Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Controller
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-28
2003-05-27
Hallacher, Craig (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Controller
C400S175000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet printhead, and more particularly, to a recognition circuit for an ink jet printhead disposed on an ink jet printer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Please refer to FIG.
1
.
FIG. 1
is a function block diagram for anormnal identification circuit
45
for an ink jet printer
40
disclosed by a U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,134 named “Integrated circuit print head for an ink jet printer including an integrated identification circuit” by the Hewlett-Packard Company. The identification circuit
45
provides identification information about an ink jet printhead
41
disposed on an ink jet printer
40
to the printer
40
. The printer
40
comprises a controller
42
and a printhead drive circuit
43
. The controller
42
operates the printer
40
. The drive circuit
43
drives the printhead
41
. The printer
40
also comprises three busses
47
A,
47
B, and
47
C connecting the controller
42
to the drive circuit
43
. The busses
47
A,
47
B, and
47
C transmit the controller's
42
digital control signals to the drive circuit
43
, making the drive circuit
43
output corresponding analog voltage impulses to each circuit of the printhead
41
. The printhead
41
comprises an array circuit
44
, which heats and then sprays ink corresponding to the output signals of the drive circuit
43
, an identification circuit
45
that provides printhead identification, information to the ink jet printer
40
, and a thermal sensor circuit
46
that provide's the printhead's temperature information to the inkjet printer
40
. There are a plurality of row lines
48
A (or address lines) and column lines (not shown in
FIG. 1
) connecting the drive circuit
43
and the array circuit
44
. The drive circuit
43
selects and operates each electrical element of the array circuit
44
by these row and column lines.
Please refer to FIG.
2
and FIG.
3
.
FIG. 2
is a schematic diagram illustrating the array circuit
44
.
FIG. 3
is a circuit diagram for a resistor cell
39
shown in FIG.
2
. The array circuit
44
comprises a plurality of resistor cells
39
, disposed on a plurality of rows AN and columns PN, to heat and then spray an ink container″′ ink. The plurality of rows (address lines from A
0
to A
5
) and columns (power supply lines from P
0
to P
5
) are connected with the array, circuit
44
to provide to or withhold from each resistor cell
39
the energy to generate heat and then spray the ink. Each resistor cell
39
comprises a resistor
33
and a transistor
34
. The transistor
34
, coupled with a corresponding address AN, controls current flowing via the resistor
33
. When the row and column connected with the resistor cell
39
are applied a positive voltage, the transistor
34
will conduct and generate a current flow through the resistor
33
. Then the resistor
33
will heat the ink, generating bubbles to spray the ink droplets.
Please refer to FIG.
4
.
FIG. 4
is a diagram of the identification circuit
45
. The identification circuit
45
comprises a plurality of rows (address lines from A
1
to A
13
) and programmable paths. Each programmable path comprises a fuse (F
1
to F
13
) connected in series to a corresponding transistor″′ (Q
1
to Q
13
) gate. Each programmable path provides a one-bit identifying code to the printer
40
. The identifying code, either “1” or “0”, is determined by the state of each corresponding fuse. Each fuse state provides a different identifying code to the printer
40
.
The identification circuit
45
is connected with the address lines. When voltage is applied to one of the address lines, other address lines will be affected, causing abnormal performance of the inkjet printhead
41
.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention to provide a recognition circuit for an ink jet printer to solve the above mentioned problem.
According to the claimed invention, the recognition circuit provides the printhead's identification information to the ink jet printer. The recognition circuit includes a plurality of power supply lines, a plurality of address lines, and a control circuit for operating the ink jet printer. The recognition circuit functions by applying a working voltage to the power supply lines, and applying an address voltage to the address lines. The recognition circuit also includes an identification circuit and a heating circuit having a plurality of heating cells. The heating cells connect with a corresponding power supply line and include a heating element and a switch. This switch connects in series to the heating element of the heating cell and a corresponding address line. The control circuit can turn on or turn off the switch via the corresponding address line. When the working voltage is applied to the power supply line coupled with the heating cell and the address voltage is applied to the address line coupled with the switch, the switch is turned on. A current flows from the power supply line through the heating element and the switch, causing the heating element to generate thermal energy.
The identification circuit has a plurality of identifying cells, each of the identifying cells having a first end and a second end. The first end is coupled with both the heating element and the switch of a corresponding heating cell, and the second end is coupled with a common output terminal of the identification circuit. The control circuit can determine whether any individual identifying cell is in a programmed or an un-programmed state by applying an identifying voltage to the power supply line coupled to the corresponding heating cell. The control circuit can therefore generate the identification information of the printhead by determining the states of the identifying cells.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4930915 (1990-06-01), Kikuchi et al.
patent: 5363134 (1994-11-01), Barbehenn et al.
patent: 5504507 (1996-04-01), Watrobski et al.
patent: 5757394 (1998-05-01), Gibson et al.
patent: 5831649 (1998-11-01), Watrobski et al.
patent: 5940095 (1999-08-01), Parish et al.
patent: 6022094 (2000-02-01), Gibson et al.
patent: 6164758 (2000-12-01), Kretschmer
patent: 6325483 (2001-12-01), Harbour et al.
patent: 2002/0126170 (2002-09-01), Akama et al.
Hu Hung-Lieh
Wang Chieh-Wen
Hallacher Craig
Hsu Winston
International United Technology Co., Ltd.
Mouttet Blaise
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