Improved carriage unit and printing equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides an improved carriage unit and printing equipment, the improved carriage unit comprises a detection cavity and a circuit board, a positive electrode and a negative electrode are arranged in the detection cavity, and when the ink amount in the detection cavity is not lower than a set value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are communicated; when the ink amount in the detection cavity is lower than a set value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are disconnected in the detection cavity; a first contact and a second contact are arranged on the circuit board; the positive electrode and the negative electrode in the detection cavity are respectively communicated with the first contact and the second contact; according to the improvement, the first contact and the second contact are communicated through the conductive material, so that the positive electrode and the negative electrode are always kept in a communicated state, then the printing equipment detects that the positive electrode and the negative electrode are kept in the communicated state consistently, the ink box chip cannot be'dead ', waste of the ink box chip is avoided, and the utilization rate of the ink box chip can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of printing equipment, in particular to an improved carriage and printing equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] The printing equipment is provided with a carriage and an inkjet print head. After an ink cartridge is installed on the carriage, the inkjet print head is in communication with the ink cartridge. A detection chamber is usually arranged between the inkjet print head and the ink cartridge. Ink in the ink cartridge flows through the detection chamber and then flows into the inkjet print head. The inkjet print head prints by using the ink.

[0003] The detection chamber is provided with a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The positive electrode and the negative electrode are respectively electrically connected to contacts on the inkjet print head. When the ink level in the detection chamber is not lower than a preset value, the ink serves as a conductive medium between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. At this time, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are in communication, and it is determined that the ink cartridge has ink. When the ink in the ink cartridge is used up, the ink level in the detection chamber decreases as the inkjet print head uses ink. When the ink level in the detection chamber is lower than a preset value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are not in communication at this time, and it is determined that the ink cartridge is out of ink.

[0004] The ink cartridge is provided with an ink cartridge chip. The ink cartridge chip is usually provided with a fixed ink rating, which is usually much larger than the maximum ink storage capacity of the ink cartridge. After it is determined that the ink cartridge is out of ink, the printing equipment will "write" the ink cartridge chip, that is, the ink cartridge chip cannot be used, resulting in waste of ink cartridge chip resources. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0005] The present application provides an improved carriage and printing equipment to improve the utilization rate of the ink cartridge chip.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an improved carriage, comprising:

[0007] a detection chamber, the detection chamber is provided with a positive electrode and a negative electrode, when the ink level in the detection chamber is not lower than a set value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are in communication, and when the ink level in the detection chamber is lower than a set value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are disconnected in the detection chamber;

[0008] a circuit board, the circuit board is provided with a first contact and a second contact;

[0009] the positive electrode and the negative electrode in the detection chamber are respectively in communication with the first contact and the second contact;

[0010] The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through a conductive material.

[0011] In an implementation manner, the carriage comprises:

[0012] four detection chambers,

[0013] The circuit board is provided with one first contact and four second contacts;

[0014] The electrodes of the first polarity in the four detection cavities are in communication with the first contact, and the electrodes of the second polarity in the four detection cavities are in communication with the four second contacts respectively, wherein the first polarity is different from the second polarity.

[0015] The first contact and the four second contacts are in communication through conductive material.

[0016] In an implementation, the trolley comprises:

[0017] The trolley further comprises four installation cavities corresponding to the detection cavities, the installation cavities being used for installing ink cartridges, and the installation cavities being used for installing ink cartridges of different colors.

[0018] In an implementation, the conductive material is any one of conductive adhesive tape, electric wire and electric flat cable.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a printing device, comprising an ink cartridge, a control unit and the improved trolley as described in the first aspect,

[0020] The ink cartridge is provided with an ink cartridge chip, and the ink cartridge chip has an ink rated amount.

[0021] The improved trolley comprises an inkjet printhead, and the inkjet printhead is used for printing by using ink supplied from the ink cartridge.

[0022] The control unit comprises a power supply device, a measuring device, a control circuit and an output device, and the power supply device is used for supplying power to the improved trolley.

[0023] The measuring device is used for determining that the ink cartridge is in an ink state when detecting that the first contact and the second contact on the improved trolley are in a communication state.

[0024] The control circuit is used for controlling the inkjet printhead to print when it is determined that the ink cartridge is in the ink state.

[0025] The control circuit is further used for controlling the output device to output prompt information when the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip is printed out, and the prompt information is used for prompting to replace the ink cartridge chip.

[0026] In an implementation, the ink cartridge chip is used for recording ink consumption in real time and transmitting ink consumption to the control circuit.

[0027] The control circuit is further configured to determine whether the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip is printed out according to the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip and the ink consumption amount.

[0028] In an implementation, the measuring device comprises a voltage measuring circuit and a computing device,

[0029] The voltage measuring circuit is configured to measure the voltage between the first contact and the second contact and transmit the voltage between the first contact and the second contact to the computing device.

[0030] The computing device is configured to determine whether the first contact and the second contact are in a connected state according to the voltage between the first contact and the second contact, and transmit a first control signal to the control circuit when it is determined that the first contact and the second contact are in the connected state, the first control signal indicating that the ink cartridge is in an inked state.

[0031] In an implementation, the computing device is further configured to transmit a second control signal to the control circuit when it is determined that the first contact and the second contact are in a disconnected state, the second control signal indicating that the ink cartridge is in an inkless state.

[0032] In an implementation, the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip is greater than the maximum ink storage amount of the ink cartridge.

[0033] The application provides an improved carriage and a printing device, the improved carriage comprising a detection cavity and a circuit board, wherein the detection cavity is provided with a positive electrode and a negative electrode, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are connected by the ink in the detection cavity when the amount of ink in the detection cavity is not less than a set value, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode are disconnected in the detection cavity when the amount of ink in the detection cavity is less than the set value; the circuit board is provided with a first contact and a second contact; the positive electrode and the negative electrode in the detection cavity are connected with the first contact and the second contact respectively; the first contact and the second contact are connected by a conductive material, so that the positive electrode and the negative electrode are always kept in a connected state, and the printing device detects that the positive electrode and the negative electrode are always kept in a connected state, the printing device will not "write" the ink cartridge chip, the waste of the ink cartridge chip is avoided, and the utilization rate of the ink cartridge chip can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] The drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application. It is to be expressly understood that the drawings are some embodiments and that they are, therefore, to be interpreted not in an absolutely literal and / or exact sense, but rather to be viewed as being illustrative with the idea being to present examples of embodiments.

[0035] Figure 1A structure schematic diagram of a carriage provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 2 A structure schematic diagram of a detection cavity provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 3 A connection schematic diagram of a circuit board and a detection cavity provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 4 A connection schematic diagram of another circuit board and a detection cavity provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 5 A connection schematic diagram of a first contact and a second contact provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 6 A structure schematic diagram of a printing device provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 7 A structure schematic diagram of another printing device provided for an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Explanation of reference signs:

[0043] 10 - detection cavity; 20 - circuit board; 30 - installation cavity;

[0044] 101 - positive electrode; 102 - negative electrode;

[0045] 201 - first contact; 202 - second contact;

[0046] 301 - deformation member; 302 - inflation part; 303 - ink supply part; 304 - adapting part;

[0047] 401 - ink cartridge; 402 - control unit; 403 - improved carriage;

[0048] 4011 - ink cartridge chip; 4021 - measuring device; 4022 - control circuit; 4023 - power supply device; 4024 - output device; 4031 - inkjet print head;

[0049] 40211 - voltage measuring circuit; 40212 - computing device.

[0050] The above drawings have shown the explicit embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail hereinafter. These drawings and written descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of the present application by any means, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein with reference to the attached drawings. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and the term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." The following description is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, but is merely intended to describe the exemplary embodiments of the present application as exemplified in the drawings.

[0052] Second, it needs to be explained that, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms indicating the direction or position relationship of "inner", "outer" and the like are based on the direction or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or component must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0053] In addition, it also needs to be explained that, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0054] As shown in Figure 1 The word car includes a detection cavity 10 and a mounting cavity 30, wherein the mounting cavity 30 includes a deformation piece 301, an inflation part 302, an ink supply part 303 and an adapter part 304, and the mounting cavity 30 is used to mount the ink cartridge. When the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting cavity 30, the deformation piece 301 abuts on the surface of the wall where the inflation hole of the ink cartridge is located, the inflation part 302 engages with the inflation hole of the ink cartridge, the ink supply part 303 engages with the ink outlet of the ink cartridge, and the adapter part 304 is used to mount the ink cartridge.

[0055] After the ink cartridge is mounted to the mounting cavity 30 on the word car, the ink in the ink cartridge flows through the detection cavity 10 through the ink supply part 303, and then flows from the detection cavity 10 into the inkjet printhead, and the inkjet printhead uses the ink to print.

[0056] As shown in Figure 2As shown, the detection cavity 10 includes a positive electrode 101, a negative electrode 102 and a partition column 103, wherein the height of the partition column 103 is not lower than the height of the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102. When the ink page in the detection cavity is not lower than the partition column 103, the ink serves as a conductive medium between the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102, at which time the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are in communication. As the printing inkjet head uses ink, the ink page in the detection cavity 10 drops, and when the ink page is lower than the partition column 103, at which time the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 cannot be in communication through the ink, i.e. the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are not in communication. The printing device detects whether the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are in communication by detecting whether the contact A in communication with the positive electrode 101 and the contact a in communication with the negative electrode 102 are in communication, thereby determining whether the ink cartridge is out of ink. When it is detected that the contact A and the contact a are in communication, it indicates that the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are in communication, and it is determined that the ink cartridge is not out of ink. When it is detected that the contact A and the contact a are disconnected, it indicates that the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are disconnected, and it is determined that the ink cartridge is out of ink.

[0057] However, the ink cartridge chip on the ink cartridge is usually provided with a fixed ink capacity, and the ink capacity is usually much larger than the maximum ink storage capacity of the ink cartridge. When it is determined that the ink cartridge is out of ink, the printing device will "write" the ink cartridge chip, i.e. the ink cartridge chip cannot be used, causing waste of ink cartridge chip resources.

[0058] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide an improved carriage and a printing device. The improved carriage includes a detection cavity and a circuit board. The detection cavity is provided with a positive electrode and a negative electrode. When the ink amount in the detection cavity is not lower than a set value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are in communication through the ink in the detection cavity. When the ink amount in the detection cavity is lower than the set value, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are disconnected in the detection cavity. The circuit board is provided with a first contact and a second contact. The positive electrode and the negative electrode in the detection cavity are in communication with the first contact and the second contact, respectively. The first contact and the second contact are in communication through a conductive material, so that the positive electrode and the negative electrode always remain in a communication state. Therefore, the printing device detects that the positive electrode and the negative electrode always remain in a communication state, and the ink cartridge chip is not "written", thereby avoiding waste of the ink cartridge chip and improving the utilization rate of the ink cartridge chip.

[0059] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0060] The embodiments of the present application provide an improved carriage, Figure 3 The structure diagram of the improved carriage provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the improved carriage 1 includes a detection cavity 10 and a circuit board 20.

[0061] The positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are communicated when the ink amount in the detection cavity 10 is not less than the set value, and the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are disconnected when the ink amount in the detection cavity 10 is less than the set value.

[0062] The detection cavity 10 is further provided with a partition column 103, and the set value is the height of the partition column 103.

[0063] When the ink amount in the detection cavity 10 is not less than the set value, that is, the ink in the detection cavity 10 is not less than the partition column 103, the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are communicated through the ink in the detection cavity.

[0064] When the ink amount in the detection cavity 10 is less than the set value, that is, the ink in the detection cavity 10 is less than the partition column 103, the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 cannot be communicated through the ink in the detection cavity, that is, the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are disconnected in the detection cavity.

[0065] It should be noted that the number of detection cavities on the printing device can be set according to the number of ink cartridges that can be installed on the printing device in actual application, and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0066] The circuit board 20 can be arranged on the improved carriage 1, or can be arranged at any position of the printing device, and can be arranged according to actual application requirements, and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0067] In the embodiment, the circuit board 20 of the improved carriage 1 is provided with a first contact 201 and a second contact 202. The positive electrode 101 in the detection cavity 10 is communicated with the first contact 201, and the negative electrode 102 is communicated with the second contact 202.

[0068] In the case that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are not communicated through conductive material, the communication state of the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 in the detection cavity can be measured by measuring the communication state between the first contact 201 and the second contact 202, and the communication state is used as a basis for judging whether the detection cavity is out of ink.

[0069] In the embodiment, the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are communicated through conductive material (such as a spring) Figure 3The first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are connected by the conductive material, so that the first contact 201 connected to the positive electrode 101 and the second contact 202 connected to the negative electrode 102 are always in communication. Thus, the printing device determines that the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are always in communication, and considers that the ink cartridge is always in a state of sufficient ink (no ink shortage). In this way, the printing device will not "write" the ink cartridge chip, and after replacing the ink cartridge (still using the original ink cartridge chip), the ink cartridge chip can still be used, and the waste of ink cartridge chip resources can be avoided.

[0070] The conductive material for connecting the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 can be any medium that can effectively conduct current, and can be selected according to actual application needs. The present embodiment is not limited in this regard.

[0071] For example, the conductive material can be any one of conductive adhesive tape, wire, and electrical cord.

[0072] In the present embodiment, the circuit board can be an improved type of carriage chip. The first contact and the second contact can be contacts on the improved type of carriage chip that are respectively connected to the positive and negative electrodes in the detection chamber (or ink chamber, secondary ink chamber). The specific structure can be implemented using the existing improved type of carriage chip, and is not limited in this regard.

[0073] In the improved type of carriage of the present embodiment, the first contact 201 connected to the positive electrode in the detection chamber 10 and the second contact 202 connected to the negative electrode in the detection chamber are connected by the conductive material, so that the printing device determines that the first contact 201 connected to the positive electrode 101 and the second contact 202 connected to the negative electrode 102 are always in communication. Thus, the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are always in communication, and the ink cartridge is always considered to be in a state of sufficient ink (no ink shortage). In this way, when the ink cartridge is short of ink, the printing device will not "write" the ink cartridge chip, and after replacing the ink cartridge (still using the original ink cartridge chip), the ink cartridge chip can still be used, and the waste of ink cartridge chip resources can be avoided, and the utilization rate of the ink cartridge chip can be improved.

[0074] In an alternative implementation, as shown in Figure 1 The improved type of carriage 2 can include four detection chambers 10 and four installation chambers 30. The installation chambers 30 are arranged correspondingly to the detection chambers 10, and are used to install ink cartridges. Different installation chambers 30 are used to install ink cartridges for storing different colors of ink. For example, the four installation chambers are used to install ink cartridges for providing black ink, yellow ink, cyan ink, and magenta ink, so that the four colors of ink can flow through the corresponding detection chambers 10 to the printing inkjet head for printing.

[0075] AsFigure 4 As shown, the circuit board 20 of the improved letter carrier 2 is provided with one first contact 201 and four second contacts 202. The four second contacts 202 correspond to the four detection cavities 10 respectively.

[0076] The electrodes of the first polarity in the four detection chambers 10 are all connected to the first contact 201, and the electrodes of the second polarity in the four detection chambers 10 are respectively connected to the four second contacts 202, wherein the first polarity and the second polarity are different.

[0077] In this configuration, the first polarity can be either positive or negative. If the first polarity is positive, then the second polarity is negative. If the first polarity is negative, then the second polarity is positive.

[0078] For example, taking the first polarity as the positive pole and the second polarity as the negative pole, the positive poles in the four detection cavities 10 are all connected to the first contact 201, and the negative poles in the four detection cavities 10 are connected to the four second contacts 202 respectively.

[0079] In this embodiment, a conductive material is used to connect the first contact 201 to four second contacts 202.

[0080] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, A represents the first contact, and a, b, c, and d represent the second contacts corresponding to the four detection cavities, respectively. When the first contact A and the second contacts a, b, c, and d are not connected by a conductive material on the circuit board, the connection / disconnection state of the first contact A and the second contacts a, b, c, and d is determined by the connection / disconnection state of the positive and negative electrodes within the detection cavities, and is controlled by the amount of ink (using...). Figure 5 (The switch is represented in the image). In this embodiment, a conductive material is used on the circuit board to connect the first contact A with the second contacts a, b, c, and d respectively (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (As shown by the dashed line in the middle), so that the first contact A and the second contacts a, b, c, d are always in a connected state.

[0081] By connecting the first contact 201 with the four second contacts 202 through a conductive material, the printing device detects that the first contact 201 and any one of the second contacts 202 are always connected. This determines that the positive electrode and the negative electrode in any detection chamber are always connected, thus indicating that the ink cartridges connected to each detection chamber are always in a state of sufficient ink (no ink shortage).

[0082] In this way, when the ink cartridge is low on ink, the printer will still consider that the ink level is sufficient (not low on ink) and will not "write dead" the ink cartridge chip. After replacing the ink cartridge (while still using the original ink cartridge chip), the ink cartridge chip can still be used, which can avoid wasting ink cartridge chip resources and improve the utilization rate of ink cartridge chip.

[0083] This application provides a printing device, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the printing device includes: ink cartridge 401, control unit 402, and any of the above-mentioned improved type carriage 403.

[0084] The improved printhead 403 includes an inkjet printhead 4031, a detection chamber 10, and a circuit board 20. The detection chamber 10 contains a positive electrode and a negative electrode. When the ink level in the detection chamber 10 is not lower than a set value, the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are connected through the ink in the detection chamber 10. When the ink level in the detection chamber 10 is lower than the set value, the positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 are disconnected within the detection chamber. The circuit board 20 has a first contact 201 and a second contact 202. The positive electrode 101 and the negative electrode 102 in the detection chamber 10 are connected to the first contact 201 and the second contact 202, respectively. The first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are connected by a conductive material.

[0085] The inkjet printhead 4031 is used to print using ink supplied from the ink cartridge 401. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the improved type carriage 403 includes a detection cavity 10 and a mounting cavity 30. The mounting cavity 30 includes a deformable element 301, an inflation part 302, an ink supply part 303, and an adapter part 304. The mounting cavity 30 is used to mount the ink cartridge 401. When the ink cartridge 401 is mounted in the mounting cavity 30, the deformable element 301 abuts against the surface of the wall where the inflation hole of the ink cartridge 401 is located. The inflation part 302 engages with the inflation hole of the ink cartridge 401. The ink supply part 303 engages with the ink outlet of the ink cartridge 401. The adapter part 304 is used to mount the ink cartridge 401. After the ink cartridge 401 is mounted in the mounting cavity 30 of the improved type carriage 403, the ink in the ink cartridge 401 flows through the ink supply part 303 through the detection cavity 10, and then flows from the detection cavity 10 into the inkjet printhead 4031. The inkjet printhead 4031 uses the ink to print.

[0086] It should be noted that, Figure 6 Only the inkjet printhead 4031, the first contact 201, and the second contact 202 on the improved type carriage 403 are shown; other components of the improved type carriage are not shown. Figure 6 As shown, the structure of the improved type carriage 403 is the same as the improved type carriage structure provided in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here. An ink cartridge chip 4011 is present on the ink cartridge 401, and the ink cartridge chip has an ink rating. Normally, the ink rating of the ink cartridge chip is greater than the maximum ink capacity of the ink cartridge. Even after the ink in the current ink cartridge is used up, the ink cartridge chip remains usable.

[0087] In this embodiment, the control unit 402 may include a power supply device 4023, a measuring device 4021, and a control circuit 4022.

[0088] The power supply device 4023 is configured to supply power to the improved carriage 403, including supplying power to the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 of the improved carriage 403, so that when the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are in communication, current flows between the first contact 201 and the second contact 202.

[0089] The measuring device 4021 is configured to detect whether the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are in communication. When it is detected that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 of the improved carriage 403 are in communication, it is determined that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inked state. When it is detected that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 of the improved carriage 403 are not in communication, it is determined that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inkless state.

[0090] The measuring device 4021 can be any device configured to detect whether the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 of the improved carriage 403 are in communication, and the present embodiment is not limited in this regard.

[0091] In the present embodiment, the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 of the circuit board 20 of the improved carriage 403 are in communication through conductive material, so that the measuring device 4021 of the control unit 402 detects that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are always in communication, and considers that the ink cartridge 401 is always in an inked state. In this way, when the ink cartridge is inkless, the printing device will not "write off" the ink cartridge chip, and after the ink cartridge is replaced (still using the original ink cartridge chip), the ink cartridge chip can still be used, avoiding waste of ink cartridge chip resources and improving ink cartridge chip utilization.

[0092] The control circuit 4022 is configured to control the inkjet printhead 4031 to print when it is determined that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inked state, and to "write off" the ink cartridge chip 4011 when it is determined that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inkless state. The control circuit 4022 can be any circuit configured to control the inkjet printhead 4031 to print when it is determined that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inked state, and the present embodiment is not limited in this regard.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 of the circuit board 20 of the improved carriage 403 are connected by the conductive material, so that the measuring device 4021 of the control unit 402 detects that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are always connected, and thus considers that the ink cartridge 401 is always in the ink state. Even if the ink of the ink cartridge 401 is out of ink, the printing device still considers that the ink cartridge 401 is in the ink state, and the control circuit 4022 will continue to control the inkjet printhead 4031 to print. When the user finds that the inkjet printhead 4031 does not print ink or the printed paper is blank, the ink cartridge chip 4011 can be retained, and only the consumable cartridge (i.e., the box in the ink cartridge for containing ink) is replaced, so as to fully utilize the ink cartridge chip 4011, avoid the chip of the ink cartridge chip 4011 being “written” when the rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is not used, and cause waste of the ink cartridge chip 4011, and improve the utilization rate of the ink cartridge chip 4011.

[0094] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figure 7 the control unit 402 can further include an output device 4024. The output device 4024 can be a display screen, an indicator light, a sound playing device, or the like on the printing device.

[0095] It should be noted that Figure 7 only the inkjet printhead 4031, the first contact 201, and the second contact 202 on the improved carriage 403 are shown in the Figure 7 , and other structures of the improved carriage 403 are not shown in the Figure 7 . For the structure of the improved carriage 403, refer to the improved carriage structure provided in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described herein. In this embodiment, the control circuit 4022 is further configured to control the inkjet printhead 4031 to print when it is determined that the ink cartridge 401 is in the ink state, and control the output device 4024 to output a prompt information when the rated amount of ink of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is printed out, the prompt information being used to prompt replacement of the ink cartridge chip 4011. For example, when the output device 4024 outputs information such as “recognition failure”, “machine recognition failure”, “connection failure”, or the like, the user knows that a new ink cartridge chip 4011 needs to be replaced at this time.

[0096] When the output device 4024 outputs the prompt information, the user can know from the prompt information that the rated amount of ink of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is printed out, and thus can replace the ink cartridge chip 4011 at this time. Exemplarily, the user can replace the ink cartridge chip 4011 on the ink cartridge 401.

[0097] Optionally, when the user replaces the ink cartridge chip 4011, the user can check whether the ink cartridge 401 in which the ink cartridge chip 4011 is located is out of ink. If the ink cartridge 401 in which the ink cartridge chip 4011 is located is out of ink, the ink cartridge 401 (including the ink cartridge chip 4011 and the consumable cartridge) in which the ink cartridge chip 4011 is located can be replaced. If the ink cartridge 401 in which the ink cartridge chip 4011 is located is not out of ink, only the ink cartridge chip 4011 can be replaced, and the new ink cartridge chip 4011 can be installed on the ink cartridge 401 currently used by the printing device.

[0098] In an optional embodiment, the ink cartridge chip 4011 can record the ink consumption in real time and transmit the ink consumption to the control circuit 4022. The control circuit 4022 can determine whether the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is printed out according to the ink rated amount and the ink consumption of the ink cartridge chip 4011.

[0099] For example, the control circuit 4022 can compare the ink rated amount and the ink consumption of the ink cartridge chip 4011. If the ink consumption of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is greater than or equal to the ink rated amount, it can be determined that the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 has been printed out. If the ink consumption of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is less than the ink rated amount, it can be determined that the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 has not been printed out. The control circuit 4022 can be any circuit for determining whether the ink cartridge 401 is in an ink state, controlling the inkjet printhead 402 to print, and comparing the ink rated amount and the ink consumption. The present embodiment is not limited in this regard.

[0100] In some embodiments, the ink cartridge chip 4011 can also calculate the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge 401 in real time according to the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 and the real-time ink consumption, and transmit the remaining ink amount to the control circuit 4022. The control circuit 4022 can determine whether the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 is printed out by judging whether the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge 401 is equal to 0 (or less than a preset minimum ink amount). If the remaining ink amount is 0 (or less than the preset minimum ink amount), it can be determined that the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 has been printed out. If the remaining ink amount is greater than 0 (or greater than or equal to the preset minimum ink amount), it can be determined that the ink rated amount of the ink cartridge chip 4011 has not been printed out.

[0101] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the measuring device 4021 can include a voltage measuring circuit 40211 and a calculation device 40212. Figure 7

[0102] ​The voltage measurement circuit 40211 is configured to measure the voltage between the first contact 201 and the second contact 202, and transmit the voltage between the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 to the computing device 40212. The voltage measurement circuit 40211 can be any circuit implementation for measuring the voltage between two contacts, and the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0103] The computing device 40212 is configured to determine whether the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are in a connected state according to the voltage between the first contact 201 and the second contact 202, and transmit a first control signal to the control circuit 4022 when it is determined that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are in the connected state, where the first control signal indicates that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inked state.

[0104] The computing device 40212 is configured to determine whether the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are in a connected state according to the voltage between the first contact 201 and the second contact 202, and transmit a first control signal to the control circuit 4022 when it is determined that the first contact 201 and the second contact 202 are in the connected state, where the first control signal indicates that the ink cartridge 401 is in an inked state.

[0105] The computing device 40212 can be any device for determining whether two contacts are in a connected state according to the voltage between the two contacts, and can be designed or selected according to the specific implementation of the voltage measurement circuit 40211, and the embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0106] For example, when the two contacts are connected, the voltage measurement circuit 40211 measures a voltage between the two contacts that is not 0; when the two contacts are disconnected, the voltage measurement circuit 40211 measures a voltage between the two contacts that is 0. Then, when the voltage between the two contacts is not 0, the computing device 40212 determines that the two contacts are in a connected state; when the voltage between the two contacts is 0, the computing device 40212 determines that the two contacts are in a disconnected state.

[0107] For example, when the two contacts are connected, the voltage measurement circuit 40211 measures a voltage between the two contacts that is higher than a voltage threshold; when the two contacts are disconnected, the voltage measurement circuit 40211 measures a voltage between the two contacts that is not higher than the voltage threshold. Then, the computing device 40212 can compare the voltage between the two contacts with the voltage threshold; when the voltage between the two contacts is higher than the voltage threshold, the computing device 40212 determines that the two contacts are in a connected state; when the voltage between the two contacts is higher than the voltage threshold, the computing device 40212 determines that the two contacts are in a disconnected state. The voltage threshold needs to be determined according to the specific circuit implementation of the printing device, and the voltage threshold is used to determine whether the two contacts are in a connected state.

[0108] It has to be understood that the term "comprising" or "including" or any other variant thereof, as used in the context of the specification, is intended to cover also the case of non-exclusive inclusion, such that the process, method, article or apparatus including the elements listed in the claims does not exclude additional elements not listed in the claims. The term "comprising" or "including" is used in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

[0109] Other embodiments of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the application disclosed herein.

[0110] It is intended to include all such variations and modifications within the scope of the present application. It is intended that only such limitations be placed upon the application that are imposed by the prior art to which it pertains.

[0111] The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the application being indicated by the following claims.

[0112] It is to be understood that the application is not limited to the precise details of design and operation as herein described and illustrated, and that various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. The scope of the application is to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An improved trolley, characterized by, The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

2. The trolley as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

3. The cart of claim 2, wherein, The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

4. The trolley according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

5. A printing apparatus characterized by comprising: The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

6. The printing device according to claim 5, wherein The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

7. The printing device according to claim 6, characterized by The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material.

8. The printing device according to claim 6, characterized by The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact and the second contact are in communication through conductive material. The improvement lies in that the first contact 9. The printing device according to claim 8, characterized by The computing device is further configured to transmit a second control signal to the control circuit when it is determined that the first contact and the second contact are in the open state, the second control signal indicating that the ink cartridge is in an out-of-ink state.

10. The printing device according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that, The ink cartridge chip has an ink rating that is greater than a maximum ink storage capacity of the ink cartridge.

Images