Inkjet Head Control Apparatus Modular Addressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers with multiple inkjet heads require a separate control apparatus for each head, necessitating a solution for efficient and versatile control of various inkjet head configurations with different numbers of ink discharging rows.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet head control apparatus featuring a mother substrate with connectors and daughter substrates, each with a unique address, and a communication circuit that selects and transmits control signals to the appropriate daughter substrate to generate DC voltage for driving the inkjet head, allowing for flexible control of inkjet heads with varying numbers of ink discharging rows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple inkjet head control apparatuses are used for inkjet printers with multiple inkjet heads, then each inkjet head can be controlled independently, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inkjet head control apparatus is designed with a universal architecture that can control multiple inkjet heads with different numbers of ink discharging rows. The control apparatus includes a power supply board that can selectively activate voltage generating circuits based on the specific configuration of connected inkjet heads, allowing one control apparatus to replace multiple dedicated control apparatuses.
Solution Approach 2:
The control apparatus is divided into modular components including a mother substrate with multiple connectors and multiple daughter substrates, each with unique addresses. This segmentation allows the system to selectively activate only the necessary control circuits for the specific inkjet head configuration, reducing overall complexity while maintaining versatility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple power supply boards are connected to control different numbers of ink discharging rows, then the system becomes more versatile, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply board uses a nested modular structure where daughter substrates with voltage generating circuits are connected to a mother substrate. Each daughter substrate can be independently activated based on the inkjet head configuration. This nesting allows the system to scale from controlling 2 to 6 ink discharging rows using the same base architecture, reducing system complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically configures its power supply architecture by selectively activating specific voltage generating circuits based on the detected inkjet head type. The control apparatus can adapt its internal configuration in real-time, changing from a simplified mode for 2-row heads to a more complex mode for 6-row heads without requiring physical reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet head control apparatus includes a mother substrate, a plurality of daughter substrates connected to a plurality of connectors of the mother substrate, each daughter substrate having a different built-in address, and a communication circuit on the mother substrate and configured to select an address of one of the plurality of daughter substrates, and transmit a control signal including the selected address and information for controlling power supply to an inkjet head to the plurality of connectors. Each of the plurality of daughter substrates includes a determination circuit configured to determine whether or not the selected address corresponds to the built-in address of the daughter substrate, and a voltage generating circuit configured to generate a direct current (DC) voltage for driving the inkjet head based on the control signal when it is determined that the selected address corresponds to the built-in address.