Reset chip unit

Abstract

The present invention provides a reset chip unit, which is connected to an ink cartridge of a printer and includes a reset package flexible board, a reset chip, an electrical connection component, a recognition electrical first contact pad, a recognition electrical second contact pad, a first conductive wire, and a second conductive wire. The reset chip is packaged and disposed on the reset package flexible board. The recognition electrical first contact pad is electrically connected to the printer. The electrical connection component is electrically connected between a first reset electrode pad and a second reset electrode pad. The recognition electrical second contact pad is electrically connected to an identification circuit unit of the ink cartridge. Wherein, the electrical connection component controls the recognition signal provided by the identification circuit unit so that it cannot be effectively read by the printer, and the recognition signal transmitted by the reset chip is transmitted to the printer and read by the printer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chip unit, and more particularly to a reset chip unit installed in an ink cartridge. Background Art

[0002] Most existing inkjet devices have detachable ink cartridges. In this way, after the ink in the ink cartridge is used up, the user can conveniently replace the ink cartridge on the inkjet device. In order to record the status of the ink cartridge for the inkjet device to manage the ink cartridges installed thereon, an inkjet chip is provided on the ink cartridge. The inkjet chip stores relevant information of the ink cartridge, such as product model, ink cartridge capacity, remaining ink amount, ink color, production date, etc. And, as the ink cartridge is continuously used, some ink cartridge information, such as the remaining ink amount, will be automatically updated.

[0003] With the rapid development of technology, the existing ink cartridges have integrated the inkjet control circuit and the identification circuit in the same inkjet chip. Generally, there are several bits of ink amount codes in the identification circuit. When the ink cartridge continuously prints on the inkjet device, the ink amount codes will be gradually burned by the inkjet device as the ink amount decreases. Since the burned ink amount codes cannot be restored, the ink cartridge will finally become unusable when all the ink amount codes are burned, and it cannot be used even if refilled with ink.

[0004] Since the inkjet control circuit and the identification circuit are integrated in the same inkjet chip, it is very difficult to directly separate and replace the inkjet control circuit and the identification circuit. Therefore, if you want to reuse the ink cartridge, you must replace the entire inkjet chip including the inkjet control circuit and the identification circuit, which is costly. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main object of the present invention is to provide a reset chip unit installed on the ink cartridge without damaging the encapsulation flexible board circuit of the ink cartridge, so that the used ink cartridge can be directly externally added with a reset chip unit, thereby enabling the used ink cartridge to be reused by refilling ink. And the externally added reset chip unit is inexpensive, far lower than the cost of a new ink cartridge. Therefore, the overall production cost can be reduced. Considering from the environmental protection aspect, after the ink in the ink cartridge on the market is used up and refilled, only by installing the reset chip unit provided by the present invention, the ink cartridge can be recycled, and the impact of the waste ink cartridge on the environment can be greatly reduced.

[0006] To achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention provides a reset chip unit, additionally attached and connected to an ink cartridge assembled on a printer for printing, comprising: a reset package flexible board, a reset chip, an electrical connection component, a first identification electrical contact pad, a second identification electrical contact pad, a first conducting wire, and a second conducting wire. The reset chip is encapsulated and disposed on the reset package flexible board, and includes a first reset electrode pad and a second reset electrode pad. The electrical connection component makes an electrical connection between the first reset electrode pad and the second reset electrode pad. The first identification electrical contact pad is disposed on a surface of the reset package flexible board for making electrical connection and conduction by contacting with a printer identification electrode pad of the printer. The second identification electrical contact pad is disposed on another opposite surface of the reset package flexible board for making electrical connection and conduction by contacting with a main identification electrical pad conducted and transmitted by an identification circuit unit of the ink cartridge. The first conducting wire is electrically connected between the first reset electrode pad and the first identification electrical contact pad. The second conducting wire is electrically connected between the second reset electrode pad and the second identification electrical contact pad. Wherein, the identification signal transmitted by the identification circuit unit of the ink cartridge is controlled by the electrical connection component and cannot be effectively read by the printer, and the identification signal provided by the reset chip is transmitted to the printer identification electrode pad of the printer through the first identification electrical contact pad and is read by the printer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0008] Figure 1A It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the ink cartridge of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 1B It is a related assembly corresponding schematic diagram of the inkjet package flexible board and the reset chip unit of the ink cartridge of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2A It is a front layout schematic diagram of the reset chip unit of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2B It is a back layout schematic diagram of the reset chip unit of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3 It is a side schematic diagram of the reset chip unit of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the electrical connection component of the reset chip unit of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the electrical connection component of the reset chip unit of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the control connection of the ink cartridge and the reset chip unit of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0016] The embodiments that embody the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various variations in different embodiments, all of which do not depart from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are for illustrative purposes in nature and not for limiting the present invention.

[0017] Please refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the reset chip unit 4 is disposed on an ink cartridge 10. The ink cartridge 10 further includes an inkjet encapsulation flexible board 1, an inkjet chip 2, and a plurality of inkjet electrode pads 3a and an identification electrical main pad 3b. The inkjet chip 2 is disposed on the inkjet encapsulation flexible board 1, so that a corresponding printer 100 (such as Figure 3 , Figure 6 shown) can control the operation of the ink cartridge 10, identify the ink cartridge 10 number, and identify the ink stock. The inkjet electrode pads 3a are spaced apart on the inkjet encapsulation flexible board 1 and are electrically connected to the inkjet chip 2. The reset chip unit 4 is externally attached and connected to the inkjet encapsulation flexible board 1.

[0018] Please refer to FIG. 1, Figure 2A and Figure 2B and Figure 3As shown, in the embodiment of the present invention, the reset chip unit 4 includes a reset package flexible board 40, a reset chip 41, a first reset electrode pad 42a, a second reset electrode pad 42b, an electrical connection component 43, a first conductive wire 44a, a second conductive wire 44b, a plurality of electrical contact pads 45, an identification electrical first contact pad 46a, and an identification electrical second contact pad 46b. Among them, the reset chip 41 is packaged and electrically connected on the reset package flexible board 40, and the reset chip 41 includes a first reset electrode pad 42a and a second reset electrode pad 42b. The first reset electrode pad 42a and the second reset electrode pad 42b are spaced apart on the reset package flexible board 40 for resetting, so that the first reset electrode pad 42a is electrically connected through the first conductive wire 44a on the reset package flexible board 40, and the identification electrical first contact pad 46a is disposed on one surface of the reset package flexible board 40 and is electrically connected to the first reset electrode pad 42a through the first conductive wire 44a. The second reset electrode pad 42b is electrically connected through the second conductive wire 44b on the reset package flexible board 40, and the identification electrical second contact pad 46b is disposed on the other opposite surface of the reset package flexible board 40 and is electrically connected to the second reset electrode pad 42b through the second conductive wire 44b. The electrical connection component 43 is disposed between the first reset electrode pad 42a and the second reset electrode pad 42b to be electrically connected to each other, that is, the first reset electrode pad 42a and the second reset electrode pad 42b are respectively electrically connected to opposite ends of the electrical connection component 43. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the electrical connection component 43 may be disposed on the reset package flexible board 40 and is isolated and separated from the reset chip 41, but not limited thereto, and the setting position of the electrical connection component 43 can be changed according to design requirements. Furthermore, the plurality of electrical contact pads 45 and the identification electrical first contact pad 46a are spaced apart on the reset package flexible board 40. When the reset chip unit 4 is externally attached and connected to the inkjet package flexible board 1, the plurality of electrical contact pads 45 respectively form the same number of one-to-one corresponding electrical connection contacts with the positions of a plurality of inkjet electrode pads 3a on the inkjet package flexible board 1 of the ink cartridge 10, and the identification electrical second contact pad 46b is correspondingly electrically connected to the identification electrical main pad 3b of the inkjet package flexible board 1. In the embodiment of the present invention, please refer to again Figure 1A , Figure 3 and Figure 6As shown, when the ink cartridge 10 is assembled on a carrier (not shown) of the printer 100, and there are a plurality of printer electrode pads (not shown) and a printer identification electrode pad 101 on the carrier of the printer 100. At this time, a plurality of printer electrode pads on the carrier are correspondingly contacted and electrically connected to a plurality of electrical contact pads 45 on the reset package flexible board 40 and a plurality of inkjet electrode pads 3a on the inkjet package flexible board 1 of the ink cartridge 10. And the printer identification electrode pad 101 is correspondingly contacted and electrically connected to the identification electrical first contact pad 46a on the reset package flexible board 40 (as Figure 3 shown), and the identification electrical second contact pad 46b is correspondingly electrically connected and contacted with the identification electrical main pad 3b of the inkjet package flexible board 1. Among them, the inkjet chip 2 includes an inkjet control unit 21 and an identification circuit unit 22. Among them, a plurality of inkjet electrode pads 3a are mainly electrically connected to the inkjet control unit 21 to transmit relevant control signals, and the identification electrical main pad 3b is mainly electrically connected to the identification circuit unit 22 to transmit identification signals.

[0019] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present invention, the above electrical connection element 43 can be a resistance element (see Figure 4 shown), and its impedance value is not less than 2000 ohms. In other embodiments, the above electrical connection element 43 can be an electrical connection switch element (see Figure 5 shown) for controlling electrical switch connection. For example, it can be an N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) element, whose drain D (Drain) and source S (Source) are respectively electrically connected to the first reset electrode pad 42a and the second reset electrode pad 42b, and the gate G (Gate) is grounded. The implementation form of the electrical connection element 43 is not limited to this disclosure, and the appropriate form of the electrical connection element 43 can be changed according to design requirements.

[0020] Please refer to Figure 1A 、 Figure 3 and Figure 6, in the electrical operation embodiment of assembling and installing the ink cartridge 10 in the specific implementation of the present invention, the reset chip 41 of the reset chip unit 4 is in electrical contact with the printer identification electrode pad 101 on the carrier of the printer 100 through the identification electrical first contact pad 46a on the reset package flexible board 40, so that the identification signal (ID) generated by the reset chip 41 is transmitted to the printer 100. In this way, through the control of the electrical connection element 43, the reset chip unit 4 makes the identification electrical second contact pad 46b in corresponding electrical contact with the identification electrical main pad 3b of the inkjet package flexible board 1, and the electrical connection is disconnected or the electrical connection signal becomes weak, resulting in the identification signal of the identification circuit unit 22 not being effectively read by the printer 100. At this time, the reset chip 41 provides the identification signal and transmits it to the printer 100 through the identification electrical first contact pad 46a. The identification signal includes signals such as the ink stock information, manufacturing date, factory date, ink type, and compatible printer types of the reset chip unit 4, etc., so that there will be no incorrect data read, causing the ink cartridge 10 to be unusable, and the ink cartridge 10 can be reset again for repeated use. At the same time, the reset chip unit 4 also makes electrical connections through the multiple electrical contact pads 45 on the reset package flexible board 40 corresponding to the multiple printer electrode pads (not shown) on the carrier of the printer 100, and the multiple electrical contact pads 45 on the reset package flexible board 40 corresponding to the multiple inkjet electrode pads 3a of the inkjet package flexible board 1 for electrical connection, so that signals such as CLK, DATA, SELECT, ADDRESS, and FIRE of the printer 100 are transmitted to the inkjet control unit 21 of the inkjet chip 2 on the ink cartridge 10 to receive these control signals, and the inkjet chip 2 will control the ink cartridge 10 to actuate and start the printing operation.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 as shown. It should be noted that the reset chip unit 4 of the present invention controls through the electrical connection element 43 so that the identification signal transmitted by the identification circuit unit 22 of the inkjet chip 2 cannot be effectively read by the printer 100. In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connection element 43 can be a resistance element (refer to Figure 4When in the state shown, its impedance value is not less than 2000 ohms. In this way, the signal emitted by the printer 100, after passing through the electrical connection element 43 of the reset chip unit 4, causes the subsequent circuit connected to the electrical connection element 43, that is, the circuit connected to the identification circuit unit 22 of the inkjet chip 2, to become an extremely weak signal, resulting in the identification signal of the identification circuit unit 22 not being effectively readable by the printer 100. At this time, the reset chip 41 provides the identification signal and transmits it to the printer 100 through the first contact pad 46a for identification electricity. The identification signal includes signals such as the ink stock information, manufacturing date, factory date, ink type, and compatible printer types of the reset chip unit 4, etc., so that there will be no situation where incorrect data is read and the ink cartridge 10 cannot be used. At the same time, signals such as CLK, DATA, SELECT, ADDRESS, and FIRE of the printer 100 can also be transmitted to the inkjet control unit 21 of the inkjet chip 2 on the ink cartridge 10 to receive these control signals, enabling the ink cartridge 10 to resume the reset printing operation again and providing a mechanism for the ink cartridge 10 to be recycled and reused repeatedly.

[0022] Please refer to Figure 3 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown. It is worth noting that the reset chip unit 4 controls the identification signal transmitted by the identification circuit unit 22 of the inkjet chip 2 through the electrical connection element 43 and cannot be effectively read by the printer 100. In another embodiment of the present invention, when the electrical connection element 43 can be an electrical connection switch element (refer to Figure 5 shown), used to control the electrical switch connection, for example, it can be an N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) element. By setting the characteristics of the electrical connection switch element of the electrical connection element 43, the electrical connection of the circuit connected to the identification circuit unit 22 of the inkjet chip 2 after the electrical connection element 43 is disconnected to form a temporary open circuit state, resulting in the identification signal of the identification circuit unit 22 not being effectively readable by the printer 100. At this time, the reset chip 41 provides the identification signal and transmits it to the printer 100 through the first contact pad 46a for identification electricity. The identification signal includes signals such as the ink stock information, manufacturing date, factory date, ink type, and compatible printer types of the reset chip unit 4, etc., so that there will be no situation where incorrect data is read and the ink cartridge 10 cannot be used. At the same time, signals such as CLK, DATA, SELECT, ADDRESS, and FIRE of the printer 100 can also be transmitted to the inkjet control unit 21 of the inkjet chip 2 on the ink cartridge 10 to receive these control signals, enabling the ink cartridge 10 to resume the reset printing operation again and providing a mechanism for the ink cartridge 10 to be recycled and reused repeatedly.

[0023] Therefore, from the perspective of environmental protection, after the user adds ink to the ink cartridge when the ink is used up, only by installing the reset chip unit provided by the present invention can the ink cartridge be recycled. This not only simplifies the manufacturing process steps, increases the convenience of remanufacturing the ink cartridge, but also reduces the manufacturing cost, and greatly reduces the impact of discarded ink cartridges on the environment.

[0024] In summary, the present invention provides a reset chip unit, which is installed on the ink cartridge. Without damaging the encapsulation flexible board circuit of the ink cartridge, the reset chip unit is directly externally added to the ink cartridge, so that the used ink cartridge can be reused by refilling ink. Moreover, the cost of the externally added reset chip unit is low, far lower than the cost of a new ink cartridge. Therefore, the overall production cost can be reduced. From the perspective of environmental protection, after the user adds ink to the ink cartridge when the ink is used up, only by installing the reset chip unit provided by the present invention can the ink cartridge be recycled, and the impact of discarded ink cartridges on the environment is also greatly reduced.

[0025] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A reset chip unit is additionally attached and connected to an ink cartridge, and the ink cartridge is assembled on a printer for printing, characterized in that The reset chip unit includes: A reset packaging flexible board; A reset chip, which is packaged and disposed on the reset packaging flexible board and includes a first reset electrode pad and a second reset electrode pad; An electrical connection component that makes an electrical connection between the first reset electrode pad and the second reset electrode pad; An identification electrical first contact pad, which is disposed on a surface of the reset packaging flexible board for making electrical connection and conduction by contacting a printer identification electrode pad of the printer; An identification electrical second contact pad, which is disposed on another opposite surface of the reset packaging flexible board for making electrical connection and conduction by contacting a main identification electrical pad conducted and transmitted by an identification circuit unit of the ink cartridge; A first conducting wire, which is electrically connected between the first reset electrode pad and the identification electrical first contact pad; and A second conducting wire, which is electrically connected between the second reset electrode pad and the identification electrical second contact pad; Wherein, the identification signal transmitted by the identification circuit unit of the ink cartridge is controlled by the electrical connection component and cannot be effectively read by the printer, and the identification signal provided by the reset chip is transmitted to the printer identification electrode pad of the printer through the identification electrical first contact pad and is read by the printer.

2. The reset chip unit according to claim 1, wherein The electrical connection component is disposed on the reset chip and makes an electrical connection between the first reset electrode pad and the second reset electrode pad.

3. The reset chip unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrical connection component is disposed on the reset packaging flexible board and is spaced apart from the reset chip, and an electrical connection is made between the first reset electrode pad and the second reset electrode pad.

4. The reset chip unit according to claim 1, wherein The electrical connection component is a resistance component, and the identification signal transmitted by the line connected to the identification circuit unit becomes weak, resulting in the identification signal of the identification circuit unit not being effectively readable by the printer.

5. The reset chip unit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The resistance value of the resistance component is not less than 2000 ohms.

6. The reset chip unit according to claim 1, wherein, The electrical connection component is an electrical connection switch component for disconnecting the electrical connection of the line of the identification circuit unit, resulting in the identification signal of the identification circuit unit not being effectively readable by the printer.

7. The reset chip unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrical connection switch component is an N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) component.

Images