Cantilevered micro-valve and inkjet printer using said valve

• Main Authors: Flego, Steven E, Jensen, Paul C, Leighton, Glenn J.T, Dunn, Brian, Kimerling, Thomas E, Buskirk, William A, Haluzak, Charles C, Gilson, Charles
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.06.2022
• Subjects: CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; ELECTRICITY; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; LINING MACHINES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRINTING; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS

CANTILEVERED MICRO-VALVE AND INKJET PRINTER USING SAID VALVE OF THE INVENTION A micro-valve includes an orifice plate including an orifice and a cantilevered beam coupled in spaced relation to the orifice plate and moveable between positions where the orifice is closed and opened by the cantilevered beam. The cantilevered beam includes one or more piezoelectric layers that facilitate bending of the cantilevered beam in response to the application of one or more electrical signals to the one or more piezoelectric layers. In response to respective application and termination of the one or more electrical signals to the one or more piezoelectric layers the cantilevered beam either: moves from a starting position spaced from the orifice plate toward the orifice plate and returns back to the starting position spaced from the orifice plate; or moves from a starting position adjacent the orifice plate away from the orifice plate and returns back to the starting position adjacent the orifice plate.