Consumable chip, verification response method thereof, consumable container, and printing apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a consumable chip, a verification response method thereof, a consumable container and a printing device. In the verification response method, the consumable chip has a repair control unit and a main control unit. The method comprises the following steps: after the repair control unit receives an installation detection instruction, the main control unit changes a response to the installation detection instruction in at least one verification period; the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction is changed by the repair control unit, which comprises the following steps: the repair control unit makes the main control unit not respond to the installation detection instruction in the at least one verification period; and / or the repair control unit outputs a low-level signal in the at least one verification period; and / or the repair control unit outputs a high-level signal before the at least one verification period. The application also provides a consumable chip for implementing the above method, and a consumable container and a printing device with the consumable chip. The application can reduce the production cost of the consumable chip.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of printing equipment, in particular to a verification response method of a consumable chip on a printing equipment, and relates to a verification method of a consumable container. BACKGROUND

[0002] Printing equipment, as a common office equipment, provides great convenience for modern office. Common printing equipment is divided into inkjet printing equipment and laser printing equipment. Inkjet printing equipment uses an ink cartridge containing ink as a consumable container to spray ink on paper to form the text or pattern to be printed. Laser printing equipment uses a toner cartridge containing toner as a consumable container to form the text or pattern to be printed on a medium.

[0003] Referring to Figure 1 , a color inkjet printing equipment has a casing 11, Figure 1 The inkjet printing equipment shown in the figure omits the tray of the casing 11. The casing 11 is provided with a core 12 of the inkjet printing equipment and a slide bar. A print carriage 14 is driven by a motor (not shown in the figure) to reciprocate along the slide bar. The print carriage 14 is provided with a main control circuit board (not shown in the figure), which communicates with the core 12 through a wire 13. Figure 1 Figure 1 The print carriage 14 is detachably provided with a plurality of ink cartridges 15, which contain different colors of ink. The structure of the ink cartridge 15 is shown in The ink cartridge 15 has a cartridge body 16, which encloses a cavity containing ink. The lower end of the cavity is provided with an ink outlet 17. The ink in the cavity flows out through the ink outlet 17 and supplies ink to the ink supply needle of the print carriage 14.

[0004] Figure 2 The cartridge body 16 of the ink cartridge 15 is provided with a chip 18 on the outer wall. The chip 18 has a substrate, one side of which is provided with a plurality of connection terminals 19 for electrical connection with the contact pins on the print carriage 14. The other side of the substrate is provided with a memory (not shown in the figure). 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 unchangeable information. The variable information is information that changes with printing operation, such as ink remaining amount, printing time, number of printed paper, etc. The unchangeable information is information that does not change with printing operation, such as ink cartridge model, applicable inkjet printing equipment model, ink color, etc.

[0005] The cartridge body 16 of the ink cartridge 15 is provided with a chip 18 on the outer wall. The chip 18 has a substrate, one side of which is provided with a plurality of connection terminals 19 for electrical connection with the contact pins on the print carriage 14. The other side of the substrate is provided with a memory (not shown in the figure). 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 unchangeable information. The variable information is information that changes with printing operation, such as ink remaining amount, printing time, number of printed paper, etc. The unchangeable information is information that does not change with printing operation, such as ink cartridge model, applicable inkjet printing equipment model, ink color, etc. Figure 2

[0006] ​​After the ink cartridge 15 is installed to the print carriage 14 of the inkjet printing device, the inkjet printing device powers on the chip 18 and reads the data stored in the memory of the chip 18 to determine whether the ink cartridge 15 is of a proper model and whether the ink cartridge 15 has sufficient ink, etc. Only when the ink cartridge 15 is of a proper model and has sufficient ink, the inkjet printing device can perform printing.

[0007] Since multiple ink cartridges 15 are usually installed on the print carriage 14, the installation status of each ink cartridge 15 can be different, for example, some ink cartridges are correctly installed, and some ink cartridges can not be correctly installed and thus can not communicate with the inkjet printing device. Therefore, the inkjet printing device needs to verify each ink cartridge 15, for example, to detect whether the ink cartridge is correctly installed. Generally, the inkjet printing device needs to send a verification instruction to each ink cartridge, and after receiving the verification instruction, the ink cartridge needs to respond within a specified time, i.e., to send a correct verification response signal within a specified verification period. Only when the inkjet printing device receives the correct verification response signal sent by the ink cartridge within the specified verification period of the ink cartridge, the inkjet printing device will determine that the ink cartridge has been correctly installed, and then perform subsequent communication operations. If the inkjet printing device considers that an ink cartridge is not correctly installed, it will issue an alarm message and cannot perform subsequent communication operations or printing operations.

[0008] Currently, when the inkjet printing device communicates with each ink cartridge, it sends a clock signal through a clock signal line, as shown in Figure 3 The clock signal SCK is a periodically changing square wave signal, and each ink cartridge chip communicates with the inkjet printing device in synchronization with the clock signal SCK. When the inkjet printing device sends a verification instruction, it sends the same level signal on the data signal line SDA in two consecutive transmission periods, and each transmission period includes nine clock periods, for example, the first transmission period includes nine clock periods D1 to D9, and the second transmission period also includes nine clock periods D1 to D9. In the first transmission period, for a first color ink cartridge, when the inkjet printing device sends a verification instruction, the data signal SDA1 sent to the data signal line includes high level signals in the first clock period D1, the eighth clock period D8, and the ninth clock period D9, and low level signals in other clock periods. In the second transmission period, the inkjet printing device also sends high level signals in the first clock period D1, the eighth clock period D8, and the ninth clock period D9, and low level signals in other clock periods. When the first color ink cartridge receives high level signals in three corresponding clock periods D1, D8, and D9 in two consecutive transmission periods, it considers that the inkjet printing device sends a verification instruction for the first color ink cartridge to it, and needs to send a verification response signal within a specified verification period.

[0009] Referring to Figure 4, the verification period corresponding to the first color ink cartridge is the second half of the eighth clock cycle in the first response period and the whole time period of the eighth clock cycle in the second response period. Based on half of the clock cycle, the verification period corresponding to the first ink cartridge can include three verification periods, which are verification periods T1, T2 and T3, wherein the verification period T1 is the second half of the eighth clock cycle in the first response period, the verification period T2 is the first half of the eighth clock cycle in the second response period, and the verification period T3 is the second half of the eighth clock cycle in the second response period.

[0010] From Figure 4 It can be seen that in the first verification period T1, the ink cartridge needs to output a low level signal to the data signal line, in the first verification period T2, the ink cartridge needs to output a high level signal to the data signal line, and in the first verification period T3, the ink cartridge needs to output a low level signal to the data signal line. In other time periods, since the inkjet printing device does not detect the level of the data signal line SDA1, the ink cartridge can not output a level to the data signal line, at this time the data signal line presents a high impedance state, that is Figure 4 The part shown by the dashed line. If the ink cartridge cannot output the corresponding level signal in the above-mentioned manner, it will be considered by the inkjet printing device as not correctly installed, and will affect the subsequent communication operation. The case for the second color ink cartridge and the third color ink cartridge is the same as that of the first color ink cartridge, and will not be described again.

[0011] Referring to Figure 5 , some ink cartridge chips set the data terminal to a high impedance state in the first verification period T1 and the third verification period T3, and load a high level signal to the data signal line in the second verification period T2. Since there is a pull-down resistor on the data signal line of the inkjet printing device, in an ideal state, the data signal line will present a low level state in the first verification period T1 and the third verification period T3, thus meeting the verification requirements. However, in a real state, the high level signal on the clock signal line, the resistance difference of the pull-down resistor inside the inkjet printing device, the parasitic capacitance inside the ink cartridge chip, etc. will also affect the real voltage in the high impedance state, especially when the third verification period T3 is set to a high impedance state, the inkjet printing device may not detect a low level signal, and there is a risk that the inkjet printing device considers that the ink cartridge does not pass the verification. Referring to Figure 6 , some other ink cartridges set the data terminal to a high impedance state in the first verification period T1, load a high level signal to the data signal line in the second verification period T2, and load a low level signal to the data signal line in the third verification period T3, which can also meet the verification requirements.

[0012] However, since the response period of each color cartridge is immediately after the second sending period of the inkjet printing device, i.e. the next period after the second sending period is the first response period of the cartridge, each cartridge needs to respond in a very short time, and the processing time of the cartridge chip is very short. Moreover, the verification levels sent by the cartridge chip in the two response periods are not the same, especially the second verification period T2 and the third verification period T3 are in the same clock period, which requires the cartridge chip to have strong processing capability and be able to respond to the verification instruction of the inkjet printing device in a very short time.

[0013] To meet this requirement, most cartridge chips use application-specific integrated circuits to respond to the verification instruction. However, the functions of general application-specific integrated circuits are fixed after tape-out and cannot be changed. As introduced before, the application-specific integrated circuit fixes the function of using high impedance state instead of outputting low level signal in the first verification period T1 and the third verification period T3 at the beginning of design, so even if it is found later that the output state in the third verification period T3 is unstable, it cannot be changed. Alternatively, some application-specific integrated circuits have a long initialization time after power-on, and have not completed initialization until the inkjet printing device sends the installation detection instruction, or complete initialization in the installation detection instruction receiving stage. This will cause the application-specific integrated circuit to be unable to correctly respond to the installation detection instruction, but will not affect the response of subsequent other instructions. Redesigning a new application-specific integrated circuit requires a lot of manpower, material resources and time. If the cartridge chip uses a single-chip microcomputer to communicate with the inkjet printing device, the response speed of the single-chip microcomputer to the instruction is slower than that of the application-specific integrated circuit, and when processing other instructions of the inkjet printing device, it may cause slow printing speed and affect printing efficiency due to untimely response. SUMMARY

[0014] The first object of the present application is to provide a consumable chip verification response method which reduces the implementation difficulty of the cartridge chip and ensures the communication efficiency of the consumable chip and the printing device.

[0015] The second object of the present application is to provide a consumable chip applying the consumable chip verification response method.

[0016] The third object of the present application is to provide a consumable container applying the consumable chip.

[0017] The fourth object of the present application is to provide a printing device applying the consumable container.

[0018] To achieve the above first object, the consumable chip verification response method provided by the application has a repair control unit and a main control unit, and the method comprises the following steps: after the repair control unit receives an installation detection instruction, the repair control unit changes the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction within at least one verification period; the repair control unit changing the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction comprises the following steps: the repair control unit makes the main control unit not respond to the installation detection instruction within the at least one verification period; and / or the repair control unit outputs a low-level signal within the at least one verification period; and / or the repair control unit outputs a high-level signal before the at least one verification period.

[0019] As can be seen from the above scheme, after the consumable chip receives an installation detection instruction, the repair control unit changes the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction within at least one verification period. In this way, for the installation detection instruction, the repair control unit responds to the installation detection instruction by means of software. When the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction has defects, or the main control unit is not initialized and cannot respond to the installation detection instruction in time, the repair control unit can respond to the installation detection instruction. In this way, even if the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction has defects or cannot respond in time, the repair control unit can complete the response of the installation detection instruction, without the need to redesign a new main control unit, thereby reducing the production and design cost of the main control unit, and thus reducing the production cost of the consumable chip.

[0020] In addition, since the repair control unit can output a low-level signal within the verification period or output a high-level signal in advance, in the case that the main control unit such as an application-specific integrated circuit cannot correctly respond to the installation detection instruction, the repair control unit directly replaces the main control unit to send a signal. In this way, the main control unit can not need to respond to the installation detection instruction sent by the printing device, thereby reducing the production cost of the main control unit.

[0021] A preferred scheme is that the repair control unit makes the main control unit not respond to the installation detection instruction, which comprises the following steps: reducing a chip select signal to below a first preset level within a verification response period; or disconnecting the main control unit from a data signal line within the verification response period; or reducing a clock signal to below a second preset level within the verification response period.

[0022] As can be seen, in various ways, the main control unit cannot respond to the installation detection instruction sent by the printing device, thereby avoiding the situation that the repair control unit and the main control unit both send the installation detection instruction, resulting in communication errors.

[0023] Further, the step of disconnecting the main control unit from the data signal line during the verification response period comprises: setting a first switch tube on the consumable chip, a control end of the first switch tube receiving a control signal output by the repair control unit, the first switch tube further being connected between the data signal line and a data pin of the main control unit; during the verification response period, the repair control unit controlling the first switch tube to be off.

[0024] It can be seen that by setting the first switch tube and controlling the working state of the first switch tube, the communication between the data pin of the main control unit and the data signal line can be controlled, so that the main control unit cannot send a response signal to the printing device.

[0025] Optionally, the step of lowering the chip select signal below the first preset level during the verification response period comprises: setting a second switch tube on the consumable chip, a control end of the second switch tube receiving a control signal output by the repair control unit, the second switch tube further being connected between the chip select signal line and a chip select pin of the main control unit; during the verification response period, the repair control unit controlling the second switch tube to be off.

[0026] It can be seen that by setting the second switch tube and controlling the working state of the second switch tube, the main control unit cannot receive the chip select signal, and thus cannot respond to the installation detection instruction of the printing device.

[0027] Another optional solution is that the step of lowering the clock signal below the second preset level during the verification response period comprises: setting a third switch tube and a voltage stabilizing tube on the consumable chip, a control end of the third switch tube receiving a control signal output by the repair control unit, a first end of the voltage stabilizing tube being connected to the clock signal line and a clock pin of the main control unit, a second end of the voltage stabilizing tube being connected to the third switch tube; during the verification response period, the repair control unit making the third switch tube conductive and clamping the high level of the clock signal of the main control unit at a rated voltage value of the voltage stabilizing tube.

[0028] It can be seen that during the verification response period, the high level of the clock signal received by the main control unit is pulled down, which is equivalent to not receiving the clock signal, so that the main control unit will not respond to the installation detection instruction sent by the printing device.

[0029] Further, the repair control unit outputs a high level signal to the data signal line and maintains the voltage on the data signal line above the threshold voltage confirmed as a high level during the first verification period of the second group of verification periods after the first clock cycle of the second response period of the verification period.

[0030] Since the first and the second verification time periods of the second group of verification time periods are adjacent, the repair control unit can avoid monitoring the arrival of two verification time periods in a very short time by outputting the high-level signal in advance before the arrival of the first verification time period, and does not need to continuously switch the signal in a very short time, so that the operation amount of the repair control unit can be reduced, a low-cost microcontroller can be used to realize the repair control unit, and the production cost of the consumable chip is reduced.

[0031] Further, the repair control unit outputs a low-level signal to the data signal line at least in the second verification time period of the second group of verification time periods.

[0032] Therefore, when the main control unit is designed at the beginning, the high-impedance state is used to replace the low-level signal to respond to the installation detection instruction, and after the repair control unit outputs the low-level signal to the data signal line in the second verification time period of the second group of verification time periods, the problem that the main control unit outputs an unstable signal in the second verification time period of the second group of verification time periods can be solved.

[0033] Further, the repair control unit restores the response of the main control unit to other instructions sent by the printing device after changing the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction.

[0034] Therefore, the repair control unit is only used to change the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction, and the main control unit responds to other instructions. Since the main control unit is generally a dedicated integrated circuit, the response to other instructions is faster than that of the repair control unit, which can meet the demand of the inkjet printing device for fast response of the consumable chip. The function of the repair control unit is simple, and a low-cost microcontroller can be used to realize the repair control unit.

[0035] To achieve the second purpose, the consumable chip provided by the application includes a substrate, an electronic module and a plurality of connection terminals arranged on the substrate, and the electronic module is electrically connected with the connection terminals, wherein the electronic module includes a repair control unit and a main control unit, the repair control unit changes the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction in at least one verification time period after receiving the installation detection instruction; the repair control unit changing the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction includes: the repair control unit making the main control unit not responding to the installation detection instruction in the at least one verification time period; and / or the repair control unit outputting a low-level signal in the at least one verification time period; and / or the repair control unit outputting a high-level signal before the at least one verification time period.

[0036] To achieve the third purpose, the consumable container provided by the application includes a shell, a consumable containing cavity is formed in the shell, and the consumable chip is arranged on the outer wall of the shell.

[0037] To achieve the third object, the printing device provided by the present application comprises a body, a consumable container installation cavity is arranged in the body, and the consumable container installation cavity is installed with the consumable container. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a structural diagram of a prior art inkjet printing device.

[0039] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a structural diagram of a prior art ink cartridge.

[0040] Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a waveform timing diagram of a prior art inkjet printing device sending a verification instruction.

[0041] Figure 4 Fig. 4 is a waveform timing diagram of a prior art consumable chip sending a verification response signal.

[0042] Figure 5 Fig. 5 is a waveform timing diagram of a prior art consumable chip sending a verification response signal.

[0043] Figure 6 Fig. 6 is a waveform timing diagram of a prior art consumable chip sending a verification response signal.

[0044] Figure 7 Fig. 7 is an electrical schematic diagram of an embodiment of the consumable chip of the present application.

[0045] Figure 8 Fig. 8 is a waveform timing diagram of a consumable chip sending a verification response signal in a first embodiment of the verification response method of the consumable chip of the present application.

[0046] Figure 9 Fig. 9 is a waveform timing diagram of a consumable chip sending a verification response signal in a second embodiment of the verification response method of the consumable chip of the present application.

[0047] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The consumable chip verification response method of the present application can be applied to printing devices such as inkjet printing devices or laser printing devices, for example, the consumable chip is an ink cartridge chip installed on the side wall of an ink cartridge, the inkjet printing device can be installed with multiple ink cartridge chips, and preferably, the inkjet printing device and the ink cartridge chip communicate through a serial bus.

[0049] First embodiment:

[0050] The consumable container of the embodiment is a cartridge detachably mounted to an inkjet printing device, and the printing device of the embodiment is an inkjet printing device. The inkjet printing device has a body, and a printing carriage is arranged in the body as a consumable container mounting cavity. The cartridge is detachably mounted in the printing carriage. The cartridge is provided with a cartridge chip as a consumable chip. A surface of the cartridge chip is provided with a plurality of connection terminals, such as a clock terminal, a data terminal, a power terminal, a chip select terminal, and a ground terminal. The printing carriage of the inkjet printing device is provided with a contact pin rack, and the contact pin rack is provided with a plurality of contact pins. The connection terminals of the cartridge chip can be electrically connected to the contact pins. The inkjet printing device communicates with the plurality of cartridge chips in a serial manner through an SPI bus. For example, the serial bus is provided with a clock signal line, a data signal line, and a chip select signal line. The inkjet printing device outputs a clock signal to the clock signal line. Each cartridge chip receives the clock signal through the respective clock terminal and synchronously communicates with the inkjet printing device under the clock signal.

[0051] The cartridge chip further includes an electronic module. The electronic module includes a repair control unit and a main control unit. In the embodiment, the repair control unit is a single-chip microcomputer or other processor with programmable capability. The main control unit adopts an application-specific integrated circuit. The response speed of the main control unit to instructions is faster than that of the repair control unit. The plurality of connection terminals of the cartridge chip are electrically connected to the electronic module. Preferably, the repair control unit and the main control unit are both provided with a clock pin, a chip select pin, and a data pin. These pins are electrically connected to the clock terminal, the chip select terminal, and the data terminal on the surface of the cartridge chip and receive the signals of the clock terminal, the chip select terminal, and the data terminal on the surface of the cartridge chip.

[0052] In addition, each color cartridge chip and the inkjet printing device transmit data signals through the data signal line. For example, the data signal between the inkjet printing device and the first color cartridge is SDA1, the data signal between the inkjet printing device and the second color cartridge is SDA2, the data signal between the inkjet printing device and the third color cartridge is SDA3, and so on.

[0053] It should be noted that the above SDA1, SDA2, and SDA3 can be the same data signal line. In the figure, SDA1, SDA2, and SDA3 represent signals in different time periods on the data signal line. That is, the signal of the inkjet printing device in the first time period on the data signal line for communicating with the first color cartridge is SDA1. Similarly, the signal of the inkjet printing device in the second time period on the data signal line for communicating with the second color cartridge is SDA2, and the signal of the inkjet printing device in the third time period on the data signal line for communicating with the third color cartridge is SDA3. Meanwhile, the above SDA1, SDA2, and SDA3 can be different data signal lines. Different color cartridges are connected to the inkjet printing device through different data signal lines, and the inkjet printing device synchronously / asynchronously communicates with different color cartridges.

[0054] When the ink cartridge is installed to the print carriage, the inkjet printing device needs to verify the installation of each ink cartridge, that is, to determine whether each ink cartridge is correctly installed. Specifically, the inkjet printing device sends an installation detection instruction to each ink cartridge chip, for example, sends a high-level signal in the preset clock period of the first sending cycle, and sends a high-level signal in the preset clock period of the second sending cycle. Usually, the preset clock periods of the two sending cycles are the same. As shown in the following table, for the first color ink cartridge chip, the preset clock period is the eighth clock period D8, for the second color ink cartridge chip, the preset clock period is the seventh clock period D7, and so on. Figure 3

[0055] After receiving the corresponding installation detection instruction, the ink cartridge chip needs to respond within a specified time, that is, output a verification response signal to the inkjet printing device. As introduced before, the first color ink cartridge needs to output a low-level signal in the second half of the eighth clock period D8 of the first response cycle, and output a high-level signal in the first half of the eighth clock period D8 of the second response cycle, and output a low-level signal in the second half of the eighth clock period D8 of the second response cycle.

[0056] Therefore, the ink cartridge chip needs to determine the verification period corresponding to the received installation detection instruction, for example, the second half of the eighth clock period D8 of the first response cycle is the first verification period T1, the first half of the eighth clock period D8 of the second response cycle is the second verification period T2, and the second half of the eighth clock period D8 of the second response cycle is the third verification period T3.

[0057] ​Since the second verification period T2 and the third verification period T3 are in the same clock cycle, the ink cartridge chip needs to switch the level twice in the same clock cycle, which requires high computing processing capacity of the ink cartridge chip. Therefore, the main control unit of the general ink cartridge chip adopts a special integrated circuit, and the response of the installation detection instruction is solidified. The solidification here refers to that the judgment and response of the installation detection instruction do not need to pass through the computing processing of the core of the special integrated circuit, but a module composed of a gate circuit and the like is specially designed to process. Since the hardware module generally cannot change its function through software configuration, the function of the general special integrated circuit is fixed after the chip is manufactured. In the embodiment, the repair control unit such as a single-chip microcomputer responds to the installation detection instruction sent by the inkjet printing device by running a software program in the verification response period. In order to avoid that the main control unit also sends a signal to the inkjet printing device in the verification response period, especially when the initialization time of the main control unit is too long and the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction cannot be determined, the repair control unit needs to make the main control unit not respond to the installation detection instruction sent by the inkjet printing device in at least one verification period of the verification response period. The verification response period of the embodiment includes a first response period and a second response period.

[0058] Specifically, after the ink cartridge is installed into the inkjet printing device, the ink cartridge chip is powered on. At this time, the repair control unit will determine whether the installation detection instruction sent by the inkjet printing device is received. If it is confirmed that the installation detection instruction is received, the repair control unit will avoid the main control unit from responding to the installation detection instruction by controlling the on-off mode of the plurality of switching tubes.

[0059] Specifically, the embodiment can avoid the main control unit from responding to the installation detection instruction in three ways, which are processing the data pin, the chip selection pin and the clock pin of the main control unit. For the three ways, a plurality of switching tubes need to be arranged in the electronic module. Referring to Figure 7 , the plurality of switching tubes include a first switching tube Q1, a second switching tube Q2 and a third switching tube Q3. Preferably, the first switching tube Q1, the second switching tube Q2 and the third switching tube Q3 are all field effect tubes, and all receive the control signal output by the repair control unit. The repair control unit controls the on-off of the first switching tube Q1, the second switching tube Q2 and the third switching tube Q3.

[0060] For the first mode, the communication between the data signal line DAT PR and the data pin DAT ASIC of the main control unit needs to be cut off by the first switch tube Q1 during the verification response period. It should be noted that the data signal line DAT PR and the data signal lines SDA1, SDA2 and SDA3 mentioned above are actually the same data signal line. Specifically, the first switch tube Q1 is connected between the data signal line DAT PR and the data pin DAT ASIC of the main control unit, and the control end, i.e. the gate of the first switch tube Q1, is connected to the repair control unit, for example, connected to the data control pin DAT CTL MCU of the repair control unit. During normal communication, the pull-up resistor R1 makes the first switch tube Q1 in the on state, at this time, the data signal line DAT PR and the data pin DAT ASIC of the main control unit are in a pass-through state, and the main control unit can normally receive the instructions sent by the inkjet printing device and respond. When the repair control unit receives the installation detection instruction, it will control the first switch tube Q1 to be in the off state, thereby disconnecting the electrical connection between the data signal line DAT PR and the data pin DAT ASIC of the main control unit. And since the data signal line DAT PR is also connected to the data pin DAT MCU of the repair control unit, the repair control unit can normally receive all the instructions sent by the inkjet printing device and determine whether it is the installation detection instruction of the target color. Therefore, during the verification response period, the main control unit will not be able to send data to the inkjet printing device, and the repair control unit will send a response signal to the inkjet printing device. After the verification ends, the repair control unit controls the first switch tube Q1 to be on, and the main control unit responds to other instructions of the inkjet printing device.

[0061] For the second mode, the chip select signal received by the main control unit needs to be reduced below the first preset level during the verification response period through the second switch tube Q2. Specifically, the second switch tube Q2 is connected between the chip select signal line CS PR and the chip select pin CS ASIC of the main control unit, and the control end, i.e., the gate of the second switch tube Q2 is connected to the repair control unit, for example, the chip select control pin CS CTL MCU of the repair control unit. During normal communication, the pull-up resistor R2 makes the second switch tube Q2 in the on state, at this time, the chip select signal line CS PR and the chip select pin CS ASIC of the main control unit are in a pass-through state, and the main control unit can normally receive the instructions sent by the inkjet printing device and respond. When the repair control unit receives the installation detection instruction, the second switch tube Q2 is controlled to be in the off state. Since the chip select pin CS ASIC of the main control unit is grounded through the resistor R3, when the second switch tube Q2 is off, the chip select pin CS ASIC of the main control unit is a low-level signal, so that the chip select signal received by the main control unit is reduced below the first preset level, for example, the first preset level can be 0.5V. In this way, the main control unit cannot be gated and will not respond to the instructions sent by the inkjet printing device. After the verification ends, the repair control unit controls the second switch tube Q2 to be on, and the main control unit responds to other instructions of the inkjet printing device.

[0062] For the third mode, a third switch tube Q3 and a voltage stabilizing tube D1 are arranged in the electronic module. The first end of the voltage stabilizing tube D1 is connected to the clock signal line CLK PR and the clock pin CLK ASIC of the main control unit, the second end of the voltage stabilizing tube D1 is connected to one end of the third switch tube Q3, the other end of the third switch tube Q3 is grounded through the resistor R4, and the control end, i.e., the gate of the third switch tube Q3 is connected to the repair control unit, for example, the clock control pin CLK CTL MCU of the repair control unit. During normal communication, the pull-down resistor R5 makes the third switch tube Q3 in the off state, at this time, the voltage stabilizing tube D1 does not work, and the clock pin CLK ASIC of the main control unit can normally receive the level signal of the clock signal line CLK PR.

[0063] When the repair control unit receives the installation detection instruction, the third switch tube Q3 is controlled to be in the on state, at this time, the voltage stabilizing tube D1 is also in the on state, and the high-level signal of the clock pin CLK ASIC of the main control unit is clamped at the rated voltage value of the voltage stabilizing tube D1. When the clock signal line CLK PR outputs a low-level signal, the clock pin CLK ASIC of the main control unit can still receive a low-level signal.

[0064] In the embodiment, the voltage value of the voltage stabilizing tube D1 is set to be lower than the threshold value of the high level recognized by the main control unit, that is, to be lower than the second preset level, preferably, the second preset level can be 1.5V. In this way, once the third switch tube Q3 is turned on, the main control unit will consider that the clock signal is always a low level signal and will not respond to the installation detection instruction sent by the inkjet printing device. At this time, the installation detection instruction is responded by the repair control unit. After the verification is completed, the repair control unit controls the third switch tube Q3 to be turned off, and other instructions of the inkjet printing device are responded by the main control unit.

[0065] In the embodiment, in the verification response period, the repair control unit will respond to the installation detection instruction sent by the inkjet printing device instead of the main control unit, for example, outputting a low level signal in the first verification period T1, outputting a high level signal in the second verification period T2, and outputting a low level signal in the third verification period T3, that is, outputting the response signal according to the waveform diagram shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, in the first verification period T1, it is set to be in a high resistance state, in the second verification period T2, a high level signal is outputted, and in the third verification period T3, it is set to be in a high resistance state, that is, outputting the response signal according to the waveform diagram shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, in the first verification period T1, it is set to be in a high resistance state, in the second verification period T2, a high level signal is outputted, and in the third verification period T3, a low level signal is outputted, that is, outputting the response signal according to the waveform diagram shown in FIG. 8. Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6

[0066] The repair control unit outputs the verification signal in a software controlled manner. When the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction is defective, or when the initialization time is too long to respond to the installation detection instruction in time, the repair control unit can respond to the installation detection instruction instead of the main control unit, without the need to redesign a new main control unit, so as to reduce the production cost of the ink cartridge chip. On the other hand, since the response speed of the main control unit to the instruction is fast, after the verification is completed, other instructions of the inkjet printing device are responded by the main control unit, so as to improve the response speed to other instructions and improve the printing efficiency.

[0067] Second embodiment:

[0068] The ink cartridge chip of the embodiment is provided with a plurality of connection terminals and an electronic module, the electronic module includes a repair control unit and a main control unit, and is further provided with a plurality of switch tubes and voltage stabilizing tubes. The connection mode between the plurality of switch tubes, the voltage stabilizing tubes, the repair control unit and the main control unit is the same as that of the first embodiment, which will not be described herein.

[0069] ​​​Unlike the first embodiment, the repair control unit of the present embodiment changes the signal processing mode during the verification response period. In the first embodiment, because the level of the signal in the first half of the eighth clock cycle D8 of the second response period is different from that in the second half, for example, the former needs to output a high level signal, while the latter needs to output a low level or high impedance, after the repair control unit judges that the falling edge of the second verification period T2 of the corresponding color arrives, it outputs a high level signal to the data signal line SDA, and after outputting the high level signal, it needs to judge whether the rising edge of the third verification period T3 arrives immediately, and outputs a low level signal or high impedance to the data signal line SDA after the rising edge of the third verification period T3 arrives. That is, the repair control unit needs to monitor two edges in one clock cycle, and perform two signal switching operations, outputting two levels, which puts high requirements on the running speed of the repair control unit, and needs to use a high-performance control unit to realize, which increases the production cost of the ink cartridge chip.

[0070] To solve the above problems, the present embodiment outputs a high level signal before the second verification period T2 arrives, and outputs a low level signal in the third verification period T3. Specifically, referring to Figure 8 After the first clock cycle D1 of the second response period, a high level signal is output to the data signal line SDA1, and the high level signal is maintained until the third verification period T3 arrives, that is, the high level signal is output after the first clock cycle D1, and the high level signal is maintained before the second verification period T2 arrives, without the need to monitor whether the falling edge of the second verification period T2 arrives, only the rising edge of the third verification period T3 is monitored, and a low level signal is output immediately after the rising edge of the third verification period T3 arrives.

[0071] Therefore, the present embodiment outputs a high level signal to the data signal line SDA1 before the second verification period T2 arrives after the first clock cycle D1 of the second response period, and maintains the high level signal until the end of the second verification period T2. In this way, the repair control unit does not need to monitor the falling and rising edges of the two verification periods T2 and T3 in a very short time, only the rising edge of the third verification period T3 needs to be monitored, and the level signal only needs to be switched once in the time period of the eighth clock cycle D8, which puts lower requirements on the operation speed of the repair control unit, and a low-cost control unit can be used to realize, thereby reducing the production cost of the ink cartridge chip.

[0072] Third embodiment:

[0073] The ink cartridge chip of the embodiment is provided with a plurality of connection terminals and an electronic module, the electronic module includes a repair control unit and a main control unit, and is further provided with a plurality of switch tubes and a voltage stabilizing tube, the connection modes between the plurality of switch tubes and the voltage stabilizing tube, the repair control unit and the main control unit are the same as those of the first embodiment, and will not be described again.

[0074] The embodiment is further improved on the basis of the second embodiment, and specifically, referring to Figure 9 After the first clock period D1 of the second response period, the repair control unit outputs a high level signal to the data signal line SDA1, but the high level signal is not maintained until the time when the third verification period T3 comes, but is terminated before the second verification period T2 comes, and is set to a high impedance state. And the high impedance state is maintained until the time when the third verification period T3 comes, that is, as soon as the rising edge of the third verification period T3 is detected, a low level signal is output to the data signal line SDA1.

[0075] Since the data signal line maintains a high level signal for a period of time after the first clock period D1 of the second response period, after being converted to a high impedance state, the voltage of the data signal line SDA1 will not decrease immediately, but will gradually decrease with the discharging process, as shown by the dashed line of Figure 9 Therefore, within the second verification period T2, even if the data signal line is in a high impedance state, since the data signal line SDA1 still has a relatively high voltage, which is still higher than the high level detection threshold of the inkjet printing device, for example, higher than 1.5V, the inkjet printing device still detects a high level signal and still considers that the ink cartridge has been correctly installed. It can be seen that since the repair control unit does not need to monitor the falling edge and the rising edge of the two verification periods T2 and T3 in a very short time, but only needs to monitor the rising edge of the third verification period T3, and only needs to output a low level signal within the third verification period T3 within the time period of the eighth clock period D8, the operation speed requirement of the repair control unit is low, and a low-cost control unit can be used to realize, thereby reducing the production cost of the ink cartridge chip.

[0076] It should be noted that in the present embodiment, a suitable high level termination time can also be selected according to actual circuit parameters, so that a low level signal does not need to be output in the third verification period T3, but the current high impedance state can be maintained. That is, according to the discharge curve of the data signal line SDA1, a suitable time is selected to stop outputting the high level signal before the second verification period T2 arrives, so that the voltage on the data signal line SDA1 is maintained above the threshold voltage in the second verification period T2, and the inkjet printing device detects a high level signal; and when the third verification period T3 arrives, the voltage on the data signal line SDA1 drops below the threshold voltage, and the inkjet printing device detects a low level signal. If the ink cartridge chip is in a high impedance state in the first verification period T1, the ink cartridge chip only needs to output a high level once before the second verification period T2 in the entire response period of the installation detection instruction of the inkjet printing device, greatly simplifying the control logic.

[0077] Fourth embodiment:

[0078] The ink cartridge chip of the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of connection terminals and an electronic module, and the electronic module includes a repair control unit and a main control unit, but does not include a switch tube and a voltage stabilizing tube. In the verification response period, the repair control unit and the main control unit both load signals to the data signal line. For example, in the first verification period T1 and the second verification period T3, the repair control unit outputs a low level signal to the data signal line regardless of whether the main control unit outputs a low level signal, and in the second verification period T2, the repair control unit needs to output a high level signal to the data signal line regardless of whether the main control unit outputs a high level signal.

[0079] In this way, in the three verification periods, the actual signal on the data signal line is the superposition of the signals output by the repair control unit and the main control unit. Since the signals of the two are not opposite in all verification periods, the output port short circuit does not occur. For example, the main control unit is in a high impedance state in the third verification period T3, and the repair control unit outputs a low level signal in the third verification period T3, so that a low level signal is formed on the data signal line, the inkjet printing device receives the low level signal, and considers that the response level in the third verification period T3 is correct.

[0080] Of course, the repair control unit can also output signals in only one of the verification periods without disconnecting the connection between the main control unit and the data signal line, or can output signals in two or three verification periods. In addition, the repair control unit can also output a high level signal in advance before the second verification period T2 arrives, and maintain the high level signal until the third verification period T3 arrives.

[0081] Other embodiments:

[0082] In some other embodiments, the repair control unit and the main control unit do not necessarily need to output signals in all three verification periods, but can output signals in only one or two verification periods; the signals output in all verification periods can be a superposition of signals output by both the repair control unit and the main control unit in part, and signals output by the repair control unit or the main control unit alone in another part. For example, in the first verification period T1, the main control unit outputs a low-level signal, and in the second verification period T2 and the third verification period T3, the repair control unit outputs a high-level signal and a low-level signal, respectively. Alternatively, the main control unit outputs a low-level signal and a high-level signal in the first verification period T1 and the second verification period T2, respectively, and the repair control unit outputs only a low-level signal in the third verification period T3. As long as the repair control unit changes the response of the main control unit to the installation detection instruction to meet the requirements of the inkjet printing device for the response to the installation detection instruction, it should be within the protection scope of the present application.

[0083] Of course, the printing device of the present application can also be a laser printing device, which uses a toner cartridge as a consumable container. The toner cartridge can also be provided with a cartridge chip on the side wall, which can also be implemented in the above structure and achieve the above verification response method when working.

[0084] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and modifications, and any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A verification response method for a consumable chip, the consumable chip comprising a repair control unit and a main control unit, characterized in that, The method includes: After receiving the installation detection command, the repair control unit changes the response of the main control unit to the installation detection command during at least one verification period, and the repair control unit replaces the main control unit in sending the response command. The repair control unit alters the main control unit's response to the installation detection command by including: The repair control unit causes the main control unit to not respond to the installation detection command for at least one verification period; and / or The repair control unit outputs a low-level signal to the data signal line during at least one verification period; and / or The repair control unit outputs a high-level signal to the data signal line before at least one verification period.

2. The verification response method for consumable chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The repair control unit prevents the main control unit from responding to the installation detection command, including: The chip select signal is reduced to below a first preset level for at least one verification period; or Disconnect the main control unit from the data signal line during at least one verification period; or The clock signal is reduced to below the second preset level during at least one verification period.

3. The verification response method for consumable chips according to claim 2, characterized in that: Disconnecting the main control unit from the data signal line during at least one verification period includes: A first switching transistor is disposed on the consumable chip. The control terminal of the first switching transistor receives the control signal output by the repair control unit. The first switching transistor is also connected between the data signal line and the data pin of the main control unit. During at least one of the verification periods, the repair control unit controls the first switch to turn off.

4. The verification response method for consumable chips according to claim 2, characterized in that: Reducing the chip select signal to below a first preset level during at least one verification period includes: A second switching transistor is provided on the consumable chip. The control terminal of the second switching transistor receives the control signal output by the repair control unit. The second switching transistor is also connected between the chip select signal line and the chip select pin of the main control unit. During at least one of the verification periods, the repair control unit controls the second switch to turn off.

5. The verification response method for consumable chips according to claim 2, characterized in that: Reducing the clock signal to below a second preset level during at least one verification period includes: A third switch and a Zener diode are disposed on the consumable chip. The control terminal of the third switch receives the control signal output by the repair control unit. The first terminal of the Zener diode is connected to the clock signal line and the clock pin of the main control unit. The second terminal of the Zener diode is connected to the third switch. During at least one of the verification periods, the repair control unit turns on the third switch and clamps the high level of the clock signal received by the main control unit to the rated voltage value of the Zener diode.

6. The verification response method for consumable chips according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: From the first clock cycle of the second response period of the verification period to the arrival of the first verification period of the second group of verification periods, while the main control unit continuously prevents the main control unit from responding to the installation detection command, the repair control unit outputs a high-level signal to the data signal line, and keeps the voltage on the data signal line above the threshold voltage that is confirmed to be high during the first verification period of the second group of verification periods.

7. The verification response method for consumable chips according to claim 6, characterized in that: The repair control unit outputs a low-level signal to the data signal line at least during the second verification period of the second verification period.

8. The verification response method for consumable chips according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: After changing the main control unit's response to the installation detection command, the repair control unit restores the main control unit's response to commands sent by the printing device.

9. A consumable chip, comprising a substrate, wherein an electronic module and a plurality of connection terminals are disposed on the substrate, and the electronic module is electrically connected to the connection terminals; Its features are: The electronic module includes a repair control unit and a main control unit. After receiving an installation detection command, the repair control unit changes the response of the main control unit to the installation detection command within at least one verification period, and the repair control unit replaces the main control unit in sending the response command. The repair control unit alters the main control unit's response to the installation detection command by including: The repair control unit causes the main control unit to not respond to the installation detection command for at least one verification period; and / or The repair control unit outputs a low-level signal to the data signal line during at least one verification period; and / or The repair control unit outputs a high-level signal to the data signal line before at least one verification period.

10. The consumable chip according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electronic module is also provided with a first switching transistor. The control terminal of the first switching transistor receives the control signal output by the repair control unit. The first switching transistor is also connected between the data signal line and the data pin of the main control unit. During at least one of the verification periods, the repair control unit controls the first switch to turn off.

11. The consumable chip according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electronic module is equipped with a second switching transistor. The control terminal of the second switching transistor receives the control signal output by the repair control unit. The second switching transistor is also connected between the chip select signal line and the chip select pin of the main control unit. During at least one of the verification periods, the repair control unit controls the second switch to turn off.

12. The consumable chip according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electronic module is equipped with a third switch and a Zener diode. The control terminal of the third switch receives the control signal output by the repair control unit. The first terminal of the Zener diode is connected to the clock signal line and the clock pin of the main control unit, and the second terminal of the Zener diode is connected to the third switch. During at least one of the verification periods, the repair control unit turns on the third switch and clamps the high level of the clock signal of the main control unit to the rated voltage value of the Zener diode.

13. A consumable container, comprising a housing, wherein a consumable receiving cavity is formed within the housing, characterized in that, The outer wall of the housing is provided with a consumable chip as described in any one of claims 9 to 12.

14. A printing device, comprising a body, wherein the body is provided with a consumable container mounting cavity, characterized in that: The consumable container as described in claim 13 is installed inside the consumable container mounting cavity.

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