Consumable chip and serial number switching thereof, consumable container, printing apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a consumable chip and a sequence number switching method thereof, a consumable container and a printing device. The method comprises the following steps: after the consumable chip is powered on, it is judged whether a request instruction for obtaining a sequence number is received; if yes, a first stored sequence number is sent; during one start-up, if the following signals occur, the first sequence number is determined as a valid sequence number: the consumable chip receives the request instruction for obtaining the sequence number again, and receives a sequence number verification instruction within a preset time after receiving the request instruction for obtaining the sequence number again; or the consumable chip receives data for starting printing; if the consumable chip detects the following signals, the first sequence number is marked as an invalid sequence number, and is switched to a second sequence number: the communication bus is powered off and powered on again, and a sequence number switching flag is in an allowed switching state. The application further provides a consumable chip for implementing the above method, a consumable container using the consumable chip, and a printing device. The application can improve the accuracy of sequence number switching.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of printing equipment, specifically to a consumable chip in a printing equipment and a method for switching the serial number of such consumable chip, and also to a printing equipment using such a consumable chip. Background Technology

[0002] Printing equipment, as a common office tool, provides great convenience for modern offices. Common printing equipment is divided into inkjet printers and laser printers. Inkjet printers use ink cartridges containing ink as consumable containers to spray ink onto paper to form the text or pattern to be printed on the paper; laser printers use toner cartridges containing toner as consumable containers to form the text or pattern to be printed on the medium.

[0003] See Figure 1 A color inkjet printing device has a housing 11. Figure 1 The inkjet printer shown omits the tray of the housing 11. The housing 11 houses the inkjet printer's mechanism 12 and includes a slide bar. The printing carriage 14 is mounted on a motor (…). Figure 1 Driven by the invisible component, it reciprocates along the slide bar. The printing carriage 14 contains the main control circuit board (…). Figure 1 (Not visible in the middle), the main control circuit board communicates with the mechanism 12 through the ribbon cable 13.

[0004] Multiple ink cartridges 15 are detachably mounted on the printing carriage 14, each containing ink of a different color. Each ink cartridge 15 has a body that forms a cavity for containing ink. The lower end of the cavity has an ink outlet, through which the ink in the cavity flows out and supplies ink to the ink supply needles of the printing carriage 14.

[0005] A chip is mounted on the outer wall of the ink cartridge 15. The chip has a substrate, and one side of the substrate has multiple connection terminals for electrical connection with the contact pins on the print carriage 14. The other side of the substrate has an electronic module, which contains a memory. Typically, this memory is a non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM or FLASH, which stores information related to the ink cartridge, including variable information and invariant information. Variable information is information that changes continuously with the printing operation, such as ink level, printing time, and number of sheets printed. Invariant information is information that does not change with the printing operation, such as ink cartridge model, applicable inkjet printer model, and ink color.

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

[0007] When the ink in ink cartridge 15 is depleted, if ink cartridge 15 is discarded directly, it will cause environmental pollution because the casing and chip of ink cartridge 15 can still be used. Therefore, some existing ink cartridges can be recycled and reused. For example, ink cartridges that have run out of ink can be refilled with ink and reused.

[0008] However, because the ink cartridge chip records the cartridge's serial number, once that serial number has been used and the ink in the corresponding cartridge has run out, the inkjet printer will not allow the cartridge to continue to be used and will mark the serial number as invalid, rendering the refilled cartridge unusable. To solve this technical problem, some existing ink cartridge chips store multiple sets of serial numbers, and a new set of serial numbers is used when the cartridge is refilled and reinstalled into the inkjet printer. Alternatively, the ink cartridge chip has a serial number generation module that generates a new serial number.

[0009] To determine whether a current serial number has been marked as invalid by the inkjet printer, some existing cartridge chips, after sending the current serial number, will check the subsequent communication with the inkjet printer to verify its validity. For example, they might check if any other instructions were received within a preset time, or if the inkjet printer suddenly changed the ink capacity to a very low value. However, some existing inkjet printers, after reading the serial number sent by the cartridge chip, send other, essentially identical instructions to the cartridge chip regardless of whether the serial number is invalid. Therefore, it is often difficult for the cartridge chip to confirm whether the currently sent serial number is invalid based on the communication with the inkjet printer. Because the ink cartridge chip cannot determine whether the currently sent serial number will be considered a valid serial number, this will cause the ink cartridge chip to frequently perform serial number switching operations. In some cases, the current serial number should be considered a valid serial number, but the ink cartridge chip will automatically switch to another set of serial numbers. However, the switched serial number may be considered an invalid serial number. Once this happens, it will cause inconvenience to the user.

[0010] In addition, the toner cartridge chips used in existing toner cartridges also have similar problems. The toner cartridge chips also need to frequently switch serial numbers, which will cause the switched serial numbers to be considered invalid, causing inconvenience to users. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The first objective of this invention is to provide a serial number switching method for consumable chips that can avoid frequent serial number switching.

[0012] The second objective of this invention is to provide a consumable chip capable of implementing the above-described serial number switching method.

[0013] A third objective of this invention is to provide a consumable container that uses the aforementioned consumable chip.

[0014] A fourth objective of this invention is to provide a printing device that utilizes the aforementioned consumable container.

[0015] To achieve the aforementioned first objective, the serial number switching method for consumable chips provided by the present invention includes: after the consumable chip is powered on, determining whether a request instruction to obtain a serial number has been received; if so, sending the stored first serial number; during a power-on period, if the following signals occur, the first serial number is determined to be a valid serial number: after the consumable chip receives the request instruction to obtain a serial number for the first time, it receives a request instruction to obtain a serial number again, and receives a serial number verification instruction within a preset time after receiving the second request instruction to obtain a serial number; or, the consumable chip receives data to start printing; if the consumable chip detects the following signals, the first serial number is determined to be an invalid serial number: a power-down characteristic signal appears on the communication bus; or, after the consumable chip receives the request instruction to obtain a serial number for the first time, it receives a request instruction to obtain a serial number again, and does not receive a serial number verification instruction within a preset time; if the consumable chip confirms that the first serial number is an invalid serial number, and the serial number switching flag is in a switching-allowed state, it switches to a second serial number under the following conditions: a power-on characteristic signal appears on the communication bus; or, the consumable chip successfully enables battery power.

[0016] As can be seen from the above scheme, if the consumable chip receives two consecutive requests to obtain the serial number and receives a serial number verification command or a command to start printing within a preset time, it indicates that the user has opened or closed the door or started printing. The printing device considers the current serial number to be valid. At this time, the current serial number is locked, meaning that in subsequent communication with the printing device, the current set of serial numbers will always be used, and the serial number will not be switched. This ensures that the currently valid serial number will not be switched out, thus ensuring the normal use of the printing device.

[0017] Additionally, if a power-down signal appears on the communication bus or if a serial number verification command is not received within a preset time after receiving the second request command to obtain the serial number, it indicates that the user has performed a power-off operation or a door opening and closing operation. The reason for the user performing such an operation is often that the current serial number is considered invalid. Therefore, it is necessary to switch the serial number at this time.

[0018] In addition, when the consumable chip confirms that the current serial number is invalid and the serial number switching flag is in the switching allowed state, such as when a power-on characteristic signal appears on the communication bus or the consumable chip has successfully enabled battery power, it means that the conditions for serial number switching have been met. The consumable chip uses the interval between power on and off or the battery power to switch the serial number, so that the printing device can verify the new serial number after restarting.

[0019] A preferred approach is to lock the first serial number after confirming it as a valid serial number.

[0020] As can be seen from the above scheme, once the first serial number is locked, the serial number will not be switched during subsequent printing processes, thus preventing the serial number that is considered valid from being switched out.

[0021] A further solution is that the initial state of the serial number switching flag is the switching allowed state; locking the first serial number includes setting the serial number switching flag to the switching prohibited state.

[0022] Therefore, by setting the serial number switching flag to a disabled state, the consumable chip can quickly determine whether to switch the current set of serial numbers based on the serial number switching flag.

[0023] An alternative approach is to initially set the serial number switching flag to a disabled state; after switching to the second serial number, the following steps are performed: set the serial number switching flag to a disabled state.

[0024] It is evident that when the initial state of the serial number switching flag is the disabled state, the operation of switching to the second serial number must have already set the initial state of the serial number switching flag to the enabled state. By setting the serial number switching flag to the disabled state after switching to the second serial number, the printing device will not switch the current set of serial numbers again after the next power-on, so that the current set of serial numbers can be verified by the printing device.

[0025] A further solution is to set the serial number switching flag to a state where no serial number verification instruction is received within a preset time after receiving the request instruction to obtain the serial number again.

[0026] Therefore, if no serial number verification instruction is received within a preset time after receiving the request instruction to obtain the serial number again, it means that the current set of serial numbers failed the verification of the printing device after the user opened the cover. Therefore, the serial number switching flag is set to the switching allowed state so that the consumable chip can perform serial number switching operations in the future.

[0027] A further solution is to enable the battery to power the consumable chip if no serial number verification instruction is received within a preset time after receiving another request to obtain the serial number.

[0028] For printing devices with multiple consumable containers, if the printing device is frequently turned on and off, each consumable container will frequently switch serial numbers due to detecting frequent power outages and power-on operations. To avoid frequent power-on and power-off operations, by setting the battery to power the consumable chip, the consumable chip can avoid switching serial numbers by detecting power outages and power-on characteristics.

[0029] A further solution is to check whether the serial number switching flag is in a switchable state after the battery is successfully turned on, and if so, switch to the second serial number.

[0030] Since the battery being turned on indicates that the current serial number has not been verified by the printing device, it is necessary to determine whether the serial number switching flag is in the allowed switching state after the battery is successfully turned on, and to perform the serial number switching operation when the serial number switching flag is in the allowed switching state.

[0031] A further solution is to turn off the battery after switching to the second serial number. This way, the battery only powers the consumable chip during the serial number switching period, ensuring that battery power is not wasted.

[0032] A further proposed solution is to monitor the power-off status of the communication bus if the battery fails to power on, and switch to the second serial number when the communication bus is powered on again after a power outage and the serial number switching flag is in the switch-allowed state.

[0033] Therefore, if the battery fails to start, the consumable chip still switches the serial number by detecting the power-down and power-on characteristic signals of the communication bus, so as to avoid the serial number switching of the consumable chip being affected by the battery being loose.

[0034] To achieve the second objective mentioned above, the consumable chip provided by the present invention includes a substrate on which an electronic module is disposed; and, after the electronic module is powered on, it executes each step of the serial number switching method of the consumable chip described above.

[0035] To achieve the third objective mentioned above, the consumable container provided by the present invention has a shell, and the aforementioned consumable chip is disposed on the outer wall of the shell.

[0036] To achieve the fourth objective mentioned above, the printing device provided by the present invention has a body, and a consumable container mounting position is provided inside the body, on which the aforementioned consumable container is detachably mounted. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an existing inkjet printing device.

[0038] Figure 2 This is the first part of the flowchart of the first embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 This is the second part of the flowchart of the first embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 This is the first part of the flowchart of the second embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5 This is the second part of the flowchart of the second embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of the electrical principle of the consumable chip used in the third embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 7 This is the first part of the flowchart of the third embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 8 This is the second part of the flowchart of the third embodiment of the consumable chip serial number switching method of the present invention.

[0045] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The consumable chip of this invention can be applied to printing equipment such as inkjet printers. For example, the consumable chip is an ink cartridge chip installed on the side wall of an ink cartridge, or it can be applied to laser printers. For example, the consumable chip is a toner cartridge chip installed on the side wall of a toner cartridge. In an inkjet printer, multiple ink cartridges can be installed, and each ink cartridge is equipped with one ink cartridge chip.

[0047] First embodiment of the method for switching consumable chips and their serial numbers:

[0048] The following description uses an ink cartridge chip as a consumable chip. In this embodiment, the consumable container is a removable ink cartridge that is installed into the inkjet printer. The inkjet printer has a cover that the user can open to remove the ink cartridge. The ink cartridge has an ink cartridge chip, which serves as the consumable chip. One surface of the ink cartridge chip has multiple connection terminals, for example, three. The other surface of the ink cartridge chip has an electronic module, which is electrically connected to the multiple connection terminals.

[0049] The electronic module has a built-in memory for storing multiple sets of serial numbers, or it has a built-in controller for generating serial numbers. Therefore, the electronic module can output multiple different sets of serial numbers. However, the electronic module only outputs one set of serial numbers to the inkjet printer at a time, and switches to another set of serial numbers when the currently output set is deemed invalid. This embodiment needs to address when to switch serial numbers and prevent the incorrect switching of valid serial numbers.

[0050] In this embodiment, the ink cartridge chip communicates with the inkjet printer using the 1-Wire protocol. When the ink cartridge is installed on the inkjet printer and then powered off and on again, the data signal line will sequentially display a power-down characteristic signal and a power-on characteristic signal. The ink cartridge chip can use this as an indicator of whether the inkjet printer is powered off or on. Since inkjet printers often have a display screen or indicator light, if the ink cartridge chip's current serial number is invalid, the display screen will show a message such as "Ink cartridge not detected," or the indicator light will illuminate red. The user can then know that the ink cartridge chip's current serial number is not valid. At this time, the user can power off and then on the inkjet printer. When the ink cartridge chip detects that the user has performed this power-off and power-on operation, it will immediately perform a serial number switching operation.

[0051] Therefore, the cartridge chip stores a serial number switching flag. If the serial number switching flag is in the "allow switching" state, the cartridge chip can perform a serial number switching operation. If the serial number switching flag is in the "disallow switching" state, the cartridge chip will not perform a serial number switching operation, indicating that the serial number is locked. In this embodiment, the serial number switching flag is in the "allow switching" state by default, meaning that the cartridge chip is in the "allow switching" state after the inkjet printer is powered on. Thus, when the cartridge chip detects a power-down characteristic signal on the communication bus, followed by a power-on characteristic signal, and the serial number switching flag is in the "allow switching" state, it can utilize the power-on time interval of the inkjet printer to switch the current serial number to a new serial number. It can be understood that as long as the serial number switching flag is in the "allow switching" state, the cartridge chip's serial number will switch once after the user performs a power-off and power-on operation on the inkjet printer.

[0052] If the ink cartridge chip's current serial number is valid, the inkjet printer will not display messages such as "Ink cartridge not detected." Knowing the serial number is valid, the user will not perform any more power-on or power-off operations, and the ink cartridge chip will not switch serial numbers again. In this way, the ink cartridge chip can maintain its current valid serial number and continue to use it in subsequent communications.

[0053] To prevent the currently valid serial number from being switched out, this embodiment uses a serial number switching flag to disable the serial number switching operation. For example, once the current serial number is determined to be valid, the serial number switching flag is set to a disabled state, thus preventing the valid serial number from being switched out.

[0054] For example, when the current serial number is valid, the user can lock the valid serial number by performing a print operation or by opening and closing the door of the inkjet printer. Specifically, if the user selects to start a print operation, the ink cartridge chip will receive the print data sent from the inkjet printer. Once printing begins, the ink cartridge chip will immediately set the serial number switching flag to a disabled state.

[0055] Furthermore, because inkjet printers send a serial number retrieval request command only once from power-on until power-off or before the door is opened, and another request command is sent after the door is opened or closed, if the current serial number is valid, the inkjet printer will also send a serial number verification command after sending the serial number retrieval request command after the door is opened or closed. Therefore, the cartridge chip determines whether the user has performed the power-on, door-opening, and closing operations by checking whether two serial number retrieval request commands are received sequentially during a single power-on cycle of the inkjet printer. If the user has performed this operation, and the cartridge chip receives a serial number verification command after the second serial number retrieval request command, the cartridge chip will also consider the current serial number to be valid and will lock the current serial number.

[0056] See Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, step S101 is executed first. After the user installs the ink cartridge into the inkjet printer, the ink cartridge chip is powered on. At this time, a power-on signal appears on the communication bus between the inkjet printer and the ink cartridge chip, for example, the power line is a high-level signal. Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S102, reading the first serial number into the random access memory (RAM). For example, the ink cartridge chip retrieves an unused set of serial numbers from a stored set of serial numbers and stores it in the RAM, or the ink cartridge chip generates a new set of serial numbers and stores it in the RAM.

[0057] Next, the ink cartridge chip executes step S103 to determine whether a request instruction to obtain a serial number has been received. If so, step S104 is executed to send the first serial number stored in the random access memory to the inkjet printer. If no request instruction to obtain a serial number is received, the chip continues to wait.

[0058] After sending the first serial number, three scenarios may occur. The first scenario is that the ink cartridge signal receives a serial number verification command from the inkjet printer, i.e., step S105 is executed. In this case, step S106 is executed, where the ink cartridge chip returns serial number verification response data to the inkjet printer, such as a checksum calculated using a preset algorithm based on the first serial number. Then, step S107 is executed to determine whether printing start data has been received, such as whether the inkjet printer has sent a signal to move the print carriage or whether the ink cartridge is ready to print. If so, step S108 is executed to confirm that the current first serial number is valid and to set the serial number switching flag to a disabled state.

[0059] If the result of step S107 is negative, then step S109 is executed, waiting for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus. It is understandable that after the cartridge chip returns the serial number verification instruction in step S106, if the user does not perform a printing operation, there is a high probability that the currently sent first serial number is invalid. Therefore, the system waits for the user to turn the inkjet printer off and then on again to switch serial numbers. The cartridge chip can use the appearance of a power-down characteristic signal on the communication bus as a condition for determining whether the inkjet printer is powered off.

[0060] After the ink cartridge chip sends the first serial number, i.e. after step S104, the second possible scenario is that a second request instruction to obtain the serial number will be received, i.e., step S110. If the serial number verification request instruction is received again, it means that the user has performed a door opening and closing operation. Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S111 to determine whether the serial number verification request instruction has been received within a preset time. If the serial number verification request instruction is received, then step S112 is executed to determine that the current first serial number is a valid serial number and to set the serial number switching flag to a prohibited switching state.

[0061] If the result of step S111 is negative, then step S109 is executed, waiting for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus. It can be understood that after the ink cartridge chip determines in step S110 that the user has opened and closed the door cover, if it does not receive a serial number verification request instruction within a preset time, it indicates that the currently sent first serial number is invalid. Therefore, it waits for the user to turn the inkjet printer off and then on again to switch serial numbers. Similarly, the ink cartridge chip can use the appearance of a power-down characteristic signal on the communication bus as a condition for shutting down the inkjet printer.

[0062] After the ink cartridge chip sends the first serial number (i.e., after step S104), a third possible scenario is that the inkjet printer does not send a serial number verification command to the ink cartridge chip, and the user does not open or close the door cover; instead, a power-down characteristic signal appears on the communication bus. This situation usually occurs because the user has seen the currently sent first serial number expire through external prompts such as the inkjet printer's display screen, and thus directly chooses to turn the inkjet printer off and then on again to switch serial numbers. Therefore, the ink cartridge chip will wait for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus (i.e., step S109). If a power-down characteristic signal appears, step S113 is executed, setting the power-down flag. For example, if the power-down flag is a single binary digit, setting the power-down flag to "1" will result in the power-down flag being set to "1".

[0063] Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S114 to determine whether a power-on characteristic signal appears on the communication bus. If not, it continues to wait. If a power-on characteristic signal appears, it executes step S115 to set the power-on flag. For example, if the power-on flag is a single binary number, setting the power-on flag will set it to "1".

[0064] Next, step S116 is executed to determine whether both the power-on and power-off flags are set. If not, step S117 is executed to confirm that the inkjet printer has a power-on malfunction. If both the power-on and power-off flags are set, it indicates that the user has performed a power-off and power-on operation on the inkjet printer. Then, step S118 is executed to determine whether the current state of the serial number switching flag is in a state where switching is allowed. If it is in a state where switching is allowed, then step S119 is executed to switch the current first serial number to the second serial number. For example, a new serial number is obtained, and this new serial number is read into the random access memory and replaces the first serial number. The new serial number is the second serial number. Then, both the power-on and power-off flags are reset, that is, both the power-on flag and the reset flag are switched to the binary number "0".

[0065] If the judgment result of step S118 is negative, since the current state does not allow switching the serial number, step S120 is executed to keep the current serial number unchanged, but it is still necessary to reset both the power-on flag and the power-off flag, that is, to switch both the power-on flag and the reset flag to the binary number "0".

[0066] After executing step S119 or step S120, the process returns to step S103 to determine again whether a request to obtain the serial number has been received. If such a request is received, the serial number stored in the random access memory is sent to the inkjet printer. Thus, if step S119 has been executed, the sent serial number is the second serial number, i.e., the updated serial number.

[0067] As can be seen, if the user determines that the first serial number is invalid, the user can switch the serial number by turning the inkjet printer off and on again. Since the serial number switching flag is enabled by default, the serial number will automatically switch after the ink cartridge chip is powered on again. Alternatively, once the user finds the current serial number to be valid, they can lock it by starting a print job or opening and closing the door, preventing the serial number from being switched. Because the user determines the validity of the serial number by observing the content displayed on the inkjet printer's screen, it ensures that the locked serial number is valid, guaranteeing smooth subsequent printing operations.

[0068] Second embodiment of the method for switching consumable chips and their serial numbers:

[0069] In the first embodiment, the ink cartridge chip receives power-down and power-on characteristic signals on the communication bus, and the serial number switching flag is in a switching-allowed state, meaning the serial number can be switched. However, this method has the following problem: if the current serial number is valid, but the user does not start printing or open / close the door for other reasons, the serial number switching flag remains in a switching-allowed state. The serial number switching operation will also be automatically performed the next time the inkjet printer is powered on, meaning the currently valid serial number will be replaced upon the next power-on, causing inconvenience to the user.

[0070] Therefore, this embodiment sets the default state of the serial number switching flag to the disabled state. This way, after the user powers on the inkjet printer, they need to open and close the cover. The cartridge chip will only perform the serial number switching operation if it does not receive a serial number verification command again. Furthermore, once the serial number switching is successful, the serial number switching flag will be reset to the disabled state to prevent the cartridge chip from automatically switching the serial number after the user powers the inkjet printer on and off in subsequent use. The following describes... Figure 4 and Figure 5 The process of this embodiment will be described.

[0071] In this embodiment, step S201 is executed first. After the user installs the ink cartridge into the inkjet printer, the ink cartridge chip is powered on. At this time, a power-on signal appears on the communication bus between the inkjet printer and the ink cartridge chip, for example, a high-level signal on the power line. Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S202, reading the first serial number into the random access memory (RAM).

[0072] Next, the ink cartridge chip executes step S203 to determine whether a request instruction to obtain a serial number has been received. If so, step S204 is executed to send the first serial number stored in the random access memory to the inkjet printer. If no request instruction to obtain a serial number is received, the chip continues to wait.

[0073] After sending the first serial number, three scenarios may occur. The first scenario is that the ink cartridge signal receives a serial number verification command from the inkjet printer, i.e., step S205 is executed. In this case, step S206 is executed, where the ink cartridge chip returns serial number verification response data to the inkjet printer, such as a checksum calculated using a preset algorithm based on the first serial number. Then, step S207 is executed to determine if printing start data has been received. If so, step S208 is executed to confirm that the current first serial number is a valid serial number. Since the serial number switching flag is disabled by default, the state of the serial number switching flag does not need to be changed after step S208.

[0074] If the judgment result of step S207 is negative, then step S209 is executed, waiting for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus.

[0075] After the ink cartridge chip sends the first serial number, i.e. after step S204, the second possible scenario is that a second request instruction to obtain the serial number will be received, i.e., step S210. If the serial number verification request instruction is received again, it means that the user has performed a door opening and closing operation. Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S211 to determine whether the serial number verification request instruction has been received within a preset time. If the serial number verification request instruction is received, step S212 is executed to determine that the current first serial number is a valid serial number and keep the serial number switching flag in the prohibited switching state.

[0076] If the judgment result of step S211 is negative, it means that after the user performs one door opening and closing operation, the currently sent first serial number is considered to be an invalid serial number and a serial number switching operation is required. Then, step S213 is executed to set the serial number switching flag to the switching allowed state, and then step S209 is executed to wait for the power failure characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus in order to switch the serial number.

[0077] After the ink cartridge chip sends the first serial number, i.e. after step S204, the third possible scenario is that the user performs a power-off or power-on operation on the inkjet printer. Therefore, the ink cartridge chip will wait for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus, i.e. step S209. If a power-down characteristic signal appears, step S214 is executed to set the power-down flag. For example, if the power-down flag is a single binary number, setting the power-down flag to "1" will set the power-down flag to "1".

[0078] Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S215 to determine whether a power-on characteristic signal appears on the communication bus. If not, it continues to wait. If a power-on characteristic signal appears, it executes step S216 to set the power-on flag. For example, if the power-on flag is a single binary number, setting the power-on flag will set it to "1".

[0079] Next, step S217 is executed to determine whether both the power-on and power-off flags are set. If not, step S218 is executed to confirm that the inkjet printer is experiencing a power-on malfunction. If both the power-on and power-off flags are set, it indicates that the user has performed a power-off and power-on operation on the inkjet printer. In this case, step S219 is executed to determine whether the current state of the serial number switching flag is in a state where switching is allowed. If it is, step S220 is executed to switch the current first serial number to the second serial number. Then, both the power-on and power-off flags are reset, i.e., both the power-on and reset flags are switched to the binary number "0".

[0080] If the judgment result of step S219 is negative, since the current state does not allow switching the serial number, step S221 is executed to keep the current serial number unchanged, but it is still necessary to reset both the power-on flag and the power-off flag, that is, to switch both the power-on flag and the reset flag to the binary number "0".

[0081] After executing step S220 or S221, step S222 needs to be executed to set the serial number switching flag to a disabled state. Then, the process returns to step S203 to determine again whether a request to obtain the serial number has been received. This way, when the inkjet printer is powered on again, because the serial number switching flag is in a disabled state, the serial number switching operation will not be performed automatically, preventing a valid serial number from being mistakenly switched out.

[0082] In this embodiment, since the default state of the serial number switching flag is the disabled switching state, and the switching flag changes from the disabled switching state to the enabled switching state only after the user opens and closes the door cover, the cartridge chip determines that it has not received a serial number verification command. That is, only when the user confirms that the currently sent first serial number is invalid, opens and closes the door cover, will the cartridge chip perform a serial number switching operation the next time the inkjet printer is powered on. When the switched second serial number is valid, even if the user turns the inkjet printer on and off again, and opens and closes the door cover again, because the second serial number is valid, the cartridge chip will still receive a serial number verification command after the door cover is opened and closed, and will not perform a serial number switching, thus ensuring the accuracy of the serial number switching.

[0083] Third embodiment of the method for switching consumable chips and their serial numbers:

[0084] The first embodiment primarily addresses the serial number switching operation for a single color ink cartridge. If an inkjet printer has multiple color ink cartridges installed, the number of serial number switching operations for different color cartridges is often different, causing significant inconvenience for the user. For example, the first color cartridge requires one serial number switch, the second requires two, the third requires three, while the fourth does not. In this case, after installing four cartridges, the user needs to power on and off the inkjet printer three times, and open and close the cover three times. If any of these steps are missing or executed incorrectly, the valid serial number of one color cartridge will be switched out. However, color inkjet printers typically require all four color cartridges to be certified by the printer before printing can begin, making the above operation extremely troublesome for the user.

[0085] Therefore, in this embodiment, a battery is disposed on the ink cartridge chip, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the electronic module 30 of the ink cartridge chip can receive the current output from the battery 31. A transistor Q1, acting as a switching device, is connected between the battery 31 and the electronic module 30, and the electronic module 30 can control the on / off state of the transistor Q1. Thus, the electronic module 30 will only control the transistor Q1 to conduct, and the battery 31 will only supply power to the electronic module 30, when the ink cartridge chip detects that the user has opened or closed the cover and the serial number is considered invalid. Furthermore, the electronic module 30 only needs power from the battery 31 during the serial number switching process. After the serial number switching is complete, the transistor Q1 is turned off, and the battery 31 will not supply power to the electronic module 30, thereby extending the battery 31's lifespan. This embodiment allows users to switch serial numbers by repeatedly opening and closing the cover after powering on the inkjet printer and determining that the current serial number is invalid, without needing to repeatedly power on and off the inkjet printer, making it convenient for users.

[0086] See Figure 7 and Figure 8 In this embodiment, the serial number switching flag is enabled by default. First, step S301 is executed: after the user installs the ink cartridge into the inkjet printer, the cartridge chip is powered on. At this time, a power-on signal appears on the communication bus between the inkjet printer and the cartridge chip, for example, a high-level signal on the power line. Then, the cartridge chip executes step S302, reading the first serial number into the random access memory (RAM).

[0087] Next, the ink cartridge chip executes step S303 to determine whether a request instruction to obtain a serial number has been received. If so, step S304 is executed to send the first serial number stored in the random access memory to the inkjet printer. If no request instruction to obtain a serial number is received, the chip continues to wait.

[0088] After sending the first serial number, three scenarios may occur. The first scenario is that the ink cartridge signal receives a serial number verification command from the inkjet printer (step S305). In this case, step S306 is executed, and the ink cartridge chip returns serial number verification response data to the inkjet printer. Then, step S307 is executed to determine if printing start data has been received. If so, step S308 is executed to confirm that the current first serial number is valid and to set the serial number switching flag to a disabled switching state.

[0089] If the judgment result of step S307 is negative, then step S309 is executed to wait for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus.

[0090] After the ink cartridge chip sends the first serial number, i.e. after step S304, the second possible scenario is that a second request instruction to obtain the serial number will be received, i.e., step S310. If the serial number verification request instruction is received again, it means that the user has performed a door opening and closing operation. Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S311 to determine whether the serial number verification request instruction has been received within a preset time. If the serial number verification request instruction is received, step S312 is executed to determine that the current first serial number is a valid serial number and to set the serial number switching flag to the disabled state.

[0091] If the result of step S311 is negative, then step S313 is executed to start the battery, for example, by controlling transistor Q1 to conduct, allowing battery 31 to supply power to electronic module 30. Then, step S314 is executed to determine whether battery 31 has started successfully. If battery 31 starts successfully, then step S320 is executed; if battery 31 fails to start, then step S309 is executed, waiting for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus.

[0092] After the ink cartridge chip sends the first serial number, i.e. after step S304, the third possible scenario is that the user performs a power-off or power-on operation on the inkjet printer. Therefore, the ink cartridge chip will wait for a power-down characteristic signal to appear on the communication bus, i.e. step S309. If a power-down characteristic signal appears, step S315 is executed to set the power-down flag. For example, if the power-down flag is a single binary number, setting the power-down flag to "1" will set the power-down flag to "1".

[0093] Then, the ink cartridge chip executes step S316 to determine whether a power-on characteristic signal appears on the communication bus. If not, it continues to wait. If a power-on characteristic signal appears, it executes step S317 to set the power-on flag. For example, if the power-on flag is a single binary number, setting the power-on flag will set it to "1".

[0094] Next, step S318 is executed to determine whether both the power-on and power-off flags are set. If not, step S319 is executed to confirm that the inkjet printer is experiencing a power-on malfunction. If both the power-on and power-off flags are set, it indicates that the user has performed a power-off and power-on operation on the inkjet printer. In this case, step S320 is executed to determine whether the current state of the serial number switching flag is in a state where switching is allowed. If it is in a state where switching is allowed, step S321 is executed to switch the current first serial number to the second serial number. Then, both the power-on and power-off flags are reset, i.e., both the power-on and reset flags are switched to the binary number "0".

[0095] If the judgment result of step S320 is negative, since the current state does not allow switching the serial number, step S322 is executed to keep the current serial number unchanged, but the power-on flag and power-off flag need to be reset, that is, the power-on flag and reset flag are both switched to the binary number "0".

[0096] After executing step S321 or step S322, step S323 needs to be executed to turn off the battery 31, for example, by turning off the transistor Q1, so that the battery 31 will not supply power to the electronic module 30. Then, step S324 is executed to determine again whether a request instruction to obtain the serial number has been received, and if the request instruction to obtain the serial number is received, the process returns to executing step S311.

[0097] As can be seen, after determining in step S311 that no serial number verification instruction has been received within the preset time, indicating that the current serial number is considered invalid after the user has performed the door opening and closing operation, the battery 31 is started. After the battery 31 is successfully started, there is no need to perform the power-off and power-on judgment of the communication bus. Step S320 is executed directly. When the serial number switching flag is in the switching allowed state, the serial number is switched directly without the user performing the power-off and power-on operation of the inkjet printer.

[0098] If battery 31 fails to start, the cartridge chip will still switch the serial number based on whether there are power-off or power-on characteristic signals on the communication bus. That is, it will switch the serial number by waiting for the user to turn the inkjet printer off and then on again, so as to avoid the situation where the serial number cannot be switched due to battery 31 becoming loose and failing to start.

[0099] As can be seen, in this implementation, since the ink cartridge chip is equipped with a battery, when the user opens and closes the cover and confirms that the serial number is invalid, the serial number can be switched directly without the user having to turn the machine off and on. For inkjet printers with multiple color ink cartridges installed, the user only needs to open and close the cover multiple times during a single power-on period to switch and lock the serial numbers of multiple color ink cartridges, which greatly simplifies the user's operation.

[0100] In other embodiments, a combination of Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 3 can be used. For example, the ink cartridge chip can have a battery, and the default state of the serial number switching flag is a disabled switching state. During the initial power-on process of the inkjet printer, after the user confirms the opening and closing of the door cover, when the ink cartridge chip detects that the current serial number is invalid, it activates the battery and switches the serial number. After the switching is completed, it shuts off the battery power and waits for the serial number request command. Only after receiving the second serial number request command and then the serial number verification command is received will the switching flag be changed to a disabled switching state. This can improve the user experience while ensuring the accuracy of the switching.

[0101] Example of a consumable container:

[0102] The consumable container can be an ink cartridge or a toner cartridge. The consumable container has a shell, and the aforementioned consumable chip is disposed on the outer wall of the shell.

[0103] Printing equipment example:

[0104] The printing equipment can be a laser printer or an inkjet printer. The printing equipment includes a body, and the body has a consumable container mounting position, such as a print carriage or a toner cartridge mounting cavity. The aforementioned consumable container is detachably installed on the consumable container mounting position.

[0105] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for switching the serial number of consumable chips, characterized in that, include: After the consumable chip is powered on, it determines whether it has received a request to obtain the serial number. If so, it sends the stored first serial number. If the following signals occur during a power-on process, the first serial number is determined to be a valid serial number: after the consumable chip receives the request instruction to obtain the serial number for the first time, it receives the request instruction to obtain the serial number again, and receives the serial number verification instruction within a preset time after receiving the request instruction to obtain the serial number again; or, the consumable chip receives the data to start printing. If the consumable chip detects the following signals, the first serial number is determined to be an invalid serial number: a power-down characteristic signal appears on the communication bus; or, after the consumable chip receives the request instruction to obtain the serial number for the first time, it receives the request instruction to obtain the serial number again, and does not receive the serial number verification instruction within a preset time. If the consumable chip confirms that the first serial number is an invalid serial number and the serial number switching flag is in the switching allowed state, then it switches to the second serial number under the following conditions: a power-on characteristic signal appears on the communication bus; or, the consumable chip successfully enables battery power.

2. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: After confirming that the first serial number is a valid serial number, the following action is taken: lock the first serial number.

3. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 2, characterized in that: The initial state of the serial number switching flag is the switching allowed state; Locking the first serial number includes setting the serial number switching flag to a state where switching is prohibited.

4. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: The initial state of the serial number switching flag is the disabled switching state; After switching to the second serial number, the following action is also taken: the serial number switching flag is set to a state where switching is prohibited.

5. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 4, characterized in that: If no serial number verification instruction is received within the preset time after receiving the request instruction to obtain the serial number again, the serial number switching flag is set to the switching allowed state.

6. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 1, characterized in that: If no serial number verification command is received within the preset time after receiving another request command to obtain the serial number, the battery will be turned on and the battery will supply power to the consumable chip.

7. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 6, characterized in that: After the battery is successfully turned on, determine whether the serial number switching flag is in a switching-allowed state. If so, switch to the second serial number.

8. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 7, characterized in that: After switching to the second serial number, the battery is turned off.

9. The serial number switching method for consumable chips according to claim 6, characterized in that: If the battery fails to power on, the power-off status of the communication bus is monitored, and when the communication bus is powered on again after power failure and the serial number switching flag is in the switching allowed state, the system switches to the second serial number.

10. Consumable chips, including: A substrate on which an electronic module is disposed; Its features are: After the electronic module is powered on, it executes each step of the serial number switching method for consumable chips as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A consumable container, characterized in that, include: A housing, wherein the consumable chip as described in claim 10 is disposed on the outer wall of the housing.

12. A printing device, characterized in that, include: The body has a consumable container mounting position, on which the consumable container as described in claim 11 is detachably mounted.

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