Industrial Technology Research Institute

International United Technology Company, Ltd.

Chieh-Wen Wang

I-Chung Hou

Hung-Lieh Hu

Charles C Chang

Shyh-Haur Su

Yuan-Liang Lan

Cheng-Wei Hsu

Ming-Ling Lee

Yi-Hsuan Lai

Yi-Yung Wu

Jhih-Ping Lu

Je-Ping Hu

Chin-Tai Chen

Chi-Lung Li

Shu-Cheng Hsieh

Leo Hu

Chen-Yue Cheng

Zhi-Ru Lian

Eric G Lean

Yuh-Horng Chuang

Jack Wu

Chen-Yu Cheng

An inkjet print head chip. The chip has a first column of firing chambers and a second column of firing chambers in which each firing chamber comprises a heater and an ink channel. A first ink slot is formed between the first column of firing chambers and the periphery of the chip, in which the first ink slot comprises a plurality of first ink sub-slots and each first ink sub-slot provides ink to part of heaters in the first column of firing chambers. A second ink slot is formed between the second column of firing chambers and the periphery of the chip to provide ink to the heaters in the second column of firing chambers. A dry film is patterned on the entire surface of the chip to separate the first ink sub-slots.

Ink slots for providing ink to unilateral heaters

The present invention provides an ink jet printhead identification circuit and method. The identification circuit is constructed of a fuse and other electronic components. A plurality of circuits are arranged and integrated on the printhead of the cartridge and encoded prior to leaving the factory subjecting the identification and detection circuits to achieve its identification purpose (of identifying general information of the cartridge, such as model number, serial number, color or gray-scale setting, and best printing quality). The circuits may alternatively be encoded subsequent to leaving the factory and usage to a certain state subjecting the identification circuits to achieve its detection purpose (of detecting the current status of the cartridge, such as whether its lifespan has elapsed).

Ink jet printhead identification circuit and method

An ink cartridge for an inkjet printer includes a housing, an output channel, a porous material, and an adhesive layer. The housing has a vertical ink chamber for storing ink and an opening disposed on a top side of the ink chamber for interchanging air inside the ink chamber with air outside the ink chamber. The output channel is connected with a bottom side of the ink chamber for supplying ink from the ink chamber. The porous material is filled in the ink chamber for absorbing ink within the ink chamber. The adhesive layer is formed on a top end of the porous material for forming a sealed surface on the top end of the porous material.

Ink cartridge for preventing ink from spilling

An ink print head has an ink container for storing fluid, a chip installed at a bottom of the ink container having a central slot for passing fluid, and a dry film formed on the chip having a plurality of ink chambers. The ink print head also has a nozzle plate formed below the dry film, a middle portion of the nozzle plate protruding above the nozzle plate so as to form a central refill chamber, a plurality of nozzles corresponding to the ink chambers of the dry film, and a plurality of heaters set on the chip for heating fluid inside the ink chambers so that the fluid can be ejected from the nozzles of the nozzle plate. The fluid inside the ink container will flow through the central slot into the central refill chamber and then into the ink chambers.

Ink print head with low flow resistance central refilling

A recognition circuit for an ink jet printer has a plurality of heating cells. Each of the heating cells has a heating element coupled with a power line and a switch coupled with an address line. When voltages are applied to the power line and the address line, the switch is turned on and a current flows via the power line through the heating element. The recognition circuit further has a plurality of identifying cells each coupled with a corresponding power line. The recognition circuit can read the identification code from each the identifying cells by applying voltage to corresponding power lines.

Recognition circuit for an ink jet printer

The ink cartridge is provided with a pressure controller to regulate the inner pressure therein by atmospheric pressure while the ink stored in the ink cartridge is gradually drained off. The ink is stored in a container with negative pressure therein, and at least one through hole formed on the container is used to connect to the atmosphere, and at least one recess is formed on the inner wall of the through hole. The pressure controller has a plug movably disposed on the through hole and the recesses. The recesses are used as a channel to allow the entrance of the atmospheric air, and the plug can be automatically moved so as to enlarge the clearance between the plug and the through hole while the ink stored in the ink cartridge is gradually drained off. The inputted air can effectively reduce the negative pressure in the container, and therefore the printing process of the ink cartridge can be proceeding steadily.

Pressure controller for an ink cartridge

The present invention is an ink pressure adjustment device of inkjet pen; the device is utilized to adjust negative pressure in an ink cartridge mainly through an expandable and shrinkable gasbag installed in the ink cartridge, and a tension valve attached on the surface of the gasbag. The tension valve can open or close automatically an air hole that communicates atmosphere and the inner part of ink cartridge via the gasbag according to the expansion and shrinkage of the gasbag, causing a part of atmosphere to enter the ink cartridge so as to adjust the negative pressure of the ink cartridge and not only can prevent ink from leaking but also prevent the negative pressure from being too large to fail the inkjet printing.

Ink pressure adjustment device for inkjet pen

The ink cartridge of the present invention uses a directional fibrous collection enclosed within a bushing to temporally retain the ink therein, wherein at least one controlled capillary portion is provided. The controlled capillary portion can be formed by the bushing or by a predetermined shape located in the cartridge. The capillary forces of the controlled capillary portion are stronger than the one of other portion of the directional fibrous collection. The flow rate of the ink can be precisely controlled by the directional fibrous collection, and the controlled capillary portion can efficiently drain out the ink to the printhead and there is no bubble left therein.

Method and apparatus for supplying ink to an printhead

A function test device for optical print head heaters in thermal bubble printers, which includes: a test end power supply to provide the power needed for the test device; a linear optical coupling device serially connected between a pulse power supply for driving a print head circuit and the print head heater to detect variation of a triggering current; and an amplification circuit to amplify an output signal of the linear optical coupling device and send the signal to a microprocessor.

Function test device for optical print head heaters in thermal bubble printers

A method and a structure for measuring the temperature of heating elements of an ink-jet printhead are provided, wherein an extra metal layer or semiconductor layer is formed on the ink-jet chip having driving elements to precisely measure the temperature of each individual heating element. The structure includes: an ink-jet device including a heating element for heating liquid ink; a transistor driver for driving a transistor to control heating of the heating element; and a temperature-sensing layer located between the ink-jet device and the transistor driver and under the heating element, the temperature-sensing layer having two terminals, one connecting to the transistor and the other connecting to an electrode terminal connected to a printer, wherein the ink-jet device connects to the transistor driver through the temperature-sensing layer.

Method and structure for measuring temperature of heater elements of ink-jet printhead

An inkjet printhead chip structure and a method of estimating the working life through the detection of any defect on the chip structure. The method includes laying a metallic layer such as a tantalum layer over the chip and then shaping the metallic layer into a protective layer circuit. A portion of the metal protective layer covers the heating elements embedded in the chip. In printing, the heating elements heat up the ink to produce jets of ink. However, a portion of the heat is transferred to the metal protective layer thereby raising its temperature. Heat on the metal protective layer combined with any strayed residual ink bubbles that impinge upon the surface of the metal protective layer causes the metal to age. Since resistance of the metal protective layer will increase proportionally to the amount of aging, a measurement of the resistance is capable of estimating how much longer a given chip is suitable for use. Furthermore, if this special circuit layout runs across each long side of an ink slot, any cracks along the direction of the ink slot are detectable during resistance measurement.

Chip structure of inkjet printhead and method of estimating working life through detection of defects

A pressure control device for regulating the ink pressure of a multi-reservoir ink cartridge. The pressure regulator employs an external spring or springs plate assembly mounted between two neighboring ink reservoirs. The external surfaces of the spring or assembly are attached to the respective side face of the reservoirs. Each ink reservoir has at least a side face formed from a flexible non-elastic material. When all of the ink reservoirs are full, the spring or assembly is in a relaxed state. By withdrawing a small quantity of ink from each ink reservoir, atmospheric pressure exerts forces on the ink reservoirs leading to a small contraction. The resulting distortion of the spring or assembly produces a force that resists further contraction of the reservoirs. Since the pressures inside the reservoirs are smaller than external atmospheric pressure, a back-pressure that prevents any leakage of ink from the reservoirs is created. In addition, a pressure plate can be added to the spring means to squeeze the ink out of the reservoir more evenly.

Pressure control device

A magnetoelectric apparatus for measuring the droplet frequency response at a printhead by applying a method comprising a metallic detecting plate and a magnetic ring, and a method using the foregoing apparatus to determine the maximum droplet frequency response of the printhead. When an ink drop jetted from the nozzle makes contact with the detecting plate, which is perpendicular to the nozzle plate of the printhead, a current flows through the detecting plate immediately, and is detected as a portion of an expected signal. As soon as the ink drop leaves the nozzle completely, the foregoing current no longer exists. However, the magnetic ring generates an induced current that flows in the same direction as that of the foregoing current to complement the absence thereof, wherein the induced current is also detected as another portion of the expected signal. The expected signal is then processed by a signal-processing routine for determining the maximum droplet frequency response of the inkjet printhead.

Method and apparatus for measuring the droplet frequency response of an ink jet printhead

A structure of ink slots on an ink-jet printhead chip. The structure includes a plurality of firing chambers and a plurality of ink reservoirs. Each of the firing chambers has a heater and is enclosed by a plurality of walls, so each of the firing chambers is isolated. The ink reservoirs are respectively connected to the firing chambers by ink slots and each of the ink reservoirs is also isolated. Additionally, distances of the ink slots are equal.

Structure of ink slot on ink-jet printhead chip

A method for fabricating a printhead chip. A silicon substrate having a first surface and a second surface is provided. A plurality of grooves is formed in the first surface by an etching process. A plurality of ink slots are formed in each of the grooves. Overflow grooves are formed in the first surface beside the grooves. A plurality of firing chambers is formed on the second surface. Each of the firing chambers is respectively connected to each of the ink slots.

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Chieh-Wen Wang