Consumable chip and consumable box

Abstract

The utility model relates to a consumable chip and a consumable box. The consumable chip comprises a first communication terminal and a second communication terminal; the consumable chip is configured to be in communication connection with the printing equipment through the first communication terminal and communicate with the printing equipment by adopting a first communication protocol; the communication module is configured to be in communication connection with reworking equipment through the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal, and communicates with the reworking equipment by adopting a second communication protocol; the reworking equipment only supports the second communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip, and does not support the first communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip. The consumable chip obtains a working power supply from the printing equipment through the first communication terminal and receives a data signal; the consumable chip obtains a working power supply from the reworking equipment through the first type of communication terminal, and transmits a data signal and a clock signal to the reworking equipment through the second type of communication terminal. According to the consumable chip and the consumable box, when the consumable chip and the consumable box communicate with reworking equipment, the reworking efficiency can be improved, and the cost of the reworking equipment is reduced.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on July 19, 2024, with application number 202410980219.6 and application name “A consumable chip and consumable box”, and the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on August 29, 2024, with application number 202411210756.9 and application name “A consumable chip and consumable box”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of printing and imaging technology, and in particular to a consumable chip and a consumable box. Background Art

[0003] Printing devices are common office equipment. They use consumables, specifically cartridges, such as ink cartridges, toner cartridges, or toner cartridges. Each cartridge contains a consumable chip that stores information about the consumable, such as the model, production date, manufacturer, serial number, and chip program version.

[0004] The consumable chip is provided with a communication interface, such as contacts or coils, for communicating with other devices. In the related art, the contacts or coils on the consumable chip are set to support only one data communication protocol for the printing device, and this communication protocol is specifically used for the printing device to communicate with the consumable chip. The consumable chip needs to be reworked in certain scenarios, and users usually use rework equipment to modify, delete or add some data to the consumable chip. The rework equipment reworks the consumable chip through the contacts or coils that originally communicated with the printing device. If the original contacts or coils use a protocol with a slower communication speed, it will affect the rework efficiency. Moreover, if the original contacts or coils use an analog communication protocol, the rework equipment needs to be configured with an analog communication control circuit, which will increase the number of circuit components in the rework equipment and increase costs. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present application provides a consumable chip and a consumable box, which can improve rework efficiency when communicating with rework equipment, and the rework equipment does not need to be configured with an analog communication control circuit, thereby reducing the cost of the rework equipment.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a consumable chip, the consumable chip comprising:

[0007] First type communication terminal and second type communication terminal;

[0008] The consumable chip is configured to be communicatively connected to the printing device via the first type of communication terminal and to communicate with the printing device using a first communication protocol;

[0009] The consumable chip is configured to be communicatively connected to the rework equipment through the first type of communication terminal and the second type of communication terminal, and to communicate with the rework equipment using a second communication protocol;

[0010] The rework device only supports the second communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip, and does not support the first communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip;

[0011] The consumable chip obtains working power and receives data signals from the printing device through the first type of communication terminal;

[0012] The consumable chip obtains working power from the rework equipment through the first type of communication terminal, and transmits data signals and clock signals to the rework equipment through the second type of communication terminal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second communication protocol is a protocol for transmitting digital signals.

[0014] In some embodiments, the consumable chip includes: a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, and a fourth terminal;

[0015] The first terminal and the second terminal are the first type of communication terminals, and the third terminal and the fourth terminal are the second type of communication terminals;

[0016] The first terminal is used to receive a ground signal from the printing device or the rework device;

[0017] The second terminal is used to receive a data signal and a power signal from the printing device, or is used to receive a power signal from the reworking device;

[0018] The third terminal is used to receive a clock signal from the rework equipment;

[0019] The fourth terminal is used to receive a data signal from the rework equipment.

[0020] In some embodiments, the consumable chip further comprises:

[0021] A monitoring module, configured to be in a waiting and monitoring state after the consumable chip is powered on, so as to monitor a start instruction sent by an external host;

[0022] A control module is used to communicate with the printing device through the first type of communication terminal when the starting instruction is a starting instruction of the first communication protocol, and the second type of communication terminal is invalid; when the starting instruction is a starting instruction of the second communication protocol, communicate with the rework device through the first type of communication terminal and the second type of communication terminal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the consumable chip further comprises:

[0024] The storage module is used to store the mapping relationship between the starting instruction and the communication protocol, or to store the mapping relationship between the starting instruction, the communication protocol and the communication authority.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first type of communication terminals and the second type of communication terminals are arranged side by side, and the area occupied by the second type of communication terminals on the consumable chip is smaller than the area occupied by the first type of communication terminals.

[0026] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a consumables box, comprising the consumables chip as described in the first aspect or any one of the first aspects.

[0027] The consumable chip and consumable box provided in this application have at least the following technical effects:

[0028] The consumable chip includes a first type of communication terminal and a second type of communication terminal. The consumable chip communicates with the rework equipment through the first type of communication terminal and the second type of communication terminal using the second communication protocol, obtains working power from the rework equipment through the first type of communication terminal, and transmits data signals and clock signals between the consumable chip and the rework equipment through the second type of communication terminal. This not only improves the rework efficiency, but also eliminates the need for the rework equipment to be configured with an analog communication control circuit, thereby reducing the cost of the rework equipment. Furthermore, the consumable chip reuses the first type of communication terminal for communication with the rework equipment, which can reduce the number of terminals required to be added to the consumable chip and reduce the chip area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a consumables box provided for related technology;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided for related technology;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided for related technology;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the internal modules of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a storage module of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a consumables box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a consumable chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] It should be clear that the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0044] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0045] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein simply describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

[0046] In a communication system, a master device and a slave device are provided. The master device is provided with a communication port, and the slave device is provided with an interface module. A communication link is established between the communication port and the interface module, and information can be transmitted between the master device and the slave device via the communication link. The master device involved in the embodiments of the present application is a device that can perform data processing, control, or related operations, and the slave device is installed on the master device to assist the master device in completing related functions.

[0047] In one example, the host may be a computer, and the slave may be a peripheral device / apparatus of the computer. In another example, the host may be a mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc.), and the slave may be an accessory or peripheral device or apparatus of the mobile terminal, such as a lithium battery chip, a wearable device chip, etc. In some application scenarios, such as Figure 1 As shown, the host is the printing device 1, and the slave is the consumable chip 21. The printing device 1 is provided with a communication port 11, and the consumable chip 21 is provided with an interface module 210. A communication link is established between the communication port 11 and the interface module 210, and information can be transmitted between the printing device 1 and the consumable chip 21 through the communication link. For example, during the imaging process, the consumable chip 21 is used to provide the printing device 1 with identity recognition information and recording material usage status information. Specifically, the communication port 11 and the interface module 210 can be electrically connected by means of a stylus, a contact, or a spring, thereby establishing a communication link. In other embodiments, the communication link can also be a contactless communication link, that is, a wireless communication link. In this case, the communication port 11 and the interface module 210 may include an antenna or a coil for transmitting wireless signals.

[0048] For ease of description, the following describes the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application using a printing device 1 and a consumable chip 21 as an example. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in addition to the printing device 1 and the consumable chip 21, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application may also be applied to other types of hosts and slaves, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0049] During the imaging process, the printing device 1 requires imaging auxiliary information to complete the imaging process. The imaging auxiliary information of the printing device 1 is not only recorded on the printing device 1, but also on the consumable chip 21. The consumable chip 21 mainly plays the role of identity identification and providing the use status of the recording material. Therefore, when the consumable chip 21 is installed on the printing device 1, the printing device 1 will read the information of the consumable chip 21 and also send the status and related information of the printing job to the consumable chip 21. Figure 2 As shown, the consumable chip 21 is set on the consumable box 2, and the consumable box 2 can be Figure 2In the embodiment of the present application, the consumable chip 21 is connected to the printing device 1 through electrical contact. For example, the contact pins on the printing device 1 are electrically contacted with the contacts of the terminals in the consumable chip 21 to achieve communication connection.

[0050] In the related art, the contacts on the terminals of the consumable chip 21 are set to support only one data communication protocol for the printing device 1. This communication protocol is specifically used for the communication connection between the printing device 1 and the consumable chip 21. Since the consumable chip 21 needs to be reworked in certain scenarios, users often use rework equipment to modify, delete or add some data to the consumable chip 21. When the rework equipment reworks the consumable chip 21 through the contacts that originally communicated with the printing device 1, if the original contacts use a protocol with a slower communication speed, it will affect the rework efficiency.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, the consumable chip 21 in the related art includes a first terminal 211 and a second terminal 212, which are respectively used to receive different signals from the printing device 1. Specifically, Figure 4 As shown, when the consumable chip 21 needs to communicate with the printing device 1, the communication protocol used is an analog signal, and the printing device 1 needs to be equipped with an analog communication control circuit. Figure 4 As shown, the first terminal 211 receives the ground signal (GND) from the printing device 1. The second terminal 212 receives the data signal (SDA) and the power signal (VCC) from the printing device 1, which is equivalent to the consumable chip 21 completing the reception of the two signals only through the second terminal 212, resulting in a low signal transmission rate. Assuming that the rework equipment also uses analog signals to achieve communication, the rework equipment needs to be configured with an analog control circuit, which will increase the number of circuit components of the rework equipment and increase the cost. For example, in some scenarios, the rework equipment may be sold to the user as a set together with the consumable box 2 or other accessories. If the cost of the rework equipment increases, it will be unfavorable to control the cost of the complete set of accessories. The rework equipment needs to use lower-cost digital signals for communication. If the rework equipment uses digital signals for communication, the consumable chip 21 needs to add additional terminals in addition to the configured first terminal 211 and second terminal 212. An embodiment of the present application provides a consumable chip 21, which reuses the existing first terminal 211 and second terminal 212, and uses the first terminal 211 and second terminal 212 as first-type communication terminals. On the basis of the first-type communication terminals, the consumable chip 21 of the embodiment of the present application also includes second-type communication terminals.

[0052] Specifically, the consumable chip 21 of the embodiment of the present application includes first-type communication terminals and second-type communication terminals. The consumable chip 21 is configured to communicate with the printing device 1 via the first-type communication terminals, using a first communication protocol. The consumable chip 21 is also configured to communicate with the rework equipment via the first-type communication terminals and the second-type communication terminals, using a second communication protocol. The rework equipment only supports the second communication protocol for communication with the consumable chip 21, and does not support the first communication protocol for communication with the consumable chip 21.

[0053] When communicating with the printing device 1, the consumable chip 21 can obtain operating power and receive data signals from the printing device 1 via the first type of communication terminal. When communicating with the rework equipment, the consumable chip 21 can obtain operating power from the rework equipment via the first type of communication terminal and transmit data signals and clock signals to the rework equipment via the second type of communication terminal. The second communication protocol can be a protocol different from the first communication protocol. For example, the second communication protocol can be a protocol for transmitting digital signals.

[0054] The consumable chip 21 of the present embodiment communicates with the rework equipment via the second communication protocol, which not only improves rework efficiency but also eliminates the need for analog communication control circuits in the rework equipment, reducing the cost of the rework equipment. The consumable chip 21 reuses the first-class communication terminals for communication with the rework equipment, reducing the number of additional terminals required for communication between the consumable chip 21 and the rework equipment, thereby reducing the cost of the consumable chip 21 and the chip area of ​​the consumable chip 21.

[0055] like Figure 5As shown, the consumable chip 21 of the embodiment of the present application includes at least two terminals, specifically including: a first terminal 211, a second terminal 212, a third terminal 213 and a fourth terminal 214, wherein some terminals are used to complete the first communication protocol, and some terminals are used to complete the second communication protocol, which are respectively applied to different scenarios. Among them, the first terminal 211 and the second terminal 212 are first-class communication terminals, and the third terminal 213 and the fourth terminal 214 are second-class communication terminals. When the consumable chip 21 communicates with the printing device 1, the consumable chip 21 is configured to obtain working power and receive data signals from the printing device 1 through the first-class communication terminal. When the consumable chip 21 communicates with the rework equipment, the consumable chip 21 is configured to obtain working power from the rework equipment through the first-class communication terminal, and transmit data signals and clock signals between the rework equipment through the second-class communication terminal. Since the rework device is not equipped with an analog communication control circuit and supports binary communication, i.e., receiving or sending 0 or 1; the printing device 1 is equipped with an analog communication control circuit and supports three-value communication (high level, low level and medium level) or signals with more gradient values, the rework device only supports the second communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip 21, but does not support the first communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip 21. The rate of binary communication is higher than the rate of three-value communication, thereby achieving the purpose of using the second communication protocol to communicate with the rework device at a higher rate than using the first communication protocol.

[0056] like Figure 6 As shown, the consumable chip 21 also includes a monitoring module 217 and a control module 216. Among them, the monitoring module 217 is used to be in a waiting and monitoring state after the consumable chip 21 is powered on, so as to monitor the start instruction sent by the external host. The control module 216 is used to communicate with the printing device 1 through the first type of communication terminal when the start instruction is a start instruction of the first communication protocol, and the second type of communication terminal is invalid; when the start instruction is a start instruction of the second communication protocol, it communicates with the rework device through the first type of communication terminal and the second type of communication terminal. Figure 6 As shown, the consumable chip 21 further includes a storage module 215, which is used to store the mapping relationship between the start instruction and the communication protocol. Figure 7 As shown, the start instruction 1 corresponds to the first communication protocol, and the start instruction 2 corresponds to the second communication protocol. In some embodiments, the storage module 215 stores the mapping relationship between the start instruction, the communication protocol, and the communication authority. Figure 7 As shown, the start instruction 1 corresponds to the first communication protocol, and the first communication protocol corresponds to the communication authority 1; the start instruction 2 corresponds to the second communication protocol, and the second communication protocol corresponds to the communication authority 2.

[0057] After the consumable chip 21 is powered on, the monitoring module 217 is in a waiting and monitoring state. At this time, the consumable chip 21 is a slave, which is used to monitor the start command sent by the external host. For example, when the consumable chip 21 monitors the start command 1, the start command 1 corresponds to the first communication protocol, and the communication protocol of the consumable chip 21 is switched to the first communication protocol by the control module 216. The consumable chip 21 will currently use the first communication protocol. Among them, the first communication protocol can be, for example, a single bus protocol or other communication protocol. When the consumable chip 21 monitors the start command 2, the start command 2 corresponds to the second communication protocol, and the communication protocol of the consumable chip 21 is switched to the second communication protocol by the control module 216. The consumable chip 21 will currently use the second communication protocol. Among them, the second communication protocol can be an IIC protocol.

[0058] like Figure 8 As shown, the consumable chip 21 includes a first terminal 211, a second terminal 212, a third terminal 213, and a fourth terminal 214. The first terminal 211 and the second terminal 212 are first-type communication terminals, while the third terminal 213 and the fourth terminal 214 are second-type communication terminals. The first terminal 211 can be used to receive a ground signal (GND), the second terminal 212 can be used to receive a power signal (VCC) or a data signal (SDA), the third terminal can be used to receive a clock signal (SCL), and the fourth terminal can be used to receive a data signal (SDA).

[0059] When the consumables chip monitors that the start instruction corresponds to the first communication protocol, such as a single bus protocol, it communicates with the printing device, such as Figure 9 , then the third terminal 213 and the fourth terminal 214 are invalid, the first terminal 211 receives the ground signal from the host, and the second terminal 212 receives the data signal and the power signal from the host, which is equivalent to the consumable chip 21 completing the reception of the two signals only through the second terminal 212. When the consumable chip monitors that the start instruction corresponds to the second communication protocol, such as the IIC protocol, Figure 10 , then the first terminal 211 receives a ground signal from the host, the second terminal 212 receives a power signal from the host, the third terminal 213 is used to receive a clock signal, and the fourth terminal 214 is used to receive a data signal. The consumable chip of the present application reuses the second terminal 212, so when communicating with the rework equipment, the second terminal 212 is used to receive the power signal, and only the fourth terminal 214 for receiving the data signal and the third terminal 213 for receiving the clock signal need to be added, without adding a terminal for receiving the power signal. Among them, since the second communication protocol uses different terminals to receive the power signal and the data signal respectively, the communication rate of the second communication protocol is faster than the communication rate of the first communication protocol. When the consumable chip 21 is installed in the printing device 1 for use, the second type of communication terminal is not conductively connected to the printing device.

[0060] In addition, the consumable chip 21 has different access permissions corresponding to different protocols, such as Figure 7 The first communication protocol stored in the storage module 215 corresponds to communication permission 1, and the second communication protocol corresponds to communication permission 2. For example, the factory has the greatest authority for burning data and can initialize access to the entire storage space of the consumable chip 21. The second communication protocol is set to the protocol corresponding to the factory side or the upgrade side. Other protocols that use different protocols from the factory, such as the first communication protocol between the printing device 1 and the consumable chip 21, generally have limited access permissions to the consumable chip.

[0061] like Figure 12 As shown, the first type of communication terminals and the second type of communication terminals are arranged side by side, with the first type of communication terminals arranged next to the second type of communication terminals, thereby helping to reduce the area of ​​the chip PCB. Preferably, the area occupied by the second type of communication terminals on the consumable chip 21 is smaller than the area occupied by the first type of communication terminals.

[0062] like Figure 11 As shown, the embodiment of the present application further provides a consumable box 2, which includes the above-mentioned consumable chip 21 provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0063] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the technology in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a storage medium such as ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc., and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application or certain parts of the embodiments.

[0064] In this specification, reference can be made to the same or similar parts between the various embodiments. In particular, for the device embodiment and the terminal embodiment, since they are basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description in the method embodiment.

Claims

1. A consumable chip, characterized in that: The consumable chip includes: First type communication terminal and second type communication terminal; The consumable chip is configured to be communicatively connected to the printing device via the first type of communication terminal and to communicate with the printing device using a first communication protocol; The consumable chip is configured to be communicatively connected to the rework equipment through the first type of communication terminal and the second type of communication terminal, and to communicate with the rework equipment using a second communication protocol; The rework device only supports the second communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip, and does not support the first communication protocol to communicate with the consumable chip; The consumable chip obtains working power and receives data signals from the printing device through the first type of communication terminal; The consumable chip obtains working power from the rework equipment through the first type of communication terminal, and transmits data signals and clock signals to the rework equipment through the second type of communication terminal.

2. The consumable chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second communication protocol is a protocol for transmitting digital signals.

3. The consumable chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The consumable chip includes: a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal and a fourth terminal; The first terminal and the second terminal are the first type of communication terminals, and the third terminal and the fourth terminal are the second type of communication terminals; The first terminal is used to receive a ground signal from the printing device or the rework device; The second terminal is used to receive a data signal and a power signal from the printing device, or is used to receive a power signal from the reworking device; The third terminal is used to receive a clock signal from the rework equipment; The fourth terminal is used to receive a data signal from the rework equipment.

4. The consumable chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The consumable chip further includes: A monitoring module, configured to be in a waiting and monitoring state after the consumable chip is powered on, so as to monitor a start instruction sent by an external host; A control module is used to communicate with the printing device through the first type of communication terminal when the starting instruction is a starting instruction of the first communication protocol, and the second type of communication terminal is invalid; when the starting instruction is a starting instruction of the second communication protocol, communicate with the rework device through the first type of communication terminal and the second type of communication terminal.

5. The consumable chip according to claim 4, characterized in that: The consumable chip further includes: The storage module is used to store the mapping relationship between the starting instruction and the communication protocol, or to store the mapping relationship between the starting instruction, the communication protocol and the communication authority.

6. The consumable chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first type of communication terminals and the second type of communication terminals are arranged side by side, and the area occupied by the second type of communication terminals on the consumable chip is smaller than the area occupied by the first type of communication terminals.

7. A consumables box, characterized in that: The consumable chip comprises the consumable chip according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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