Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080278529 | Print Engine Controller Having Controller Circuitry With An Open Actuator Test Circuit - Provided is a print engine controller for an inkjet printhead with a plurality of nozzle arrangements operatively actuated by thermal actuators. The controller has controller circuitry with an open actuator test circuit to test each respective actuator. The controller circuitry includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input, as well as a drive transistor operatively linking said thermal actuator to a power supply. The circuitry also includes a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator, and a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. The controller circuitry is configured so that when only the column enable and row enable inputs are activated the bleed and sense transistors are deactivated and the drive transistor is activated to link the thermal actuator to the power supply. | 11-13-2008 |
20080278532 | INKJET PRINTHEAD WITH TEMPERATURE ZONES - A printhead IC is provided having an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry is programmed with a series of temperature thresholds defining a set of temperature zones, each of the zones having a different pulse profile for the drive pulses sent to the nozzles in the region currently operating in that temperature zone. | 11-13-2008 |
20080278545 | Method Of Operating A Thermal Bend Actuator - Provided is a method of operating a thermal bend actuator of a printhead nozzle arrangement of a printhead using an open actuator test circuit. The test circuit includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input; a drive transistor operatively linking said thermal actuator to a power supply; a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator; a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. The method includes the step of actuating the actuator to facilitate printing by enabling the column and row enable inputs to deactivate the bleed and sense transistors and to activate the drive transistor to link the thermal actuator to the power supply. The method also includes the step of testing the actuator's continuity by enabling the open actuator test input to activate the bleed and sense transistors, so that the thermal actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the integrity of thermal actuator is open-circuit. | 11-13-2008 |
20080291233 | TEST CIRCUITRY FOR A PRINTHEAD NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT - Provided is test circuitry for testing a thermal actuator of a printhead nozzle arrangement of a printhead. The circuitry includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input. A drive transistor operatively links said thermal actuator to a power supply, and a bleed transistor is arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator. The circuitry also includes a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node, as well as a controller configured to deactivate the bleed and sense transistors and to activate the drive transistor when the column enable and row enable inputs are activated to link the thermal actuator to the power supply, and to activate the bleed and sense transistors when the open actuator test input is activated, so that the thermal actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the thermal actuator is open-circuit. | 11-27-2008 |
20080297554 | TEMPERATURE REGULATED INKJET PRINTHEAD - A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry sets the duration of the pulse profile to a sub ejection value for any of the nozzles in the row that are not to eject a drop during that firing sequence. | 12-04-2008 |
20080316239 | INKJET PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output and open actuator test circuitry for selectively disabling the actuators when they receive a drive signal while comparing the resistance of the resistive heater to a predetermined threshold to assess whether the actuator is defective. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. | 12-25-2008 |
20080316243 | PRINTHEAD IC WITH DE-ACTIVATABLE TEMPERATURE SENSOR AND MAINTENANCE MODE - A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry is configured to operate in two modes, a printing mode in which the drive pulses it generates are printing pulses, and a maintenance mode in which the drive pulses are de-clog pulses, such that, the de-clog pulse has a longer duration than the printing pulse. | 12-25-2008 |
20100002035 | Printhead IC With Non-Ejection Maintenance - A printhead IC is provided having an ejection nozzle having a heater for heating printing fluid, and drive circuitry for generating print pulses and maintenance pulses for driving the heater of the ejection nozzle. The maintenance pulses have a series of sub-ejection pulses preceding a de-clog pulse. The print signals are generated to heat the heater to form a first vapor bubble in printing fluid that causes ejection of the printing fluid from the nozzle. The de-clog pulse is generated to have lower power and longer duration than the print pulses so as to heat the heaters to form a second vapor bubble in the printing fluid which does not cause ejection. The sub-ejection pulses are generated to have lower power than the print pulses and shorter duration than the de-clog pulse so as to heat the heater without sufficient energy to nucleate a vapor bubble in the printing fluid. | 01-07-2010 |
20100053255 | Printhead Integrated Circuit With Open Actuator Test - Provided is a printhead integrated circuit for an inkjet printer that has a nozzle and a corresponding actuator for ejecting ink through the nozzle. The Printhea IC also has drive circuitry for controlling the operation of the actuator. The drive circuitry has an open actuator test circuit comprising an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input, a drive transistor operatively linking said actuator to a power supply, a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the actuator, a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. Actuating the actuator to eject ink by enabling the column and row enable inputs, deactivates the bleed transistor and activates the drive transistor to link the actuator to the power supply. Testing the actuator involves enabling the open actuator test input to activate the sense transistor, so that the actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the actuator is open-circuit. | 03-04-2010 |
20100134554 | PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HAVING SENSING AND TEST CIRCUITRY - A printhead IC is provided having ejection nozzles, drive circuitry for sending drive pulses to resistive heaters of the nozzles to cause ejection from the nozzles, sensing circuitry being activated to sense the temperature of the printhead IC and adjust the profile of the sent drive pulses in accordance with the sensed temperature and being de-activated after a period of use, and test circuitry for selectively disabling the resistive heaters when they receive the drive pulses while comparing the resistance of the resistive heaters against a predetermined threshold to assess whether the resistive heaters are defective. | 06-03-2010 |
20100149239 | PRINTHEAD IC WITH SUB EJECTION CONTROL - A printhead IC is provided having an array of ejection nozzles, sensing circuitry for sensing a temperature of the nozzle array which is de-activatable after a period of use, and drive circuitry for receiving print data and providing drive pulses to the nozzles to cause ejection in accordance with the print data. The drive circuitry is configured to set the duration of the drive pulses to a sub-ejection value for any nozzle which is not to eject in accordance with the print data. | 06-17-2010 |
20100149243 | Printhead IC Having Temperature Based Ejection - A printhead IC is provided having an array of ejection nozzles, sensing circuitry for sensing temperatures of regions of the nozzle array, and drive circuitry for providing drive pulses to the nozzles to cause ejection. The drive circuitry is configured to set a different profile of the drive pulses for each region of the nozzle array in accordance with the sensed temperatures. | 06-17-2010 |
20100149244 | Printhead IC With Multiple Operating Modes - A printhead IC for receiving print data from a print engine controller (PEC) which may be one of a plurality of different types of PEC. The printhead IC has an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles. The drive circuitry is configured for connection to a power source in the printer. The drive circuitry is configured to reset itself to a known initial state in response to receiving power from the power source after a period of not receiving power from the power source. | 06-17-2010 |
20100188458 | TEST CIRCUITRY FOR A PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A printhead integrated circuit that has a nozzle, a thermal actuator for ejecting ink through the nozzle, an open actuator test input, a column enable input, a row enable input, a drive transistor for connecting the thermal actuator to a power supply when the column enable input and the row enable input are asserted, a sense node, and a sense transistor for connecting the sense node to the drive transistor drain when the open actuator test input is asserted. During use the sense node is pulled high when the row enable input, the column enable input and the open actuator test are all asserted, and the thermal actuator is open circuit. | 07-29-2010 |
20100220136 | PRINTER WITH CONTROLLER FOR GENERATING COMBINED PRINT DATA AND CLOCK SIGNAL - An inkjet printer that has a printhead IC an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles and, a print engine controller (PEC) for sending print data to the printhead IC. The drive circuitry is configured to extract a clock signal from the data transmission from the PEC. | 09-02-2010 |
20120062632 | PRINTHEAD WITH CONTROLLER FOR GENERATING COMBINED PRINT DATA AND CLOCK SIGNAL - An inkjet printhead that has a support member, and a plurality of printhead IC's mounted adjacent each other on the support member. Each of the printhead IC's has an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate, and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles. A print engine controller (PEC) sends print data to each of the printhead IC's and the drive circuitry extracts a clock signal from the data transmission from the PEC. | 03-15-2012 |