US 11,858,262 B2
Fluid ejector
Daniel Richard Mace, Cambridge (GB); Neil Emerton, Cambridge (GB); David Alan Crooks, Cambridge (GB); Guy Charles Fernley Newcombe, Cambridge (GB); Charlotte Giverny Pamela Joy Stokes, Cambridge (GB); and Theodore John Snudden, Cambridge (GB)
Assigned to ARCHIPELAGO TECHNOLOGY GROUP LTD, Cambridge (GB)
Appl. No. 16/077,988
Filed by ARCHIPELAGO TECHNOLOGY GROUP LTD, Cambridge (GB)
PCT Filed Feb. 15, 2017, PCT No. PCT/GB2017/050400
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 14, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/141034, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 24, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 1602743.5 (GB), filed on Feb. 16, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0031221 A1, Feb. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. B41J 2/02 (2006.01); B41J 2/14 (2006.01); B05B 7/04 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/02 (2013.01) [B41J 2/14 (2013.01); B41J 2/14161 (2013.01); B05B 7/0416 (2013.01); B41J 2202/02 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fluid ejector for ejecting discrete volumes of ejectant, the fluid ejector comprising:
a rigid body having opposing first and second surfaces and at least one nozzle defined between the first and second surfaces, each of the at least one nozzle defined by a conduit extending through the rigid body to connect a first orifice defined at the first surface of the rigid body and a second orifice defined at the second surface of the rigid body;
an ejectant supply device for supplying ejectant to each of one or more of the at least one nozzle through the second orifice of the nozzle; and
a gas supply device for supplying a gas to the one or more nozzles through the one or more first orifices, the gas supply device defining a gas outlet, the gas supply device and the rigid body movable relative to each other,
wherein:
the ejectant supply device is operable to supply the ejectant to each of the one or more nozzles, through the second orifice of the nozzle, at a pressure above ambient pressure, and
relative movement of the gas supply device and the rigid body exposes the one or more first orifices of the one or more nozzles to the gas outlet, enabling the gas supply device to supply gas to the one or more first orifices of the one or more nozzles at a pressure above ambient pressure, wherein for each of the one or more nozzles a pressure difference created thereby between the first orifice and the second orifice of the nozzle causes ejection of the ejectant from the nozzle through the second orifice.