A printhead board of a printer and a printing system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a nozzle plate and a printing system of a printer, relating to the technical field of inkjet printing, and aiming to solve the problem of high printing cost caused by only one nozzle being connected to one nozzle plate in the prior art. The nozzle plate includes: an FPGA chip, a controller, a driver, and a nozzle adapter assembly; the nozzle adapter assembly is connected to multiple or multiple types of nozzles; the FPGA chip receives an initial control instruction and converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller; the controller determines a target nozzle based on the control instruction, and sends a first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip after determining the target nozzle; the target nozzle includes at least one or one type of nozzle; the FPGA chip converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver; the driver is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly, and the driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal to drive the target nozzle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of inkjet printing, and particularly to a nozzle plate and a printing system of a printer. Background Art

[0002] The nozzle plate of a printer is a circuit board used to control the movement and ignition of the nozzles in the printer. According to the input printing instructions, the nozzle plate obtains the ejection amount and ink color corresponding to each nozzle hole on the nozzle, and controls the nozzle holes to eject, so as to print the required image or text.

[0003] In the prior art, a nozzle plate usually only connects to one nozzle and controls the printing of the nozzle according to the data sent by the main board and the factory protocol of the nozzle. For a printing task that requires multiple nozzles to cooperate to complete, multiple matching nozzle plates need to work simultaneously, resulting in a complex overall structure and a high implementation cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a nozzle plate and a printing system of a printer to reduce the printing cost.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a nozzle plate of a printer, including:

[0007] An FPGA chip, a controller, a driver, and a nozzle adapter assembly;

[0008] The nozzle adapter assembly is connected to multiple or multiple types of nozzles;

[0009] The FPGA chip is connected to the main board of the printer; the controller is connected to the FPGA chip;

[0010] The FPGA chip receives the initial control instruction sent by the main board, and converts the initial control instruction into an identifiable control instruction and sends it to the controller; the controller determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction, and sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip after determining the target nozzle; the target nozzle includes at least one or one type of nozzle;

[0011] The FPGA chip is also connected to the driver, and the FPGA chip converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver;

[0012] The driver is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly, and the driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal and drives the target nozzle based on the target analog signal.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, a nozzle plate of a printer provided by the present invention is provided with a controller, an FPGA chip, a driver and a nozzle adapter assembly on one nozzle plate. When a certain printing task needs to control and print multiple or multiple types of nozzles, the FPGA chip on the nozzle plate receives the initial control instruction sent by the main board of the printer, converts it into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller. The controller receives the control instruction and determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction. Then, after determining the target nozzle, the controller sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip. The FPGA chip converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver, and the driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal to drive multiple or multiple types of nozzles in the target nozzle for printing. In this way, one nozzle plate can control multiple or multiple types of nozzles to cooperate in printing, simplifying the overall printing structure, reducing the printing cost and improving the printing efficiency.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a printing system, including:

[0015] A nozzle plate, a main board and a computer terminal; the nozzle plate at least includes an FPGA chip, a controller, a driver and a nozzle adapter assembly; the nozzle adapter assembly is connected to multiple or multiple types of nozzles;

[0016] The computer terminal includes a main controller and a memory; the main controller is connected to the memory; print data is stored in the memory; the main controller sends the print data and the initial control instruction to the main board according to the task instruction;

[0017] The FPGA chip is connected to the main board of the printer; the controller is connected to the FPGA chip;

[0018] The main board stores the print data and sends the initial control instruction to the FPGA chip;

[0019] The FPGA chip receives the initial control instruction sent by the main board, converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller; the controller determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction, and sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip after determining the target nozzle; the target nozzle includes at least one or one type of nozzle;

[0020] The FPGA chip is also connected to the driver, and the FPGA chip converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver;

[0021] The driver is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly. The driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal and drives the target nozzle based on the target analog signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The drawings described herein are provided to further understand the present invention and form a part of the present invention. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present invention. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a nozzle plate of a printer provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a printing system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the plugged-in state of an i3200 nozzle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic layout diagram of multiple nozzles during printing of a nozzle group provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Reference Numerals:

[0028] 10 - nozzle plate; 11 - FPGA chip; 12 - controller; 13 - driver; 14 - nozzle adapter assembly; 141 - nozzle adapter socket 1; 142 - nozzle adapter socket 2; 143 - nozzle adapter socket 3; 144 - nozzle adapter socket N; 145 - nozzle adapter board 1; 146 - nozzle adapter board 2; 147 - nozzle adapter board 3; 148 - nozzle adapter board N; 15 - power supply; 20 - first nozzle; 21 - second nozzle; 22 - Nth nozzle; 24 - i3200 nozzle; 25 - i1600 nozzle; 26 - xp600 nozzle; 30 - main board; 31 - keypad board; 32 - x-axis motor; 33 - y-axis motor; 34 - wiper motor; 35 - ink stack motor; 40 - computer terminal; 50 - grating sensor; 51 - liquid level sensor; 52 - paper detection sensor; 53 - heating plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0029] For the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, in the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and effects. For example, the first threshold and the second threshold are only used to distinguish different thresholds and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit to be different.

[0030] It should be noted that in the present invention, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present invention should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific manner.

[0031] In the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that three relationships can exist.

[0032] As Figure 1 shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a nozzle plate 10 of a printer, which may include: an FPGA chip 11, a controller 12, a driver 13, and a nozzle adapter assembly 14;

[0033] Among them, the nozzle adapter assembly 14 can be connected to multiple or various nozzles; the multiple nozzles can include, as Figure 1 shown, a first nozzle 20, a second nozzle 21... a first N nozzles 22, and the various nozzles can include Figure 2 the i3200 nozzle 24, the i1600 nozzle 25, the xp600 nozzle 26, etc. in

[0034] The FPGA chip 11 is connected to the main board of the printer; the controller 12 is connected to the FPGA chip 11;

[0035] The FPGA chip 11 receives the initial control instruction sent by the main board and converts the initial control instruction into an identifiable control instruction and sends it to the controller 12; the controller 12 receives the control instruction and determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction. After determining the target nozzle, the controller 12 sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip 11; the target nozzle includes at least one or one type of nozzle; among them, the first digital drive signal is used to drive the target nozzle;

[0036] The FPGA chip 11 is also connected to the driver 13. The FPGA chip 11 converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver 13; for example, the FPGA chip 11 decodes the first digital drive signal to obtain the second digital drive signal;

[0037] The driver 13 is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly 14. The driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal and drives the target nozzle based on the target analog signal.

[0038] In specific implementation, a two-way communication connection is established between the controller on the nozzle plate and the main board of the printer, and a two-way communication connection is established between the FPGA chip and the main board of the printer. The main board is connected to the computer terminal. The computer terminal sends a printing instruction and corresponding printing data to the main board according to the printing task. After receiving the printing instruction, the main board saves the printing data and sends an initial control instruction to the FPGA chip in the nozzle plate. The FPGA chip converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller. If the control instruction indicates that the current printing task requires controlling and printing multiple or multiple types of nozzles, the controller on the nozzle plate will determine the target nozzles (the target nozzles can be two or more than two nozzles) based on the control instruction after receiving the control instruction. Then, after determining the target nozzles, the controller sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip. The FPGA chip then converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal recognizable by the driver and sends the second digital drive signal to the driver. The driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal to drive the target nozzles to print. In this way, a nozzle plate controls multiple nozzles to cooperate in printing, reducing the printing cost.

[0039] Specifically, the nozzle adapter assembly includes a plurality of nozzle adapter sockets; each nozzle adapter socket is connected to a nozzle adapter board; each nozzle adapter board is connected to one or one type of nozzle.

[0040] It should be noted that the nozzles can be divided into different types, such as three types of nozzles: i1600, i3200, and xp600. Further, a variety of nozzle adapter sockets are provided on the nozzle adapter assembly of a nozzle plate. Specifically, for a certain type of nozzle adapter socket, a plurality of a certain type of nozzle adapter sockets can be provided on a nozzle adapter assembly, and each type of nozzle adapter socket can be connected to a nozzle adapter board.

[0041] As can be seen from the above, the nozzle plate provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be connected to multiple nozzles or multiple types of nozzles at the same time.

[0042] Continuing with the above-mentioned i1600 and i3200 types of nozzles, the nozzle plate provided in the embodiment of the present invention is provided with at least two types of adapter plate sockets, and each type of adapter plate socket is connected to an adapter plate for a nozzle. One of the adapter plates for nozzles is connected to the i1600 nozzle, and the other adapter plate for nozzles is connected to the i3200 nozzle. It can be understood that in a printing environment, the i3200 nozzle can essentially be equivalent to two i1600 nozzles. At this time, the selectable modes for the actual operation of the nozzles are derived into a total of three modes: 4×i1600 mode, 2×i3200 mode, and i3200+2×i1600 mode. For example: in the i3200+2×i1600 mode, one i3200 can be connected to the color ink nozzle, one i1600 can be connected to the white ink nozzle, and one i1600 can be connected to the varnish nozzle, so as to realize the integrated forming of white ink, color ink, and varnish, saving the printing cost and improving the printing efficiency. That is to say, the nozzle plate provided in the embodiment of the present invention can realize the combination of multiple nozzles in various quantities, so as to be flexibly applicable to various printing scenarios.

[0043] Specifically, the controller is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly. Further, the controller is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly by wire; the controller performs detection operations based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal in the control instruction;

[0044] The first detection signal is used to detect the connection relationship between the target nozzle and the adapter plate; the second detection signal is used to detect the connection relationship of multiple nozzle lines in the target nozzle.

[0045] Specifically, the control instruction may include multiple control signals. The multiple control signals may include the first detection signal (which may also be referred to as the adapter plate model detection signal) sent by the controller to the nozzle adapter assembly, the second detection signal (which may also be referred to as the wrong nozzle line insertion detection signal), and the temperature signal. The control instruction may also include the printing data signal in the FPGA chip; the control instruction may also include the clock signal and the waveform control signal (which may also be referred to as the waveform selection signal) sent by the controller to the FPGA chip. The control instruction may also include the waveform signal sent by the FPGA chip to the driver.

[0046] Before the nozzle prints, the controller detects whether the model of the adapter plate corresponding to the target nozzle is correct based on the first detection signal to verify whether the target nozzle is accurately connected. Since each nozzle includes multiple rows of nozzle holes and each row of nozzle holes has its own nozzle line, the controller can also detect whether the connection position of each group of nozzle lines is accurate based on the second detection signal. After the detections of the first detection signal and the second detection signal pass, the controller sends other control signals according to the control instruction. These detection operations can ensure the position accuracy of the target nozzle, ensure the smooth progress of the printing work, and improve the printing efficiency.

[0047] As mentioned above, each nozzle includes multiple rows (e.g., M rows, where M is greater than or equal to 2) of nozzle holes. In a printing task, the printing data corresponding to each row of nozzle holes is very likely to be different. Therefore, each row of nozzle holes can correspond to a waveform control signal. The target analog signal includes the analog signals corresponding to N waveform control signals, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M. The target analog signal is used to control the corresponding target nozzle. In a specific implementation, after determining the target nozzle, the controller also sends M waveform control signals, the ignition data volume, and other signals in the control instruction to the FPGA chip. Among them, the M waveform control signals control the M rows of nozzle holes in each nozzle to be in a to-be-started state.

[0048] The FPGA chip is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly. The FPGA chip determines the target row of nozzle holes and the target waveform control signal corresponding to the target row of nozzle holes based on the printing data signal in the control instruction, selects the working target waveform signal from the M waveform control signals based on the target waveform control signal, and controls the target row of nozzle holes to print based on the target waveform signal.

[0049] In summary, the FPGA chip uses the waveform control signal based on the printing data signal to select the waveform signal corresponding to the target nozzle row from all (M) waveform signals, so as to drive the target row of nozzle holes corresponding to the waveform control signal to perform inkjet work.

[0050] For example, in the i3200 nozzle, there are a total of 8 columns of nozzle holes. The 8 columns of nozzle holes are divided into two rows of 4 columns of nozzle holes, and each row of nozzle holes shares a set of logic control signals.

[0051] For example, the i1600 nozzle shares a set of control logic and signals. The control logic includes: latching, signal splitting, NCHG, etc.; the data transmission includes: clock, data signal;

[0052] In an alternative embodiment, the driver includes a digital-to-analog converter and a power amplifier, and the digital-to-analog converter is connected to the power amplifier. The digital-to-analog converter is also connected to the FPGA chip. The digital-to-analog converter receives the second digital drive signal sent by the FPGA chip, converts the second digital drive signal into an initial analog signal, and sends the initial analog signal to the power amplifier. The power amplifier is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly. The power amplifier amplifies the initial analog signal to obtain a target analog signal to drive the target nozzle connected to the nozzle adapter assembly.

[0053] The function of the digital-to-analog converter is to convert the second digital drive signal into an initial analog signal that the power amplifier can recognize, and the power amplifier amplifies the initial analog signal to form a target analog signal, so as to drive the target nozzle connected to the nozzle adapter assembly, which can improve the driving efficiency of the driver.

[0054] In an alternative embodiment, the controller includes an electronic control unit and a communication interface; the communication interface is communicatively connected to the main board of the printer, and the electronic control unit is connected to the communication interface. The communication interface receives some instructions sent by the main board and sends these instructions to the electronic control unit; the electronic control unit can perform corresponding operations based on the received instructions.

[0055] In an alternative embodiment, the communication interface is connected to an FPGA chip; the communication interface receives control instructions sent by the FPGA chip and sends the control instructions to the electronic control unit;

[0056] The electronic control unit is connected to the communication interface; the electronic control unit determines a target nozzle based on the received control instructions and sends multiple control signals in the control instructions to the FPGA chip.

[0057] In an alternative embodiment, the nozzle board of the printer may further include: a radiator (not shown in the figure) and a power supply 15 as Figure 1 shown; the FPGA chip 11, the controller 12, the driver 13, and the nozzle adapter assembly 14 are all connected to the power supply 15.

[0058] In a specific implementation, the radiator can dissipate heat from the power amplifier in the driver to improve printing efficiency. And the power supply can supply electrical energy to multiple components in the nozzle board.

[0059] In an alternative embodiment, the FPGA is connected to the main board via an optical fiber. The main board packages the data into packets in a preset format and sends them to the FPGA. The FPGA does not perform data recognition but only realizes data format conversion. Among them, what the main board sends to the FPGA may include a packet header, data length, data type, check code, etc. The packet header contains the objects to which the relevant data needs to be sent subsequently, such as the main board, controller (MCU), driver, etc. The data length is used to determine the start of the entire data. The data type is used to indicate the type and format of the data, facilitating the FPGA to parse the data. The check code is used to detect the integrity of data transmission by checking whether the calculated check code is consistent with the received check code. After receiving the data packet sent by the main board through the optical fiber via the network port, the FPGA parses and classifies the data and then sends it to the controller, driver, or feedbacks it to the main board respectively. The FPGA is connected to the controller through a serial port and is used to send instructions to request relevant data monitored by multiple sensors, such as nozzle temperature data, nozzle humidity data, and liquid level information, etc. Since it does not require a high transmission speed, connecting through a serial port can save pins and can adapt to the protocols of most MCUs. Exemplarily, after parsing the data packet sent by the main board into control data, ignition data, printing data, and timing data according to the data type, the FPGA sends the control data to the sensor, the ignition data and timing data to the driver, saves the printing data, and sends it to the driver successively according to the timing.

[0060] The FPGA is connected to the driver through a parallel port. It should be noted that one driver can be connected to one nozzle or multiple nozzles. When there are many spray holes on the nozzle and the driving ability of the driver is insufficient, multiple drivers can also be used to connect one nozzle. Data transmission through the parallel port is faster and it is convenient to achieve clock synchronization. In the embodiment of the present invention, multiple or various nozzles are installed on the header board. As an alternative embodiment, the header board is connected to multiple drivers, and each driver is connected to one nozzle. Among them, the types of multiple nozzles connected by the header board through the driver can be the same or different. The types of nozzles can include Ricoh, Epson, Kyocera, Canon, etc., and the types of nozzles can include XP600, i3200, etc.

[0061] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention further optimizes the way of connecting one header board to one or more print heads. Optionally, one header board can be connected to multiple types of print heads, and the multiple types of print heads include at least one first type of print head and at least one second type of print head. Among them, the first type of print head is a print head that requires analog signal control for ink ejection, and the second type of print head is a print head that requires digital signal for ink ejection. Since data is transmitted between the main board and the header board through digital signals, the first type of print head is connected to the header board through a driver for digital-to-analog conversion, and the second type of print head is directly connected to the header board, which can realize the way of mixing multiple different types of print heads. The method in the above embodiments makes the applicability of the print head header board stronger and the application scenarios more diverse. For example, in a scenario where there are many types of print heads but limited quantity, multiple types of print heads can be installed on the print carriage for mosaic printing. Also, in a scenario where there are insufficient header boards, one header board can be used to control the print heads of multiple printers for printing. It can also be applied to a scenario where multiple types of print heads act together to print the same object to be printed. The application scenarios of the above method are not limited in this embodiment. Exemplarily, since the print heads of Kyocera do not require a driver for digital-to-analog conversion, the print heads of Kyocera can be directly connected to the header board, while the print heads of Ricoh and Epson require analog signal control for ink ejection from the nozzles, and the print heads of Ricoh and Epson need to be connected to the header board through a driver, and the print heads of Kyocera are directly connected to the header board.

[0062] The printhead board is connected to multiple driver boards and the printhead board through a parallel interface, or directly connected to the printhead. The same clock signal is used to send data. In the actual printing scenario, the number of nozzles of different types of printheads may be different. In the embodiments of the present invention, the clock signal is set according to the largest number of nozzles among multiple printheads. For the printhead with a smaller number of nozzles, the drive digital signal corresponding to some clock signals is 0. There is no limitation on which specific clock signals correspond to the digital drive signal being 0, and it can be freely set according to the actual situation. Optionally, obtain the difference between the number of nozzles of the current printhead and the largest number of nozzles among multiple printheads, and set the digital drive signal corresponding to the clock signal corresponding to the last difference to 0, so as to realize that different printheads are connected to the same printhead board through the parallel port using the same clock signal for mixed use, without setting their own clocks respectively, and the solution is simple and feasible. It can be understood that when the clock signal received by the printhead or the driver is 0, the nozzle is not driven to eject ink, realizing simultaneous printing of printheads with different nozzles without complex processing of the ink ejection data of the printhead. Exemplarily, when mixing the i3200 model printhead and the xp600 model printhead, since the number of nozzles of the i3200 model printhead is 3200 and the number of nozzles of the xp600 model printhead is 1080, the number of clock signals is set to 3200 at this time. The difference between the number of nozzles of the i3200 model printhead and the xp600 model printhead is 2120. When receiving the first 1080 clock signals, the xp600 printhead and the i3200 nozzles eject ink simultaneously according to the ink ejection data transmitted by the FPGA. When receiving the last 2120 clock signals, the drive signal of the xp600 printhead is 0, and it does not control the nozzle to eject ink. At this time, only the i3200 printhead controls the ink ejection according to the ink ejection data.

[0063] The printing system provided by the embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The printing system described below includes the printhead board of the printer in any of the above embodiments.

[0064] As Figure 2 shown, the printing system specifically includes: a printhead board 10, multiple or multiple types of printheads, a main board 30, and a computer terminal 40; the printhead board 10 at least includes an FPGA chip 11, a controller 12, multiple drivers 13, and a printhead adapter assembly 14 as Figure 1 shown, and a power supply 15 as Figure 1 shown; the printhead adapter assembly 14 is connected to multiple or multiple types of printheads. Figure 1The nozzle adapter assembly 14 therein may include a plurality of nozzle adapter sockets, such as the first nozzle adapter socket 141 (i.e., nozzle adapter socket 1), the second nozzle adapter socket 142 (i.e., nozzle adapter socket 2), the third nozzle adapter socket 143 (i.e., nozzle adapter socket 3), up to the Nth nozzle adapter socket 144 (i.e., nozzle adapter socket N); each nozzle adapter socket may be connected to a nozzle adapter board, such as the first nozzle adapter board 145 (i.e., nozzle adapter board 1), the second nozzle adapter board 146 (i.e., nozzle adapter board 2), the third nozzle adapter board 147 (i.e., nozzle adapter board 3), up to the Nth nozzle adapter board 148 (i.e., nozzle adapter board N); each nozzle adapter board may be connected to one or a type of nozzle. For example, the first nozzle adapter board 145 may be connected to the i3200 nozzle 24, the second nozzle adapter board 146 may be connected to the i1600 nozzle, the third nozzle adapter board 147 may be connected to the xp600 nozzle, and the fourth nozzle adapter board may be connected to the i1600 nozzle, etc.;

[0065] The plurality of nozzles may include such as Figure 1 the first nozzle 20, the second nozzle 21, in the

[0066] and up to the Nth nozzle 22 therein; among them, these nozzles may be of the same type or different types. Figure 2 The various nozzles may include

[0067] the i3200 nozzle 24, the i1600 nozzle 25, the xp600 nozzle 26, etc. in the

[0068] The FPGA chip 11 is connected to the main board 30 of the printer; the controller 12 is connected to the FPGA chip 11;

[0069] The main board 30 stores the print data and sends an initial control instruction to the FPGA chip 11;

[0070] The FPGA chip 11 receives the initial control instruction sent by the main board 30, and converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller 12; the controller 12 determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction, and sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip 11 after determining the target nozzle; the target nozzle includes at least one or a type of nozzle;

[0071] The FPGA chip 11 is also connected to the driver 13, wherein, a plurality of drivers 13 are all connected to the FPGA chip 11; the FPGA chip converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver;

[0072] The driver is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly. The driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal and drives the target nozzle based on the target analog signal.

[0073] As can be seen from the above, in the prior art, for a certain printing task that requires multiple nozzles to cooperate to complete, multiple or multiple types of nozzle plates need to work simultaneously to match it. However, the printing system provided by the embodiments of the present invention can solve this technical problem: the computer terminal 40 sends the printing instruction and the corresponding printing data to the main board 30 of the printer according to the printing task. The main board 30 stores the printing data and sends the control instruction to the FPGA chip 11 of the nozzle board 10. The FPGA chip 11 converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller 12. The controller 12 receives the control instruction and determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction (the target nozzle can include multiple nozzles of the same type or multiple nozzles of different types). Then, after determining the target nozzle, the controller 12 sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip 11. The FPGA chip 11 converts the first digital drive signal into a second digital drive signal and sends it to the driver 13. The driver 13 converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal to drive multiple nozzles or multiple types of nozzles in the target nozzle to perform printing. In this way, a single nozzle board controls multiple nozzles or multiple types of nozzles to cooperate in printing, which not only simplifies the overall structure of the printing system, reduces the printing cost, but also improves the printing efficiency.

[0074] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the printing system may further include a keypad 31. Among them, the main board 30 can be connected to the keypad 31. The keypad 31 can be a touch-screen interactive device used to observe various waveform signals, etc., or can generate printing instructions or stop printing instructions, etc., according to user input.

[0075] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the printing system may further include an x-axis motor 32, a y-axis motor 33, a wiper motor 34, and an ink stack motor 35. Among them, the x-axis motor 32, the y-axis motor 33, the wiper motor 34, and the ink stack motor 35 are all connected to the main board 30. In this way, the main board 30 can control and drive the x-axis motor 32, the y-axis motor 33, the wiper motor 34, and the ink stack motor 35 according to the printing instruction. Further, the main board 30 can control the nozzle to move left and right along the x-axis by controlling and driving the x-axis motor 32. The main board 30 can control the object to be printed or the nozzle to move forward along the y-axis by controlling and driving the y-axis motor 33. The main board 30 can control the ink stack to perform an ink absorption action by controlling and driving the ink stack motor 35. After printing is completed or before printing, the main board 30 can clean the nozzle by controlling and driving the wiper motor 34.

[0076] In an alternative embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the printing system may further include a grating sensor 50, a liquid level sensor 51, a paper detection sensor 52, and a heating plate 53. Among them, the grating sensor 50, the liquid level sensor 51, the paper detection sensor 52, and the heating plate 53 are all connected to the controller 12 in the printhead board 10. The controller 12 on the printhead board 10 can receive the sensor information collected by the grating sensor 50, the liquid level sensor 51, and the paper detection sensor 52, and perform further calculations or controls based on this sensor information. For example, the controller 12 can calculate the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge based on the liquid level information collected by the liquid level sensor 51. For example, the controller 12 can calculate the specific position of the paper and when to print based on the paper information collected by the paper detection sensor 52. For example, the controller 12 can also send this sensor information to the keypad board 31 through an external interface for the staff to observe. It should be noted that the connection relationship between the controller and each sensor is not specifically shown in the drawings, but there is a corresponding connection relationship in actual implementation. In addition, the controller is also connected to each printhead adapter socket, but only to prevent the lines in the drawings from being chaotic, and it is not specifically shown in the figure.

[0077] In an alternative embodiment, the printhead adapter assembly includes a plurality of printhead adapter sockets; each printhead adapter socket is connected to a printhead adapter board; each printhead adapter board is connected to a printhead;

[0078] Each printhead includes M rows of ejection holes, and each row of ejection holes corresponds to a waveform control signal; the target analog signal includes the analog signals corresponding to N waveform control signals; N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M;

[0079] After determining the target printhead, the controller also sends M waveform control signals in the control instruction to the FPGA chip;

[0080] The FPGA chip is also connected to the printhead adapter assembly; the FPGA chip determines the target row of ejection holes and the target waveform control signal corresponding to the target row of ejection holes based on the print data signal in the control instruction, determines the target waveform signal based on the target waveform control signal, and controls the target row of ejection holes to perform printing based on the target waveform signal.

[0081] As can be seen from the above, compared with the prior art, the printing system provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a computer terminal, a main board, a printhead board, and multiple or various printheads. If multiple or various printheads are required in a printing task, only one main board and one printhead board are needed to control and drive multiple or various printheads simultaneously to complete the task. For example, as mentioned above: in the i3200 + 2×i1600 mode, one i3200 can be connected to a color ink printhead, one i1600 can be connected to a white ink printhead, and one i1600 can be connected to a varnish printhead, so as to realize the integrated molding of white ink, color ink, and varnish, saving the printing cost and improving the printing efficiency. That is to say, the printing system provided by the embodiment of the present invention can realize the combination of multiple types of printheads in multiple quantities, so as to be flexibly applicable to various printing scenarios. It not only simplifies the overall structure of the printing system but also reduces the printing cost.

[0082] In an optional embodiment, different types of printhead adapter sockets can be set to be the same, and multiple such printhead adapter sockets can be provided on one printhead board. In this way, it is not necessary to manufacture and design many types of printhead adapter sockets, making the printhead adapter sockets highly versatile. On this basis, there is no need to make too many improvements to the mechanical structure at the printhead installation level. The size and the number of pins of the printhead adapter socket can be set based on the printhead with the most pins required. Among them, the size of the printhead adapter socket is determined by the maximum number of pins required among multiple printheads. The pins required by the printhead are determined according to the printhead protocol, which is specifically related to the number of nozzles and the driving method of the printhead. The printhead protocol can be obtained from the manufacturer of the printhead and is usually also recorded in the printhead manual. For printheads that require fewer pins, idle pins can be left in the printhead group adapter socket. When the sum of the number of pins required by two printheads is less than the number of pins on the printhead adapter socket, these two printheads can also be installed on the same printhead adapter socket through different adapter boards. Different types of printhead adapter boards can be set with different pins and different sizes corresponding to the number of pins required by the printhead. The printhead adapter boards and printhead adapter sockets of different sizes can be adapted to each other, enabling flexible plugging and unplugging. In this way, the hardware basis for installing multiple different types and kinds of printheads on the same printhead board is realized.

[0083] Based on the above hardware composition, the present invention needs to realize the combined printing of multiple types of printheads in the form of a printhead group data structure at the software level, such as the data level. In actual printing, the printhead group, that is, the target printhead, includes multiple types of printheads used by the printhead board during actual printing. The printhead group data structure includes a first-layer data structure, a second-layer data structure, and a third-layer data structure.

[0084] The first-layer data structure at least includes the nozzle type of each nozzle (such as the i3200 nozzle), the number of colors, the number of nozzle rows, and the number of plug-ins. These parameters all belong to the basic attributes of the nozzle. Among them, the number of nozzle rows refers to how many rows of nozzles are included in each nozzle. For example, 1 i1600 nozzle contains 4 rows of nozzles, and 1 i3200 nozzle contains 8 rows of nozzles (specially, 1 i3200 nozzle can be composed of 2 i1600 nozzles); the number of plug-ins refers to the number of nozzles corresponding when nozzles of the same type (referring to the same nozzle type, the same number of colors, and the same color order) are mixed and assembled into an integral nozzle. It should be noted that setting the number of colors, the number of nozzle rows, and the number of plug-ins in the first-layer data structure can calculate the phase of each color among all the colors used in a printing task. It can be understood that calculating the phase is for the convenience of distributing the printing data corresponding to the printing task and improving the printing accuracy. The phase calculation formula is as follows:

[0085] (1)

[0086] For example Figure 3 the i3200 nozzle 24 shown. This i3200 nozzle is composed of 2 i1600 nozzles 25. If 4 colors such as YMCK need to be printed by this i3200 nozzle 24 in a printing task and are set in units of 1 i1600, then the set number of colors is 2; since the four colors and eight rows of nozzles corresponding to the 2 i1600 nozzles 25 can meet the phase calculation requirements, and because it is set in units of 1 i1600 and there is no plug-in, the number of plug-ins can be set to 1; each i1600 nozzle 25 includes 4 rows of nozzles, and each row of nozzles corresponds to one color (such as Figure 3 the left i1600 nozzle shown. From left to right, the first row of nozzles corresponds to color Y, the second row of nozzles corresponds to color M, the third row of nozzles corresponds to color C, and the fourth row of nozzles corresponds to color K). It should be noted that the purpose of plug-in is to improve the printing speed.

[0087] The first-layer data structure can also include: the phase of the nozzle group, the plug-in of the nozzle group, the x-axis nozzle group information, and the y-axis nozzle group information. Grouping multiple nozzles in the first-layer data structure can improve the data management efficiency.

[0088] The second-layer data structure is the y-axis nozzle group information. Since multiple nozzles are connected to the nozzle adapter assembly in an array form, for example Figure 4 shown, all nozzles include multiple rows of nozzles, and each row of nozzles includes multiple nozzles. Therefore, the y-axis nozzle group information at least includes the number of x-axis nozzle groups, and the physical position of each x-axis nozzle group in the y-axis. In this way, when the printing data is distributed, it can be more conveniently addressed to the corresponding nozzle.

[0089] The third - layer data structure is the information of the x - axis nozzle groups. The information of the x - axis nozzle groups includes at least the number of nozzles, the types of colors, and the number of colors in each x - axis nozzle group, and also includes the nozzle position, nozzle type, number of colors, type of colors, and nozzle phase of each nozzle. Among them, the nozzle position is the head - plate serial number (such as head - plate 1, head - plate 2) and the slot serial number (such as slot 1, slot 2); the nozzle phase refers to the relative positions between the spray holes, color numbers, and high - low positions. In the third - layer data structure, the attribute settings for each specific nozzle facilitate the control of each nozzle and the spray holes on each nozzle, improving the printing efficiency.

[0090] The data in the first - layer data structure is applicable to all data. The role of the data in the second - layer data structure is to determine the position. The third - layer data structure is for adding, deleting, modifying, or querying each nozzle group respectively.

[0091] It can be understood that before printing, according to the printing task, a layout of multiple required nozzles is carried out. Before printing, relevant parameters are set on the interface, and independent nozzle attributes are set for each nozzle, including the above - mentioned nozzle types, number of colors, and color sequence. After the user's setting is completed, the multiple required nozzles are inserted into the corresponding slots through their respective nozzle adapter plates. Before printing, a one - time parsing of the attributes of each newly added mixed - type nozzle is carried out. Compared with the existing nozzle - group parsing method that requires secondary parsing to obtain the attributes of each nozzle, the data structure of the printing data provided by the embodiments of the present invention is more convenient for the construction and distribution of printing data.

[0092] In an optional embodiment, for the scenario where multiple different types of nozzles are mixed and installed on the same head - plate, a three - layer data structure can be used to store the relevant data of all nozzles. The data in the first - layer data structure is the data that needs to be directly retrieved and applied during the printing process for the scenario of mixed - type nozzles; the data in the second - layer data structure is the unified data grouping and data outlet provided according to the positions of the nozzles in the nozzle adapter assembly for the scenario of mixed - type nozzles; the data in the third - layer data structure is all the data for each nozzle.

[0093] It should be noted that the data stored in the first-layer data structure are the data directly required for the mixed-loading scenario or the data that can be calculated from the data stored in the first-layer data structure and are needed. They are the effective data obtained through cleaning according to the scenario. The data in the first-layer data structure are not stored according to the nozzle types but according to the scenario requirements, such as storing the data transmission and data distribution requirements for specific nozzle holes. Referring to the rules for the ink ejection driving methods of different types of nozzle holes in the above embodiments, in the printing scenarios with different types and numbers of nozzles mixed, in various mixed-loading scenarios, the data information in the first-layer data structure can be quickly obtained, that is, it can directly adapt to the data transmitted by the FPGA and perform the printing data distribution for each nozzle hole. The data stored in the first-layer data structure are highly practical. In the second-layer data structure, the data of different nozzles are grouped and stored according to the position information. The data stored in the second-layer data structure and the third-layer data structure are not completely in a one-to-many or one-to-one relationship. It may also be many-to-one. For example, the information of multiple nozzles of the same type may be stored only once in the third-layer data structure, but there are multiple positions in the second-layer data structure where the same nozzles are installed. At this time, the same information will be repeatedly stored at each position. The second-layer data structure provides a call interface for the third-layer data structure, and appropriate data redundancy can improve the usability of the data and reduce the difficulty of data parsing. The data stored in the third-layer data structure are large in quantity and comprehensive. Optionally, the relevant data corresponding to each nozzle can be stored in a hierarchical manner using a heap. This hierarchical storage means storing multiple different types of relevant data for each nozzle in a hierarchical manner. The third-layer data structure can not only structure the data to facilitate the addition, deletion, modification, and query of nozzle data but also be applied to other scenarios that do not include nozzle mixing but require data reading.

[0094] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with various embodiments herein, however, in the process of implementing the claimed invention, those skilled in the art can understand and realize other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions recited in the claims. Certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0095] Although the present invention has been described in connection with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the invention defined by the appended claims and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the invention. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalent technologies, the present invention is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A nozzle plate of a printer, characterized in that: include: FPGA chip, controller, driver and nozzle adapter assembly; The nozzle adapter assembly is connected to a plurality of or multiple types of nozzles; The FPGA chip is connected to the main board of the printer; the controller is connected to the FPGA chip; The FPGA chip receives the initial control instruction sent by the mainboard, and converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller; the controller determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction, and after determining the target nozzle, sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip; the target nozzle includes at least one or one nozzle; The FPGA chip is also connected to the driver, and the FPGA chip converts the first digital driving signal into a second digital driving signal and sends the second digital driving signal to the driver; The driver is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly, and the driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal, and drives the target nozzle based on the target analog signal; Each nozzle includes M rows of nozzle holes, each row of nozzle holes corresponds to a waveform control signal; the target analog signal includes analog signals corresponding to N waveform control signals; N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M; After determining the target nozzle, the controller further sends M waveform control signals in the control instruction to the FPGA chip; the M waveform control signals control the M rows of nozzle holes in each nozzle to be in a waiting state; The FPGA chip is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly; the FPGA chip determines the target row of nozzles and the target waveform control signal corresponding to the target row of nozzles based on the print data signal in the control instruction, selects the working target waveform signal based on the target waveform control signal from the M waveform control signals, and controls the target row of nozzles to print based on the target waveform signal.

2. The nozzle plate of the printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nozzle adapter assembly includes a plurality of nozzle adapter sockets; each of the nozzle adapter sockets is connected to a nozzle adapter plate; each of the nozzle adapter plates is connected to one or a type of nozzle.

3. The nozzle plate of the printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly; the controller performs a detection operation based on the first detection signal and the second detection signal in the control instruction; The first detection signal is used to detect the connection relationship between the target nozzle and the nozzle adapter plate; the second detection signal is used to detect the connection relationship between multiple nozzle lines in the target nozzle.

4. The nozzle plate of the printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driver comprises a digital-to-analog converter and a power amplifier; the digital-to-analog converter is connected to the power amplifier; The digital-to-analog converter is also connected to the FPGA chip; the digital-to-analog converter receives the second digital drive signal sent by the FPGA chip, converts the second digital drive signal into an initial analog signal, and sends the initial analog signal to the power amplifier; The power amplifier is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly; the power amplifier amplifies the initial analog signal to obtain the target analog signal to drive the target nozzle connected to the nozzle adapter assembly.

5. The nozzle plate of the printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller includes an electronic control unit and a communication interface; The communication interface is connected to the FPGA chip; the communication interface receives the control instruction sent by the FPGA chip, and sends the control instruction to the electronic control unit; The electronic control unit is connected to the communication interface; the electronic control unit determines the target nozzle based on the received control instruction, and sends a plurality of control signals in the control instruction to the FPGA chip.

6. The nozzle plate of the printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: Heat sink and power supply; The FPGA chip, the controller, the driver and the nozzle adapter assembly are all connected to the power supply.

7. A printing system, characterized in that: include: A nozzle board, a main board and a computer terminal; the nozzle board at least includes an FPGA chip, a controller, a driver and a nozzle adapter component; The nozzle adapter assembly is connected to a plurality of or multiple types of nozzles; The computer terminal includes a main controller and a memory; the main controller is connected to the memory; the memory stores printing data; The main controller sends the printing data and the initial control instruction to the main board according to the task instruction; The FPGA chip is connected to the main board of the printer; the controller is connected to the FPGA chip; The main board stores the printing data and sends the initial control instruction to the FPGA chip; The FPGA chip receives the initial control instruction sent by the mainboard, and converts the initial control instruction into a recognizable control instruction and sends it to the controller; the controller determines the target nozzle based on the control instruction, and after determining the target nozzle, sends the first digital drive signal in the control instruction to the FPGA chip; the target nozzle includes at least one or one nozzle; The FPGA chip is also connected to the driver, and the FPGA chip converts the first digital driving signal into a second digital driving signal and sends the second digital driving signal to the driver; The driver is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly, and the driver converts the second digital drive signal into a target analog signal, and drives the target nozzle based on the target analog signal; The nozzle adapter assembly includes a plurality of nozzle adapter sockets; each nozzle adapter socket is connected to a nozzle adapter plate; each nozzle adapter plate is connected to a nozzle; Each nozzle includes M rows of nozzle holes, each row of nozzle holes corresponds to a waveform control signal; the target analog signal includes analog signals corresponding to N waveform control signals; N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M; After determining the target nozzle, the controller also sends M waveform control signals in the control instruction to the FPGA chip; The FPGA chip is also connected to the nozzle adapter assembly; the FPGA chip determines the target row of nozzles and the target waveform control signal corresponding to the target row of nozzles based on the print data signal in the control instruction, determines the target waveform signal based on the target waveform control signal, and controls the target row of nozzles to print based on the target waveform signal.

8. The printing system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The data structure of the printing data includes a first layer data structure, a second layer data structure and a third layer data structure; wherein the first layer data structure includes at least the nozzle type, number of colors, number of nozzle arrangement and number of splicing of each nozzle; the second layer data structure includes at least the number of x-axial nozzle groups and the physical position of each x-axial nozzle group in the y-axial direction; the third layer data structure includes at least the number of nozzles, color type and number of colors in each x-axial nozzle group, as well as the nozzle position, nozzle type, number of colors, color type and nozzle phase of each nozzle.

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