We claim:
1. An ink jet nozzle assembly including a nozzle chamber having a nozzle through which ink from the chamber can be ejected, the chamber including a fixed portion and a movable portion configured for relative movement in an ejection phase and alternate relative movement in a refill phase, and an actuator connected with the movable portion and comprising materials having a Young’s modulus greater than about 200 GPa.
2. An ink jet nozzle assembly including:
a nozzle chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with an ink reservoir and a nozzle through which ink from the chamber can be ejected;
the chamber including a fixed portion and a movable portion configured for relative movement in an ejection phase and alternate relative movement in a refill phase;
a thermal actuator connected with the movable portion and comprising materials having a high Young’s modulus which produce a bending motion upon heating to effect periodically said relative movement; and
the inlet being positioned and dimensioned relative to the nozzle such that ink is ejected preferentially from the chamber through the nozzle in droplet form during the ejection phase, and ink is alternately drawn preferentially into the chamber from the reservoir through the inlet during the refill phase.
3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the movable portion includes the nozzle and the fixed portion is mounted on a substrate.
4. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the fixed portion includes the nozzle mounted on a substrate and the movable portion includes an ejection paddle.
5. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein said thermal actuator is pivoted so as to increase a degree of travel of said ejection paddle upon actuation of said thermal actuator.
6. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein said actuator is of a horse-shoe shape pivoted substantially about a midpoint thereof.
7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein said midpoint is constructed on a wall of said chamber.
8. An assembly according to claim 7 wherein said wall comprises a thinned membrane.
9. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said thermal actuator operates in an ambient atmosphere.
10. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said nozzle chamber is constructed on a silicon wafer and said ink is supplied through said silicon wafer.
11. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said thermal actuator is constructed from a thin conductive section and a substantially thicker non-conductive section.
12. An assembly according to claim 11 wherein said thin conductive section comprises substantially titanium diboride.
13. An assembly according to claim 11 wherein said thicker portion comprises substantially glass.
14. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said nozzle chamber has walls that include a number of small sacrificial etchant holes to facilitate construction of said assembly, said holes being of a diameter sufficiently small so as to prevent an ejection of ink therethrough.
15. An assembly according to claim 2, manufactured using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques.
16. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein an effective volume of the chamber is reduced in said ejection phase and enlarged in said refill phase.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A display device, comprising:
a light shielding film including a plurality of fixed apertures, each allowing passage of light;
a lens arranged above the plurality of fixed apertures;
a plurality of shutters, which are arranged between the light shielding film and the lens and correspond to the plurality of fixed apertures, respectively, for controlling passage and blocking of the light; and
a drive portion for causing each of the plurality of shutters to move between a position for allowing the light to pass and a position for blocking the light,
wherein the plurality of fixed apertures each have an elongated shape including a long-side direction and a short-side direction,
wherein the lens has a light refractive power that is larger in the short-side direction than in the long-side direction,
wherein the lens includes an elliptical concave lens, and
wherein the curvature radius R of the elliptical concave lens in the long-side direction is larger than a curvature radius r thereof in the short-side direction.
2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the lens includes a plurality of elliptical concave lenses, each having dimensions similar to the elliptical concave lens, arranged above the plurality of fixed apertures such that each of the plurality of concave lenses corresponds to one of the plurality of fixed apertures.
3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fixed apertures are arranged along an axis that is parallel to a long-side direction of each of the plurality of fixed apertures, and wherein the elliptical concave lens corresponds to at least two of the plurality of fixed apertures.