An optical communication module and an upgrade device

Abstract

The present invention provides an optical communication module and a chip including the optical communication module, which includes a power management part, an optical communication part, and an output part. Among them, the power management part is configured to provide power to the optical communication part after receiving a preset optical signal; the optical communication part is configured to receive an optical communication signal and convert the optical communication signal into a decoded signal; the output part is configured to externally output the power and the decoded signal. Through the present invention, when upgrading the chip, there is no need to remove the packaging box, and by using an optical signal as the signal for starting the battery of the optical communication module, the power of the battery of the optical communication module will not be used in advance, reducing power waste and ensuring that the battery can provide long-term optical communication for powerless devices such as consumable chips.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical communication module for saving power, which can conveniently rewrite and upgrade the information of powerless devices such as consumable chips through optical signals. Background Art

[0002] During the printing process, printing devices (such as inkjet printers, laser printers, multifunctional all-in-one machines, etc.) require consumable cartridges such as ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and toner drums. Among them, the ink cartridge contains ink, and the toner cartridge and toner drum contain toner. These printing consumables have a shorter lifespan than the printing device, so users need to frequently purchase and replace the consumable cartridges during use. These consumable cartridges are generally placed in packaging boxes and sold in the form of packaged items after packaging.

[0003] In order to record the usage of the consumable cartridges installed in the printing device and identify and authenticate the consumable cartridges, removable consumable chips are installed on the consumable cartridges, such as the toner cartridge chip on the toner drum. The toner cartridge chip is used to store relevant data of the toner drum, such as toner color, authentication code, serial number, remaining toner amount, page yield (the maximum number of pages that can be printed), the number of pages printed, manufacturer, production date, and other data.

[0004] However, in order to improve the authentication ability of the consumable chips, the original manufacturers often upgrade the firmware of the printing device. For example, for the already sold printing devices, new verification methods are applied to the printing device by means of firmware push and user download and installation; for the printing devices that have not been sold or are in production, the latest firmware is applied to the printing device and then sold. The new verification methods often include enabling new instructions, updating the serial number blacklist, reading more data, etc.

[0005] Therefore, if the verification method of the consumable chip on the already sold consumable cartridge is not correspondingly upgraded, it is very likely that the consumable chip cannot be recognized by the printing device, which will cause the purchased consumable cartridge to be unusable. On the other hand, in the existing production standards, the consumable cartridges are generally first wrapped and encapsulated with plastic bags, plastic cases, and plastic films and then placed into the packaging boxes. Therefore, if the consumable cartridge has been placed into the packaging box, it is impossible to access the consumable chip on the consumable cartridge.

[0006] It can be seen that in the prior art, if it is necessary to upgrade the already sold consumable cartridge, it is necessary to remove the external packaging box, plastic case, plastic bag, or plastic film to facilitate accessing the consumable chip with the upgrade device; after the upgrade is completed, the consumable cartridge is wrapped and encapsulated with a plastic bag, plastic case, and plastic film, and then placed into the packaging box. However, during the entire upgrade process, it is necessary to first remove the packaging and then repackage, which not only makes the upgrade process lengthy and increases the labor cost of upgrading, but also wastes a part of the packaging materials.

[0007] When existing consumable cartridges are sold, they are packaged in a packaging box. If it is necessary to rewrite data or upgrade the consumable chip on the consumable cartridge, the packaging needs to be removed to provide power and write signals to powerless devices such as the consumable chip. On the other hand, even if a window is opened on the packaging box, through which the consumable chip can be powered and read / written / upgraded, the shapes of different consumable cartridges may be different, and the installation positions of the chips may not be convenient for reading, writing, and upgrading. Moreover, in order to facilitate the reading, writing, and upgrading of the chip, it may be necessary to open a relatively large penetrable window, which has a greater impact on the sealing performance and anti-collision performance of the packaging. For a packaging piece where the position of the consumable chip is far from the outer surface of the packaging box, the reading, writing, and upgrading device needs to be provided with a slender test head, and the contacts on the chip are small. To ensure stable electrical contact, the chip needs to be firmly fixed. However, it is difficult to fix the consumable chip outside the packaging box. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical communication module for a consumable chip, a consumable chip including the optical communication module, and an upgrading device for upgrading the consumable chip through an optical signal.

[0009] The present invention provides an optical communication module, which is characterized by including a power management part, an optical communication part, and an output part, wherein,

[0010] The power management part is configured to provide power to the optical communication part after receiving a preset optical signal;

[0011] The optical communication part is configured to receive an optical communication signal and convert the optical communication signal into a decoded signal;

[0012] The output part is configured to output the power and the decoded signal externally.

[0013] In other embodiments, the power management part includes a battery and a photosensitive switch. After the photosensitive switch receives a preset optical signal, the photosensitive switch is turned on, so that the battery can provide power to the optical communication part.

[0014] In other embodiments, the optical communication part includes an optical coupling device and a signal processing circuit. The optical coupling device receives the optical communication signal and converts it into an electrical communication signal, and the signal processing circuit converts the electrical communication signal into a decoded signal.

[0015] In other embodiments, the signal processing circuit includes different types of protocol conversion circuits or protocol conversion programs.

[0016] In other embodiments, the output section is configured to output the power supply output by the power management section and the decoded signal of the optical communication section to the consumable chip if the optical communication module is electrically connected to the consumable chip.

[0017] In other embodiments, the photosensitive switch is a photosensitive resistor. One end of the photosensitive resistor is connected to the battery, and the other end is connected to the optical communication section.

[0018] The present invention also provides a consumable chip assembly, including a consumable chip and the optical communication module of any one of the above.

[0019] The present invention also provides a consumable chip, including a main control circuit and the optical communication module of any one of the above.

[0020] The present invention also provides a consumable cartridge, including the above consumable chip assembly or the above consumable chip.

[0021] The present invention also provides an upgrading device for upgrading a consumable chip, including a first optical transmitter for emitting continuous invisible light; and a second optical transmitter for emitting visible light carrying a communication signal. When the upgrading device is used to upgrade the consumable chip, the first optical transmitter emits a preset optical signal to the optical communication module connected to the consumable chip to activate the power supply on the optical communication module; the second transmitter sends an optical communication signal to the optical communication module, and transmits the signal of the upgrading device to the consumable chip through the optical communication module; the optical communication module is the optical communication module of any one of the above.

[0022] It can be seen that by irradiating the consumable chip with different optical transmitters, the battery of the consumable chip is turned on and the data of the upgrading device is transmitted to the consumable chip through optical communication, so as to read and write data to the consumable chip and upgrade the consumable chip. In this way, when upgrading the consumable chip, there is no need to remove the packaging box, and there is no need to open a large programming window on the packaging box, ensuring that the packaging box has a certain degree of sealing. Since light can travel a long distance, the consumable chip does not need to be placed close to the packaging box, nor does it need to accurately fix the packaging box and the consumable chip, reducing the fixing difficulty of the packaging box.

[0023] In addition, using the optical signal as the signal to activate the battery in the consumable chip enables the battery power not to be used in advance, reducing power waste, ensuring that the battery can provide sufficient working power for the optical communication module for a long time, and enabling the optical coupling devices such as the photosensitive diodes of the optical communication module to perform optical communication for a long time to complete one or more upgrades of the consumable chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present application, and thus should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other related drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an optical communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of another optical communication module of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of yet another optical communication module of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 It is a detection circuit diagram for identifying photocurrent according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 It is a circuit diagram for detecting and identifying output voltage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram for setting the reference voltage for identifying output voltage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 It is a comparison diagram of input and output waveforms for detecting and identifying a certain output voltage according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of a consumable chip component of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structural composition of a consumable chip of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 10 It is a perspective view of upgrading a consumable chip in an imaging cartridge using an upgrading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 11 It is a flowchart of upgrading a consumable chip using light provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and illustrated herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application claimed, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0037] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0038] Embodiment 1

[0039] The present invention provides a solution that can read and write data to and upgrade a consumable chip without opening a large window on the packaging box, which can maintain the sealing of the packaging box, reduce the difficulty of fixing the consumable, and does not require strict fixing of the consumable chip.

[0040] As Figure 1 shown, the optical communication module provided by the present invention includes a power management part 314, an optical communication part 310, and an output part 318. The power management part 314 is configured to (for) provide power to the optical communication part 310 after receiving a preset optical signal; the optical communication part 310 is used to start working when receiving power, receive an optical communication signal and convert the optical communication signal into a decoded signal; the output part is used to output power and the decoded signal externally. If the optical communication module is electrically connected to a consumable chip, the output part outputs the power output by the power management part and the decoded signal of the optical communication part to the consumable chip. Among them, the optical communication part 310 includes a signal processing circuit 312 and a photodiode PD (used as a photoreceiver) for optical coupling. Among them, the P2 port of the signal processing circuit 312 is the power input terminal of the signal processing circuit, and P3 is the optical coupling signal port. The signal processing circuit may include a memory for storing data, a controller or CPU for executing programs or instructions, or an application-specific integrated circuit ASIC for executing specific logic functions, such as a hardware encryption algorithm, a digital signal processor DSP, etc. The signal processing circuit 312 may also include other ports, such as communication ports (I / O ports) for communicating with the consumable chip. These communication ports may be electrically connected to the contacts, antennas, or coils on the circuit board of the consumable chip, and the optical communication module can communicate with the consumable chip in a contact or non-contact manner.

[0041] In some scenarios, the consumable cartridge may need to be placed for a long time before it is used. During this period, if the power management section keeps powering the optical communication section, it will cause waste of battery power and even lead to depletion of the battery power. If the battery power is depleted, the optical communication module will not work, which will further cause the consumable chip unable to complete the upgrade.

[0042] In order to achieve a certain degree of sealing for the packaging box even with a window / burning opening, the optical communication module for the consumable chip provided by the present invention includes a power management section 314 and an optical communication section 310 for optical coupling and communication. In this way, the consumable chip can be upgraded, read, and written through the optical communication module by the upgrade device without contact. Therefore, there is no need to open a penetrating window on the packaging box, and only a small light-transmitting window can be opened while maintaining the seal of the packaging box. Among them, the power management section 314 is used to supply power to the optical communication section 310 to meet the requirements for the consumable chip connected to the optical communication module to complete read / write and upgrade operations using the received optical signal. In reality, there is a situation where the optical signal alone cannot supply power to the optical communication module and the consumable chip because the consumable chip may be a device without its own power supply. In this case, when upgrading the consumable chip, power needs to be supplied to the consumable chip to enable it to cooperate to complete the upgrade process. In addition, since the optical signal can propagate over a long distance and the spot of the optical signal is large (usually larger than the contact area of the consumable chip), there is no need for precise alignment during information input, which reduces the position requirements for the consumable chip in the packaging box or packaging bag.

[0043] To achieve this function, Figure 1 the power management section 314 in

[0044] includes a battery Pw for supplying power and a photoresistor Rg serving as a photosensitive switch. The power output terminal (positive electrode) of the battery Pw is connected to one end of the photoresistor Rg, and the other end of the photoresistor Rg is connected to the power input terminal P2 of the signal processing circuit 312. The working principle of this power management section 314 is as follows:

[0045] By designing the power management section 314 of the present invention in this way, the advantage is that the battery Pw does not start supplying power to the optical communication section and the consumable chip to be connected after production. Instead, it starts supplying power to the optical communication section only when a predetermined optical signal is received, which can save the power of the battery Pw and avoid the optical communication module using the power of the battery during non-optical communication periods. Instead, it is limited to enabling the battery Pw only when the upgrading device needs to communicate with the optical communication module, ensuring that the optical communication module or the consumable chip has sufficient power during optical communication and avoiding communication anomalies. In this way, there is no need to set a large-capacity battery in the optical communication module or the consumable chip, thereby reducing costs and decreasing the volume of the consumable chip. For a consumable chip without power or only having a small-capacity battery, the optical communication module of the present application can also be used to upgrade it.

[0046] Figure 1 In this, the optical communication module of the present invention exemplarily uses a photodiode PD as the device for optical coupling (optical receiver). In other embodiments, according to the performance and requirements of the product design, the device for optical coupling, in addition to the above-mentioned photodiode, can also be other photosensitive devices, such as a photo-transistor, a photoresistor, and so on. Among them, the reverse-biased photodiode PD is connected to the optical coupling signal connection terminal P3 of the signal processing circuit 312, that is, the P pole of the photodiode PD is connected to a low voltage, and the N pole is connected to a high voltage.

[0047] When there is no light irradiation, the reverse resistance of the photodiode PD is very large, and the reverse current is very small. The photodiode is in a cut-off state. The reverse current is also called the dark current, and this current is very small. When irradiated by light, near the PN junction in the photodiode PD, photons bombard and absorb their energy to generate electron-hole pairs, so that the concentration of minority carriers in the P region and the N region of the PN junction increases greatly. Therefore, under the action of the applied reverse bias and the internal electric field, the minority carriers in the P region cross the blocking layer and enter the N region, and the minority carriers in the N region cross the blocking layer and enter the P region, thus greatly increasing the reverse current passing through the PN junction, which forms the photocurrent. The photocurrent is much larger than the dark current. Obviously, the photodiode PD can convert the received optical communication signal into an electrical communication signal. Therefore, the signal processing circuit 312 can identify and detect the dark current and photocurrent (i.e., the electrical communication signal) flowing through the photodiode PD through the optical coupling port P3, so as to identify the optical communication signal transmitted by the upgrading device by irradiating the photodiode PD.

[0048] After the signal processing circuit 312 identifies the optical communication signal into an electrical communication signal, it processes the electrical communication signal through demodulation, data decoding, protocol conversion, etc., so as to convert the dark current and photocurrent that change with the optical communication signal into a decoding signal that the consumable chip can directly identify and process, and transmits the decoding signal to the consumable chip that needs to be upgraded through the output part 318. According to the consumable chip to be applied, the signal processing circuit 312 may include different types of protocol conversion circuits or protocol conversion programs, such as common IIC protocol circuits / programs, RFID protocol circuits / programs, single-bus protocol circuits / programs, and so on.

[0049] Before the consumable chip is installed in the printing device, the consumable chip has no working power supply. The output part 318 has two functions. One is that when the output part is connected to the consumable chip, the output part selectively supplies power to the consumable chip according to the power supply situation of the power management part 314 and the optical communication signal received by the optical communication part 310. Another function is that the output part can transmit a decoding signal that the consumable chip can directly identify and process to the consumable chip. Figure 1 In the example, the output part includes the conventional power VCC terminal, clock CLOCK terminal, data DATA terminal, and ground GND terminal of the IIC protocol. It can be seen that the signal processing circuit 312 has the circuit logic or computer program to convert the optical communication signal received by the photodiode PD of the optical communication part 310 into a decoding signal that matches the IIC communication protocol. In other embodiments, the output part 318 may also include output terminals, antennas, or coils of other communication protocols, such as contact communication with two or three terminals or non-contact communication such as NFC and RFID.

[0050] Figure 1 In the optical communication module shown, a photoresistor is used as a photosensitive switch as an example to control when to turn on the photosensitive switch, so that the battery can supply power to the optical communication part. The photoresistor can be an ultraviolet photoresistor, an infrared photoresistor, or a visible light photoresistor. In other embodiments, the photosensitive switch can also be a photodiode or a photo transistor. Figure 2In the optical communication module shown, as another embodiment, the photosensitive triode Tp is used as the photosensitive switch. The collector or emitter of the photosensitive triode Tp is connected to the battery Pw, and the base is left floating to receive the optical signal. Correspondingly, the emitter or collector is connected to the power input port P2 of the signal processing circuit 312. The photosensitive triode Tp can control the magnitude of the collector current according to the intensity of the light, so that the photosensitive triode Tp is in different working states. The photosensitive triode Tp only leads out the collector and the emitter, and the base serves as the optical reception window. When there is no light irradiation, the photosensitive triode Tp is in the cut-off state and no electrical signal is output. When the optical signal irradiates the base of the photosensitive triode Tp, the photosensitive triode Tp conducts. First, the photoelectric conversion is realized through the photodiode, and then the photocurrent is amplified through the triode, and the amplified electrical signal is output from the emitter or collector. Therefore, after the photosensitive triode Tp conducts, the battery can supply power to the optical communication part.

[0051] In other embodiments, considering that when the photosensitive resistor Rg is used alone in the photosensitive switch, its bright resistance may require a relatively high light intensity to maintain a low resistance value. Otherwise, a voltage drop and voltage division will be formed in the photosensitive resistor Rg, resulting in a low power supply voltage input to the signal processing circuit 312. Therefore, in Figure 3 an improved implementation scheme is provided. Figure 3 In the power management part of the optical communication module, in addition to including the photosensitive resistor Rg, it also includes a transistor T1 used as a switch. Among them, the input terminal (source or drain) of the transistor T1 is connected to the positive pole of the battery Pw, the output terminal (drain or source) of the transistor T1 is connected to the power input port P2 of the signal processing circuit 312, and both ends of the photosensitive resistor Rg are connected between the input terminal and the control terminal of the transistor T1. When there is no light irradiating the photosensitive resistor Rg, the dark resistance of the photosensitive resistor Rg is large enough, and the photosensitive resistor Rg is in the blocking state. Therefore, the control terminal of the transistor T1 does not receive a suitable turn-on voltage, and the transistor T1 is in the cut-off state, and the battery Pw cannot supply power to the optical communication part 310 through the transistor T1. When a preset optical start signal with sufficient intensity irradiates the photosensitive resistor Rg, the resistance value of the photosensitive resistor Rg becomes smaller, so that the battery Pw can apply a turn-on voltage to the control terminal of the transistor T1 through the photosensitive resistor Rg, then the transistor T1 conducts, and the battery Pw starts to supply power to the optical communication part 310 through the transistor T1. Further, in order to make the voltage at the control terminal of the transistor T1 more stable, a voltage dividing resistor R1 can also be connected in series between the control terminal of the transistor T1 and the ground potential GND. Even further, a voltage stabilizing capacitor C1 is connected in parallel on the voltage dividing resistor R1. Preferably, the resistance value of the voltage dividing resistor R1 is greater than the bright resistance of the photosensitive resistor Rg to ensure that the control terminal of the transistor T1 can have a high enough turn-on voltage.

[0052] Those skilled in the art can understand that the transistor T1 used as a switch can be a triode, a field-effect transistor, or other controllable switches, such as a transmission gate circuit.

[0053] There are various ways to identify and detect the dark current and photocurrent of the photodiode PD. Figure 4 The shown circuit diagram provides a way of identification and detection. As Figure 4 shown, when a reverse voltage is applied to the photodiode PD through the battery Pw, the load resistor RL is connected in series with the photodiode PD. By detecting the output voltage Vo generated after flowing through the load resistor RL, the optical signal received by the photodiode PD can be converted into a current or voltage signal. Therefore, by irradiating the optical receiver or optical coupling device (photodiode PD) on the optical communication module with changing light, information can be transmitted to the optical communication module through the changing optical signal (the light satisfying this condition is defined as the optical communication signal here). When the optical communication module is used with the consumable chip, data writing and upgrading of the consumable chip can be realized without contact. Among them, Figure 4 the load resistor RL connected in series with the photodiode PD can be set in the signal processing circuit 312 or outside the signal processing circuit 312, for example, connected in series between the P3 port of the signal processing circuit and the ground signal GND.

[0054] To detect and identify the signal characteristics of the output voltage Vo, a feasible implementation is to input the output voltage Vo into an operational amplifier or a voltage comparator, so that the optical signal received by the optical coupling element can be converted into high and low levels representing digital signals. For example, Figure 5 and Figure 6 in, the output voltage Vo can be input into operational amplifiers A1 and A2 with preset different reference voltages Vref1 and Vref2 respectively. Figure 6 The exemplary description in is the case where the reference voltage Vref1 is higher than Vref2. Therefore, for the operational amplifier A1, only when the output voltage Vo is higher than the reference voltage Vref1, its output terminal OUT1 can output a high level. On the other hand, for the operational amplifier A2, only when the output voltage Vo is higher than the reference voltage Vref2, its output terminal OUT2 can output a high level. When not higher than these two reference voltages, both output terminals OUT1 and OUT2 will output low levels.

[0055] Figure 7 Exemplarily, through a waveform of an output voltage Vo, the conversion process of the signal conversion circuit including operational amplifiers A1 and A2 in Figure 5 is described. Among them Figure 7 the output voltage Vo in is based on Figure 4After the photodiode PD in it receives different photocurrents generated by light signals of different intensities, the load voltage obtained by flowing through the load resistor RL. In the present invention, the light intensity corresponding to the high level (e.g., 4 - 5V) in the generated output voltage Vo is defined as high-intensity light, the light intensity corresponding to the medium level (e.g., 2 - 3V) in the generated output voltage Vo is defined as medium-intensity light, and the light intensity corresponding to the low level (e.g., 0 - 1V) in the generated output voltage Vo is defined as weak light or no light. Therefore, when Figure 7 the output voltage Vo in it is input to Figure 5 the signal conversion circuit shown, after comparison by operational amplifiers A1 and A2, the waveforms of the output terminals OU1 and OUT2 are as Figure 7 shown. Obviously, the waveform of OUT1 is the clock signal for optical signal transmission, and the waveform of OUT2 is the data signal for optical signal transmission. If the binary digit "1" represents the high level and "0" represents the low level, then by using the waveform of OUT1 to identify the waveform of OUT2 (e.g., sampling the data signal during the low-level period of the clock signal), the data "10010" transmitted by light to the optical communication module can be obtained. Therefore, for an upgrading device or a burning device that uses light to transmit signals to the optical communication module and the consumable chip of the present invention, its optical transmitter can transmit the clock signal through high-intensity light and transmit the data signal through medium-intensity light and no / weak light.

[0056] The present invention also provides a consumable chip component, as Figure 8 shown. The consumable chip component includes a consumable chip and the above-mentioned optical communication module, and the optical communication module is connected to the consumable chip. Therefore, after adopting the optical communication module of the present invention, there is no need to redesign and produce the existing consumable chips. It only needs to electrically connect the optical communication module to the original signal contacts, burning contacts, antenna or coil of the consumable chip by means of welding, pasting, connectors, etc., saving costs and accelerating the development and solution upgrading process. It can be understood that the consumable chip may include a memory, a control circuit and input / output interfaces (contacts, coils or antennas, etc.), which are used to record the usage situation of the consumable cartridge and interact with the printing device to complete the identification and authentication of the consumable cartridge.

[0057] The present invention also provides a consumable chip, as Figure 9As shown, the consumable chip includes a main control circuit and the above optical communication module. The optical communication module is connected to the main control circuit. Therefore, after adopting the optical communication module of the present invention, there is no need to re-design and produce the wafer (integrated circuit) or the main control circuit part of the existing consumable chip. It only needs to set the optical communication module on the same circuit board as the main control circuit and electrically connect it to the original signal contacts or programming contacts of the consumable chip by means of welding, pasting, connectors, etc., thus saving costs and accelerating the development and upgrade process. It can be understood that the main control circuit may include a memory, a control circuit, and input / output interfaces (contacts, coils, or antennas, etc.), which are used to record the usage of the consumable cartridge and interact with the printing device to complete the identification and authentication of the consumable cartridge.

[0058] The present invention also provides a consumable cartridge on which the aforementioned consumable chip or consumable chip assembly is installed.

[0059] Finally, in combination with Figure 10 the system block diagram shown in Figure 50 for upgrading the consumable chip 31 or consumable chip assembly in the packaging box 10 by the upgrading device 50 to illustrate the working principle of the upgrading device 50 of the present invention.

[0060] As Figure 10 shown, there is an upgrading device for upgrading the consumable chip. After the consumable cartridge / imaging cartridge 30 is packaged in an evacuated vacuum bag 20, it is placed in a paper packaging box 10. On the packaging box 10, there is a programming opening 11 or the aforementioned programming window dug out. At the position corresponding to the programming opening 11 is the position where the optical communication module of the consumable chip 31 (or consumable chip assembly) on the imaging cartridge 30 is located. In other embodiments, for the packaging of the consumable cartridge / imaging cartridge 30, it is also possible not to use an evacuated vacuum bag, but an ordinary plastic bag without evacuated air; or the consumable cartridge / imaging cartridge is placed in a plastic shell and then placed in the packaging box. The vacuum property and light transmittance of the plastic bag can be selected according to actual needs and are not limited.

[0061] The consumable chip 31 (or consumable chip assembly) includes a photosensitive switch 32 and a photoreceiver 33. In one embodiment, the photosensitive switch 32 is Figure 1 the photosensitive resistor Rg in Figure 1In the photosensitive diode PD therein, the upgrading device 50 can emit light to the consumable chip or the consumable chip assembly through the first light emitter 51 and the second light emitter 52 provided on the upgrading device, so as to enable the battery Pw of the optical communication module on the consumable chip or the consumable chip assembly, and transmit the data to be written into the consumable chip. Therefore, the two light emitters included in the upgrading device have two different divisions of labor respectively. One is used to control whether the battery is powered or not, and the other is used to transmit communication data to the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly. Among them, the first light emitter is used to emit continuous invisible light. When the upgrading device 50 is used to upgrade the consumable chip, the first light emitter emits a light start signal to the consumable chip to start the power supply on the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly, so that the consumable chip or the optical communication module can enter the working state. When the upgrade of the consumable chip is completed, in order to save the battery power in the optical communication module, the first light emitter of the upgrading device 50 can stop emitting light. The second light emitter is used to emit visible light carrying communication signals. When the upgrading device 50 is used to upgrade the consumable chip, the data that needs to be written into the consumable chip by the programming device and the upgrading device is first converted into a driving signal of the second light emitter through the internal optical modulation circuit, and the data is transmitted to the consumable chip with a changing optical signal. In this way, the optical communication signal sent by the second emitter to the consumable chip can transmit the communication signal to the consumable chip. The first light emitter 51 and the second light emitter 52 here can be light-emitting devices such as LEDs, lasers, and tungsten filament lamps. As described above, it is required that both the programming opening 11 and the vacuum bag 20 are light-transmissive. In addition, in order to reduce the influence of ambient light, the vacuum bag 20 can be made of black or dark transparent / light-transmissive materials, or the programming opening 11 can be sealed or blocked with black or dark transparent / light-transmissive materials. Packaging materials such as packaging bags and packaging boxes do not have to be evacuated vacuum bags, but ordinary plastic bags without evacuated air. The vacuum property and light-transmittance can be selected according to actual needs and are not limited.

[0062] In one embodiment, in order to improve the sealing performance of the packaging box, the programming window and the programming opening can be sealed by a seal. It can be understood that the seal should be made of a light-transmissive material. For example, it is made of a light-transmissive plastic film, plastic plate, acrylic plate or sheet.

[0063] The upgrading process of the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly using the upgrading device of the present invention is generally as follows: The first light emitter of the upgrading device emits light towards the photosensitive switch of the optical communication module. The optical communication module is powered on and starts to work, thereby supplying power to the consumable chip. Then, the second light emitter of the upgrading device emits light towards the optical coupling device of the optical communication module, that is, sends an optical communication signal to the consumable chip. The optical receiver of the optical communication module receives the optical communication signal, decodes the optical communication signal, and converts it into a decoded signal that the consumable chip can recognize and conforms to the signal format / protocol, and finally transmits it to the consumable chip through the output part of the optical communication module.

[0064] The upgrading device of the present invention uses two different light emitters. One continuously emits light (invisible light) to the photosensitive switch to maintain power supply; and the other is for communication and can use visible light for communication. The first light emitter is used to emit invisible light (ultraviolet light or infrared light), mainly to avoid the battery of the optical communication module from leaking electricity under natural light. The main energy distribution of natural light (sunlight reaching the earth's surface) is in the visible light band, followed by the infrared light band, and the energy proportion in the ultraviolet light band is the least. Correspondingly, the photosensitive switch of the optical communication module can be selected as an ultraviolet photosensitive resistor / diode / triode, or an infrared photosensitive resistor / diode / triode, so as to ensure that the photosensitive switch of the optical communication module will only be turned on when the first light emitter of the upgrading device emits invisible light, thus avoiding early battery discharge. The second light emitter is used to emit visible light. The environment inside the packaging box is generally relatively dark, and there is less interference when communicating with visible light. When the ambient light is complex, the sensitivity of the optical receiver on the optical communication module can be reduced (correspondingly, the reference voltage of the comparator is increased), so that only the light from the second light emitter of the upgrading device is recognized as a high level when received, thereby weakening the influence of natural light on communication. It is recommended that the first light emitter be an ultraviolet light emitter and the photosensitive switch be an ultraviolet photosensitive resistor. On the other hand, a condensing lens can be provided in front of the two light emitters, so that the light emitted by the two is emitted towards the optical communication module in a direct and parallel manner, avoiding optical crosstalk between the light emitted by the first light emitter and the second light emitter respectively.

[0065] In addition, since the optical communication in the present invention is from the upgrading device to the consumable chip and is unidirectional. For example Figure 10 in, only a light signal is sent from the upgrading device 50 to the consumable chip 31 / consumable chip assembly. Therefore, the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly cannot feedback to the upgrading device whether it has received the light signal and whether the received light signal is normal through this light signal.

[0066] Therefore, in order to know whether the consumable chip has completed the upgrade, indicators such as LEDs (which can also be acoustic and optical means such as buzzers, light-emitting lamps, or a combination of the two) can be configured on the optical communication module / consumable chip / consumable chip assembly, and the indicator is connected to Figure 1 the signal processing circuit shown in the figure. During the optical communication process and after the chip upgrade is completed, the display / announcement method of the indicator (LED) changes to feedback relevant information, which is easy for users to identify. For example, during the optical communication upgrade process, the signal processing circuit can control the LED to flash; when the optical communication ends, if the signal processing circuit determines that the received signal is abnormal or the upgrade cannot be completed based on this signal, resulting in a failed upgrade, the signal processing circuit can control the LED to stay on for a certain number of seconds, such as 1 second. When the upgrade is successful, the signal processing circuit can control the LED to automatically turn off. On the upgrade device 50, a monitoring period can also be set, and the monitoring period is used to identify the feedback information of indicators such as LEDs configured on the optical communication module / consumable chip / consumable chip assembly.

[0067] In the present invention, optical coupling elements such as photoresistors and photodiodes can be elements sensitive to visible light, or can be optical coupling elements sensitive only to some wavelength bands such as infrared light and ultraviolet light. When different types of optical coupling elements are used, corresponding optical transmitters can be used for optical startup and optical communication. Considering that in the actual transportation and use environments of the consumable cartridge and packaging of the present invention, it is difficult to avoid ambient light such as visible light and light bulbs that are not very strong, therefore, in order to reduce the influence of such ambient light on the photoresistor Rg and photodiode PD, a film or thin plate with a light-attenuating effect can be attached to the above-mentioned programming opening 11, such as a gray-black transparent film, a dark transparent PVC plate, etc. Another solution is to add a light-attenuating coating / film on the photoresistor Rg and photodiode PD to reduce the influence of such ambient light and specific light. In this case, the communication light source / optical transmitter used in the upgrade device, programming device, etc. needs to increase the brightness or power of the light to offset the influence of such light-attenuating coatings, films, or thin plates.

[0068] Next, through Figure 11 a full-process description of the working principle of the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly of the present invention will be given.

[0069] Using the optical communication module of the present invention, it is possible to upgrade the consumable chip without removing the packaging box on the basis of the original consumable chip. After the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly is produced, when the optical communication module is not irradiated with light, the battery provided on the optical communication module does not supply power to the consumable chip, and the consumable chip is in a stopped state. When it is necessary to rewrite the data of the consumable chip using a programming device or an upgrade device, the optical communication unit on the programming device or upgrade device can be enabled (for example Figure 10The optical transmitters 51 and 52) in irradiate the light receiving unit on the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly with light. In Figure 11 In step S1 of, the optical communication module on the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly includes a photosensitive switch (photoresistor Rg), and the first optical transmitter of the upgrade device can be used to irradiate the photosensitive switch. In step S2, when the photosensitive switch such as the photoresistor Rg is irradiated by light, its resistance becomes smaller, so the photosensitive switch conducts. At this time, the power supply current provided by the battery Pw can flow through the photosensitive switch to supply power to the optical communication part. The optical communication part starts to work.

[0070] The optical communication module on the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly also includes a photoreceiver and an optical coupling device (such as a photosensitive diode PD). With the power supply, the optical communication part (signal processing circuit) of the optical communication module starts to work, and at this time, the photosensitive diode reverse-biased by the signal processing circuit is also in a working state. At this time, in step S3, the second optical transmitter of the upgrade device can be used to irradiate the photoreceiver of the optical communication module. Therefore, in step S4, when the upgrade device and the programming device irradiate the photosensitive diode PD (photoreceiver) with light, the changing light can cause the photosensitive diode PD to generate a changing reverse current (photocurrent), thus realizing the conversion of optical signals to electrical signals. At this time, the signal processing circuit of the optical communication module can identify the current generated by the photosensitive diode PD by means of a load resistor or other means of detecting the current flowing through the photosensitive diode PD. Therefore, in step S5, the current can be converted into a digital signal, and the signal processing circuit can write corresponding data into the memory in the consumable chip, or transmit control information, verification commands, encryption commands, etc. to the consumable chip according to the converted digital signal. Among them, when the programming device stops sending optical signals to the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly, the optical communication module / consumable chip / consumable chip assembly can identify and detect this situation through the photosensitive diode, and after the consumable chip completes internal data processing, data storage and other work, in step S6, it can feedback the result of optical communication to the user or the upgrade device through an indicator (acousto-optic elements such as an LED lamp, a buzzer, etc.) provided on the optical communication module / consumable chip assembly / consumable chip.

[0071] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present invention, the upgrade of the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly refers to writing or transmitting data and instructions to the consumable chip / consumable chip assembly to add, modify or delete data or program codes in the consumable chip.

[0072] As is known to those skilled in the art, in addition to the communication contacts described above, a consumable chip generally further includes a memory, an interface circuit for processing the signals received and transmitted by the communication contacts, and a circuit board for carrying the above-mentioned memory, interface circuit, and communication contacts. For a consumable chip with relatively complex functions, it may further include a control circuit or a CPU for controlling how the consumable chip responds to the access from a printing and imaging device. Data can be stored in the memory, including program instructions, codes, etc. that are to be executed by the CPU.

[0073] The packaging box or packaging bag in the present invention is used to package a consumable cartridge (such as an ink cartridge, a toner cartridge, or a drum unit), so as to facilitate transportation and sales. The consumable cartridge can be one of an ink cartridge, a drum unit, or a toner cartridge. Ink can be contained in the ink cartridge, while toner can be contained in the drum unit and the toner cartridge. Taking the ink cartridge as an example of the consumable cartridge, the ink cartridge generally includes an air inlet, an ink outlet, a positioning component, a mounting component, and also includes a consumable chip for recording the usage information of the ink cartridge and for identification and authentication.

[0074] For different communication methods, the communication interface of the consumable chip can adopt different circuit forms. In the foregoing embodiments, a consumable chip with contact communication is taken as an example for description, and the communication interface is a signal contact point (abbreviated as a contact). If it is through non-contact communication, the communication interface can include an antenna or a coil for wireless communication. Corresponding to the non-contact communication method, if the consumable chip includes an antenna or a coil, then in order to upgrade such a consumable chip, the probe of the upgrade device needs to be replaced with an antenna, and the consumable chip is upgraded through wireless communication.

[0075] The data stored in the memory can include data such as the chip address ID, production date, manufacturer, toner color, remaining toner amount, page yield, print page limit value, number of printed pages, drum unit serial number, number of toner refills, serial number of the used toner cartridge, and whether a toner cartridge has been added identifier.

[0076] In the present invention, the communication contacts are used to electrically connect to a printing and imaging device to achieve data access and communication verification. Specifically, they can include, for example, a power contact, a clock contact, a data contact, a ground contact, a reset contact, a chip select contact, etc., or contacts with multiplexed functions, such as a single bus (1-wire) protocol contact that can simultaneously transmit power, clock, and data.

[0077] Among them, the memory may be, but is not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Flash Memory, etc.

[0078] The control circuit may be an integrated circuit chip with the ability to process signals. The above control circuit may be a general-purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc. It may also be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0079] Those skilled in the art should understand that the consumable chip of the present application includes a memory and a processor (CPU). The memory is used to store program instruction codes, and the processor is used to execute the program instruction codes to implement the data processing method applied to the consumable chip in the above embodiments. The embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, a device, or a computer program product. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the embodiments of the present application may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk memories, CD-ROMs, optical memories, etc.) containing computer-usable program codes.

[0080] Embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, and the combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate means for implementing the specified functions in one or more flows Figure 1 one or more flows and / or blocks Figure 1 or means for implementing the specified functions in one or more blocks

[0081] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An optical communication module, characterized in that, it includes a power management part, an optical communication part and an output part, wherein, the power management part is configured to provide power to the optical communication part after receiving a preset optical signal; the optical communication part is configured to receive an optical communication signal and convert the optical communication signal into a decoded signal; the output part is configured to output the power and the decoded signal externally; the optical communication module can be part of a consumable chip or be used in cooperation with the consumable chip independently.

2. The optical communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, the power management part includes a battery and a photosensitive switch. After the photosensitive switch receives a preset optical signal, the photosensitive switch is turned on, so that the battery can provide power to the optical communication part.

3. The optical communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, the optical communication part includes an optical coupling device and a signal processing circuit. The optical coupling device receives an optical communication signal and converts it into an electrical communication signal, and the signal processing circuit converts the electrical communication signal into a decoded signal.

4. The optical communication module according to claim 3, characterized in that, the signal processing circuit includes different types of protocol conversion circuits or protocol conversion programs.

5. The optical communication module according to claim 1, characterized in that, the output part is used for electrically connecting the optical communication module to the consumable chip and outputting the power output by the power management part and the decoded signal of the optical communication part to the consumable chip.

6. The optical communication module according to claim 2, characterized in that, the photosensitive switch is a photosensitive resistor. One end of the photosensitive resistor is connected to the battery, and the other end is connected to the optical communication part.

7. A consumable chip assembly, characterized in that, it includes a consumable chip and the optical communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A consumable chip, characterized in that, it includes a main control circuit and the optical communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A consumable cartridge, characterized in that, it includes the consumable chip assembly according to claim 7 or the consumable chip according to claim 8.

10. An upgrading device for upgrading a consumable chip, characterized in that, it includes a first optical transmitter for emitting continuous invisible light; and a second optical transmitter for emitting visible light carrying a communication signal. When the upgrading device is used to upgrade a consumable chip, the first optical transmitter emits a preset optical signal to the optical communication module connected to the consumable chip to activate the power on the optical communication module; the second optical transmitter sends an optical communication signal to the optical communication module, and transmits the signal of the upgrading device to the consumable chip through the optical communication module; the optical communication module is the optical communication module according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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