US 7,551,202 B2Grant
Digital camera with integrated inkjet printer
Issue Date:2009-06-23
•10 Claims
•7 Drawing Sheets
Abstract
A digital camera with an image sensor for capturing an image, an image processor for processing image data from the image sensor and transmitting processed data to a printhead, and, an effects interface for user input of one or more predetermined image manipulations; such that,
-
- the processed data transmitted to the printhead incorporate the selected image manipulations. This allows the user to print manipulated images directly from the camera without first downloading to a desktop system.
Metadata
Assignee
- Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
Inventor
- Kia Silverbrook
Application Information
Application Number:US 10/831,235
Filing Date:2004-04-26
Priority Date:1997-07-15
Art Unit:2622
Classifications
IPC:
H04N5/225B41J3/00
Patent Drawings (7 sheets)
Description
Cross References to Related Applications
[0001] The present application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/112,743 filed on Jul. 10, 1998, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,727,951.
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to digital cameras and in particular, the onboard processing of image data captured by the camera.
Background of the Invention
[0003] Recently, digital cameras have become increasingly popular. These cameras normally operate by means of imaging a desired image utilising a charge coupled device (CCD) array and storing the imaged scene on an electronic storage medium for later down loading onto a computer system for subsequent manipulation and printing out. Normally, when utilising a computer system to print out an image, sophisticated software may available to manipulate the image in accordance with requirements.
[0004] Unfortunately such systems require significant post processing of a captured image and normally present the image in an orientation to which it was taken, relying on the post processing process to perform any necessary or required modifications of the captured image. Also, much of the environmental information available when the picture was taken is lost. Furthermore, the type or size of the media substrate and the types of ink used to print the image can also affect the image quality. Accounting for these factors during post processing of the captured image data can be complex and time consuming.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] Accordingly, the present invention provides a digital camera comprising:
[0006] an image sensor for capturing an image;
[0007] an image processor for processing image data from the image sensor and transmitting processed data to a printhead; and,
[0008] an effects interface for user input of one or more predetermined image manipulations; such that,
[0009] the processed data transmitted to the printhead incorporate the selected image manipulations.
[0010] The present invention allows the user to perform many common image manipulations when the image is captured by inputting required effect via the interface. This permits the user to print the images in the camera without first downloading to a desktop system.
[0011] Preferably, data relating to the image manipulations are stored on separate portable memory devices for connection to the effects interface.
[0012] In a further preferred form, the image manipulations comprise image rotations, borders, text or clip art.
[0013] In yet another preferred form, further adapted for use with a media cartridge comprising a supply of media substrate on which images can be printed, and an information store with information relating to the media substrate, wherein the camera further comprises a cartridge interface for accessing the information such that the image processor can utilise the information relating to the media substrate.
[0014] The camera accesses information about the media substrate so that the image processor can utilise the information to enhance the quality of the printed image.
[0015] Preferably, the media substrate has postcard formatting printed on its reverse surface so that the camera can produce personalised postcards, and the information store has the dimensions of the postcard formatting to allow the image processor to align printed images with the postcard formatting.
[0016] In a further preferred form the cartridge further comprises an ink supply for the printhead and the information store is an authentication chip that allows the image processor to confirm that the media substrate and the ink supply is suitable for use with the camera.
[0017] According to a related aspect, there is provided a digital camera for sensing and storing an image, the camera comprising:
[0018] an image sensor with a charge coupled device (CCD) for capturing image data relating to a sensed image, and an auto exposure setting for adjusting the image data captured by the CCD in response to the lighting conditions at image capture; and,
[0019] an image processor for processing image data from the CCD and storing the processed data; wherein,
[0020] the image processor is adapted to use information from the auto exposure setting relating to the lighting conditions at image capture when processing the image data from the CCD.
[0021] Utilising the auto exposure setting to determine an advantageous re-mapping of colours within the image allows the processor to produce an amended image having colours within an image transformed to account of the auto exposure setting. The processing can comprise re-mapping image colours so they appear deeper and richer when the exposure setting indicates low light conditions and re-mapping image colours to be brighter and more saturated when the auto exposure setting indicates bright light conditions.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0022] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings which:
[0023] FIG. 1A illustrates an example camera device;
[0024] FIG. 1B illustrates the method of operation of the preferred embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a form of print roll ready for purchase by a consumer;
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view, partly in section, of an alternative form of a print roll;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a left side exploded perspective view of the print roll of FIG. 3 ; and,
[0028] FIG. 5 is a right side exploded perspective view of a single print roll.
Description of Preferred and Other Embodiments
[0029] The preferred embodiment is preferable implemented through suitable programming of a hand held camera device such as that described in the present applicant's application entitled “A Digital Image Printing Camera with Image Processing Capability”, the content of which is hereby specifically incorporated by cross reference and the details of which, and other related applications are set out in the tables below. An example of a camera device 100 is shown in FIG. 1A .
[0030] The aforementioned patent specification discloses a camera system, hereinafter known as an “Artcam” type camera, wherein sensed images can be directly printed out by an Artcam portable camera unit. Further, the aforementioned specification discloses means and methods for performing various manipulations on images captured by the camera sensing device leading to the production of various effects in any output image. The manipulations are disclosed to be highly flexible in nature and can be implemented through the insertion into the Artcam of cards having encoded thereon various instructions for the manipulation of images, the cards hereinafter being known as Artcards. The Artcam further has significant onboard processing power by an Artcam Central Processor unit (ACP) which is interconnected to a memory device for the storage of important data and images.
[0031] In the preferred embodiment, the Artcam has an auto exposure sensor for determining the light level associated with the captured image. This auto exposure sensor is utilised to process the image in accordance with the set light value so as to enhance portions of the image.
[0032] Preferably, the area image sensor includes a means for determining the light conditions when capturing an image. The area image sensor adjusts the dynamic range of values captured by the CCD in accordance with the detected level sensor. The captured image is transferred to the Artcam central processor and stored in the memory store. Intensity information, as determined by the area image sensor, is also forwarded to the ACP. This information is utilised by the Artcam central processor to manipulate the stored image to enhance certain effects.
[0033] Turning now to FIG. 1 , the auto exposure setting information 1 is utilised in conjunction with the stored image 2 to process the image by utilising the ACP. The processed image is returned to the memory store for later printing out 4 on the output printer.
[0034] A number of processing steps can be undertaken in accordance with the determined light conditions. Where the auto exposure setting 1 indicates that the image was taken in a low light condition, the image pixel colours are selectively re-mapped so as to make the image colours stronger, deeper and richer.
[0035] Where the auto exposure information indicates that highlight conditions were present when the image was taken, the image colours can be processed to make them brighter and more saturated. The re-colouring of the image can be undertaken by conversion of the image to a hue-saturation-value (HSV) format and an alteration of pixel values in accordance with requirements. The pixel values can then be output converted to the required output colour format of printing.
[0036] Of course, many different re-colouring techniques may be utilised. Preferably, the techniques are clearly illustrated on the pre-requisite Artcard inserted into the reader. Alternatively, the image processing algorithms can be automatically applied and hard-wired into the camera for utilization in certain conditions.
[0037] Alternatively, the Artcard inserted could have a number of manipulations applied to the image which are specific to the auto-exposure setting. For example, clip arts containing candles etc could be inserted in a dark image and large suns inserted in bright images.
[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 5 , the Artcam prints the images onto media stored in a replaceable print roll 5. In some preferred embodiments, the operation of the camera device is such that when a series of images is printed on a first surface of the print roll, the corresponding backing surface has a ready made postcard which can be immediately dispatched at the nearest post office box within the jurisdiction. In this way, personalized postcards can be created.
[0039] It would be evident that when utilising the postcard system as illustrated FIG. 2 only predetermined image sizes are possible as the synchronization between the backing postcard portion and the front image must be maintained. This can be achieved by utilising the memory portions of the authentication chip stored within the print roll 5 to store details of the length of each postcard backing format sheet. This can be achieved by either having each postcard the same size or by storing each size within the print rolls on-board print chip memory.
[0040] In an alternative embodiment, there is provided a modified form of print roll which can be constructed mostly from injection moulded plastic pieces suitably snapped fitted together. The modified form of print roll has a high ink storage capacity in addition to a somewhat simplified construction. The print media onto which the image is to be printed is wrapped around a plastic sleeve former for simplified construction. The ink media reservoir has a series of air vents which are constructed so as to minimise the opportunities for the ink flow out of the air vents. Further, a rubber seal is provided for the ink outlet holes with the rubber seal being pierced on insertion of the print roll into a camera system. Further, the print roll includes a print media ejection slot and the ejection slot includes a surrounding moulded surface which provides and assists in the accurate positioning of the print media ejection slot relative to the printhead within the printing or camera system.
[0041] Turning to FIG. 3 there is illustrated a single point roll unit 5 in an assembled form with a partial cutaway showing internal portions of the print roll. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate left and right side exploded perspective views respectively. The print roll 5 is constructed around the internal core portion 6 which contains an internal ink supply. Outside of the core portion 6 is provided a former 7 around which is wrapped a paper or film supply 8. Around the paper supply it is constructed two cover pieces 9, 10 which snap together around the print roll so as to form a covering unit as illustrated in FIG. 3 . The bottom cover piece 10 includes a slot 11 through which the output of the print media 12 for interconnection with the camera system.
[0042] Two pinch rollers 13, 14 are provided to pinch the paper against a drive pinch roller 15 so they together provide for a decurling of the paper around the roller 15. The decurling acts to negate the strong curl that may be imparted to the paper from being stored in the form of print roll for an extended period of time. The rollers 13, 14 are provided to form a snap fit with end portions of the cover base portion 10 and the roller 15 which includes a cogged end 16 for driving, snap fits into the upper cover piece 9 so as to pinch the paper 12 firmly between.
[0043] The cover pieces 9, 10 includes an end protuberance or lip 17. The end lip 17 is provided for accurately alignment of the exit hole of the paper with a corresponding printing heat platen structure within the camera system. In this way, accurate alignment or positioning of the exiting paper relative to an adjacent printhead is provided for full guidance of the paper to the printhead.
[0044] It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.
[0045] The present invention is best utilized in the Artcam device, the details of which are set out in the following paragraphs.
Ink Jet Technologies
[0046] The embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device. Of course many different devices could be used. However presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable.
[0047] The most significant problem with thermal inkjet is power consumption. This is approximately 100 times that required for high speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. This involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink. Water has a very high heat capacity, and must be superheated in thermal inkjet applications. This leads to an efficiency of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased surface area) out.
[0048] The most significant problem with piezoelectric inkjet is size and cost. Piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. Also, each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate. This is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per print head, but is a major impediment to the fabrication of pagewide print heads with 19,200 nozzles.
[0049] Ideally, the inkjet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality, high speed, low cost printing applications. To meet the requirements of digital photography, new inkjet technologies have been created. The target features include:
[0050] low power (less than 10 Watts)
[0051] high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)
[0052] photographic quality output
[0053] low manufacturing cost
[0054] small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)
[0055] high speed (<2 seconds per page).
[0056] All of these features can be met or exceeded by the inkjet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty. 45 different inkjet technologies have been developed by the Assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture. These technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present Assignee as set out in the table below.
[0057] The inkjet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems, from battery powered one-time use digital cameras, through to desktop and network printers, and through to commercial printing systems For ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the print head is designed to be a monolithic 0.5 micron CMOS chip with MEMS post processing. For color photographic applications, the print head is 100 mm long, with a width which depends upon the inkjet type. The smallest print head designed is IJ38, which is 0.35 mm wide, giving a chip area of 35 square mm. The print heads each contain 19,200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry.
[0058] Ink is supplied to the back of the print head by injection molded plastic ink channels. The molding requires 50 micron features, which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool. Ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer. The print head is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding.
Cross-Referenced Applications
[0059] The following table is a guide to cross-referenced patent applications filed concurrently herewith and discussed hereinafter with the reference being utilized in subsequent tables when referring to a particular case:
[0060]
Tables of Drop-on-Demand Inkjets
| Docket | Refer- | |
|---|---|---|
| No. | ence | Title |
| IJ01US | 6277652 | Radiant Plunger Ink Jet Printer |
| IJ02US | 6213588 | Electrostatic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ03US | 6213589 | Planar Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ04US | 6231163 | Stacked Electrostatic Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ05US | 6247795 | Reverse Spring Lever Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ06US | 6394581 | Paddle Type Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ07US | 6244691 | Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ08US | 6257704 | Planar Swing Grill Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ09US | 6416168 | Pump Action Refill Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ10US | 6220694 | Pulsed Magnetic Field Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ11US | 6257705 | Two Plate Reverse Firing Electromagnetic Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ12US | 6247794 | Linear Stepper Actuator Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ13US | 6234610 | Gear Driven Shutter Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ14US | 6247793 | Tapered Magnetic Pole Electromagnetic Ink |
| Jet Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ15US | 6264306 | Linear Spring Electromagnetic Grill Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ16US | 6241342 | Lorenz Diaphragm Electromagnetic Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ17US | 6247792 | PTFE Surface Shooting Shuttered Oscillating |
| Pressure Ink Jet Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ18US | 6264307 | Buckle Grill Oscillating Pressure Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ19US | 6254220 | Shutter Based Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ20US | 6234611 | Curling Calyx Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ21US | 6302528 | Thermal Actuated Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ22US | 6283582 | Iris Motion Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ23US | 6239821 | Direct Firing Thermal Bend Actuator Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ24US | 6338547 | Conductive PTFE Bend Actuator Vented Ink |
| Jet Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ25US | 6247796 | Magnetostrictive Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ26US | 6557977 | Shape Memory Alloy Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ27US | 6390603 | Buckle Plate Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| IJ28US | 6362843 | Thermal Elastic Rotary Impeller Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ29US | 6293653 | Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ30US | 6312107 | Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Using PTFE and |
| Corrugated Heater Ink Jet Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ31US | 6227653 | Bend Actuator Direct Ink Supply Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ32US | 6234609 | High Young's Modulus Thermoelastic |
| Ink Jet Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ33US | 6238040 | Thermally Actuated Slotted Chamber Wall Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ34US | 6188415 | Ink Jet Printer having a Thermal Actuator |
| Comprising an External Coil Spring | ||
| IJ35US | 6227654 | Trough Container Ink Jet Printing Mechanism with |
| Paddle | ||
| IJ36US | 6209989 | Dual Chamber Single Actuator Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ37US | 6247791 | Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Fulcrum |
| Actuator Ink Jet Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ38US | 6336710 | Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Actuator Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ39US | 6217153 | Single Bend Actuator Cupped Paddle Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ40US | 6416167 | Thermally Actuated Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| having a Series of Thermal Actuator Units | ||
| IJ41US | 6243113 | Thermally Actuated Ink Jet Printing Mechanism |
| including a Tapered Heater Element | ||
| IJ42US | 6283581 | Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
| IJ43US | 6247790 | Inverted Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ44US | 6260953 | Surface Bend Actuator Vented Ink Supply Ink Jet |
| Printing Mechanism | ||
| IJ45US | 6267469 | A Solenoid Actuated Magnetic Plate Ink Jet Printing |
| Mechanism | ||
Tables of Drop-on-Demand Inkjets
[0061] Eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual inkjet nozzles have been identified. These characteristics are largely orthogonal, and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix. Most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee.
[0062] The following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of inkjet types.
[0063] Actuator mechanism (18 types)
[0064] Basic operation mode (7 types)
[0065] Auxiliary mechanism (8 types)
[0066] Actuator amplification or modification method (17 types)
[0067] Actuator motion (19 types)
[0068] Nozzle refill method (4 types)
[0069] Method of restricting back-flow through inlet (10 types)
[0070] Nozzle clearing method (9 types)
[0071] Nozzle plate construction (9 types)
[0072] Drop ejection direction (5 types)
[0073] Ink type (7 types)
[0074] The complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36.9 billion possible configurations of inkjet nozzle. While not all of the possible combinations result in a viable inkjet technology, many million configurations are viable. It is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations. Instead, certain inkjet types have been investigated in detail. These are designated IJ01 to IJ45 above.
[0075] Other inkjet configurations can readily be derived from these 45 examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes. Most of the IJ01 to IJ45 examples can be made into inkjet print heads with characteristics superior to any currently available inkjet technology.
[0076] Where there are prior art examples known to the inventor, one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below. The IJ01 to IJ45 series are also listed in the examples column. In some cases, a printer may be listed more than once in a table, where it shares characteristics with more than one entry.
[0077] Suitable applications include: Home printers, Office network printers, Short run digital printers, Commercial print systems, Fabric printers, Pocket printers, Internet WWW printers, Video printers, Medical imaging, Wide format printers, Notebook PC printers, Fax machines, Industrial printing systems, Photocopiers, Photographic minilabs etc.
[0078] The information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables.
[0079]
| ACTUATOR MECHANISM (APPLIED ONLY TO SELECTED INK DROPS) | ||||
| Actuator | ||||
| Mechanism | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Thermal | An electrothermal heater | Large force generated | High power | Canon Bubblejet |
| bubble | heats the ink to above | Simple construction | Ink carrier limited to water | 1979 Endo et al |
| boiling point, transferring | No moving parts | Low efficiency | GB patent | |
| significant heat to the | Fast operation | High temperatures required | 2,007,162 | |
| aqueous ink. A bubble | Small chip area | High mechanical stress | Xerox heater-in- | |
| nucleates and quickly | required for | Unusual materials required | pit 1990 | |
| forms, expelling the ink. | actuator | Large drive transistors | Hawkins et al | |
| The efficiency of the | Cavitation causes actuator | U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,181 | ||
| process is low, with | failure | Hewlett-Packard | ||
| typically less than 0.05% | Kogation reduces bubble | TIJ 1982 Vaught | ||
| of the electrical energy | formation | et al U.S. Pat. No. | ||
| being transformed into | Large print heads are | 4,490,728 | ||
| kinetic energy of the drop. | difficult to fabricate | |||
| Piezoelectric | A piezoelectric crystal | Low power consumption | Very large area required for | Kyser et al U.S. Pat. No. |
| such as lead lanthanum | Many ink types can be | actuator | 3,946,398 | |
| zirconate (PZT) is | used | Difficult to integrate with | Zoltan U.S. Pat. No. | |
| electrically activated, and | Fast operation | electronics | 3,683,212 | |
| either expands, shears, or | High efficiency | High voltage drive | 1973 Stemme U.S. Pat. | |
| bends to apply pressure to | transistors required | No. 3,747,120 | ||
| the ink, ejecting drops. | Full pagewidth print heads | Epson Stylus Tektronix | ||
| impractical due to actuator | IJ04 | |||
| size | ||||
| Requires electrical poling in | ||||
| high field strengths during | ||||
| manufacture | ||||
| Electrostrictive | An electric field is used | Low power consumption | Low maximum strain (approx. | Seiko Epson, |
| to activate | Many ink types can be | 0.01%) | Usui et all JP | |
| electrostriction in relaxor | used | Large area required for | 253401/96 | |
| materials such as lead | Low thermal expansion | actuator due to low strain | IJ04 | |
| lanthanum zirconate | Electric field | Response speed is marginal (~10 μs) | ||
| titanate (PLZT) or lead | strength required | High voltage drive | ||
| magnesium niobate (PMN). | (approx. 3.5 V/μm) | transistors required | ||
| can be generated | Full pagewidth print heads | |||
| without difficulty | impractical due to actuator | |||
| Does not require | size | |||
| electrical poling | ||||
| Ferroelectric | An electric field is used | Low power consumption | Difficult to integrate with | IJ04 |
| to induce a phase | Many ink types can be | electronics | ||
| transition between the | used | Unusual materials such as | ||
| antiferroelectric (AFE) and | Fast operation (<1 μs) | PLZSnT are required | ||
| ferroelectric (FE) phase. | Relatively high | Actuators require a large | ||
| Perovskite materials such | longitudinal strain | area | ||
| as tin modified lead | High efficiency | |||
| lanthanum zirconate | Electric field | |||
| titanate (PLZSnT) exhibit | strength of around 3 V/μm | |||
| large strains of up to 1% | can be readily | |||
| associated with the AFE to | provided | |||
| FE phase transition. | ||||
| Electrostatic | Conductive plates are | Low power consumption | Difficult to operate | IJ02, IJ04 |
| plates | separated by a compressible | Many ink types can be | electrostatic devices in an | |
| or fluid dielectric | used | aqueous environment | ||
| (usually air). Upon | Fast operation | The electrostatic actuator | ||
| application of a voltage, | will normally need to be | |||
| the plates attract each | separated from the ink | |||
| other and displace ink, | Very large area required to | |||
| causing drop ejection. The | achieve high forces | |||
| conductive plates may be in | High voltage drive | |||
| a comb or honeycomb | transistors may be required | |||
| structure, or stacked to | Full pagewidth print heads | |||
| increase the surface area | are not competitive due to | |||
| and therefore the force. | actuator size | |||
| Electrostatic | A strong electric field is | Low current | High voltage required | 1989 Saito et |
| pull on ink | applied to the ink, | consumption | May be damaged by sparks due | al, U.S. Pat. No. |
| whereupon electrostatic | Low temperature | to air breakdown | 4,799,068 | |
| attraction accelerates the | Required field strength | 1989 Miura et | ||
| ink towards the print | increases as the drop size | al, U.S. Pat. No. | ||
| medium. | decreases | 4,810,954 | ||
| High voltage drive | Tone-jet | |||
| transistors required | ||||
| Electrostatic field attracts | ||||
| dust | ||||
| Permanent | An electromagnet directly | Low power consumption | Complex fabrication | IJ07, IJ10 |
| magnet | attracts a permanent | Many ink types can be | Permanent magnetic material | |
| electromagnetic | magnet, displacing ink and | used | such as Neodymium Iron Boron | |
| causing drop ejection. Rare | Fast operation | (NdFeB) required. | ||
| earth magnets with a field | High efficiency | High local currents required | ||
| strength around 1 Tesla can | Easy extension from | Copper metalization should be | ||
| be used. Examples are: | single nozzles to | used for long | ||
| Samarium Cobalt (SaCo) and | pagewidth print | electromigration lifetime | ||
| magnetic materials in the | heads | and low resistivity | ||
| neodymium iron boron family | Pigmented inks are usually | |||
| (NdFeB, NdDyFeBNb, NdDyFeB, | infeasible | |||
| etc) | Operating temperature limited | |||
| to the Curie temperature | ||||
| (around 540 K) | ||||
| Soft magnetic | A solenoid induced a | Low power consumption | Complex fabrication | IJ01, 1J05, |
| core electromagnetic | magnetic field in a soft | Many ink types can be | Materials not usually present | IJ08, IJ10 |
| magnetic core or yoke | used | in a CMOS fab such as NiFe, | IJ12, IJ14, | |
| fabricated from a ferrous | Fast operation | CoNiFe, or CoFe are required | IJ15, IJ17 | |
| material such as | High efficiency | High local currents required | ||
| electroplated iron alloys | Easy extension from | Copper metalization should be | ||
| such as CoNiFe [1], CoFe, | single nozzles to | used for long | ||
| or NiFe alloys. Typically, | pagewidth print | electromigration lifetime | ||
| the soft magnetic material | heads | and low resistivity | ||
| is in two parts, which are | Electroplating is required | |||
| normally held apart by a | High saturation flux density | |||
| spring. When the solenoid | is required (2.0-2.1 T is | |||
| is actuated, the two parts | achievable with CoNiFe [1]) | |||
| attract, displacing the | ||||
| ink. | ||||
| Magnetic | The Lorenz force acting on | Low power consumption | Force acts as a twisting | IJ06, IJ11, |
| Lorenz force | a current carrying wire in | Many ink types can be | motion | IJ13, IJ16 |
| a magnetic field is | used | Typically, only a quarter of | ||
| utilized. | Fast operation | the solenoid length provides | ||
| This allows the magnetic | High efficiency | force in a useful direction | ||
| field to be supplied | Easy extension from | High local currents required | ||
| externally to the print | single nozzles to | Copper metalization should be | ||
| head, for example with rare | pagewidth print | used for long | ||
| earth permanent magnets. | heads | electromigration lifetime | ||
| Only the current carrying | and low resistivity | |||
| wire need be fabricated on | Pigmented inks are usually | |||
| the print-head, simplifying | infeasible | |||
| materials requirements. | ||||
| Magnetostriction | The actuator uses the giant | Many ink types can be | Force acts as a twisting | Fischenbeck, U.S. Pat. |
| magnetostrictive effect of | used | motion | No. 4,032,929 | |
| materials such as Terfenol- | Fast operation | Unusual materials such as | IJ25 | |
| D (an alloy of terbium, | Easy extension from | Terfenol-D are required | ||
| dysprosium and iron | single nozzles to | High local currents required | ||
| developed at the Naval | pagewidth print | Copper metalization should be | ||
| Ordnance Laboratory, hence | heads | used for long | ||
| Ter-Fe-NOL). For best | High force is | electromigration lifetime | ||
| efficiency, the actuator | available | and low resistivity | ||
| should be pre-stressed to | Pre-stressing may be required | |||
| approx. 8 MPa. | ||||
| Surface | Ink under positive pressure | Low power consumption | Requires supplementary force | Silverbrook, EP |
| tension | is held in a nozzle by | Simple construction | to effect drop separation | 0771 658 A2 and |
| reduction | surface tension. The | No unusual materials | Requires special ink | related patent |
| surface tension of the ink | required in | surfactants | applications | |
| is reduced below the bubble | fabrication | Speed may be limited by | ||
| threshold, causing the ink | High efficiency | surfactant properties | ||
| to egress from the nozzle. | Easy extension from | |||
| single nozzles to | ||||
| pagewidth print | ||||
| heads | ||||
| Viscosity | The ink viscosity is | Simple construction | Requires supplementary force | Silverbrook, EP |
| reduction | locally reduced to select | No unusual materials | to effect drop separation | 0771 658 A2 and |
| which drops are to be | required in | Requires special ink | related patent | |
| ejected. A viscosity | fabrication | viscosity properties | applications | |
| reduction can be achieved | Easy extension from | High speed is difficult to | ||
| electrothermally with most | single nozzles to | achieve | ||
| inks, but special inks can | pagewidth print | Requires oscillating ink | ||
| be engineered for a 100:1 | heads | pressure | ||
| viscosity reduction. | A high temperature difference | |||
| (typically 80 degrees) is | ||||
| required | ||||
| Acoustic | An acoustic wave is | Can operate without a | Complex drive circuitry | 1993 Hadimioglu |
| generated and focussed upon | nozzle plate | Complex fabrication | et al, EUP | |
| the drop ejection region. | Low efficiency | 550,192 | ||
| Poor control of drop position | 1993 Elrod et | |||
| Poor control of drop volume | al, EUP 572,220 | |||
| Thermoelastic | An actuator which relies | Low power consumption | Efficient aqueous operation | IJ03, IJ09, |
| bend actuator | upon differential thermal | Many ink types can be | requires a thermal insulator | IJ17, IJ18 |
| expansion upon Joule | used | on the hot side | IJ19, IJ20, | |
| heating is used. | Simple planar | Corrosion prevention can be | IJ21, IJ22 | |
| fabrication | difficult | IJ23, IJ24, | ||
| Small chip area | Pigmented inks may be | IJ27, IJ28 | ||
| required for each | infeasible, as pigment | IJ29, IJ30, | ||
| actuator | particles may jam the bend | IJ31, IJ32 | ||
| Fast operation | actuator | IJ33, IJ34, | ||
| High efficiency | IJ35, IJ36 | |||
| CMOS compatible | IJ37, IJ38, | |||
| voltages and | IJ39, IJ40 | |||
| currents | IJ41 | |||
| Standard MEMS | ||||
| processes can be | ||||
| used | ||||
| Easy extension from | ||||
| single nozzles to | ||||
| pagewidth print | ||||
| heads | ||||
| High CTE | A material with a very high | High force can be | Requires special material | IJ09, IJ17, |
| thermoelastic | coefficient of thermal | generated | (e.g. PTFE) | IJ18, IJ20 |
| actuator | expansion (CTE) such as | PTFE is a candidate | Requires a PTFE deposition | IJ21, IJ22, |
| polytetrafluoroethylene | for low dielectric | process, which is not yet | IJ23, IJ24 | |
| (PTFE) is used. As high CTE | constant insulation | standard in ULSI fabs | IJ27, IJ28, | |
| materials are usually non- | in ULSI | PTFE deposition cannot be | IJ29, IJ30 | |
| conductive, a heater | Very low power | followed with high | IJ31, IJ42, | |
| fabricated from a | consumption | temperature (above 350° C.) | IJ43, IJ44 | |
| conductive material is | Many ink types can be | processing | ||
| incorporated. A 50 μm long | used | Pigmented inks may be | ||
| PTFE bend actuator with | Simple planar | infeasible, as pigment | ||
| polysilicon heater and 15 mW | fabrication | particles may jam the bend | ||
| power input can provide | Small chip area | actuator | ||
| 180 μN force and 10 μm | required for each | |||
| deflection. Actuator | actuator | |||
| motions include: | Fast operation | |||
| 1) Bend | High efficiency | |||
| 2) Push | CMOS compatible | |||
| 3) Buckle | voltages and | |||
| 4) Rotate | currents | |||
| Easy extension from | ||||
| single nozzles to | ||||
| pagewidth print | ||||
| heads | ||||
| Conductive | A polymer with a high | High force can be | Requires special materials | IJ24 |
| polymer | coefficient of thermal | generated | development (High CTE | |
| thermoelastic | expansion (such as PTFE) is | Very low power | conductive polymer) | |
| actuator | doped with conducting | consumption | Requires a PTFE deposition | |
| substances to increase its | Many ink types can be | process, which is not yet | ||
| conductivity to about 3 | used | standard in ULSI fabs | ||
| orders of magnitude below | Simple planar | PTFE deposition cannot be | ||
| that of copper. The | fabrication | followed with high | ||
| conducting polymer expands | Small chip area | temperature (above 350° C.) | ||
| when resistively heated. | required for each | processing | ||
| Examples of conducting | actuator | Evaporation and CVD | ||
| dopants include: | Fast operation | deposition techniques cannot | ||
| 1) Carbon nanotubes | High efficiency | be used | ||
| 2) Metal fibers | CMOS compatible | Pigmented inks may be | ||
| 3) Conductive polymers such as | voltages and | infeasible, as pigment | ||
| doped polythiophene | currents | particles may jam the bend | ||
| 4) Carbon granules | Easy extension from | actuator | ||
| single nozzles to | ||||
| pagewidth print | ||||
| heads | ||||
| Shape memory | A shape memory alloy such | High force is | Fatigue limits maximum number | IJ26 |
| alloy | as TiNi (also known as | available (stresses | of cycles | |
| Nitinol—Nickel Titanium | of hundreds of MPa) | Low strain (1%) is required | ||
| alloy developed at the | Large strain is | to extend fatigue resistance | ||
| Naval Ordnance Laboratory) | available (more than | Cycle rate limited by heat | ||
| is thermally switched | 3%) | removal | ||
| between its weak | High corrosion | Requires unusual materials | ||
| martensitic state and its | resistance | (TiNi) | ||
| high stiffness austenic | Simple construction | The latent heat of | ||
| state. The shape of the | Easy extension from | transformation must be | ||
| actuator in its martensitic | single nozzles to | provided | ||
| state is deformed relative | pagewidth print | High current operation | ||
| to the austenic shape. The | heads | Requires pre-stressing to | ||
| shape change causes | Low voltage operation | distort the martensitic | ||
| ejection of a drop. | state | |||
| Linear | Linear magnetic actuators | Linear Magnetic | Requires unusual | IJ12 |
| Magnetic | include the Linear | actuators can be | semiconductor materials such | |
| Actuator | Induction Actuator (LIA), | constructed with | as soft magnetic alloys | |
| Linear Permanent Magnet | high thrust, long | (e.g. CoNiFe [1]) | ||
| Synchronous Actuator | travel, and high | Some varieties also require | ||
| (LPMSA), Linear Reluctance | efficiency using | permanent magnetic materials | ||
| Synchronous Actuator | planar semiconductor | such as Neodymium iron boron | ||
| (LRSA), Linear Switched | fabrication | (NdFeB) | ||
| Reluctance Actuator (LSRA), | techniques | Requires complex multi-phase | ||
| and the Linear Stepper | Long actuator travel | drive circuitry | ||
| Actuator (LSA). | is available | High current operation | ||
| Medium force is | ||||
| available | ||||
| Low voltage operation | ||||
[0080]
| BASIC OPERATION MODE | ||||
| Operational | ||||
| mode | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Actuator | This is the simplest mode | Simple operation | Drop repetition rate is | Thermal inkjet |
| directly | of operation: the actuator | No external fields | usually limited to less than | Piezoelectric |
| pushes ink | directly supplies | required | 10 KHz. However, this is not | inkjet |
| sufficient kinetic energy | Satellite drops can | fundamental to the method, | IJ01, IJ02, | |
| to expel the drop. The drop | be avoided if drop | but is related to the refill | IJ03, IJ04 | |
| must have a sufficient | velocity is less | method normally used | IJ05, IJ06, | |
| velocity to overcome the | than 4 m/s | All of the drop kinetic | IJ07, IJ09 | |
| surface tension. | Can be efficient, | energy must be provided by | IJ11, IJ12, | |
| depending upon the | the actuator | IJ14, IJ16 | ||
| actuator used | Satellite drops usually form | IJ20, IJ22, | ||
| if drop velocity is greater | IJ23, IJ24 | |||
| than 4.5 m/s | IJ25, IJ26, | |||
| IJ27, IJ28 | ||||
| IJ29, IJ30, | ||||
| IJ31, IJ32 | ||||
| IJ33, IJ34, | ||||
| IJ35, IJ36 | ||||
| IJ37, IJ38, | ||||
| IJ39, IJ40 | ||||
| IJ41, IJ42, | ||||
| IJ43, IJ44 | ||||
| Proximity | The drops to be printed are | Very simple print | Requires close proximity | Silverbrook, EP |
| selected by some manner | head fabrication can | between the print head and | 0771 658 A2 and | |
| (e.g. thermally induced | be used | the print media or transfer | related patent | |
| surface tension reduction | The drop selection | roller | applications | |
| of pressurized ink). | means does not need | May require two print heads | ||
| Selected drops are | to provide the | printing alternate rows of | ||
| separated from the ink in | energy required to | the image | ||
| the nozzle by contact with | separate the drop | Monolithic color print heads | ||
| the print medium or a | from the nozzle | are difficult | ||
| transfer roller. | ||||
| Electrostatic | The drops to be printed are | Very simple print | Requires very high | Silverbrook, EP |
| pull on ink | selected by some manner | head fabrication can | electrostatic field | 0771 658 A2 and |
| (e.g. thermally induced | be used | Electrostatic field for small | related patent | |
| surface tension reduction | The drop selection | nozzle sizes is above air | applications | |
| of pressurized ink). | means does not need | breakdown | Tone-Jet | |
| Selected drops are | to provide the | Electrostatic field may | ||
| separated from the ink in | energy required to | attract dust | ||
| the nozzle by a strong | separate the drop | |||
| electric field. | from the nozzle | |||
| Magnetic pull | The drops to be printed are | Very simple print | Requires magnetic ink | Silverbrook, EP |
| on ink | selected by some manner | head fabrication can | Ink colors other than black | 0771 658 A2 and |
| (e.g. thermally induced | be used | are difficult | related patent | |
| surface tension reduction | The drop selection | Requires very high magnetic | applications | |
| of pressurized ink). | means does not need | fields | ||
| Selected drops are | to provide the | |||
| separated from the ink in | energy required to | |||
| the nozzle by a strong | separate the drop | |||
| magnetic field acting on | from the nozzle | |||
| the magnetic ink. | ||||
| Shutter | The actuator moves a | High speed (>50 KHz) | Moving parts are required | IJ13, IJ17, IJ21 |
| shutter to block ink flow | operation can be | Requires ink pressure | ||
| to the nozzle. The ink | achieved due to | modulator | ||
| pressure is pulsed at a | reduced refill time | Friction and wear must be | ||
| multiple of the drop | Drop timing can be | considered | ||
| ejection frequency. | very accurate | Stiction is possible | ||
| The actuator energy | ||||
| can be very low | ||||
| Shuttered | The actuator moves a | Actuators with small | Moving parts are required | IJ08, IJ15, |
| grill | shutter to block ink flow | travel can be used | Requires ink pressure | IJ18, IJ19 |
| through a grill to the | Actuators with small | modulator | ||
| nozzle. The shutter | force can be used | Friction and wear must be | ||
| movement need only be equal | High speed (>50 KHz) | considered | ||
| to the width of the grill | operation can be | Stiction is possible | ||
| holes. | achieved | |||
| Pulsed | A pulsed magnetic field | Extremely low energy | Requires an external pulsed | IJ10 |
| magnetic pull | attracts an ‘ink pusher’ at | operation is | magnetic field | |
| on ink pusher | the drop ejection | possible | Requires special materials | |
| frequency. An actuator | No heat dissipation | for both the actuator and | ||
| controls a catch, which | problems | the ink pusher | ||
| prevents the ink pusher | Complex construction | |||
| from moving when a drop is | ||||
| not to be ejected. | ||||
[0081]
| AUXILIARY MECHANISM (APPLIED TO ALL NOZZLES) | ||||
| Auxiliary | ||||
| Mechanism | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| None | The actuator directly fires | Simplicity of | Drop ejection energy must be | Most inkjets, |
| the ink drop, and there is | construction | supplied by individual | including | |
| no external field or other | Simplicity of | nozzle actuator | piezoelectric | |
| mechanism required. | operation | and thermal | ||
| Small physical size | bubble. | |||
| IJ01-IJ07, | ||||
| IJ09, IJ11 | ||||
| IJ12, IJ14, | ||||
| IJ20, IJ22 | ||||
| IJ23-IJ45 | ||||
| Oscillating | The ink pressure | Oscillating ink | Requires external ink | Silverbrook, EP |
| ink pressure | oscillates, providing much | pressure can provide | pressure oscillator | 0771 658 A2 and |
| (including | of the drop ejection | a refill pulse, | Ink pressure phase and | related patent |
| acoustic | energy. The actuator | allowing higher | amplitude must be carefully | applications |
| stimulation) | selects which drops are to | operating speed | controlled | IJ08, IJ13, |
| be fired by selectively | The actuators may | Acoustic reflections in the | IJ15, IJ17 | |
| blocking or enabling | operate with much | ink chamber must be designed | IJ18, IJ19, IJ21 | |
| nozzles. The ink pressure | lower energy | for | ||
| oscillation may be achieved | Acoustic lenses can | |||
| by vibrating the print | be used to focus the | |||
| head, or preferably by an | sound on the nozzles | |||
| actuator in the ink supply. | ||||
| Media | The print head is placed in | Low power | Precision assembly required | Silverbrook, EP |
| proximity | close proximity to the | High accuracy | Paper fibers may cause | 0771 658 A2 and |
| print medium. Selected | Simple print head | problems | related patent | |
| drops protrude from the | construction | Cannot print on rough | applications | |
| print head further than | substrates | |||
| unselected drops, and | ||||
| contact the print medium. | ||||
| The drop soaks into the | ||||
| medium fast enough to cause | ||||
| drop separation. | ||||
| Transfer | Drops are printed to a | High accuracy | Bulky | Silverbrook, EP |
| roller | transfer roller instead of | Wide range of print | Expensive | 0771 658 A2 and |
| straight to the print | substrates can be | Complex construction | related patent | |
| medium. A transfer roller | used | applications | ||
| can also be used for | Ink can be dried on | Tektronix hot | ||
| proximity drop separation. | the transfer roller | melt | ||
| piezoelectric | ||||
| inkjet | ||||
| Any of the IJ | ||||
| series | ||||
| Electrostatic | An electric field is used | Low power | Field strength required for | Silverbrook, EP |
| to accelerate selected | Simple print head | separation of small drops is | 0771 658 A2 and | |
| drops towards the print | construction | near or above air breakdown | related patent | |
| medium. | applications | |||
| Tone-Jet | ||||
| Direct | A magnetic field is used to | Low power | Requires magnetic ink | Silverbrook, EP |
| magnetic | accelerate selected drops | Simple print head | Requires strong magnetic | 0771 658 A2 and |
| field | of magnetic ink towards the | construction | field | related patent |
| print medium. | applications | |||
| Cross | The print head is placed in | Does not require | Requires external magnet | IJ06, IJ16 |
| magnetic | a constant magnetic field. | magnetic materials | Current densities may be | |
| field | The Lorenz force in a | to be integrated in | high, resulting in | |
| current carrying wire is | the print head | electromigration problems | ||
| used to move the actuator. | manufacturing | |||
| process | ||||
| Pulsed | A pulsed magnetic field is | Very low power | Complex print head | IJ10 |
| magnetic | used to cyclically attract | operation is | construction | |
| field | a paddle, which pushes on | possible | Magnetic materials required | |
| the ink. A small actuator | Small print head size | in print head | ||
| moves a catch, which | ||||
| selectively prevents the | ||||
| paddle from moving. | ||||
[0082]
| ACTUATOR AMPLIFICATION OR MODIFICATION METHOD | ||||
| Actuator | ||||
| amplification | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| None | No actuator mechanical | Operational | Many actuator mechanisms have | Thermal Bubble |
| amplification is used. The | simplicity | insufficient travel, or | Inkjet | |
| actuator directly drives | insufficient force, to | IJ01, IJ02, | ||
| the drop ejection process. | efficiently drive the drop | IJ06, IJ07 | ||
| ejection process | IJ16, IJ25, IJ26 | |||
| Differential | An actuator material | Provides greater | High stresses are involved | Piezoelectric |
| expansion | expands more on one side | travel in a reduced | Care must be taken that the | IJ03, IJ09, |
| bend actuator | than on the other. The | print heat area | materials do not delaminate | IJ17-IJ24 |
| expansion may be thermal, | The bend actuator | Residual bend resulting from | IJ27, IJ29-IJ39, | |
| piezoelectric, | converts a high | high temperature or high | IJ42, | |
| magnetostrictive, or other | force low travel | stress during formation | IJ43, IJ44 | |
| mechanism. | actuator mechanism | |||
| to high travel, | ||||
| lower force | ||||
| mechanism. | ||||
| Transient | A trilayer bend actuator | Very good temperature | High stresses are involved | IJ40, IJ41 |
| bend actuator | where the two outside | stability | Care must be taken that the | |
| layers are identical. This | High speed, as a new | materials do not delaminate | ||
| cancels bend due to ambient | drop can be fired | |||
| temperature and residual | before heat | |||
| stress. The actuator only | dissipates | |||
| responds to transient | Cancels residual | |||
| heating of one side or the | stress of formation | |||
| other. | ||||
| Actuator | A series of thin actuators | Increased travel | Increased fabrication | Some |
| stack | are stacked. This can be | Reduced drive voltage | complexity | piezoelectric |
| appropriate where actuators | Increased possibility of | ink jets | ||
| require high electric field | short circuits due to | IJ04 | ||
| strength, such as | pinholes | |||
| electrostatic and | ||||
| piezoelectric actuators. | ||||
| Multiple | Multiple smaller actuators | Increases the force | Actuator forces may not add | IJ12, IJ13, |
| actuators | are used simultaneously to | available from an | linearly, reducing | IJ18, IJ20 |
| move the ink. Each actuator | actuator | efficiency | IJ22, IJ28 | |
| need provide only a portion | Multiple actuators | IJ42, IJ43 | ||
| of the force required. | can be positioned to | |||
| control ink flow | ||||
| accurately | ||||
| Linear Spring | A linear spring is used to | Matches low travel | Requires print head area for | IJ15 |
| transform a motion with | actuator with higher | the spring | ||
| small travel and high force | travel requirements | |||
| into a longer travel, lower | Non-contact method of | |||
| force motion. | motion | |||
| transformation | ||||
| Reverse | The actuator loads a | Better coupling to | Fabrication complexity | IJ05, IJ11 |
| spring | spring. When the actuator | the ink | High stress in the spring | |
| is turned off, the spring | ||||
| releases. This can reverse | ||||
| the force/distance curve of | ||||
| the actuator to make it | ||||
| compatible with the | ||||
| force/time requirements of | ||||
| the drop ejection. | ||||
| Coiled | A bend actuator is coiled | Increases travel | Generally restricted to | IJ17, IJ21, |
| actuator | to provide greater travel | Reduces chip area | planar implementations due | IJ34, IJ35 |
| in a reduced chip area. | Planar | to extreme fabrication | ||
| implementations are | difficulty in other | |||
| relatively easy to | orientations. | |||
| fabricate. | ||||
| Flexure bend | A bend actuator has a small | Simple means of | Care must be taken not to | IJ10, IJ19, IJ33 |
| actuator | region near the fixture | increasing travel of | exceed the elastic limit in | |
| point, which flexes much | a bend actuator | the flexure area | ||
| more readily than the | Stress distribution is very | |||
| remainder of the actuator. | uneven | |||
| The actuator flexing is | Difficult to accurately model | |||
| effectively converted from | with finite element analysis | |||
| an even coiling to an | ||||
| angular bend, resulting in | ||||
| greater travel of the | ||||
| actuator tip. | ||||
| Gears | Gears can be used to | Low force, low travel | Moving parts are required | IJ13 |
| increase travel at the | actuators can be | Several actuator cycles are | ||
| expense of duration. | used | required | ||
| Circular gears, rack and | Can be fabricated | More complex drive | ||
| pinion, ratchets, and other | using standard | electronics | ||
| gearing methods can be | surface MEMS | Complex construction | ||
| used. | processes | Friction, friction, and wear | ||
| are possible | ||||
| Catch | The actuator controls a | Very low actuator | Complex construction | IJ10 |
| small catch. The catch | energy | Requires external force | ||
| either enables or disables | Very small actuator | Unsuitable for pigmented inks | ||
| movement of an ink pusher | size | |||
| that is controlled in a | ||||
| bulk manner. | ||||
| Buckle plate | A buckle plate can be used | Very fast movement | Must stay within elastic | S. Hirata et al, |
| to change a slow actuator | achievable | limits of the materials for | “An Ink-jet | |
| into a fast motion. It can | long device life | Head . . . ”, Proc. | ||
| also convert a high force, | High stresses involved | IEEE MEMS, | ||
| low travel actuator into a | Generally high power | Febraury 1996, | ||
| high travel, medium force | requirement | pp 418-423 | ||
| motion. | IJ18, IJ27 | |||
| Tapered | A tapered magnetic pole can | Linearizes the | Complex construction | IJ14 |
| magnetic pole | increase travel at the | magnetic | ||
| expense of force. | force/distance curve | |||
| Lever | A lever and fulcrum is used | Matches low travel | High stress around the | IJ32, IJ36, IJ37 |
| to transform a motion with | actuator with higher | fulcrum | ||
| small travel and high force | travel requirements | |||
| into a motion with longer | Fulcrum area has no | |||
| travel and lower force. The | linear movement, and | |||
| lever can also reverse the | can be used for a | |||
| direction of travel. | fluid seal | |||
| Rotary | The actuator is connected | High mechanical | Complex construction | IJ28 |
| impeller | to a rotary impeller. A | advantage | Unsuitable for pigmented inks | |
| small angular deflection of | The ratio of force to | |||
| the actuator results in a | travel of the | |||
| rotation of the impeller | actuator can be | |||
| vanes, which push the ink | matched to the | |||
| against stationary vanes | nozzle requirements | |||
| and out of the nozzle. | by varying the | |||
| number of impeller | ||||
| vanes | ||||
| Acoustic lens | A refractive or diffractive | No moving parts | Large area required | 1993 Hadimioglu |
| (e.g. zone plate) acoustic | Only relevant for acoustic | et al, EUP | ||
| lens is used to concentrate | ink jets | 550, 192 | ||
| sound waves. | 1993 Elrod et | |||
| al, EUP 572,220 | ||||
| Sharp | A sharp point is used to | Simple construction | Difficult to fabricate using | Tone-jet |
| conductive | concentrate an | standard VLSI processes for | ||
| point | electrostatic field. | a surface ejecting ink-jet | ||
| Only relevant for | ||||
| electrostatic ink jets | ||||
[0083]
| ACTUATOR MOTION | ||||
| Actuator | ||||
| motion | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Volume | The volume of the actuator | Simple construction | High energy is typically | Hewlett-Packard |
| expansion | changes, pushing the ink in | in the case of | required to achieve volume | Thermal Inkjet |
| all directions. | thermal ink jet | expansion. This leads to | Canon Bubblejet | |
| thermal stress, cavitation, | ||||
| and kogation in thermal ink | ||||
| jet implementations | ||||
| Linear, | The actuator moves in a | Efficient coupling to | High fabrication complexity | IJ01, IJ02, |
| normal to | direction normal to the | ink drops ejected | may be required to achieve | IJ04, IJ07 |
| chip surface | print head surface. The | normal to the | perpendicular motion | IJ11, IJ14 |
| nozzle is typically in the | surface | |||
| line of movement. | ||||
| Linear, | The actuator moves parallel | Suitable for planar | Fabrication complexity | IJ12, IJ13, |
| parallel to | to the print head surface. | fabrication | Friction | IJ15, IJ33, |
| chip surface | Drop ejection may still be | Stiction | IJ34, IJ35, IJ36 | |
| normal to the surface. | ||||
| Membrane push | An actuator with a high | The effective area of | Fabrication complexity | 1982 Howkins U.S. Pat. |
| force but small area is | the actuator becomes | Actuator size | No. 4,459,601 | |
| used to push a stiff | the membrane area | Difficulty of integration in | ||
| membrane that is in contact | a VLSI process | |||
| with the ink. | ||||
| Rotary | The actuator causes the | Rotary levers may be | Device complexity | IJ05, IJ08, |
| rotation of some element, | used to increase | May have friction at a pivot | IJ13, IJ28 | |
| such a grill or impeller | travel | point | ||
| Small chip area | ||||
| requirements | ||||
| Bend | The actuator bends when | A very small change | Requires the actuator to be | 1970 Kyser et al |
| energized. This may be due | in dimensions can be | made from at least two | U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 | |
| to differential thermal | converted to a large | distinct layers, or to have | 1973 Stemme U.S. Pat. | |
| expansion, piezoelectric | motion. | a thermal difference across | No. 3,747,120 | |
| expansion, | the actuator | IJ03, IJ09, | ||
| magnetostriction, or other | IJ10, IJ19 | |||
| form of relative | IJ23, IJ24, | |||
| dimensional change. | IJ25, IJ29 | |||
| IJ30, IJ31, | ||||
| IJ33, IJ34 | ||||
| IJ35 | ||||
| Swivel | The actuator swivels around | Allows operation | Inefficient coupling to the | IJ06 |
| a central pivot. This | where the net linear | ink motion | ||
| motion is suitable where | force on the paddle | |||
| there are opposite forces | is zero | |||
| applied to opposite sides | Small chip area | |||
| of the paddle, e.g. Lorenz | requirements | |||
| force. | ||||
| Straighten | The actuator is normally | Can be used with | Requires careful balance of | IJ26, IJ32 |
| bent, and straightens when | shape memory alloys | stresses to ensure that the | ||
| energized. | where the austenic | quiescent bend is accurate | ||
| phase is planar | ||||
| Double bend | The actuator bends in one | One actuator can be | Difficult to make the drops | IJ36, IJ37, IJ38 |
| direction when one element | used to power two | ejected by both bend | ||
| is energized, and bends the | nozzles. | directions identical. | ||
| other way when another | Reduced chip size. | A small efficiency loss | ||
| element is energized. | Not sensitive to | compared to equivalent | ||
| ambient temperature | single bend actuators. | |||
| Shear | Energizing the actuator | Can increase the | Not readily applicable to | 1985 Fishbeck |
| causes a shear motion in | effective travel of | other actuator mechanisms | U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590 | |
| the actuator material. | piezoelectric | |||
| actuators | ||||
| Radial | The actuator squeezes an | Relatively easy to | High force required | 1970 Zoltan U.S. Pat. |
| constriction | ink reservoir, forcing ink | fabricate single | Inefficient | No. 3,683,212 |
| from a constricted nozzle. | nozzles from glass | Difficult to integrate with | ||
| tubing as | VLSI processes | |||
| macroscopic | ||||
| structures | ||||
| Coil/uncoil | A coiled actuator uncoils | Easy to fabricate as | Difficult to fabricate for | IJ17, IJ21, |
| or coils more tightly. The | a planar VLSI | non-planar devices | IJ34, IJ35 | |
| motion of the free end of | process | Poor out-of-plane stiffness | ||
| the actuator ejects the | Small area required, | |||
| ink. | therefore low cost | |||
| Bow | The actuator bows (or | Can increase the | Maximum travel is constrained | IJ16, IJ18, IJ27 |
| buckles) in the middle when | speed of travel | High force required | ||
| energized. | Mechanically rigid | |||
| Push-Pull | Two actuators control a | The structure is | Not readily suitable for | IJ18 |
| shutter. One actuator pulls | pinned at both ends, | inkjets which directly push | ||
| the shutter, and the other | so has a high out- | the ink | ||
| pushes it. | of-plane rigidity | |||
| Curl inwards | A set of actuators curl | Good fluid flow to | Design complexity | IJ20, IJ42 |
| inwards to reduce the | the region behind | |||
| volume of ink that they | the actuator | |||
| enclose. | increases efficiency | |||
| Curl outwards | A set of actuators curl | Relatively simple | Relatively large chip area | IJ43 |
| outwards, pressurizing ink | construction | |||
| in a chamber surrounding | ||||
| the actuators, and | ||||
| expelling ink from a nozzle | ||||
| in the chamber. | ||||
| Iris | Multiple vanes enclose a | High efficiency | High fabrication complexity | IJ22 |
| volume of ink. These | Small chip area | Not suitable for pigmented | ||
| simultaneously rotate, | inks | |||
| reducing the volume between | ||||
| the vanes. | ||||
| Acoustic | The actuator vibrates at a | The actuator can be | Large area required for | 1993 Hadimioglu |
| vibration | high frequency. | physically distant | efficient operation at | et al, EUP |
| from the ink | useful frequencies | 550,192 | ||
| Acoustic coupling and | 1993 Elrod et | |||
| crosstalk | al, EUP 572,220 | |||
| Complex drive circuitry | ||||
| Poor control of drop volume | ||||
| and position | ||||
| None | In various ink jet designs | No moving parts | Various other tradeoffs are | Silverbrook, EP |
| the actuator does not move. | required to eliminate moving | 0771 658 A2 and | ||
| parts | related patent | |||
| applications | ||||
| Tone-jet | ||||
[0084]
| NOZZLE REFILL METHOD | ||||
| Nozzle refill | ||||
| method | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Surface | After the actuator is | Fabrication | Low speed | Thermal inkjet |
| tension | energized, it typically | simplicity | Surface tension force | Piezoelectric |
| returns rapidly to its | Operational | relatively small compared to | inkjet | |
| normal position. This rapid | simplicity | actuator force | IJ01-IJ07, | |
| return sucks in air through | Long refill time usually | IJ10-IJ14 | ||
| the nozzle opening. The ink | dominates the total | IJ16, IJ20, | ||
| surface tension at the | repetition rate | IJ22-IJ45 | ||
| nozzle then exerts a small | ||||
| force restoring the | ||||
| meniscus to a minimum area. | ||||
| Shuttered | Ink to the nozzle chamber | High speed | Requires common ink pressure | IJ08, 1J13, |
| oscillating | is provided at a pressure | Low actuator energy, | oscillator | IJ15, 1J17 |
| ink pressure | that oscillates at twice | as the actuator need | May not be suitable for | IJ18, IJ19, IJ21 |
| the drop ejection | only open or close | pigmented inks | ||
| frequency. When a drop is | the shutter, instead | |||
| to be ejected, the shutter | of ejecting the ink | |||
| is opened for 3 half | drop | |||
| cycles: drop ejection, | ||||
| actuator return, and | ||||
| refill. | ||||
| Refill | After the main actuator has | High speed, as the | Requires two independent | IJ09 |
| actuator | ejected a drop a second | nozzle is actively | actuators per nozzle | |
| (refill) actuator is | refilled | |||
| energized. The refill | ||||
| actuator pushes ink into | ||||
| the nozzle chamber. The | ||||
| refill actuator returns | ||||
| slowly, to prevent its | ||||
| return from emptying the | ||||
| chamber again. | ||||
| Positive ink | The ink is held a slight | High refill rate, | Surface spill must be | Silverbrook, EP |
| pressure | positive pressure. After | therefore a high | prevented | 0771 658 A2 and |
| the ink drop is ejected, | drop repetition rate | Highly hydrophobic print head | related patent | |
| the nozzle chamber fills | is possible | surfaces are required | applications | |
| quickly as surface tension | Alternative for: | |||
| and ink pressure both | IJ01-IJ07, | |||
| operate to refill the | IJ10-IJ14 | |||
| nozzle. | IJ16, IJ20, | |||
| IJ22-IJ45 | ||||
[0085]
| METHOD OF RESTRICTING BACK-FLOW THROUGH INLET | ||||
| Inlet back- | ||||
| flow | ||||
| restriction | ||||
| method | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Long inlet | The ink inlet channel to | Design simplicity | Restricts refill rate | Thermal inkjet |
| channel | the nozzle chamber is made | Operational | May result in a relatively | Piezoelectric |
| long and relatively narrow, | simplicity | large chip area | inkjet | |
| relying on viscous drag to | Reduces crosstalk | Only partially effective | IJ42, IJ43 | |
| reduce inlet back-flow. | ||||
| Positive ink | The ink is under a positive | Drop selection and | Requires a method (such as a | Silverbrook, EP |
| pressure | pressure, so that in the | separation forces | nozzle rim or effective | 0771 658 A2 and |
| quiescent state some of the | can be reduced | hydrophobizing, or both) to | related patent | |
| ink drop already protrudes | Fast refill time | prevent flooding of the | applications | |
| from the nozzle. | ejection surface of the | Possible | ||
| This reduces the pressure | print head. | operation of | ||
| in the nozzle chamber which | the following: | |||
| is required to eject a | IJ01-IJ07, | |||
| certain volume of ink. The | IJ09-IJ12 | |||
| reduction in chamber | IJ14, IJ16, | |||
| pressure results in a | IJ20, IJ22, | |||
| reduction in ink pushed out | IJ23-IJ34, | |||
| through the inlet. | IJ36-IJ41 | |||
| IJ44 | ||||
| Baffle | One or more baffles are | The refill rate is | Design complexity | HP Thermal Ink |
| placed in the inlet ink | not as restricted as | May increase fabrication | Jet | |
| flow. When the actuator is | the long inlet | complexity (e.g. Tektronix | Tektronix | |
| energized, the rapid ink | method. | hot melt Piezoelectric print | piezoelectric | |
| movement creates eddies | Reduces crosstalk | heads). | ink jet | |
| which restrict the flow | ||||
| through the inlet. The | ||||
| slower refill process is | ||||
| unrestricted, and does not | ||||
| result in eddies. | ||||
| Flexible flap | In this method recently | Significantly reduces | Not applicable to most inkjet | Canon |
| restricts | disclosed by Canon, the | back-flow for edge- | configurations | |
| inlet | expanding actuator (bubble) | shooter thermal ink | Increased fabrication | |
| pushes on a flexible flap | jet devices | complexity | ||
| that restricts the inlet. | Inelastic deformation of | |||
| polymer flap results in | ||||
| creep over extended use | ||||
| Inlet filter | A filter is located between | Additional advantage | Restricts refill rate | IJ04, IJ12, |
| the ink inlet and the | of ink filtration | May result in complex | IJ24, IJ27 | |
| nozzle chamber. The filter | Ink filter may be | construction | IJ29, IJ30 | |
| has a multitude of small | fabricated with no | |||
| holes or slots, restricting | additional process | |||
| ink flow. The filter also | steps | |||
| removes particles which may | ||||
| block the nozzle. | ||||
| Small inlet | The ink inlet channel to | Design simplicity | Restricts refill rate | IJ02, IJ37, IJ44 |
| compared to | the nozzle chamber has a | May result in a relatively | ||
| nozzle | substantially smaller cross | large chip area | ||
| section than that of the | Only partially effective | |||
| nozzle, resulting in | ||||
| easier ink egress out of | ||||
| the nozzle than out of the | ||||
| inlet. | ||||
| Inlet shutter | A secondary actuator | Increases speed of | Requires separate refill | IJ09 |
| controls the position of a | the ink-jet print | actuator and drive circuit | ||
| shutter, closing off the | head operation | |||
| ink inlet when the main | ||||
| actuator is energized. | ||||
| The inlet is | The method avoids the | Back-flow problem is | Requires careful design to | IJ01, IJ03, |
| located | problem of inlet back-flow | eliminated | minimize the negative | 1J05, 1J06 |
| behind the | by arranging the ink- | pressure behind the paddle | IJ07, IJ10, | |
| ink-pushing | pushing surface of the | IJ11, IJ14 | ||
| surface | actuator between the inlet | IJ16, IJ22, | ||
| and the nozzle. | IJ23, IJ25 | |||
| IJ28, IJ31, | ||||
| IJ32, IJ33 | ||||
| IJ34, IJ35, | ||||
| IJ36, IJ39 | ||||
| IJ40, IJ41 | ||||
| Part of the | The actuator and a wall of | Significant | Small increase in fabrication | IJ07, IJ20, |
| actuator | the ink chamber are | reductions in back- | complexity | IJ26, IJ38 |
| moves to shut | arranged so that the motion | flow can be achieved | ||
| off the inlet | of the actuator closes off | Compact designs | ||
| the inlet. | possible | |||
| Nozzle | In some configurations of | Ink back-flow problem | None related to ink back-flow | Silverbrook, EP |
| actuator does | ink jet, there is no | is eliminated | on actuation | 0771 658 A2 and |
| not result in | expansion or movement of an | related patent | ||
| ink back-flow | actuator which may cause | applications | ||
| ink back-flow through the | Valve-jet | |||
| inlet. | Tone-jet | |||
| IJ08, IJ13, | ||||
| IJ15, IJ17 | ||||
| IJ18, IJ19, IJ21 | ||||
[0086]
| NOZZLE CLEARING METHOD | ||||
| Nozzle | ||||
| Clearing | ||||
| method | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Normal nozzle | All of the nozzles are | No added complexity | May not be sufficient to | Most ink jet |
| firing | fired periodically, before | on the print head | displace dried ink | systems |
| the ink has a chance to | IJ01-IJ07, | |||
| dry. When not in use the | IJ09-IJ12 | |||
| nozzles are sealed (capped) | IJ14, IJ16, | |||
| against air. | IJ20, IJ22 | |||
| The nozzle firing is | IJ23-IJ34, | |||
| usually performed during a | IJ36-IJ45 | |||
| special clearing cycle, | ||||
| after first moving the | ||||
| print head to a cleaning | ||||
| station. | ||||
| Extra power | In systems which heat the | Can be highly | Requires higher drive voltage | Silverbrook, EP |
| to ink heater | ink, but do not boil it | effective if the | for clearing | 0771 658 A2 and |
| under normal situations, | heater is adjacent | May require larger drive | related patent | |
| nozzle clearing can be | to the nozzle | transistors | applications | |
| achieved by over-powering | ||||
| the heater and boiling ink | ||||
| at the nozzle. | ||||
| Rapid | The actuator is fired in | Does not require | Effectiveness depends | May be used |
| succession of | rapid succession. In some | extra drive circuits | substantially upon the | with: |
| actuator | configurations, this may | on the print head | configuration of the inkjet | IJ01-IJ07, |
| pulses | cause heat build-up at the | Can be readily | nozzle | IJ09-IJ11 |
| nozzle which boils the ink, | controlled and | IJ14, IJ16, | ||
| clearing the nozzle. In | initiated by digital | IJ20, IJ22 | ||
| other situations, it may | logic | IJ23-IJ25, | ||
| cause sufficient vibrations | IJ27-IJ34 | |||
| to dislodge clogged | IJ36-IJ45 | |||
| nozzles. | ||||
| Extra power | Where an actuator is not | A simple solution | Not suitable where there is a | May be used |
| to ink | normally driven to the | where applicable | hard limit to actuator | with: |
| pushing | limit of its motion, nozzle | movement | IJ03, IJ09, | |
| actuator | clearing may be assisted by | IJ16, IJ20 | ||
| providing an enhanced drive | IJ23, IJ24, | |||
| signal to the actuator. | IJ25, IJ27 | |||
| IJ29, IJ30, | ||||
| IJ31, IJ32 | ||||
| IJ39, IJ40, | ||||
| IJ41, IJ42 | ||||
| IJ43, IJ44, IJ45 | ||||
| Acoustic | An ultrasonic wave is | A high nozzle | High implementation cost if | IJ08, IJ13, |
| resonance | applied to the ink chamber. | clearing capability | system does not already | IJ15, IJ17 |
| This wave is of an | can be achieved | include an acoustic actuator | IJ18, IJ19, IJ21 | |
| appropriate amplitude and | May be implemented at | |||
| frequency to cause | very low cost in | |||
| sufficient force at the | systems which | |||
| nozzle to clear blockages. | already include | |||
| This is easiest to achieve | acoustic actuators | |||
| if the ultrasonic wave is | ||||
| at a resonant frequency of | ||||
| the ink cavity. | ||||
| Nozzle | A microfabricated plate is | Can clear severely | Accurate mechanical alignment | Silverbrook, EP |
| clearing | pushed against the nozzles. | clogged nozzles | is required | 0771 658 A2 and |
| plate | The plate has a post for | Moving parts are required | related patent | |
| every nozzle. The array of | There is risk of damage to | applications | ||
| posts | the nozzles | |||
| Accurate fabrication is | ||||
| required | ||||
| Ink pressure | The pressure of the ink is | May be effective | Requires pressure pump or | May be used with |
| pulse | temporarily increased so | where other methods | other pressure actuator | all IJ series |
| that ink streams from all | cannot be used | Expensive | ink jets | |
| of the nozzles. This may be | Wasteful of ink | |||
| used in conjunction with | ||||
| actuator energizing. | ||||
| Print head | A flexible ‘blade’ is wiped | Effective for planar | Difficult to use if print | Many ink jet |
| wiper | across the print head | print head surfaces | head surface is non-planar | systems |
| surface. The blade is | Low cost | or very fragile | ||
| usually fabricated from a | Requires mechanical parts | |||
| flexible polymer, e.g. | Blade can wear out in high | |||
| rubber or synthetic | volume print systems | |||
| elastomer. | ||||
| Separate ink | A separate heater is | Can be effective | Fabrication complexity | Can be used with |
| boiling | provided at the nozzle | where other nozzle | many IJ series | |
| heater | although the normal drop e- | clearing methods | ink jets | |
| ection mechanism does not | cannot be used | |||
| require it. The heaters do | Can be implemented at | |||
| not require individual | no additional cost | |||
| drive circuits, as many | in some inkjet | |||
| nozzles can be cleared | configurations | |||
| simultaneously, and no | ||||
| imaging is required. | ||||
[0087]
| NOZZLE PLATE CONSTRUCTION | ||||
| Nozzle plate | ||||
| construction | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Electroformed | A nozzle plate is | Fabrication | High temperatures and | Hewlett Packard |
| nickel | separately fabricated from | simplicity | pressures are required to | Thermal Inkjet |
| electroformed nickel, and | bond nozzle plate | |||
| bonded to the print head | Minimum thickness constraints | |||
| chip. | Differential thermal | |||
| expansion | ||||
| Laser ablated | Individual nozzle holes are | No masks required | Each hole must be | Canon Bubblejet |
| or drilled | ablated by an intense UV | Can be quite fast | individually formed | 1988 Sercel et |
| polymer | laser in a nozzle plate, | Some control over | Special equipment required | al., SPIE, Vol. |
| which is typically a | nozzle profile is | Slow where there are many | 998 Excimer | |
| polymer such as polyimide | possible | thousands of nozzles per | Beam | |
| or polysulphone | Equipment required is | print head | Applications, | |
| relatively low cost | May produce thin burrs at | pp. 76-83 | ||
| exit holes | 1993 Watanabe et | |||
| al., U.S. Pat. No. | ||||
| 5,208,604 | ||||
| Silicon | A separate nozzle plate is | High accuracy is | Two part construction | K. Bean, IEEE |
| micro- | micromachined from single | attainable | High cost | Transactions on |
| machined | crystal silicon, and bonded | Requires precision alignment | Electron | |
| to the print head wafer. | Nozzles may be clogged by | Devices, Vol. | ||
| adhesive | ED-25, No. 10, | |||
| 1978, pp 1185-1195 | ||||
| Xerox 1990 | ||||
| Hawkins et al., | ||||
| U.S. Pat. No. | ||||
| 4,899,181 | ||||
| Glass | Fine glass capillaries are | No expensive | Very small nozzle sizes are | 1970 Zoltan U.S. Pat. |
| capillaries | drawn from glass tubing. | equipment required | difficult to form | No. 3,683,212 |
| This method has been used | Simple to make single | Not suited for mass | ||
| for making individual | nozzles | production | ||
| nozzles, but is difficult | ||||
| to use for bulk | ||||
| manufacturing of print | ||||
| heads with thousands of | ||||
| nozzles. | ||||
| Monolithic, | The nozzle plate is | High accuracy (<1 μm) | Requires sacrificial layer | Silverbrook, EP |
| surface | deposited as a layer using | Monolithic | under the nozzle plate to | 0771 658 A2 and |
| micro- | standard VLSI deposition | Low cost | form the nozzle chamber | related patent |
| machined | techniques. Nozzles are | Existing processes | Surface may be fragile to the | applications |
| using VLSI | etched in the nozzle plate | can be used | touch | IJ01, IJ02, |
| lithographic | using VLSI lithography and | IJ04, IJ11 | ||
| processes | etching. | IJ12, IJ17, | ||
| IJ18, IJ20 | ||||
| IJ22, IJ24, | ||||
| IJ27, IJ28 | ||||
| IJ29, IJ30, | ||||
| IJ31, IJ32 | ||||
| IJ33, IJ34, | ||||
| IJ36, IJ37 | ||||
| IJ38, IJ39, | ||||
| IJ40, IJ41 | ||||
| IJ42, IJ43, IJ44 | ||||
| Monolithic, | The nozzle plate is a | High accuracy (<1 μm) | Requires long etch times | IJ03, IJ05, |
| etched | buried etch stop in the | Monolithic | Requires a support wafer | IJ06, IJ07 |
| through | wafer. Nozzle chambers are | Low cost | IJ08, IJ09, | |
| substrate | etched in the front of the | No differential | IJ10, IJ13 | |
| wafer, and the wafer is | expansion | IJ14, IJ15, | ||
| thinned from the back side. | IJ16, IJ19 | |||
| Nozzles are then etched in | IJ21, IJ23, | |||
| the etch stop layer. | IJ25, IJ26 | |||
| No nozzle | Various methods have been | No nozzles to become | Difficult to control drop | Ricoh 1995 |
| plate | tried to eliminate the | clogged | position accurately | Sekiya et al |
| nozzles entirely, to | Crosstalk problems | U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,413 | ||
| prevent nozzle clogging. | 1993 Hadimioglu | |||
| These include thermal | et al EUP | |||
| bubble mechanisms and | 550,192 | |||
| acoustic lens mechanisms | 1993 Elrod et al | |||
| EUP 572,220 | ||||
| Trough | Each drop ejector has a | Reduced manufacturing | Drop firing direction is | IJ35 |
| trough through which a | complexity | sensitive to wicking. | ||
| paddle moves. There is no | Monolithic | |||
| nozzle plate. | ||||
| Nozzle slit | The elimination of nozzle | No nozzles to become | Difficult to control drop | 1989 Saito et al |
| instead of | holes and replacement by a | clogged | position accurately | U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,068 |
| individual | slit encompassing many | Crosstalk problems | ||
| nozzles | actuator positions reduces | |||
| nozzle clogging, but | ||||
| increases crosstalk due to | ||||
| ink surface waves | ||||
[0088]
| DROP EJECTION DIRECTION | ||||
| Ejection | ||||
| direction | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Edge | Ink flow is along the | Simple construction | Nozzles limited to edge | Canon Bubblejet |
| (‘edge | surface of the chip, and | No silicon etching | High resolution is difficult | 1979 Endo et al |
| shooter’) | ink drops are ejected from | required | Fast color printing requires | GB patent |
| the chip edge. | Good heat sinking via | one print head per color | 2,007,162 | |
| substrate | Xerox heater-in- | |||
| Mechanically strong | pit 1990 | |||
| Ease of chip handing | Hawkins et al | |||
| U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,181 | ||||
| Tone-jet | ||||
| Surface | Ink flow is along the | No bulk silicon | Maximum ink flow is severely | Hewlett-Packard |
| (‘roof | surface of the chip, and | etching required | restricted | TIJ 1982 Vaught |
| shooter’) | ink drops are ejected from | Silicon can make an | et al U.S. Pat. No. | |
| the chip surface, normal to | effective heat sink | 4,490,728 | ||
| the plane of the chip. | Mechanical strength | IJ02, IJ11, | ||
| IJ12, IJ20 | ||||
| IJ22 | ||||
| Through chip, | Ink flow is through the | High ink flow | Requires bulk silicon etching | Silverbrook, EP |
| forward | chip, and ink drops are | Suitable for | 0771 658 A2 and | |
| (‘up | ejected from the front | pagewidth print | related patent | |
| shooter’) | surface of the chip. | High nozzle packing | applications | |
| density therefore | IJ04, IJ17, | |||
| low manufacturing | IJ18, IJ24 | |||
| cost | IJ27-IJ45 | |||
| Through chip, | Ink flow is through the | High ink flow | Requires wafer thinning | IJ01, IJ03, |
| reverse | chip, and ink drops are | Suitable for | Requires special handling | IJ05, IJ06 |
| (‘down | ejected from the rear | pagewidth print | during manufacture | IJ07, IJ08, |
| shooter’) | surface of the chip. | High nozzle packing | IJ09, IJ10 | |
| density therefore | IJ13, IJ14, | |||
| low manufacturing | IJ15, IJ16 | |||
| cost | IJ19, IJ21, | |||
| IJ23, IJ25 | ||||
| IJ26 | ||||
| Through | Ink flow is through the | Suitable for | Pagewidth print heads require | Epson Stylus |
| actuator | actuator, which is not | piezoelectric print | several thousand connections | Tektronix hot |
| fabricated as part of the | heads | to drive circuits | melt | |
| same substrate as the drive | Cannot be manufactured in | piezoelectric | ||
| transistors. | standard CMOS fabs | ink jets | ||
| Complex assembly required | ||||
[0089]
Ink Jet Printing
| INK TYPE | ||||
| Ink type | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Examples |
| Aqueous, dye | Water based ink which | Environmentally | Slow drying | Most existing |
| typically contains: water, | friendly | Corrosive | inkjets | |
| dye, surfactant, humectant, | No odor | Bleeds on paper | All IJ series | |
| and biocide. | May strikethrough | ink jets | ||
| Modern ink dyes have high | Cockles paper | Silverbrook, EP | ||
| water-fastness, light | 0771 658 A2 and | |||
| fastness | related patent | |||
| applications | ||||
| Aqueous, | Water based ink which | Environmentally | Slow drying | IJ02, IJ04, |
| pigment | typically contains: water, | friendly | Corrosive | IJ21, IJ26 |
| pigment, surfactant, | No odor | Pigment may clog nozzles | IJ27, IJ30 | |
| humectant, and biocide. | Reduced bleed | Pigment may clog actuator | Silverbrook, EP | |
| Pigments have an advantage | Reduced wicking | mechanisms | 0771 658 A2 and | |
| in reduced bleed, wicking | Reduced strikethrough | Cockles paper | related patent | |
| and strikethrough. | applications | |||
| Piezoelectric | ||||
| ink-jets | ||||
| Thermal ink jets | ||||
| (with | ||||
| significant | ||||
| restrictions) | ||||
| Methyl Ethyl | MEK is a highly volatile | Very fast drying | Odorous | All IJ series |
| Ketone (MEK) | solvent used for industrial | Prints on various | Flammable | ink jets |
| printing on difficult | substrates such as | |||
| surfaces such as aluminum | metals and plastics | |||
| cans. | ||||
| Alcohol | Alcohol based inks can be | Fast drying | Slight odor | All IJ series |
| (ethanol, 2- | used where the printer must | Operates at sub- | Flammable | ink jets |
| butanol, and | operate at temperatures | freezing | ||
| others) | below the freezing point of | temperatures | ||
| water. An example of this | Reduced paper cockle | |||
| is in-camera consumer | Low cost | |||
| photographic printing. | ||||
| Phase change | The ink is solid at room | No drying time-ink | High viscosity | Tektronix hot |
| (hot melt) | temperature, and is melted | instantly freezes on | Printed ink typically has a | melt |
| in the print head before | the print medium | ‘waxy’ feel | piezoelectric | |
| jetting. Hot melt inks are | Almost any print | Printed pages may ‘block’ | ink jets | |
| usually wax based, with a | medium can be used | Ink temperature may be above | 1989 Nowak U.S. Pat. No. | |
| melting point around 80° C. | No paper cockle | the curie point of permanent | 4,820,346 | |
| After jetting the ink | occurs | magnets | All IJ series | |
| freezes almost instantly | No wicking occurs | Ink heaters consume power | ink jets | |
| upon contacting the print | No bleed occurs | Long warm-up time | ||
| medium or a transfer | No strikethrough | |||
| roller. | occurs | |||
| Oil | Oil based inks are | High solubility | High viscosity: this is a | All IJ series |
| extensively used in offset | medium for some dyes | significant limitation for | ink jets | |
| printing. They have | Does not cockle paper | use in inkjets, which | ||
| advantages in improved | Does not wick through | usually require a low | ||
| characteristics on paper | paper | viscosity. Some short chain | ||
| (especially no wicking or | and multi-branched oils have | |||
| cockle). Oil soluble dies | a sufficiently low | |||
| and pigments are required. | viscosity. | |||
| Slow drying | ||||
| Microemulsion | A microemulsion is a | Stops ink bleed | Viscosity higher than water | All IJ series |
| stable, self forming | High dye solubility | Cost is slightly higher than | ink jets | |
| emulsion of oil, water, and | Water, oil, and | water based ink | ||
| surfactant. The | amphiphilic soluble | High surfactant concentration | ||
| characteristic drop size is | dies can be used | required (around 5%) | ||
| less than 100 nm, and is | Can stabilize pigment | |||
| determined by the preferred | suspensions | |||
| curvature of the | ||||
| surfactant. | ||||
Ink Jet Printing
[0090] A large number of new forms of ink jet printers have been developed to facilitate alternative ink jet technologies for the image processing and data distribution system. Various combinations of ink jet devices can be included in printer devices incorporated as part of the present invention. Australian Provisional Patent Applications relating to these ink jets which are specifically incorporated by cross reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0091]
Ink Jet Manufacturing
| U.S. Pat. No./ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| Australian | application | ||
| Provisional | Ser. No. | ||
| Number | Filing Date | Title | and Filing Date |
| PO8066 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,227,652 |
| Apparatus (IJ01) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8072 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,213,588 |
| Apparatus (IJ02) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8040 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,213,589 |
| Apparatus (IJ03) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8071 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,231,163 |
| Apparatus (IJ04) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8047 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,795 |
| Apparatus (IJ05) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8035 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,394,581 |
| Apparatus (IJ06) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8044 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,244,691 |
| Apparatus (IJ07) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8063 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,257,704 |
| Apparatus (IJ08) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8057 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,416,168 |
| Apparatus (IJ09) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8056 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,220,694 |
| Apparatus (IJ10) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8069 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,257,705 |
| Apparatus (IJ11) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8049 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,794 |
| Apparatus (IJ12) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8036 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,234,610 |
| Apparatus (IJ13) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8048 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,793 |
| Apparatus (IJ14) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8070 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,264,306 |
| Apparatus (IJ15) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8067 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,241,342 |
| Apparatus (IJ16) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8001 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,792 |
| Apparatus (IJ17) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8038 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,264,307 |
| Apparatus (IJ18) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8033 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,254,220 |
| Apparatus (IJ19) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8002 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,234,611 |
| Apparatus (IJ20) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8068 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,302,528 |
| Apparatus (IJ21) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8062 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,283,582 |
| Apparatus (IJ22) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8034 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,239,821 |
| Apparatus (IJ23) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8039 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,338,547 |
| Apparatus (IJ24) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8041 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,796 |
| Apparatus (IJ25) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8004 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 09/113,122 |
| Apparatus (IJ26) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8037 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,390,603 |
| Apparatus (IJ27) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8043 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,362,843 |
| Apparatus (IJ28) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8042 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,293,653 |
| Apparatus (IJ29) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8064 | Jul. 15, 1997 | Image Creation Method and | 6,312,107 |
| Apparatus (IJ30) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO9389 | Sep. 23, | Image Creation Method and | 6,227,653 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ31) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO9391 | Sep. 23, | Image Creation Method and | 6,234,609 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ32) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0888 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,238,040 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ33) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0891 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,188,415 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ34) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0890 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,227,654 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ35) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0873 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,209,989 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ36) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0993 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,791 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ37) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0890 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,336,710 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IJ38) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP1398 | Jan. 19, | Image Creation Method and | 6,217,153 |
| 1998 | Apparatus (IJ39) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP2592 | Mar. 25, | Image Creation Method and | 6,416,167 |
| 1998 | Apparatus (IJ40) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP2593 | Mar. 25, | Image Creation Method and | 6,243,113 |
| 1998 | Apparatus (IJ41) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP3991 | Jun. 9, 1998 | Image Creation Method and | 6,283,581 |
| Apparatus (IJ42) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP3987 | Jun. 9, 1998 | Image Creation Method and | 6,247,790 |
| Apparatus (IJ43) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP3985 | Jun. 9, 1998 | Image Creation Method and | 6,260,953 |
| Apparatus (IJ44) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP3983 | Jun. 9, 1998 | Image Creation Method and | 6,267,469 |
| Apparatus (IJ45) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
Ink Jet Manufacturing
[0092] Further, the present application may utilize advanced semiconductor fabrication techniques in the construction of large arrays of ink jet printers. Suitable manufacturing techniques are described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0093]
Fluid Supply
| Australian | U.S. Pat. No./ | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| application | |||
| Provisional | Filing | Ser. No. | |
| Number | Date | Title | and Filing Date |
| PO7935 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,224,780 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM01) | |||
| PO7936 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,235,212 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM02) | |||
| PO7937 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,280,643 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM03) | |||
| PO8061 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,284,147 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM04) | |||
| PO8054 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,214,244 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM05) | |||
| PO8065 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,071,750 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM06) | |||
| PO8055 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,267,905 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM07) | |||
| PO8053 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,251,298 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM08) | |||
| PO8078 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,258,285 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM09) | |||
| PO7933 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,225,138 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM10) | |||
| PO7950 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,241,904 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM11) | |||
| PO7949 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,299,786 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM12) | |||
| PO8060 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 09/113,124 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM13) | |||
| PO8059 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,231,773 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM14) | |||
| PO8073 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,190,931 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM15) | |||
| PO8076 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,248,249 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM16) | |||
| PO8075 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,290,862 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM17) | |||
| PO8079 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,241,906 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM18) | |||
| PO8050 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 09/113,116 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM19) | |||
| PO8052 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,241,905 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM20) | |||
| PO7948 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,451,216 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM21) | |||
| PO7951 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,231,772 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM22) | |||
| PO8074 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,274,056 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM23) | |||
| PO7941 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,290,861 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM24) | |||
| PO8077 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,248,248 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM25) | |||
| PO8058 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,306,671 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM26) | |||
| PO8051 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,331,258 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM27) | |||
| PO8045 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,110,754 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM28) | |||
| PO7952 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,294,101 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM29) | |||
| PO8046 | Jul. 15, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,416,679 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM30) | |||
| PO8503 | Aug. 11, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,264,849 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM30a) | |||
| PO9390 | Sep. 23, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,254,793 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM31) | |||
| PO9392 | Sep. 23, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,235,211 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM32) | |||
| PP0889 | Dec. 12, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,235,211 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM35) | |||
| PP0887 | Dec. 12, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,264,850 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM36) | |||
| PP0882 | Dec. 12, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,258,284 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM37) | |||
| PP0874 | Dec. 12, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,258,284 |
| 1997 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM38) | |||
| PP1396 | Jan. 19, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,228,668 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM39) | |||
| PP2591 | Mar. 25, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,180,427 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM41) | |||
| PP3989 | Jun. 9, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,171,875 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM40) | |||
| PP3990 | Jun. 9, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,267,904 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM42) | |||
| PP3986 | Jun. 9, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,245,247 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM43) | |||
| PP3984 | Jun. 9, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,245,247 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM44) | |||
| PP3982 | Jun. 9, | A Method of Manufacture of | 6,231,148 |
| 1998 | an Image Creation Apparatus | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| (IJM45) | |||
Fluid Supply
[0094] Further, the present application may utilize an ink delivery system to the ink jet head. Delivery systems relating to the supply of ink to a series of ink jet nozzles are described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0095]
MEMS Technology
| U.S. Pat. No./ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| Australian | application | ||
| Provisional | Filing | Ser. No. and | |
| Number | Date | Title | Filing Date |
| PO8003 | Jul. 15, | Supply Method and Apparatus | 6,350,023 |
| 1997 | (F1) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8005 | Jul. 15, | Supply Method and Apparatus | 6,318,849 |
| 1997 | (F2) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO9404 | Sep. 23, | A Device and Method (F3) | 09/113,101 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
MEMS Technology
[0096] Further, the present application may utilize advanced semiconductor microelectromechanical techniques in the construction of large arrays of ink jet printers. Suitable microelectromechanical techniques are described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0097]
IR Technologies
| U.S. Pat. No./ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| Australian | application | ||
| Provisional | Ser. No. and | ||
| Number | Filing Date | Title | Filing Date |
| PO7943 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS01) | |
| PO8006 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS02) | 6,087,638 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO8007 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS03) | 09/113,093 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO8008 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS04) | 6,340,222 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO8010 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS05) | 6,041,600 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO8011 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS06) | 6,299,300 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO7947 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS07) | 6,067,797 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO7945 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS08) | 09/113,081 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO7944 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS09) | 6,286,935 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO7946 | Jul. 15, 1997 | A device (MEMS10) | 6,044,646 |
| (Jul. 10, 1998) | |||
| PO9393 | Sep. 23, | A Device and Method | 09/113,065 |
| 1997 | (MEMS11) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0875 | Dec. 12, | A Device (MEMS12) | 09/113,078 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0894 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method | 09/113,075 |
| 1997 | (MEMS13) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
IR Technologies
[0098] Further, the present application may include the utilization of a disposable camera system such as those described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0099]
DotCard Technologies
| U.S. Pat. No./ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| Australian | application | ||
| Provisional | Filing | Ser. No. and | |
| Number | Date | Title | Filing Date |
| PP0895 | Dec. 12, | An Image Creation Method | 6,231,148 |
| and Apparatus | |||
| 1997 | (IR01) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0870 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR02) | 09/113,106 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0869 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR04) | 6,293,658 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0887 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 09/113,104 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IR05) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0885 | Dec. 12, | An Image Production System | 6,238,033 |
| 1997 | (IR06) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0884 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,312,070 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IR10) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0886 | Dec. 12, | Image Creation Method and | 6,238,111 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (IR12) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0871 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR13) | 09/113,086 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0876 | Dec. 12, | An Image Processing Method | 09/113,094 |
| 1997 | and Apparatus (IR14) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP0877 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR16) | 6,378,970 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0878 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR17) | 6,196,739 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0879 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR18) | 09/112,774 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0883 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR19) | 6,270,182 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0880 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR20) | 6,152,619 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PP0881 | Dec. 12, | A Device and Method (IR21) | 09/113,092 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
DotCard Technologies
[0100] Further, the present application may include the utilization of a data distribution system such as that described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0101]
Artcam Technologies
| U.S. Pat. No./ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| Australian | application | ||
| Provisional | Filing | Ser. No. and | |
| Number | Date | Title | Filing Date |
| PP2370 | Mar. 16, | Data Processing Method and | 09/112,781 |
| 1998 | Apparatus (Dot01) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PP2371 | Mar. 16, | Data Processing Method and | 09/113,052 |
| 1998 | Apparatus (Dot02) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
Artcam Technologies
[0102] Further, the present application may include the utilization of camera and data processing techniques such as an Artcam type device as described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding U.S. patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.
[0103]
| U.S. Pat. No./ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| patent | |||
| Australian | application | ||
| Provisional | Filing | Ser. No. and | |
| Number | Date | Title | Filing Date |
| PO7991 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/113,060 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART01) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7988 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 6,476,863 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART02) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7993 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/113,073 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART03) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO9395 | Sep. 23, | Data Processing Method and | 6,322,181 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART04) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8017 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,747 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART06) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8014 | Jul. 15, | Media Device (ART07) | 6,227,648 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8025 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,750 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART08) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8032 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,746 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART09) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7999 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,743 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART10) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7998 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,742 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART11) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8031 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,741 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART12) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8030 | Jul. 15, | Media Device (ART13) | 6,196,541 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO7997 | Jul. 15, | Media Device (ART15) | 6,195,150 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO7979 | Jul. 15, | Media Device (ART16) | 6,362,868 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO8015 | Jul. 15, | Media Device (ART17) | 09/112,738 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO7978 | Jul. 15, | Media Device (ART18) | 09/113,067 |
| 1997 | (Jul. 10, 1998) | ||
| PO7982 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 6,431,669 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART19) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7989 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 6,362,869 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART20) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8019 | Jul. 15, | Media Processing Method and | 6,472,052 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART21) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7980 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 6,356,715 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART22) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8018 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,777 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART24) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7938 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 09/113,224 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART25) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8016 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 6,366,693 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART26) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8024 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 6,329,990 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART27) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7940 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 09/113,072 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART28) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7939 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 09/112,785 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART29) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8501 | Aug. 11, | Image Processing Method and | 6,137,500 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART30) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8500 | Aug. 11, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,796 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART31) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO7987 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 09/113,071 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART32) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8022 | Jul. 15, | Image Processing Method and | 6,398,328 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART33) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8497 | Aug. 11, | Image Processing Method and | 09/113,090 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART34) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8020 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 6,431,704 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART38) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8023 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 09/113,222 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART39) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8504 | Aug. 11, | Image Processing Method and | 09/112,786 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART42) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
| PO8000 | Jul. 15, | Data Processing Method and | 6,415,054 |
| 1997 | Apparatus (ART43) | (Jul. 10, 1998) | |
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Claims
I claim:
1. A digital camera comprising:
an image sensor for capturing an image;
a printhead;
an image processor for processing image data from the image sensor and transmitting processed data to the printhead; and,
an effects interface for user input of one or more predetermined image manipulations; such that,
the processed data transmitted to the printhead incorporate the selected image manipulations;
wherein the digital camera is configured for use with a media cartridge comprising a supply of media substrates on which images can be printed, an ink reservoir, and an information store with information relating to the media substrate, and the camera further comprises a cartridge interface for accessing the information such that the image processor can utilise the information relating to the media substrate, wherein the media substrate has postcard formatting printed on its reverse surface so that the camera can produce personalised postcards, and the information store has the dimensions of the postcard formatting to allow the image processor to align printed images with the postcard formatting, wherein the supply of media substrates is wrapped around the ink reservoir storing therein an ink supply for supplying ink to the printhead.
2. A digital camera according to claim 1 wherein data relating to the image manipulations are stored on separate portable memory devices for connection to the effects interface.
3. A digital camera according to claim 1 wherein the image manipulations comprise image rotations, borders, text or clip art.
4. A digital camera according to claim 1 wherein the cartridge further comprises the ink supply for the printhead and the information store is an authentication chip that allows the image processor to confirm that the media substrate and the ink supply is suitable for use with the camera.
5. A digital camera according to claim 1 wherein the printhead is installed in the camera for receiving the media substrate and ink from the cartridge.
6. A digital camera according to claim 1 wherein an image sensor further comprises a charge coupled device (CCD) for capturing the image data, and an auto exposure setting for adjusting the image data captured by the CCD in response to the lighting conditions at image capture; and,
the image processor is adapted to use information from the auto exposure setting relating to the lighting conditions at image capture when processing the image data from the CCD.
7. A digital camera according to claim 6 wherein the image processor uses the information from the auto exposure setting to determine a re-mapping of colour data within the image data from the CCD such that the printhead prints an amended image that takes account of the light conditions at image capture.
8. A digital camera according to claim 7 wherein the re-mapping of the colour data produces deeper and richer colours in the amended image when the light conditions at image capture are dim.
9. A digital camera according to claim 7 wherein the re-mapping of the colour data produces brighter and more saturated colours in the amended image when the light conditions at image capture are bright.
10. A digital camera according to claim 6 wherein the image processor uses the information from the auto exposure setting to add exposure specific graphics to the printed image.
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