Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd

Zamtec Limited

Memjet Technology Limited

Zamitec Ltd

Vincent Patrick Lawlor

Misty Bagnat

Emma Rose Kerr

Kia Silverbrook

Gregory John McAvoy

Rónán Pádraig Seán O'Reilly

Gregory John Mcavoy

Brian Kevin Donohoe

Eimear Ryan

Ronan Padraig Sean O'REILLY

A method of ejecting an ink droplet from an inkjet nozzle device having an actuator and a meniscus pinned across a nozzle opening. The method includes the steps of: delivering a sub-ejection pulse to the actuator for perturbing the meniscus from a quiescent state; and subsequently delivering an ejection pulse to the actuator at an instant when the meniscus is perturbed from its quiescent state, the ejection pulse ejecting the ink droplet from the nozzle opening. A time period between a trailing edge of the sub-ejection pulse and a leading edge of the ejection pulse controls a droplet volume of the ejected ink droplet.

Method of ejecting ink droplets having variable droplet volumes

An inkjet printhead integrated circuit includes: a substrate having a silicon layer; a nozzle plate disposed on the silicon layer; and embedded inkjet nozzle devices. Each inkjet nozzle device includes a nozzle chamber having a roof actuator; drive circuitry laterally disposed relative to the nozzle chamber; a connection arm extending parallel with the nozzle plate from the actuator towards the drive circuitry; and a metal via interconnecting each connection arm and the drive circuitry, the metal via extending perpendicularly to the nozzle plate. The drive circuitry is positioned proximal the nozzle plate relative to a plane of the floor.

Inkjet nozzle device with roof actuator connected to lateral drive circuitry

A stationary pagewidth inkjet printhead has one or more nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis of the printhead. The printhead is comprised of a plurality of printhead modules having first and second opposite ends butted across a width of a page. Each butting pair of printhead modules defines a common join region, wherein a nozzle pitch across the join region exceeds one nozzle pitch, one nozzle pitch being defined as a minimum longitudinal distance between a pair of nozzles in a same nozzle row. A first nozzle positioned at the first end of a first printhead module in a butting pair is configured to fire ink droplets into a respective join region.

Inkjet printhead with join regions seamlessly compensated by directional nozzles

An inkjet printhead includes a ceramic nozzle plate having a plurality of movable portions defined therein and a polymeric material covering the nozzle plate and the plurality of movable portions.

Ink printhead having ceramic nozzle plate defining movable portions

A stationary pagewidth inkjet printhead is comprised of a plurality of printhead integrated circuits butted end-on-end across the pagewidth. The printhead includes one or more nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis of the printhead, each nozzle row comprising a plurality of nozzles. One or more of the nozzles are configured to fire a droplet of ink at a plurality of predetermined different dot positions along the longitudinal axis.

Pagewidth inkjet printhead with drop directionality control

A method of compensating for a dead nozzle in a stationary pagewidth printhead. The method includes the steps of: (i) identifying the dead nozzle; (ii) selecting a functioning nozzle in a same nozzle row as the dead nozzle; and firing ink droplets from the selected functioning nozzle at a primary dot position associated with the dead nozzle.

Method of compensating for dead nozzles in stationary pagewidth printhead

An inkjet nozzle assembly having: a nozzle chamber for containing ink, the nozzle chamber including a floor and a roof having a nozzle opening defined therein; and a plurality of moveable paddles defining part of the roof. The plurality of paddles are actuable to cause ejection of an ink droplet from the nozzle opening. Each paddle includes a thermal bend actuator, and each actuator is independently controllable via respective drive circuitry such that a direction of droplet ejection from the nozzle opening is controllable by independent movement of each paddle.

Inkjet nozzle assembly with drop directionality control via independently actuable roof paddles

A thermal bend actuator includes: an active beam for connection to drive circuitry; and a passive beam mechanically cooperating with the active beam, such that when a current is passed through the active beam, the active beam expands relative to the passive beam, resulting in bending of the actuator. The passive beam has first and second layers with the second layer sandwiched between the first layer and the active beam. The first layer is thicker than the second layer.

Thermal bend actuator having bilayered passive beam

A stationary pagewidth inkjet printhead has one or more nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis of the printhead. Each nozzle is configured to fire a droplet of ink at a plurality of predetermined different dot positions along the longitudinal axis, such that a printed dot density exceeds a nozzle density of the printhead.

Pagewidth inkjet printhead configured such that printed dot density exceeds nozzle density

A stationary pagewidth inkjet printhead has one or more nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis of the printhead. Each nozzle is configurable to fire a droplet of ink at a plurality of predetermined different dot positions along the longitudinal axis, and each nozzle has an associated primary dot position. The printhead is configured to compensate for a dead nozzle by printing from a selected functioning nozzle positioned in a same nozzle row as the dead nozzle. The selected functioning nozzle is configured to fire some ink droplets at the primary dot position associated with the dead nozzle and to fire some ink droplets at its own primary dot position.

Stationary inkjet printhead with dead nozzle compensation provided by nozzles in same nozzles row

A method of printing at a dot density exceeding a nozzle density in a stationary pagewidth printhead. The method includes the steps of: (i) advancing a print medium transversely past the stationary printhead at a rate of one line per one line-time; and (ii) firing droplets of ink from predetermined nozzles in a nozzle row to create successive lines of print. Some or all of the predetermined nozzles fire droplets of ink at a plurality of predetermined different dot positions along a longitudinal axis of the printhead during one line-time, such that the printed dot density in each line of print exceeds the nozzle density.

Method of printing at dot density exceeding nozzle density in stationary pagewidth printhead

A method of controlling a direction of droplet ejection from an inkjet nozzle having a plurality of moveable paddles, the method includes the steps of: (i) actuating a first thermal bend actuator via respective first drive circuitry such that a respective first paddle bends towards a floor of the nozzle chamber; (ii) actuating a second thermal bend actuator via respective second drive circuitry such that a respective second paddle bends towards a floor of the nozzle chamber; and (iii) thereby ejecting a droplet of ink. Actuation of the first and second thermal bend actuators is independently controlled via the first and second drive circuitry so as to control the direction of droplet ejection.

Method of controlling drop directionality from inkjet nozzle using multiple independently-actuable roof paddles

A printhead integrated circuit (IC) for a stationary pagewidth printhead, includes nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis thereof. A length of a printable zone corresponding to the nozzle row is longer than a length of the nozzle row.

Printhead integrated circuit with printable zone longer than nozzle row

A printhead integrated circuit includes one or more nozzle rows extending along a longitudinal axis thereof. The printhead IC has first and second ends for butting engagement with other printhead ICs so as to define a pagewidth printhead. Each nozzle has an associated primary dot position, wherein a first nozzle positioned at the first end is configured to fire some ink droplets skewed towards the first end in addition to firing some ink droplets at its own primary dot position.

Printhead integrated circuit with end nozzles firing at multiple dot positions

A method of fabricating a thermal bend actuator comprises the steps of: (a) depositing a first layer comprised of silicon nitride onto a sacrificial scaffold; (b) depositing a second layer comprised of silicon dioxide onto the first layer; (c) depositing an active beam layer onto the second layer; (d) etching the active beam layer, the first layer and the second layer to define the thermal bend actuator; and (e) releasing the thermal bend actuator by removing the sacrificial scaffold.

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Balmain, Australia

Vincent Patrick Lawlor