Ink cartridge chip, ink cartridge and inkjet printer

Abstract

The present invention provides an ink cartridge chip, an ink cartridge and an inkjet printer. The ink cartridge chip includes a substrate, a memory and a plurality of connection terminals are provided on the substrate, the plurality of connection terminals include a plurality of first terminals electrically connected to the memory, and the plurality of connection terminals also include at least one high-voltage terminal; wherein a first energy storage device is provided on the substrate, the first energy storage device supplies power to the memory through a first switch device, the first switch device is controlled to be turned on and off by a second switch device, and the second switch device is turned on within a preset time after the high-voltage terminal outputs a high-level signal that is converted into a low-level signal. The ink cartridge chip is provided on the side wall of the cartridge body of the ink cartridge, and the inkjet printer can be installed with the ink cartridge. The present invention can prevent the high voltage output by the high-voltage terminal from damaging the memory.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of printing consumables, and in particular to an ink cartridge chip, an ink cartridge having the ink cartridge chip, and an inkjet printer. Background Art

[0002] Electronic imaging equipment, as a common office equipment, provides great convenience for modern office. Common electronic imaging equipment includes printers, copiers, etc. Existing printers are divided into inkjet printers and laser printers. Inkjet printers use ink cartridges containing ink as ink cartridges to spray ink onto paper to form the text or pattern to be printed on the paper; laser printers use toner cartridges containing toner as ink cartridges to form the text or pattern to be printed on the medium.

[0003] See also Figure 1 A color inkjet printer is provided with a housing 11. Figure 1 The inkjet printer shown in the figure omits the support plate of the housing 11. The housing 11 is provided with a movement 12 of the inkjet printer and a slide bar. The print carriage 14 is moved by the motor ( Figure 1 The printing carriage 14 is provided with an adapter plate ( Figure 1 The adapter board communicates with the movement 12 via the flat cable 13.

[0004] A plurality of ink cartridges 15 are detachably mounted on the printing carriage 14, and different ink cartridges 15 contain inks of different colors. The structure of the ink cartridge 15 is as follows: Figure 2 The ink cartridge 15 has a box body 16 , which encloses a cavity for containing ink, and an ink outlet 17 is provided at the lower end of the cavity. The ink in the cavity flows out through the ink outlet 17 and supplies ink to the ink supply needle of the printing carriage 14 .

[0005] A chip 18 is mounted on the outer wall of the cartridge body 16 of the ink cartridge 15. The chip 18 has a substrate. One side of the substrate is provided with a plurality of connection terminals 19 for electrical connection with the adapter board. The other side of the substrate is provided with a memory ( Figure 2 Usually, the memory is a non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM or FLASH, which stores information related to the ink cartridge, including variable information and constant information. Variable information is information that changes with the printing operation, such as the remaining ink, printing time, number of printed sheets, etc. Constant information is information that does not change with the printing operation, such as the ink cartridge model, applicable inkjet printer model, ink color, etc.

[0006] After the ink cartridge 15 is installed in the print carriage 14 of the inkjet printer, the inkjet printer powers on the chip 18 and reads the data stored in the memory of the chip 18 to determine whether the model of the ink cartridge 15 is appropriate, whether the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 15 is sufficient, etc. Only after determining that the model of the ink cartridge 15 is appropriate and there is sufficient ink in the ink cartridge 15, the inkjet printer can perform printing.

[0007] See also Figure 3 , 9 connection terminals are arranged on one surface of the substrate 20 of the chip 18, and the multiple connection terminals are arranged in two rows, the first row located at the top includes four connection terminals, namely connection terminals 21, 22, 23, and 24, and the second row located at the bottom includes five connection terminals, namely connection terminals 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29. These connection terminals are divided into three groups. The first group of connection terminals are connection terminals electrically connected to the memory, which are usually located in the middle of each row of connection terminals. For example, connection terminals 22, 23, 26, 27, and 28 are connection terminals for connecting to the memory. The two connection terminals 21 and 24 at the two ends of the first row are detection terminals, and the two connection terminals at the two ends of the second row are high-voltage terminals 25 and 29.

[0008] The detection terminals 21 and 24 can have multiple functions. The first function is to detect whether the ink cartridge 15 is installed in place. If the detection terminals 21 and 24 are electrically connected to the corresponding connection terminals on the inkjet printer side, it can be considered that the ink cartridge has been installed in place. The second function is to identify the ink cartridge model. For example, the detection terminals 21 and 24 can have different connection modes with the connection terminals 22 and 23. The inkjet printer determines the model of the inkjet printer by detecting the electrical levels of the detection terminals 21 and 24, thereby judging whether the ink cartridge 15 is installed incorrectly.

[0009] A sensor is provided in the ink cartridge 15 for detecting the ink remaining amount, but a higher voltage needs to be applied to the sensor when it is working. Therefore, the high-voltage terminals 25 and 29 are used to receive the high-voltage direct current provided by the inkjet printer and are loaded on both ends of the sensor. However, if ink drops fall between multiple connection terminals, a short circuit will occur between the multiple connection terminals. For example, if ink drops fall between the connection terminals 21, 25, and 26, once the high-voltage terminal 25 is loaded with a higher direct current voltage, the voltage of the connection terminal 26 will be higher. If the connection terminal 26 is a connection terminal for passing electrical energy to the memory, it is also called a power supply terminal. Since the working voltage of the memory is usually about 3.3 volts, if the connection terminal 26 is loaded with a higher voltage, the memory will be burned and even affect the operation of the inkjet printer.

[0010] To this end, a detection circuit is set in the movement of the inkjet printer, which detects the voltage of the detection terminal 21 to determine whether there is any abnormal phenomenon. For example, when an ink drop falls between the connecting terminals 21, 25, and 26, when a higher DC voltage is loaded on the high-voltage terminal 25, the voltage of the detection terminal 21 increases. Once the inkjet printer detects that the voltage of the detection terminal 21 is too high, the high-voltage DC power loaded to the high-voltage terminal 25 is disconnected to avoid damage to the memory due to the high voltage of the connecting terminal 26.

[0011] However, since the detection circuit is arranged in the movement of the inkjet printer, the electrical signal of the detection terminal 21 needs to be transmitted to the inkjet printer before the inkjet printer can judge the level of the detection terminal 21 and then disconnect the power supply of the high-voltage terminal 25. Usually, it often takes several milliseconds from detecting that the level of the detection terminal 21 is too high to disconnecting the power supply of the high-voltage terminal 25, which may cause damage to the memory. In addition, once the detection terminal 21 is abnormal, or the detection circuit is abnormal, and it is not detected in time when the high-voltage terminal 25 and the connection terminal 26 are short-circuited, it is easy to cause the memory to be loaded with too high a voltage for a long time, resulting in storage damage. Therefore, the power terminal on the substrate 20 is loaded with too high a voltage, which is the main cause of memory damage. Summary of the invention

[0012] The first object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge chip that can effectively prevent a memory from being loaded with an over-high voltage.

[0013] A second object of the present invention is to provide an ink cartridge using the above-mentioned ink cartridge chip.

[0014] A third object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer having the above-mentioned ink cartridge.

[0015] To achieve the first objective of the present invention, the ink cartridge chip provided by the present invention includes a substrate, a memory and a plurality of connection terminals are provided on the substrate, the plurality of connection terminals include a plurality of first terminals electrically connected to the memory, and the plurality of connection terminals also include at least one high-voltage terminal; wherein a first energy storage device is provided on the substrate, the first energy storage device supplies power to the memory through a first switching device, the first switching device is controlled on and off by a second switching device, and the second switching device is turned on within a preset time after the high-level signal output by the high-voltage terminal is converted into a low-level signal.

[0016] It can be seen from the above scheme that the memory is powered by the first energy storage device. Within a period of time after the high-voltage terminal outputs a high-level signal and turns into a low-level signal, the second switch device is turned on, thereby controlling the first switch device to be turned on, and the first energy storage device supplies power to the first switch device. In other words, when the high-voltage terminal is in a high-level state for a long time, or in a low-level state for a long time, the second switch device is not conductive, so that the first energy storage device does not supply power to the memory, avoiding the rapid consumption of power of the first energy storage device. In addition, since the memory is not powered by the first connection terminal, even if the first connection terminal is loaded with a higher voltage, it will not cause damage to the memory.

[0017] A preferred solution is that the second switching device is connected between the second energy storage device and the control end of the first switching device, and the control end of the second switching device is connected to the third energy storage device.

[0018] It can be seen that the voltage of the second energy storage device and the third energy storage device is changed by the charge and discharge relationship between the third energy storage device and the second energy storage device, thereby changing the on-off state of the second switch device, thereby controlling the on-off time of the second switch device.

[0019] A further solution is that a first diode is connected between the third energy storage device and the second energy storage device, the anode terminal of the first diode is connected to the third energy storage device, and the cathode terminal of the first diode is connected to the second energy storage device.

[0020] It can be seen that the first diode can prevent the current from flowing from the second energy storage device to the third energy storage device, thereby ensuring that the current can only flow in one direction, thereby meeting the control requirements of the second switch device.

[0021] A further solution is that the third energy storage device is also connected to the first energy consumption device. It can be seen that the discharge of the third energy storage device is achieved through the first energy consumption device, thereby changing the voltage of the third energy storage device and changing the on-off state of the second switch device.

[0022] A further solution is that the high voltage terminal supplies power to the third energy storage device. Preferably, the high voltage terminal supplies power to the third energy storage device through a second diode.

[0023] In this way, the high voltage terminal supplies power to the third energy storage device through the second diode, thereby realizing the charge and discharge control of multiple energy storage devices by the level signal output by the high voltage terminal, and further realizing the control of the on and off states of the two switch devices.

[0024] A further solution is that the second switching device is also connected to a second energy consuming device, and the second energy storage device discharges to the second energy consuming device through the second switching device.

[0025] It can be seen that the discharge of the second energy storage device can be achieved through the second energy consumption device, so as to avoid the second energy storage device being in a high level state for a long time, thereby preventing the power of the first energy storage device from being released too quickly.

[0026] A further solution is that the first switch device is a high-level conduction device, and the second switch device is a low-level conduction device.

[0027] To achieve the second purpose, the ink cartridge provided by the present invention includes a box body, which encloses a accommodating cavity, and the above-mentioned ink cartridge chip is arranged on the outer wall of the box body.

[0028] To achieve the third purpose, the inkjet printer provided by the present invention includes a body, in which the above-mentioned ink cartridge is installed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an existing inkjet printer.

[0030] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of an existing ink cartridge.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of an existing ink cartridge chip.

[0032] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of an ink cartridge chip embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 It is an electrical schematic diagram of an ink cartridge chip embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The ink cartridge of the present invention is an ink cartridge installed in an inkjet printer, and the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with various embodiments.

[0036] The ink cartridge chip of this embodiment is an ink cartridge chip installed in an ink cartridge for an inkjet printer. It has a substrate 40. One side of the substrate 40 is provided with a plurality of connection terminals, such as Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of connection terminals are arranged in two rows, wherein the first row located at the top includes four connection terminals, namely connection terminals 41, 42, 43, and 44, and the second row located at the bottom also includes four connection terminals, namely connection terminals 45, 47, 48, and 49. Figure 5 A memory 50 is provided on the other side of the substrate 40 , and the memory 50 is a non-volatile memory such as EFFROM or FLASH.

[0037] In this embodiment, the plurality of connection terminals on the substrate 40 are divided into three groups. The first group of connection terminals is the first connection terminals 42, 43, 47, 48. The first connection terminals include a clock signal terminal CLK, a data terminal DAT, a chip select terminal SC, and a ground terminal GND. The first connection terminals are electrically connected to the memory 50. Figure 4 It can be seen that these connection terminals are located in the middle of each row of connection terminals. In this embodiment, the four first terminals do not include a power terminal for receiving the DC voltage output by the inkjet printer and directly used to supply power to the memory 50.

[0038] The second group of connection terminals are two connection terminals 41 and 44 at both ends of the first row, and the connection terminals 41 and 44 are detection terminals. The third group of connection terminals are two connection terminals 45 and 49 at both ends of the second row, and these two connection terminals are high voltage terminals.

[0039] A device with a higher working voltage is provided in the ink cartridge, such as a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of ink, such as a crystal oscillator, and high-voltage terminals 45 and 49 are respectively connected to the two ends of the sensor. When the inkjet printer needs to detect the remaining amount of ink, a higher DC voltage is applied to the high-voltage terminals 45 and 49 so that the crystal oscillator generates an oscillation signal. However, since the detection of the remaining amount of ink is not performed in real time, it is usually performed before a printing operation begins or after the printing operation is completed. Therefore, the high-voltage terminals 45 and 49 are not loaded with a higher DC voltage in real time, but are loaded with a higher DC voltage at a specific time. Usually, the DC voltage applied by the inkjet printer to the high-voltage terminals 45 and 49 is above 25 volts. In the prior art, a power supply terminal is provided on the ink cartridge chip. If the high-voltage terminal and the power supply terminal are short-circuited, the higher DC voltage will be directly loaded on the power supply pin (VCC pin) of the memory, thereby causing damage to the memory, which is also the main reason for the memory damage of the existing ink cartridge chip.

[0040] In addition, before the inkjet printer needs to read data from the memory 50 or write data to the memory 50, it is often necessary to load a high-level signal to the high-voltage terminals 45 and 49 for a short time, such as loading a DC voltage of more than 25V. This embodiment uses this high-level signal loaded for a short time to control the power supply of the memory 50.

[0041] See also Figure 5The memory 50 is powered by a battery. The battery in this embodiment is a non-rechargeable battery, that is, it cannot be charged after being packaged in the ink cartridge chip, but can only be discharged. Since the ink cartridge chip area is very small and the space on the ink cartridge for installing the ink cartridge chip is also very small, a large battery cannot be installed on the ink cartridge chip. Therefore, the power stored in the battery is limited, and the discharge time of the battery needs to be strictly controlled. The battery provides a 3.3V DC voltage to the memory 50. The DC voltage is Figure 5 VDD in.

[0042] In this embodiment, the discharge of the battery is controlled by the field effect tube T1 as the first switch device. The field effect tube T1 is a field effect tube that is turned on at a high level, and its drain is connected to the battery, its source is connected to the memory 50, and its gate as the control terminal is connected to the field effect tube T2. The field effect tube T2 is the second switch device in this embodiment, which is a device that is turned on at a low level, and the drain of the field effect tube T2 is connected to the gate of the field effect tube T1. In addition, the drain of the field effect tube T2 is also connected to the resistor R2.

[0043] The source of the field effect transistor T2 is connected to the capacitor C2. In this embodiment, the capacitor C2 is a second energy storage device, and the resistor R2 is a second energy consumption device. When the field effect transistor T2 is turned on, the capacitor C2 can discharge to the resistor R2.

[0044] The gate of the field effect transistor T2 is connected to the capacitor C3 as the third energy storage device, and is also connected to the resistor R1 as the first energy consumption device. A diode D1 as the first diode is connected between the capacitor C3 and the capacitor C2, and the anode terminal of the diode D1 is connected to the capacitor C3, and the cathode terminal of the diode D1 is connected to the capacitor C2.

[0045] In addition, the high voltage terminal 45 can supply power to the capacitor C3 through the diode D2 as a second diode, the anode terminal of the diode D2 is connected to the high voltage terminal 45, the cathode terminal is connected to one end of the resistor R3, and the other end of the resistor R3 is connected to the resistor R1.

[0046] When the inkjet printer does not load a high-level signal to the high-voltage terminal 45, the high-voltage terminal 45 outputs a low-level signal, that is, the diode D2 is not conducting. At this time, point A is a low-level signal, and the field effect transistor T2 is in a conducting state. However, since the capacitors C3 and C2 are not charged, point B is also a low-level signal, and the capacitor C2 cannot discharge to the resistor R2. Point C is also a low-level signal, and the field effect transistor T1 is in a cut-off state, and the battery cannot supply power to the memory 50.

[0047] When the inkjet printer loads a high-level signal to the high-voltage terminal 45, for example, the inkjet printer loads a high-level signal to the high-voltage terminal 45 for a long period of time, the DC voltage of the high-voltage terminal 45 passes through the diode D2 and the resistor R3, and charges the capacitor C3. At this time, point A is a high-level signal, and the gate of the field effect tube T2 is high and in a cut-off state. Since point A is in a high-level state, the current will flow through the diode D1 and charge the capacitor C2. However, since the field effect tube T2 is in a cut-off state, the current cannot flow through the field effect tube T2 to the resistor R2, and point C is still in a low-level state. The signal received by the gate of the field effect tube T1 is a low-level signal, and the field effect tube T1 is still cut off, and the battery cannot supply power to the memory 50.

[0048] Only when the inkjet printer needs to write data to the memory 50, or before reading data from the memory 50, the inkjet printer will load a high-level signal to the high-voltage terminal 45 for a short time, and immediately convert it to a low-level signal after loading the high-level signal. The duration of the high-level signal is often only tens to hundreds of milliseconds.

[0049] After the high-voltage terminal 45 is loaded with a high-level signal, the capacitor C3 starts to charge, but since the high-level duration is short, the amount of electricity charged in the capacitor C2 is very small, so point B is still in a low-level state. During the time period when the high-voltage terminal 45 is loaded with a high-level signal, point A is a high-level signal, the field effect transistor T2 is turned off, and the gate of the field effect transistor T1 is also a low-level signal and is turned off, and the battery cannot discharge to the memory 50.

[0050] After the level signal outputted by the high voltage terminal 45 is converted into a low level signal for a period of time, since the capacitor C3 continues to discharge, point A maintains a high level for a period of time. At this time, the capacitor C3 discharges through the resistor R1, and the current of the capacitor C3 can charge the capacitor C2 through the diode D1. Since the field effect tube T2 remains in the cut-off state, the capacitor C2 will not discharge, so the voltage drop at point B gradually increases. As the capacitor C3 continues to discharge, the voltage at point A will gradually decrease. When the voltage at point A is lower than the voltage at point B (or the voltage at point A drops to a low level state), the field effect tube T2 is turned on, and the capacitor C2 discharges to the resistor R2 through the field effect tube T2. At this time, a voltage is formed on the resistor R2, and point C is a high level signal. The field effect tube T1 is turned on, and the battery supplies power to the memory 50.

[0051] Since the amount of electricity stored in capacitor C2 is limited, capacitor C2 will be completely discharged after a period of time, and the high level state of point C can only be maintained for a short time, such as only one or two seconds. Therefore, the conduction time of field effect transistor T1 can only be maintained for a short time. Since the communication between the inkjet printer and the memory 50 is often completed in a very short time, the conduction time of field effect transistor T1 can meet the needs of the inkjet printer to read and write data to the memory 50.

[0052] When the capacitor C2 is fully discharged, point C becomes a low level signal, the field effect transistor T1 returns to the cut-off state again, and the battery cannot supply power to the memory 50, thereby preventing the battery from supplying power to the memory 50 for a long time and causing the battery's power to be consumed too quickly, ensuring that the battery's power can be used for a long time. The length of time the battery discharges to the memory 50 each time depends on the length of time the capacitor C2 is discharged. Therefore, the capacitor C2 of a suitable capacity can be set according to actual needs to meet the needs of the battery discharging to the memory 50.

[0053] It can be seen that if the high-voltage terminal 45 is in a low-level state for a long time, or in a high-level state for a long time, the field-effect transistor T1 is cut off. Only in a very short time when the high-voltage terminal is loaded with a high level and converted into a low level, the field-effect transistor T1 will be turned on and the battery will supply power to the memory 50. This can avoid the battery power being consumed too quickly and ensure that the ink cartridge chip can be used for a long time.

[0054] Since in this embodiment, the electric energy used by the memory 50 is provided by a battery, there is no need to set a power terminal on the substrate 40 for receiving the DC voltage output by the inkjet printer and directly providing electric energy to the memory 50. Therefore, there will be no problem of damage to the memory 50 due to the power terminal being loaded with too high a voltage.

[0055] It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, a storage battery is used as the first energy storage device. In actual application, a rechargeable battery or a farad capacitor may be used as the first energy storage device.

[0056] Ink cartridge embodiment:

[0057] This embodiment has a shell, the shell encloses a cavity for containing ink, an ink outlet connected to the cavity is provided below the cavity, and the ink in the cavity can flow out through the ink outlet. In addition, an ink cartridge chip according to the above embodiment of the present invention is detachably mounted on an outer wall of the shell.

[0058] Inkjet Printer Example:

[0059] The inkjet printer of this embodiment is provided with a body, and a housing cavity for housing the ink cartridge is formed in the body.

[0060] Finally, it should be emphasized that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the switching devices used are not necessarily field effect transistors. Transistors can be used instead of field effect transistors, and these changes should also be included in the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. Cartridge chip, including: A substrate, on which a memory and a plurality of connection terminals are provided, wherein the plurality of connection terminals include a plurality of first terminals electrically connected to the memory, and the plurality of connection terminals also include at least one high-voltage terminal; Features: A first energy storage device is provided on the substrate, the first energy storage device supplies power to the memory through a first switch device, the first switch device is controlled to be turned on and off by a second switch device, and the second switch device is turned on within a preset time after the high-voltage terminal outputs a high-level signal that is converted into a low-level signal; The second switch device is connected between the second energy storage device and the control end of the first switch device, and the control end of the second switch device is connected to a third energy storage device; A first diode is connected between the third energy storage device and the second energy storage device, an anode terminal of the first diode is connected to the third energy storage device, and a cathode terminal of the first diode is connected to the second energy storage device; The third energy storage device is also connected to the first energy consumption device.

2. The ink cartridge chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high voltage terminal supplies power to the third energy storage device.

3. The ink cartridge chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The high voltage terminal supplies power to the third energy storage device through a second diode.

4. The ink cartridge chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second switching device is also connected to a second energy dissipation device, and the second energy storage device discharges to the second energy dissipation device through the second switching device.

5. The ink cartridge chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first switch device is a high-level conduction device, and the second switch device is a low-level conduction device.

6. Ink cartridges, including: A box body, wherein the box body encloses a containing cavity; Features: The ink cartridge chip according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is arranged on the outer wall of the box body.

7. An inkjet printer, comprising a body, characterized in that The ink cartridge as claimed in claim 6 is installed in the body.

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