ethylene terephthalate. Optionally, the conduit opening and the inwardly extending flange are formed from poly(ethylene terephthalate).

Optionally, the crucible has a pagewidth printhead and the printer has an ink reservoir for supplying the printhead via the coupler.

Accordingly, in an eighth aspect, the present invention provides a printhead for an ink jet printer, the printhead comprising: a row of print head integrated circuits having nozzles for ejecting an array of ink; and a support Constructing for mounting the printhead integrated circuit in the printer, the support structure having a conduit for supplying ink to the nozzles of the array, the ink conduits having a dam structure to partially block ink flow; Where the dam structure is filled with the upstream section of the ink conduit when filling the print head.

The use of dams in downstream areas with an incorrect tendency to fill can force them to fill the downstream sections more quickly or preferentially. Although delayed by the dam, as long as the downstream section can be filled with confidence, there is no disadvantage to prioritizing the upstream section.

Optionally, the dam structure has a top profile that is constructed to provide an anchor point for use by the meniscus of the advancing ink stream. Optionally, the upstream section has a pocket on its uppermost surface; the pockets are used to hold a plurality of bags of air after the printhead is filled. Optionally, the pocket has an opening defined in the uppermost surface of the upstream section, the upstream edge of each opening is curved, and the downstream edge is relatively sharp, so the ink flowing from the upstream direction is not pumped by capillary action Into the hole. Optionally, the dam is positioned to temporarily anchor the meniscus of the advancement ink stream and deflect it to avoid contact with the relatively sharp edges of the opening of one of the pockets. Optionally, the printhead is a file that is constructed for the user to remove and replace. Alternatively, 匣 is not filled when installed and later when pumped by a pump in the printer.

Accordingly, in a ninth aspect, the present invention provides a printhead for an ink jet printer, the printhead comprising: a row of print head integrated circuits having nozzles for ejecting an array of ink; and a support Constructed for mounting the printhead integrated circuit in the printer, the support structure having a conduit for supplying ink to the nozzles of the array, the ink conduits having a meniscus anchor A portion of the meniscus is advanced prior to pinning the ink to divert the advancing meniscus away from the path it will take.

If the print head is not properly filled because the meniscus is attached to one or more points, the advancing meniscus can be guided away from these critical points. Deliberately in the immediate vicinity of the problem area, the ink conduit is discontinuous, the meniscus can be temporarily attached, and deflected to one side of the catheter and away from the unwanted attachment point. Once the flow has been initiated into the side branch or downstream of the unwanted attachment point, the anchor does not need to maintain the ink meniscus and can continue to fill.

Optionally, the meniscus anchor suddenly protrudes into the ink conduit. Optionally, the meniscus anchor is a dam structure that partially blocks the flow of ink, so when filling the printhead, the dam structure preferentially fills the upstream section of the ink conduit.

Optionally, the upstream section has a pocket on its uppermost surface; the pockets are used to hold a plurality of bags of air after the printhead is filled. Optionally, the pocket has an opening defined in the uppermost surface of the upstream section, the upstream edge of each opening is curved, and the downstream edge is relatively sharp, so the ink flowing from the upstream direction is not pumped by capillary action Into the hole. Optionally, the dam is positioned to temporarily anchor the meniscus of the advancement ink stream and deflect it to avoid contact with the relatively sharp edges of the opening of one of the pockets. Optionally, the printhead is a file that is constructed for the user to remove and replace. Alternatively, 匣 is not filled when installed and later when pumped by a pump in the printer.

Accordingly, in a tenth aspect, the present invention provides a printhead for an ink jet printer having a print engine controller for receiving print data and transmitting the print data to a print head comprising: a print head integrated circuit having a nozzle for ejecting an array of inks; and a support structure for mounting the print head integrated circuit in the printer And adjacent to the paper path, the print head integrated circuit is mounted on the face of the support structure, which faces the paper path in use; a flexible printed circuit board having circuitry for operating the print head integrated circuit a driving circuit of the array nozzle, the driving circuit having a circuit component connected to the flexible printed circuit board by a track, the flexible printed circuit board also having a printing material for receiving the printing engine controller a contact, the flexible printed circuit board being mounted to one side of the support structure at the contacts, the face not facing the paper path such that the flexible printed circuit board extends past the printhead assembly a bend between the circuit and the contacts ; Wherein the print head integrated circuit and the circuit component adjacent to each other, and by the curved section of the flexible printed circuit board is separated from these contacts.

Optionally, the support structure has an arcuate surface to support the curved section of the flexible printed circuit board. By holding the flexible printed circuit board at a set radius, the curved surfaces reduce the likelihood of cracks in the trajectory, rather than allowing the flexible printed circuit board to follow an irregular arc, resulting in localized spurs on the trajectory The risk of high stress.

Optionally, the flexible printed circuit board is secured to the support member at the circuit components. Optionally, the circuit components include a capacitor that discharges during a firing sequence of nozzles on the printhead integrated circuit. Optionally, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer module. The liquid crystal polymer module is constructed such that its thermal expansion coefficient is approximately equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of the eucalyptus substrate in the print head integrated circuit.

Optionally, the liquid crystal polymer module has an ink conduit for supplying ink to the printhead integrated circuit. Optionally, the ink conduits are electrically connected to an outlet in the face of the liquid crystal polymer module, the printhead integrated circuit being mounted on the face.

Optionally, the printhead is a pagewidth printhead. Optionally, the support structure has an ankle support section and a force transmission member; the ankle support section is located opposite the joints, the force transmission member extending from the joints to the ankle support section such that when installed During the printer, the pressure from the mating contacts of the printer is transmitted directly to the crucible support section via the force transfer member. Optionally, the support section includes a positioning structure for engaging a mating structure on the printer. Optionally, the locating structure is a ridge having a distal end of the arc such that the cymbal can be rotated into position once the ridge has engaged the printer.

summary

Fig. 1 shows a printer 2 embodying the present invention. The main body 4 of the printer is supported on the rear media feed tray 14, and on the front pivoting surface 6. Figure 1 shows that the pivoting face 6 is closed so that the display screen 8 is in its upright viewing direction. The control button 10 extends from the side of the screen 8 to facilitate operator input while viewing the screen. For printing, a single sheet is withdrawn from the stack 12 of feed trays 14 and fed through a printhead (hidden in the printer). The printed sheet 16 is conveyed through the printed media exit slot 18.

Figure 2 shows the pivoting front 6 open to reveal the interior of the printer 2. The front of the printer is opened, exposing the print head 匣 96 set inside. The print head 匣 96 is fixedly positioned by the 匣 engaging cam 20. The cam 20 pushes the print head 匣 96 downward to ensure that the ink coupler (described later) is fully engaged and the print head integrated circuits (ICs) (described later) are correctly positioned adjacent to the paper feed path. The cam 20 is manually actuated by the release lever 24. The front 6 cannot be closed, and therefore the printer cannot operate until the release lever 24 is pushed down to fully engage the cam. The pivoting face 6 is closed to engage the printer contact 22 with the splicing point 104.

Figure 3 shows that the pivoting face 6 of the printer 2 is open and the printhead 匣 96 is removed. When the pivoting surface 6 is tilted forward, the user can pull the release lever 24 upward to release the engagement of the cam. This allows the handle 26 on the catch 96 to be pulled up. The upstream ink coupler 112A and the downstream ink coupler 112B are detached from the printer valve 142, which will be described in more detail below. Perform the reverse steps to install unused new ones. The new raft is shipped and sold in an unfilled state, so in order to prepare the printer for printing, the active jet system (described below) uses a downstream pump to fill the enamel and print head with ink.

In Fig. 4, the outer casing of the printer 2 has been removed to reveal its interior. The large ink tank has four separate reservoirs for all four different inks. The ink tank 60 itself is a replaceable cassette that is coupled upstream of the printer of the switching valve 66 (Fig. 6). There is also a sump 92 for pump 62 to draw ink from 匣96. The printer jet system is described in detail with reference to FIG. Briefly, ink flows from tank 60 through upstream ink line 84 to switching valve 66 and to printer valve 142. As shown in Figure 5, when a helium 96 is provided, the pump 62 (driven by the motor 196) draws ink into the liquid crystal polymer (LCP) module 64 (see Figures 6, 17-20), resulting in a print product. Body circuit 68 (again with reference to Figures 6, 17-20) is filled by capillary action. The ink extracted by the pump 62 is fed to the sump 92, which is housed in the ink tank 60.

Because of the number of contacts used, all of the connector forces between the contact 104 and the printer contacts 22 are relatively high. In the illustrated embodiment, the total contact force is 45 Newtons, which is sufficient to deflect the 匣 deflection. Referring briefly to Figure 30, the internal construction of the chassis module 100 is shown. The bearing surface 28 shown in Figure 3 is shown schematically in Figure 30. The compression load acting on the splicing point 104 of the printer joint is represented by an arrow, and likewise the reaction force at the support surface 28 is represented by an arrow. To maintain the structural integrity of the crucible 96, the chassis module 100 has structural members that extend in the plane of the connector force. In order to maintain the reaction force acting in the plane of the connector force, the chassis also has contact ribs 32 that press against the support surface 28. This maintains the load on the structural construct 30 completely compressed to maximize the stiffness of the crucible and minimize any flexibility.

Print engine pipeline

The print engine pipeline is a reference for the printer to process print data that is received from an external source and output to the printhead for printing. The printing engine pipeline is described in detail in the USSN 11/014,769 (RRC 001 US) filed on Dec. 20, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Print engine

The print engine 1 is shown in detail in Figures 6 and 7, and includes two main parts: a unit 10 and a carriage unit 12.

The shape and size of the unit 10 is designed to be received within the cradle unit 12, and the 匣 unit 10 is fixedly positioned by the cover assembly 11 mounted to the cradle unit. The carriage unit 12 is constructed such that it is fixed in the printer unit 2 to facilitate the above printing.

Figure 7 shows the printing engine 1 in a combined form in which the cassette unit 10 is fixed within the carriage unit 12 and the lid assembly 11 is closed. The print engine controls aspects related to printing in response to user input from the user interface 5 of the printer unit 2. These aspects include passing the media through the printhead in a controlled manner and controlling the ink to be ejected onto the surface of the passing media.

Print head 匣

The print head 96 is shown in Figures 7-16A. Figure 7 shows the 匣96 in its combination and intact morphology. The block of the crucible is wrapped between the crucible base 100 and the base cover 102. The window of the base 100 exposes the splicing points 104 that receive material from the print engine controller in the printer.

Figures 8 and 9 show that the 匣 96 is snapped onto the protective cover 98. The protective cover 98 prevents damage contact to the electrical contacts 104 and the printhead IC 68 (see Figure 10). The user can grasp the top of the cymbal 96 and remove the protective cover 98 before installing it into the printer.

Figure 10 shows the underside and back of the printhead 96 (relative to the paper feed direction). The printhead contact 104 is a conductive pad on the flexible printed circuit board 108 that surrounds the curved support surface (discussed below in the description of the LCP module) to the print head A row of wires on one side of IC 68 is bonded 110. The other side of the printhead IC 68 is a paper mask 106 to prevent direct contact with the media substrate.

Figure 11 shows the underside and front side of the print head cartridge 96. The front side of the crucible has two ink couplers 112A, 112B at the two ends, each ink coupler having four helium valves 114. When the crucible is disposed within the printer, the ink couplers 112A, 112B engage a mating ink supply interface (described in more detail below). The ink supply interface has a printer valve that engages the helium valve 114 such that the valves open one another. One of the ink couplers 112A is the upstream ink coupler, and the other is the downstream coupler 112B. The upstream coupler 112A establishes fluid communication between the printhead IC 68 and the ink supply source 60 (see Figure 6), while the downstream coupler 112B is coupled to the sump 92 (see Figure 6).

Figure 12 shows various views of the print head cartridge 96. The plan view of 匣96 also shows the position of the cross-sectional view shown in Figures 14, 15, and 16.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the crucible 96. The LCP module 64 is attached to the underside of the crucible base 100. The flexible printed circuit board 108 is attached to the underside of the LCP module 64 and surrounds one side to expose the print head contacts 104. An inlet manifold and filter 116 and outlet manifold 118 are attached to the top of the base 100. The inlet manifold and filter 116 are coupled to the LCP inlet 122 by a resilient connector 120, and similarly, the LCP outlet 124 is coupled to the outlet manifold 118 by another set of resilient connectors 120. The base cover 102 covers the inlet and outlet manifolds within the base 100 from the top, and a removable protective sleeve 98 snaps over the bottom to protect the contacts 104 and the printhead IC (not shown).

Inlet and filter manifold

14 is an enlarged view along line 14-14 of FIG. 12 showing the fluid path through one of the helium valves 114 to the LCP module 64 of the upstream coupler 112A. The weir valve 114 has an elastomeric sleeve 126 that is biased into and secured to the valve member 128 in a sealed chew. The printer valve 142 (see FIG. 16) opens the helium valve 114 by compressing the elastomeric sleeve 126 away from the fixed valve member 128 and allowing ink to flow up to the top channel 138, which along the inlet and the filter The top of the manifold 116 is conducted to the upstream filter chamber 132. The upstream filter chamber 132 has a wall portion defined by the filter membrane 130. The ink passes through the filter membrane 130 into the downstream filter chamber 134 and out to the LCP inlet 122. The filtered ink is fed from the LCP inlet 122 along the LCP main channel 136 to a printhead IC (not shown).

Specific construction features and advantages of the inlet and filter manifold 116 will now be described with reference to FIG. The exploded perspective view of Figure 15 is best suited to illustrate the compact design of the inlet and filter manifold 116. There are many aspects of design that help it achieve a pocket shape factor as a whole. First, the helium valves are placed together, which is achieved by the conventional structure of the self-sealing ink valve. Previous designs also used an elastic member to bias into sealing engagement with the stationary member, but the resilient member is not in a solid shape (the ink flows around it) or the diaphragm (the ink flows through the diaphragm).

In the 匣 coupler, the intermeshing valves are conveniently opened to each other, which is most easily and inexpensively provided by the coupler. In the coupler, one valve has an annular resilient member that is engaged by the rigid member on the other valve, and the other valve has a central resilient member that is compressed by the central rigid member of the first valve. If the elastic member is in the form of a diaphragm, it often abuts against the central rigid member under tension. This provides an efficient seal and requires relatively low tolerances. However, this also requires a wide surrounding installation of the elastic element. The width of the elastomer is a compromise between the desired coupling force, the integrity of the seal, and the material properties of the elastomer used.

As clearly shown in Fig. 16, the helium valve 114 of the present invention uses an elastic sleeve 126 that is pressed against the fixed valve member 128 under residual pressure to seal. When the crucible is disposed within the printer and the catheter end 148 of the printer valve 142 further compresses the sleeve 126, the valve 114 is opened. The collar 146 releases the seal of the fixed valve member 128 as the fixed valve member pushes the compression member 144 down to open the printer valve 142. The side walls of the sleeve are constructed to protrude outwardly because the inward deformation causes a flow barrier. As shown in Figure 16, the sleeve 126 has a line of relatively fragile portions around the midsection thereof to facilitate and guide the buckling step. This reduction will force the force required to engage the printer and ensure that the sleeve is deflected outward.

When the coupler is constructed to uncouple the printer from the printer, there is no dripping. When pulled from the printer phase, the elastic sleeve 126 pushes the collar 146 to press against the fixed valve member 128 to seal it. Once the sleeve 126 has sealed the valve member 128 (by thereby sealing the heel side of the coupler), the seal collar 146 and the weir rise together, which releases the seal of the collar 146 and the catheter tip 148. When the seal is broken, the gap between the collar and the end 148 of the conduit forms an ink meniscus. The shape of the end of the fixed valve member 128 directs the meniscus to advance toward the compressible member 144 rather than being attached to one point. Once the meniscus reaches the compressible member 144, the meniscus adheres and retains ink on the printer valve 142, rather than leaving droplets on the valve 114. These droplets will drip or stain before they are discarded.

When a new cassette is placed in the printer, air trapped between the seal of the helium valve 114 and the seal of the printer valve 142 will be entrained into the ink stream 152 and absorbed by the crucible. In view of this, the inlet manifold and filter assembly have a high bubble tolerance. Referring back to Figure 15, the ink flows through the top of the fixed valve member 128 and into the top channel 138. As the highest point of the inlet manifold 116, the top channel captures (collects) bubbles. However, the bubbles will still flow into the filter inlet 158. In this case, the filter assembly itself can tolerate air bubbles.

The bubbles on the upstream side of the filter membrane 130 affect the flow rate, and the bubbles effectively reduce the wetted surface area on the dirty side of the filter membrane 130. The filter membrane has a long rectangular shape so that even a significant amount of air bubbles are drawn into the dirty side of the filter, retaining a sufficiently large wet surface area to filter the ink at the desired flow rate. This is important for the high rate operation provided by the present invention.

When bubbles in the upstream filter chamber 132 cannot traverse the filter membrane 130, bubbles caused by heating to remove the gas may generate bubbles in the downstream filter chamber 134. The filter outlet 156 is located at the bottom of the downstream filter chamber 134 and is diagonally opposite the inlet 158 in the upstream filter chamber 132 to minimize the effect of air bubbles on the convection rate in either chamber.

The filter film 130 for each pigment is erected and closely juxtaposed. The dividing wall 162 partially defines an upstream filter chamber 132 on one side and partially defines a downstream filter chamber 134 that abuts the pigment on the other side. Because the filter is very thin (due to pocket design), the filter membrane 130 can be pushed against the opposing walls of the downstream filter chamber 134. This effectively reduces the surface of the filter membrane 130, so it is not conducive to maximizing the flow rate. To prevent this, the opposing wall of the downstream filter chamber 134 has a series of spaced ribs 160 to keep the membrane 130 and wall apart.

The filter inlet and outlet are placed in diagonally opposite corners to help remove air from the system during the initial fill of the system.

In order to reduce the risk of particles contaminating the print head, the filter film 130 is first welded to the downstream side of the first partition wall before the next partition wall 162 is welded to the first partition wall. In this manner, any filter film pieces that are broken during the welding process are on the "dirty" side of the filter 130.

LCP Module / Flexible Printed Circuit Board / Print Head IC

17-33 show an LCP module 64, a flexible printed circuit board 108, and a printhead IC 68 assembly. 17 is a bottom perspective view of the LCP module 64 with the flexible printed circuit board 108 and the printhead IC 68 attached. The LCP module 64 is secured to the crucible base 100 via countersunk holes 166,168. The apertures 168 are elliptical apertures to accommodate mismatch in thermal expansion coefficient without having to bend the LCP. The print head IC 68 is disposed end to end along a line along the longitudinal direction of the LCP module 64. The flexible printed circuit board 108 is wire bonded to an edge of the printhead IC 68. The edges of the flexible printed circuit board are secured to hold the flexible printed circuit board tightly against the curved support surface 170 (see Figure 19). This ensures that the flexible printed circuit board does not bend tighter than a particular minimum radius, thereby reducing the risk of breaking through the conductive tracks of the flexible printed circuit board.

Figure 18 is an enlarged plan view of the insertion block A shown in Figure 17. It shows the wires joining the contacts 164 along the sides of the flexible printed circuit board 108, and the lines of the printhead IC 68.

19 is an exploded perspective view of an LCP module/flexible printed circuit board/printhead IC assembly showing the underside of each component. Figure 20 is another exploded perspective view showing the upper side of each component this time. The LCP module 64 has a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) channel module 176 sealed to its underside. The printhead IC 68 is attached to the underside of the channel module 176 by a viscous IC attachment film 174. On the upper side of the LCP channel module 176 is the LCP main channel 184. These are connected to the ink inlet 122 and the ink outlet 124 in the LCP module 64. At the bottom of the LCP main channel 184 is an ink supply flow path 182 that is connected to the printhead IC 68. The viscous IC attachment film 174 has a series of laser drill supply holes 186 such that the attachment side of each of the print head ICs 68 is in fluid communication with the ink supply flow path 182. The viscous IC attachment film will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33.

The LCP module 64 has a recess 178 for receiving the electronic component 180 in the drive circuit on the flexible printed circuit board 108. For optimum pad efficiency and operation, the bond point 104 on the flexible printed circuit board 108 should be close to the printhead IC 68. However, in order to keep the paper path adjacent to the printhead straight rather than curved or curved, the splicing point 104 needs to be on the side of the cymbal 96. The conductive path on a flexible printed circuit board is called a trajectory. When a flexible printed circuit board has to be bent around a corner, the trajectory can crack and break the connection. In order to solve this problem, the trajectory needs to be forked before the bend, and then rejoined after the bend. If the branches of the bifurcation segment are cracked, the other branches remain connected. Unfortunately, splitting the track into two and then combining them increases the electromagnetic interference problem, which creates noise in the circuit.

Widening the trajectory is not an effective solution because the wider trajectory does not significantly increase the ability to prevent cracking. Once cracks begin to appear within the trajectory, the cracks propagate relatively quickly and easily throughout the width. Careful control of the bend radius can be more effective in minimizing trajectory cracks, which minimizes the number of traces across the bend of the flexible printed circuit board.

The page width printhead presents additional complexity because large array nozzles must be fired in a relatively short time. Many nozzles are fired at one time, causing the system to withstand large current loads. This can result in a high level of inductance through the circuit, which can cause a voltage dip, and a voltage dip is detrimental to the operation. To avoid this problem, the flexible printed circuit board has a series of capacitors that discharge during the nozzle firing sequence to release the current load on the remaining circuitry. Because the paper path through the printhead IC needs to be straight, the conventional approach is to attach the capacitor to a flexible printed circuit board near the junction on the side of the crucible. Unfortunately, the capacitors create additional tracks that increase the risk of cracking in the curved sections of the flexible printed circuit board.

The present invention solves the above problems by mounting capacitor 180 (see Fig. 20) in close proximity to printhead IC 68 to reduce the chance of trajectory cracking. The paper path can be kept linear by accommodating capacitors and other components within the recesses of the LCP module 64. The printhead IC 68 and paper mask 172 are mounted to the front face of the crucible 96 (relative to the feed direction), and the relatively flat surface of the flexible printed circuit board 108 downstream thereof minimizes the risk of jamming.

Isolating the contacts from the remaining components of the flexible printed circuit board minimizes the number of tracks that extend through the curved sections. This increases reliability as it reduces the chance of cracking. Setting the circuit components next to the printhead IC means that a wider edge is required, which is not conducive to pocket design. However, the advantages offered by this structure are more important than any disadvantage of being slightly wider. First, the contacts can be larger because there are no traces from the components passing between and around the contacts. Because of the large contacts, the connection is more reliable and more capable of handling manufacturing inaccuracies between the contacts on the splicing and printer sides. This problem is particularly important in this case because it relies on the user to accurately insert 匣 to match the joint.

Second, the wire is bonded to the edge of the flexible printed circuit board on the side of the printhead IC without residual stress and does not try to peel away from the bend radius. The flexible printed circuit board is fixed to the support structure at the capacitor and other components, so it is easier to form a wire connection to the printhead IC during manufacturing, and is less prone to be produced when it is not used to secure the flexible printed circuit board. crack.

Third, the capacitance is closer to the nozzle of the print head IC, so the electromagnetic interference generated by the discharge capacitor is minimized.

21 shows the underside of the print head cartridge 96, and the flexible printed circuit board 108 and the print head IC 68 are removed. This exposes the wire bond contacts 164 of the flexible printed circuit board 108, and the ink supply holes 186 on the lower side of the viscous IC attachment film 174. FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of FIG. 21 showing the shape and structure of the supply hole 186. The holes are arranged in four longitudinal columns, each column conveying a particular color of ink, and each column is aligned with a single channel behind each of the print head ICs.

Figure 23 shows the underside of the LCP channel module 176 with the viscous IC attachment film 174 removed. This exposed ink supply flow path 182 is coupled to an LCP main channel 184 (see FIG. 20) formed in the other side of the channel module 176. It will be appreciated that when the viscous IC attachment film 174 is adhered to the location, it partially defines the supply flow channel 182. It should also be appreciated that the attachment film must be accurately positioned because the individual supply flow paths 182 must be aligned with the supply holes 186 of the laser drilled through film 174.

Figure 24 shows the underside of the LCP module with the LCP channel membrane set removed, which exposes the blind pockets 200 of the array. When filling the crucible with ink, the blind pocket 200 contains air to dampen any pressure pulses. This is discussed in more detail below.

Print head IC attachment film

Referring briefly to Figures 31 through 33, the viscous IC attachment film is described in more detail. The film 174 is drilled through the laser and wound onto a roll 198 for ease of incorporation into the print head cartridge 96. For handling and storage, film 174 has two protective linings on either side; one of which is an existing lining 188 that is attached to the film prior to laser perforation; the other protective lining is a replacement lining that is being drilled It is only added after the hole is operated. In the section of film 174 of Figure 32, some of the existing liner 188 is removed to expose supply aperture 186. The replacement lining 192 on the other side of the membrane is attached after the laser has drilled the supply aperture 186.

FIG. 33 shows the layered configuration of the film 174. The central web 190 provides the strength required for the layered construction, with the adhesive layer 194 on either side. The adhesive layer 194 is covered by a lining. The laser drilling forms a hole 186 that extends from the first side of the membrane 174 and terminates somewhere within the liner 188 on the second side. The gusset having the small holes on the first side is removed and replaced with a replacement lining 192. The film strip is then wound onto a roll 198 (see Figure 31) for storage and handling prior to attachment. When the print head is combined, the appropriate length is pulled from the roll 198, the liner is removed and adhered to the underside of the LCP module 64 such that the holes 186 are aligned with the correct ink supply flow path 182 (see Figure 25).

Promote ink supply to the end of the print head IC

25 shows a printhead IC that overlaps the ink supply aperture 186 that penetrates the viscous IC attachment film 174, which overlaps the ink supply channel 182 in the underside of the LCP channel module 176. Adjacent printhead ICs 68 are disposed end-to-end on the bottom of the LCP channel module 176 by attachment film 174. At the junction of each adjacent printhead IC 68, one of the ICs 68 has a "drop triangle" 206 portion of the array of nozzles. The nozzles are displaced from corresponding columns in the remaining nozzle array 220, which allows the printing edge of one of the printhead ICs to properly follow the printing of the adjacent printhead IC. By displacing the drop triangles 206 of the nozzles, the spacing between adjacent nozzles remains the same regardless of whether each nozzle is on the same IC or on either side of the junction on a different IC. This avoids producing artificial results in the printed images.

Unfortunately, some of the nozzles may lack ink at the end of the printhead IC 68 relative to the nozzle blocks in the remaining array 220. For example, the nozzle 222 can be supplied by the ink of the two ink supply holes. The ink supply holes 224 are the closest. However, if there is an obstacle to the particularly large demand from the nozzle to the left side of the hole 224, the supply hole 226 is also close to the nozzle 222, so that these nozzles are less likely to be unfilled due to lack of ink.

In contrast, if the ink supply hole 216 is not for the "extra" ink supply hole 214 provided at the junction between the adjacent ICs 68, the nozzle 214 at the end of the print head IC 68 is only fluid with the ink supply hole 216. Connected. "With additional ink supply apertures 214", i.e., no nozzles are too far away from the ink supply apertures, so that there is a risk of lack of ink for such nozzles.

Both ink supply apertures 208, 210 are fed by a common ink feed flow path 212. The ink feed flow path 212 has the ability to supply two holes because the supply hole 208 has only the nozzle to the left side thereof, and the supply hole 210 has only the nozzle to the right side thereof. Therefore, the total flow rate through the feed flow path 212 is approximately equal to the supply flow path fed only to one hole.

Figure 25 also illustrates the inconsistency between the number of channels (pigments) in the ink supply (four channels) and the five channels 218 in the printhead IC 68. The third and fourth passages behind the print head IC 68 are supplied by the same ink supply holes 186. These supply holes are slightly enlarged to provide a distance between the two channels 218.

The reason for this is that the printhead IC 68 is fabricated for use in a wide range of printer and printhead configurations. These can have five pigment channels - cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and infrared pigments - but other printers (such as this design) can only be four-channel printers, while the rest Still only three channels. In view of this, a single pigment channel can be fed to two of the printhead IC channels. A Print Engine Controller (PEC) microprocessor can easily adapt this to the printed material that is sent to the printhead IC.

Jet system

Conventional printers rely on the construction and components of the printheads, cartridges, and ink lines to avoid jet problems. Some common jet problems are unfilled or dry nozzles, vented bubbles, and color mixing due to cross-contamination. The optimized design of the printer components to avoid these problems is a passive method of jet control. In general, the nozzle actuator itself is the only active component for improving these drawbacks, but this is often insufficient and/or wasted a lot of ink when attempting to improve these problems. This problem is more severe in page width printheads because of the length and complexity of the ink conduits that are supplied to the printhead integrated circuit.

The applicant has solved this problem by developing an active jet system for printers. A number of such systems are described in detail in USSN 11/677,049, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Figure 6 shows one of the single pump embodiments of an active flow system that is suitable for use with the printheads described herein.

The flow-through structure shown in Figure 6 is a single ink line for only one color. The color printer has a separate line (and of course an isolated ink tank 60) for each color of ink. As shown in FIG. 6, this configuration has a single pump 62 downstream of the LCP module 64 and an on-off valve 66 upstream of the LCP module 64. The LCP module supports the print head integrated circuit 68 by a viscous integrated circuit attachment film 174 (see Fig. 25). Whenever the power to the printer is turned off, the on-off valve 66 isolates the ink in the ink tank 60 from the printhead integrated circuit 68. This prevents any color mixing at the print head integrated circuit 68 from reaching the ink tank 60 during non-action. These issues are discussed in more detail in the cross-referenced USSN 11/677049 (our case number is SBF 006US).

The ink tank 60 has a discharge bubble point pressure regulator 72 for maintaining a relative hydrostatic negative pressure within the ink at the nozzle. The bubble point pressure regulator in the ink reservoir is more widely described in co-pending USSN 11/640355 (our case number RMC007US), which is hereby incorporated by reference. For the purposes of this description, however, regulator 72 is shown as a bubble outlet 74 that is immersed in the ink of canister 60 and vented to the atmosphere by a sealed conduit 76 that extends to air inlet 78. When the print head integrated circuit 68 consumes ink, the pressure within the can 60 drops until the pressure differential at the bubble outlet 74 draws air into the can. This air forms bubbles in the ink which rise to the head space of the can. This pressure differential is the bubble point pressure and will depend on the diameter (or smallest dimension) of the bubble outlet 74 and the Laplace pressure of the ink meniscus at the outlet. This Laplace pressure will prevent air from entering.

The bubble point regulator uses bubble point pressure to maintain the hydrostatic pressure at the exit substantially transverse (slight fluctuations when the convex meniscus of the air forms bubbles and rises to the head space within the ink tank). This bubble point pressure is required to generate bubbles at the bubble outlet 74 immersed in the ink. If the hydrostatic pressure at the outlet is at the bubble point, the hydrostatic pressure profile within the ink tank is also known regardless of how much ink has been consumed in the tank. When the ink level drops to the exit, the pressure at the surface of the ink in the can decreases toward the bubble point pressure. Of course, once the outlet 74 is exposed, the head space is connected to the atmosphere and the negative pressure disappears. The ink tank should be refilled or replaced (if the ink tank is in the 匣 type) before the ink level reaches the bubble exit 74.

The ink tank 60 can be a refillable fixed reservoir, a replaceable crucible, or a refillable crucible (as disclosed in reference to 11/014,769). In order to prevent particulate deposits, the outlet 80 of the ink tank 60 has a thick filter 82. The system also uses a thin filter at the coupling to the print head cartridge. Because the filter has a limited life, it is particularly convenient for the user to replace the filter by simply replacing the ink cartridge or the print head cartridge. If the filter is a separate consumable item, it depends on the user's diligence to replace it regularly.

When the bubble outlet 74 is at the bubble point pressure and the switching valve 66 is open, the hydrostatic pressure at the nozzle is also constant and less than atmospheric pressure. However, if the switching valve 66 has been closed for a period of time, air bubbles of the exhaust gas may be formed in the LCP module 64 or the print head IC, which changes the pressure at the nozzle. Similarly, the pressure in the line 84 downstream of the switching valve 66 can be varied due to the expansion and contraction of the bubble due to daily temperature changes. Similarly, during non-action, the pressure inside the ink tank changes because of the dissolved gas that escapes from the solution. The downstream ink line 86 from the LCP 64 to the pump 62 can include an ink sensor 88 that is coupled to an electronic controller 90 for the pump. The sensor 88 senses the presence of ink in the downstream ink line 86. In another embodiment, the system can be provided with an inductor 88 and the pump 62 can be constructed to operate for each different job for a suitable period of time. This may adversely affect operating costs by increasing ink waste.

Pump 62 is fed into tank sump 92 (when pumping in the forward direction). The sump 92 is physically positioned within the printer at a lower position than the printhead IC 68. This allows the ink column within the downstream ink line 86 to be suspended at the LCP 64 during standby, thereby creating a hydrostatic negative pressure at the printhead LCP 64. The negative pressure at the nozzle draws the ink meniscus inward and inhibits pigment mixing. Of course, the peristaltic pump 62 needs to be stopped in an open state to provide fluid communication between the LCP 64 and the ink outlets within the sump 92.

There is a pressure differential between the ink lines of different pigments during non-action. Furthermore, paper dust or other particulates on the nozzle plate will draw ink from one nozzle capillary to the other. By the slight differential pressure between each ink line, pigment mixing occurs when the printer is not operating. The switching valve 66 isolates the ink tank 60 from the printhead IC 68 to prevent the mixing of the pigments from extending up to the ink tank 60. Once the ink in the ink tank is contaminated with different pigments, it cannot be recovered and must be replaced. This is discussed further below with regard to the ability of the on-off valve to maintain the integrity of its seal when the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream sides of the valve is very small.

The cover 94 is a printhead maintenance station that seals the nozzle during standby to avoid dehydration of the printhead IC 68, and the cover 94 shields the nozzle plate from paper dust and other particulates. The cover 94 is also constructed to wipe the nozzle plate to remove dried ink and other contaminants. When the ink solvent (usually water) evaporates, the print head IC 68 dehydrates and increases the viscosity of the ink. If the ink viscosity is too high, it is difficult for the ink jet actuator to eject ink droplets. In the event of a leak in the cover seal, the dewatered nozzle is a problem when the power is turned off or after the standby period.

The above problems are not uncommon during the operational life of the printer, but they can be effectively improved by the relatively simple jet structure shown in FIG. The jet structure also allows the user to initially fill the printer, stop filling the printer before removing the jet structure, or restore the printer to a known print ready state using a simple troubleshooting protocol. . An example of several of these conditions is described in detail in the above-referenced USSN 11/677049 (our case number SBF006US).

Pressure pulse

When the ink flowing into the print head suddenly stops (for example, at the end of the printing job or at the end of a page), an ink pressure of a sharp peak is generated. Due to the high rate of the custodian, the pagewidth printhead requires a high flow rate to supply ink during the job. Thus, the ink mass to the nozzle within the ink line is relatively large and moves at a significant rate.

Suddenly ending the printing job, or simply at the end of the printed page, the relatively high volume ink that implies this relatively fast flow must also stop immediately. But suddenly taking ink momentum will increase the shock wave in the ink line. The LCP module 64 (see Figure 19) has a special stiffness and the LCP module 64 provides little flexibility when the ink column in the line is stationary. Since there is no compliance in the ink line, the shock wave can exceed the Laplace pressure (the pressure provided by the surface tension of the ink at the nozzle opening, which is used to retain the ink in the nozzle chamber) and flood the print head nozzle Front surface. If the nozzle is submerged, the ink may not be ejected, and the artificial result appears in the printing.

When the nozzle emissivity matches the resonant frequency of the ink line, a resonance pulse is generated in the ink. Moreover, because of the rigid configuration of the ink line, most of the nozzles for one color are simultaneously emitted, producing standard or resonant pulses within the ink line. This can cause the nozzle to flood (or be submerged), or conversely, if the Laplace pressure is exceeded, the nozzle is not filled because of the pressure drop after the peak.

To address this issue, the LCP module 64 incorporates a pulsation damper to remove pressure peaks from the ink line. The damper can be a closed volume that can be compressed by the ink, which can be compressed by the gas. In another embodiment, the damper can be a compliant section of the ink line that elastically flexes and absorbs pressure pulses.

To minimize design complexity and preserve pocket form, the present invention uses a compressible gas volume to dampen pressure pulses. With a small volume of gas, it is possible to use a gas compression to dampen the pressure pulse. This retains a pocket design while avoiding any nozzle flooding caused by transient peaks in ink pressure.

As shown in Figures 24 and 26, the pulsation damper is not a single gas volume for pulse compression within the ink, but rather an array of pockets 200 distributed along the length of the LCP module 64. A pressure pulse that moves past an elongated printhead (e.g., a pagewidth printhead) can be damped at any point within the ink flow line. But when the pulse passes through the nozzle in the printhead IC, the pulse will flood the nozzle regardless of whether the pulse is later dissipated at the damper. By incorporating multiple pulsation dampers into the ink supply conduit and in close proximity to the nozzle array, any pressure spikes are damped at locations where they can cause unwanted flooding.

In Figure 26, it can be seen that the air damming pockets 200 are arranged in four rows, each column of holes being located directly above the LCP main channel 184 within the LCP channel module 176. Any pressure pulse in the ink within the main channel 184 acts directly on the air within the pocket 200 and dissipates quickly.

Print head fill

The fill 匣 is now described with particular reference to the LCP channel module 176 shown in FIG. The ink fills the LCP channel module 176 by the suction applied to the main channel outlet 232 from the pump of the fluidic system (see Figure 6). The main channel 184 is filled with ink, and then the ink supply flow path 182 and the print head IC 68 are self-filled by capillary action.

Main channel 184 is relatively long and thin. Again, if the air pockets 200 are used to damp pressure pulses within the ink, the air pockets 200 must remain unfilled. This may be problematic for the filling process, where the pockets 200 can be easily filled by capillary action during filling, or the main channel may not be fully filled due to trapped air. To ensure that the LCP channel module 176 is fully filled, the main channel 184 has a dam 228 at the downstream end prior to the outlet 232. To ensure that the air pockets 200 within the LCP module 64 are not filled, the air pockets 200 have openings and the openings have sharp upstream edges to direct the ink meniscus to not travel up the walls of the pockets.

These aspects of the crucible are described in detail with reference to Figs. 28A, 28B and 29A to 29C. These figures schematically illustrate the filling process. Figures 28A, 28B show the problems that may occur if a dam is in the main channel, while Figures 29A through 29C show the function of the dam 228.

28A, 28B are cross-sectional views through one of the main channels 184 of the LCP channel module 176 and the inner air pockets 200 of the channels. Ink 238 is pumped through inlet 230 and flows along the floor of main channel 184. It should be noted that the advancing meniscus and the bottom surface of the channel 184 have a steep contact angle which causes the front end of the ink stream 238 to be slightly spherical. When the ink reaches the end of the channel 184, the ink level rises and the ball front contacts the top of the channel before the remaining ink stream. As shown in Figure 28B, the channel 184 is not fully filled and the air is now trapped. This air bag retains and interferes with the job of the print head. The ink damping characteristics are altered and the air can be an ink barrier.

In Figs. 29A to 29C, the passage 184 has a dam 228 at the downstream end. As shown in Figure 29A, ink stream 238 collects behind the dam 228 and rises toward the top of the channel. The dam 228 has a sharp edge 240 at the top as a fixed point for the meniscus. The advancing meniscus is pinned (attached) to the anchor 240 so that when the ink level is above the top edge, the ink does not simply flow through the dam 228 immediately.

As shown in Figure 29B, the protruding meniscus causes the ink to rise until the ink fills the channel 184 to the top. Since the ink seals the pockets into separate air pockets, the protruding ink meniscus at the dam 228 exits the sharp top edge 240 and fills the end of the channel 184 and the ink outlet 232 (see Figure 29C). The sharp top edge 240 is precisely positioned such that the ink meniscus protrudes until the ink fills the top of the channel 184, but does not allow the ink to bulge too much so that the ink contacts a portion of the end air pocket 242. If the meniscus contacts and is fixed to the inside of the end air pocket portion 242, the end air pocket portion 242 may be filled with ink. Accordingly, the height of the dam and its position under the pocket are tightly controlled. The curved downstream surface of the dam 228 ensures that no further anchor points allow the ink meniscus to span the gap to the pocket 242.

Another mechanism by which the LCP is used to hold the cavity portion filled is the upstream and downstream edges of the cavity opening. As shown in Figures 28A, 28B and 29A through 29C, all of the upstream edges have curved transition faces 234 and the downstream edges 236 are sharp. The ink meniscus that advances along the top of the channel 184 can be nailed to the sharp upstream edge and then moved upward into the cavity by capillary action. The transition surface at the upstream edge (especially the curved transition surface 234) removes the strong anchor points provided by the sharp edges.

Similarly, Applicants' efforts have found that if the pockets 200 have been disadvantageously filled with some ink, the sharp downstream edge 236 can facilitate removal of the fill. If the printer is impacted, shaken, or tilted, or the jet system must flow back for any reason, the pocket 200 may be completely or partially filled. The sharp downstream edge 236 helps pull the meniscus back to the natural anchor point (i.e., the sharp corner) as the ink flows in its normal direction. In this manner, the management of the meniscus of the moving ink through the LCP channel module 176 is a mechanism for properly filling the crucible.

The invention has been described herein by way of example only. Variations and modifications of the spirit and scope of the broad inventive concept will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the embodiments described and illustrated in the drawings are only to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive.

2. . . Printer

4. . . main body

6. . . Pivoting surface

8. . . Display screen

10. . . Control button

12. . . Media stack

14. . . Feed tray

16. . . Printed sheet

18. . . Exit slot

20. . . Cam

twenty two. . . contact

twenty four. . . Release lever

26. . . handle

28. . . Bearing surface

30. . . Structural component

32. . . Contact rib

60. . . Ink tank

62. . . Pump

64. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) module

66. . . Switch valve

68. . . Print head integrated circuit (IC)

72. . . Regulator

74. . . Bubble outlet

76. . . Sealed catheter

78. . . Air inlet

80. . . Export

82. . . filter

84. . . Upstream ink line

86. . . Downstream ink line

88. . . sensor

90. . . Electronic controller

92. . . Storage tank

94. . . Cover

96. . . (print head)匣

98. . . protective case

100. . .匣 base (chassis module)

102. . . Base cover

104. . . Contact point

106. . . Paper mask

108. . . Flexible printed circuit board

110. . . Wire bonding

112A. . . Upstream ink coupler

112B. . . Downstream ink coupler

114. . .匣 valve

116. . . Inlet manifold and filter

118. . . Export manifold

120. . . Elastic connector

122. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) inlet (ink inlet)

124. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) outlet (ink outlet)

126. . . Elastic sleeve

128. . . Fixed valve member

130. . . Filter membrane

132. . . Upstream filter chamber

134. . . Downstream filter chamber

136. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) channel

138. . . Top channel

142. . . Catheter (printer valve)

146. . . Collar

148. . . End of catheter

150. . . catheter

152. . . Ink flow

156. . . Filter outlet

158. . . Filter inlet

160. . . Spacer

162. . . Partition wall

164. . . Wire joint

166. . . Countersunk hole

168. . . Countersunk hole

170. . . Curved support surface

172. . . Paper mask

174. . . Viscous integrated circuit (IC) attachment film

176. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) channel module

178. . . Concave

180. . . Electronic component

182. . . Ink supply flow path

184. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) main channel

186. . . (laser drilling) supply hole

188. . . Existing lining

190. . . Central web

192. . . Replacement lining

194. . . Adhesive layer

196. . . motor

198. . . reel

200. . . Cave

204. . . Benchmark mark

206. . . Drop triangle

208. . . (ink) supply hole

210. . . (ink) supply hole

212. . . (ink) supply flow path

214. . . nozzle

216. . . (ink) supply hole

218. . . aisle

220. . . Nozzle array

222. . . nozzle

224. . . (ink) supply hole

226. . . (ink) supply hole

228. . . dam

230. . . Entrance

232. . . Main channel exit

234. . . Curved transition surface

236. . . Downstream edge

238. . . Ink (flow)

240. . . Sharp edge

Embodiments of the present invention are described by way of example only with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side front perspective view of a printer embodying the present invention; FIG. 2 shows the printer of FIG. 1 with the front in an open position; FIG. 3 shows the printer of FIG. Figure 4 shows the printer of Figure 3, and the outer casing is removed; Figure 5 shows the printer of Figure 3, and the outer casing is removed, but the print head is mounted; Figure 6 is the jet of the printer Figure 7 is a front upper perspective view of the print head cartridge; Figure 8 is a front upper perspective view of the print head cartridge in its protective cover; Figure 9 is a print head cartridge with its protective cover removed Front upper perspective view; Fig. 10 is a front lower perspective view of the print head cymbal; Fig. 11 is a rear lower perspective view of the print head cymbal; Fig. 12 shows a view of each side of the print head cymbal; Fig. 13 is a print head 匣FIG. 14 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the ink inlet coupler passing through the print head; FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the ink inlet and filter assembly; and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the ink valve engaged with the printer valve Figure 17 is a perspective view of the LCP module and the flexible PCB; Figure 18 is an enlarged view of the insertion block A shown in Figure 17; Figure 19 is an LCP module / FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the upper portion of the LCP module/flexible printed circuit board/printing head IC assembly; FIG. 21 is an LCP module/corresponding to the LCD printed circuit board/printing head IC assembly; An enlarged view of the underside of the printed circuit board/printing head IC assembly; FIG. 22 shows an enlarged view of the print head IC and the flexible printed circuit board of FIG. 21; FIG. 23 shows the print head of FIG. An enlarged view of the IC attached to the film; Fig. 24 shows an enlarged view of the LCP channel film group of Fig. 23; Fig. 25 shows the print head IC having a back channel and a nozzle overlapping the ink supply flow path; Fig. 26 is an LCP mode Figure 27 is a plan view of the LCP channel module; Figure 28A, 28B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the LCP channel module without dam filling; 29A, 29B, 29C are schematic cross-sectional views of the LCP channel module with dam filling; FIG. 30 is a horizontal enlarged perspective view of the LCP module with contact force and reaction force position; FIG. 31 shows the roll of the IC attachment film; 32 shows a section of the IC attachment film between the linings; and FIG. 33 shows a part of the layered structure of the film Section view.

64. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) module

68. . . Print head integrated circuit (IC)

104. . . Contact point

108. . . Flexible printed circuit board

170. . . Curved support surface

172. . . Paper mask

174. . . Viscous integrated circuit (IC) attachment film

176. . . Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) channel module

178. . . Concave

182. . . Ink supply flow path

186. . . (laser drilling) supply hole

200. . . Cave

Claims (7)

A print head for an ink jet printer comprising: a print head integrated circuit (IC) having an array of nozzles for ejecting ink; and a support structure for supporting the print head product a support circuit having an ink conduit for supplying the nozzle array with ink, and an ink inlet for connecting to the ink supply source; and a plurality of pockets each having an opening for establishing the ink conduit Fluid communication, and each of the pockets is a blind recess such that the area defined by the opening is substantially equal to the area of the blind end; each of the openings only faces one of the ink conduits, and Constructing the openings to inhibit ink from filling the recesses by capillary action, wherein the openings to each of the individual pockets have an upstream edge and a downstream edge, during initial filling of the ink conduits by the ink supply source, The upstream edge contacts the ink prior to the downstream edge, and the upstream edge has a transition surface between the conduit and the interior of the pocket, the transition surface being configured to inhibit ink borrowing during initial filling of the ink conduit The cavity is filled by capillary action and the gas is removed. A print head for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the print head is a page width print head; and the support structure is elongated, having an inlet at one end and at the other end And the ink conduits have channels extending longitudinally along the support structure between the inlet and the outlet; and each of the channels has a series of ink feed channels, the ink feeds The flow channels are spaced along the channel to provide fluid communication between the channel and the printhead integrated circuit. A print head for an ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein the ink feed flow path is joined to the passage along a wall of the passage, the wall and the portion including the same The walls of the openings are opposite. A print head for an ink jet printer according to claim 3, wherein the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP). The print head for an ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the support structure is a two-piece liquid crystal polymer module, and the channels and the feed channels are formed in one of the zeros. Within the piece, the holes are formed in another part. The print head for an ink jet printer according to claim 5, wherein the support structure has a plurality of print head integrated circuits, and the print head integrated circuits are installed end to end along one side. . The print head for an ink jet printer according to claim 6, wherein the squeegee film is mounted to the side by interposing a viscous film interposed therebetween, the viscous film having A hole for fluid communication between the ink feed channel and the printhead integrated circuits.