Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080266337 | PRINTER SYSTEM HAVING CONTROLLER WITH CORRECTION FOR NOZZLE DISPLACEMENT - A printing system is provided having a carrier, a printhead module carried by the carrier and a controller. The printhead module has at least one row of ink ejection nozzles. Each of the nozzles is configured to eject ink in response to fire signals from the controller. The controller is configured to determine erroneous rotational displacement of the printhead module relative to the carrier, determine a correction factor based on a thickness of media being printed that at least partially compensates for ink dot displacement by at least one of the nozzles, and using the correction factor, alter the output of the fire signals to the nozzles so as to alter the ejection of ink dots to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement. | 10-30-2008 |
20080278529 | Print Engine Controller Having Controller Circuitry With An Open Actuator Test Circuit - Provided is a print engine controller for an inkjet printhead with a plurality of nozzle arrangements operatively actuated by thermal actuators. The controller has controller circuitry with an open actuator test circuit to test each respective actuator. The controller circuitry includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input, as well as a drive transistor operatively linking said thermal actuator to a power supply. The circuitry also includes a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator, and a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. The controller circuitry is configured so that when only the column enable and row enable inputs are activated the bleed and sense transistors are deactivated and the drive transistor is activated to link the thermal actuator to the power supply. | 11-13-2008 |
20080278532 | INKJET PRINTHEAD WITH TEMPERATURE ZONES - A printhead IC is provided having an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry is programmed with a series of temperature thresholds defining a set of temperature zones, each of the zones having a different pulse profile for the drive pulses sent to the nozzles in the region currently operating in that temperature zone. | 11-13-2008 |
20080278545 | Method Of Operating A Thermal Bend Actuator - Provided is a method of operating a thermal bend actuator of a printhead nozzle arrangement of a printhead using an open actuator test circuit. The test circuit includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input; a drive transistor operatively linking said thermal actuator to a power supply; a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator; a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. The method includes the step of actuating the actuator to facilitate printing by enabling the column and row enable inputs to deactivate the bleed and sense transistors and to activate the drive transistor to link the thermal actuator to the power supply. The method also includes the step of testing the actuator's continuity by enabling the open actuator test input to activate the bleed and sense transistors, so that the thermal actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the integrity of thermal actuator is open-circuit. | 11-13-2008 |
20080291233 | TEST CIRCUITRY FOR A PRINTHEAD NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT - Provided is test circuitry for testing a thermal actuator of a printhead nozzle arrangement of a printhead. The circuitry includes an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input. A drive transistor operatively links said thermal actuator to a power supply, and a bleed transistor is arranged in parallel with the thermal actuator. The circuitry also includes a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the thermal actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node, as well as a controller configured to deactivate the bleed and sense transistors and to activate the drive transistor when the column enable and row enable inputs are activated to link the thermal actuator to the power supply, and to activate the bleed and sense transistors when the open actuator test input is activated, so that the thermal actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the thermal actuator is open-circuit. | 11-27-2008 |
20080297554 | TEMPERATURE REGULATED INKJET PRINTHEAD - A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry sets the duration of the pulse profile to a sub ejection value for any of the nozzles in the row that are not to eject a drop during that firing sequence. | 12-04-2008 |
20080316239 | INKJET PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output and open actuator test circuitry for selectively disabling the actuators when they receive a drive signal while comparing the resistance of the resistive heater to a predetermined threshold to assess whether the actuator is defective. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. | 12-25-2008 |
20080316243 | PRINTHEAD IC WITH DE-ACTIVATABLE TEMPERATURE SENSOR AND MAINTENANCE MODE - A printhead IC is provided which has an array of nozzles, drive circuitry for receiving print data and sending drive pulses of electrical energy to the array of nozzles in accordance with the print data, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry to adjust the drive pulse profile in response to the temperature sensor output. During use, the temperature sensor can be de-activated after a period of use. The drive circuitry is configured to operate in two modes, a printing mode in which the drive pulses it generates are printing pulses, and a maintenance mode in which the drive pulses are de-clog pulses, such that, the de-clog pulse has a longer duration than the printing pulse. | 12-25-2008 |
20080316515 | PRINT ENGINE PIPELINE SUBSYSTEM OF A PRINTER CONTROLLER - Provided is a print engine pipeline subsystem of a printer controller. The subsystem includes a print engine pipeline controller for reading and writing print engine pipeline registers, and a contone decoder unit for expanding JPEG compressed continuous tone (“contone”) layers. Also included are a lossless bi-level decoder for expanding compressed bi-level layers, a line loader unit for expanding page images for a printhead, and a printhead interface for sending dot data to the printhead and for providing line synchronization between multiple printer controllers. | 12-25-2008 |
20090009549 | PRINTHEAD HAVING GROUPED NOZZLE FIRING - A printhead having a plurality of rows of nozzles is provided. The nozzles in each row are grouped into fire groups. The printhead is configured to sequentially fire, for each row, the nozzles of each fire group, such that each nozzle in the sequence from each fire group is fired simultaneously with respective corresponding nozzles in the sequence in the other fire groups. | 01-08-2009 |
20090058901 | PRINT ENGINE HAVING PRINTHEAD CONTROL MODES - A print engine is provided which has a printhead capable of printing a maximum of n channels of print data and a controller. Each channel is associated with rows of printing nozzles of the printhead. The controller controls the printhead to print in: a first mode, in which the printhead receives from the controller, print data for a first number of the channels; and a second mode, in which the printhead receives from the controller, print data for a second number of the channels less than the first number and dummy data for a portion of each nozzle row associated with the remaining number of the channels. The first number is less than n. | 03-05-2009 |
20090058909 | PRINTHEAD MODULE HAVING OPERATION CONTROLLABLE ON BASIS OF THERMAL SENSORS - A printhead module having a plurality of nozzles for expelling ink is provided. The printhead module has a plurality of thermal sensors. Each thermal sensor is configured to respond to a temperature at or adjacent at least one of the nozzles. The printhead module is configured to modify operation of the nozzles in response to the temperature rising above a threshold. The printhead module is a thermal inkjet printhead module and each of the nozzles includes a thermal ink ejection mechanism. Each thermal sensor comprises at least part of one of the thermal inkjet mechanisms. | 03-05-2009 |
20090073225 | PRINTHEAD HAVING DISPLACED NOZZLE ROWS - A printhead is provided having a plurality of nozzle rows which have displaced row portions. The displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows | 03-19-2009 |
20090085941 | PRINTER CONTROLLER FOR CORRECTION OF ROTATIONALLY DISPLACED PRINTHEAD - A printer controller is provided for supplying ejection data to a printhead mounted to a carrier and having a plurality of ejection nozzles. The printer controller is configured to determine a rotational displacement of the printhead relative to the carrier, determine a correction factor at least partially based on a thickness of media being printed on so as to at least partially compensate for the determined rotational displacement, and alter the supply of the ejection data based on the correction factor. | 04-02-2009 |
20090096822 | Printer With Rotated Ejection Nozzle Correction - A printer is provided having a printhead and controller. The printhead has a plurality of printhead modules each having a plurality of ejection nozzles. The nozzles of at least one of the printhead modules is rotationally displaced relative to the other printhead modules. The controller communicates ejection data to the ejection nozzles in accordance with a cumulative correction factor for each printhead module, including printhead modules having non-rotationally displaced nozzles, to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement. | 04-16-2009 |
20090122091 | INKJET PRINTER HAVING PRINTHEAD WITH MULTIPLE CONTROLLERS - An inkjet printer is provided having a printhead having inkjet nozzles and a plurality of controllers configured to process print data for printing and to output the processed data to the printhead. The plurality of controllers are connected to a common input of the printhead. | 05-14-2009 |
20090201327 | Printer Having Sequenced Printhead Nozzle Firing - A printer is provided having a printhead having a plurality of sets of n adjacent printing nozzles in at least one nozzle row, and a controller for supplying fire signals to said nozzles, such that, for each set of nozzles, a fire signal is provided by the controller in accordance with the sequence: nozzle position 1, nozzle position n, nozzle position 2, nozzle position (n−1), . . . , nozzle position x. | 08-13-2009 |
20090213154 | PRINTHEAD CONTROLLER FOR NOZZLE FAULT CORRECTION - A printhead controller is provided for supplying print data to a printhead having first and second rows of inkjet nozzles configured to print ink of a similar color. The controller is configured to supply the print data to the printhead such that, in the event a nozzle in the first row is faulty, a corresponding nozzle in the second row prints at a position on print media at or adjacent a position where the faulty nozzle would otherwise have printed. | 08-27-2009 |
20090213155 | PRINTHEAD HAVING SEQUENCED NOZZLE FIRING ON INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A printhead is provided having an integrated circuit having at least one row comprising a plurality of sets of n adjacent nozzles, each of the nozzles being configured to expel ink in response to fire signals, and a controller for supplying the fire signals to the integrated circuit such that (a) a fire signal is provided to nozzles at a first and nth position in each set of nozzles, then (b) a fire signal is provided to the next inward pair of nozzles in each set, then in the event n is an even number, (b) is repeated until all of the nozzles in each set has been fired, or in the event n is an odd number, (b) is repeated until all of the nozzles but a central nozzle in each set have been fired, and then the central nozzle is fired. | 08-27-2009 |
20090244162 | Printhead Controller For Controlling Printhead On Basis Of Thermal Sensors - A printhead controller is provided for supplying dot data to a printhead module having a plurality of nozzles for expelling ink. The printhead module includes a plurality of thermal sensors. Each of the thermal sensors is configured to respond to a temperature at or adjacent at least one of the nozzles. The printhead controller is configured to modify operation of at least some of the nozzles in response to the temperature rising above a first threshold. The printhead module is a thermal inkjet printhead module and each of the nozzles includes a thermal ink ejection mechanism. Each thermal sensor comprises at least part of one of the thermal inkjet mechanisms. | 10-01-2009 |
20090295855 | Printer Having Nozzle Displacement Correction - A printer is provided having a carrier, a printhead having a plurality of nozzles, at least one of the nozzles being rotationally displaced relative to the carrier, and a controller for determining and communicating print data to the nozzles. The controller is configured to determine the rotational displacement, determine a correction factor for compensating for a printing error caused by the determined rotational displacement, and alter the print data based on the correction factor to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement. The correction factor is at least partially based on a thickness of media being printed on. | 12-03-2009 |
20100002035 | Printhead IC With Non-Ejection Maintenance - A printhead IC is provided having an ejection nozzle having a heater for heating printing fluid, and drive circuitry for generating print pulses and maintenance pulses for driving the heater of the ejection nozzle. The maintenance pulses have a series of sub-ejection pulses preceding a de-clog pulse. The print signals are generated to heat the heater to form a first vapor bubble in printing fluid that causes ejection of the printing fluid from the nozzle. The de-clog pulse is generated to have lower power and longer duration than the print pulses so as to heat the heaters to form a second vapor bubble in the printing fluid which does not cause ejection. The sub-ejection pulses are generated to have lower power than the print pulses and shorter duration than the de-clog pulse so as to heat the heater without sufficient energy to nucleate a vapor bubble in the printing fluid. | 01-07-2010 |
20100020120 | PRINTHEAD IC WITH TEMPERATURE BASED DE-CLOG EJECTION - A printhead IC is provided having an ejection nozzle, drive circuitry for generating drive signals for driving the ejection nozzle, and a temperature sensor connected to the drive circuitry. The drive circuitry adjusts the drive signals in response to output of the temperature sensor so as to generate the drive signals as print signals and de-clog signals. The de-clog signals have a longer duration than the print signals. | 01-28-2010 |
20100045313 | METHOD FOR TESTING INTEGRATED CIRCUITS MOUNTED ON A CARRIER - A method for testing integrated circuits mounted on a carrier includes the step of securing the carrier. The carrier is displaced into an operative position in which the integrated circuits are in physical and electrical communication with a diagnostic probe. Test signals are generated in test circuitry in electrical communication with the diagnostic probe and communicated to the integrated circuits with the diagnostic probe. The test signals are received at the test circuitry via the diagnostic probe. The test signals are made available to a controller via a communications link and an automated server and displayed with the controller. | 02-25-2010 |
20100045315 | DIAGNOSTIC PROBE ASSEMBLY FOR PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUITRY - The invention provides for a diagnostic probe assembly for a tester which is used to diagnose printhead integrated circuits. The probe assembly includes a support assembly and a controller board mounted on the support assembly and having a processor configured to generate test signals for testing a printhead integrated circuit. A routing board is in operative signal communication with the controller board and is configured to multiplex the generated test signals for respective dies of the printhead integrated circuits. The probe assembly also includes a probe interface in signal communication with the routing board and configured for relaying the multiplexed test signals to and from the respective dies. | 02-25-2010 |
20100045330 | APPARATUS FOR TESTING INTEGRATED CIRCUITRY - A testing apparatus for testing integrated circuits mounted in a carrier includes a support assembly. A controller is mounted in the support assembly. The controller is programmed to process test signals from the integrated circuits. A retaining assembly is arranged on the support assembly and is configured to receive and retain the carrier during testing. A displacement mechanism is arranged on the support assembly for displacing the retaining assembly relative to the support assembly into and out of an operative condition. Testing circuitry is operatively connected to the controller and has at least test signal generation and measurement circuitry and adaptor circuitry for operative engagement with the integrated circuits being tested, the adaptor circuitry being configured to provide both a physical and an electrical interface with the integrated circuits. | 02-25-2010 |
20100045717 | Print Engine For Rotated Ejection Nozzle Correction - A print engine is provided having printhead modules and a controller. Each printhead module has a plurality of ejection nozzles. The nozzles of at least one of the printhead modules is rotationally displaced relative to the other printhead modules. The controller communicates ejection data to the ejection nozzles in accordance with a cumulative correction factor for each printhead module, including printhead modules having non-rotationally displaced nozzles, to at least partially compensate for the rotational displacement. | 02-25-2010 |
20100049464 | SYSTEM FOR TESTING INTEGRATED CIRCUITS - The invention provides for a system for testing integrated circuitry. The system includes a local computational device, a communications link connected to the computational device, and testing circuitry operatively connected to the computational device via the communications link and configured to generate integrated circuitry test signals. The system also includes adaptor circuitry connected to the testing circuitry and configured to provide an electrical and physical interface with the integrated circuits, as well as routing circuitry interposed between the testing and adaptor circuitry to rout the test signals to respective dies of the integrated circuits. Also included is a handling mechanism for retaining and manipulating a carrier on which the integrated circuits are positioned, and a controller operatively connected to the handling mechanism for controlling operation thereof and connected to the communications device for supervision by the computational device. | 02-25-2010 |
20100053255 | Printhead Integrated Circuit With Open Actuator Test - Provided is a printhead integrated circuit for an inkjet printer that has a nozzle and a corresponding actuator for ejecting ink through the nozzle. The Printhea IC also has drive circuitry for controlling the operation of the actuator. The drive circuitry has an open actuator test circuit comprising an open actuator test input, a column enable input and a row enable input, a drive transistor operatively linking said actuator to a power supply, a bleed transistor arranged in parallel with the actuator, a sense transistor operatively linking an output of the drive transistor and inputs of the actuator and bleed transistor to a sensing node. Actuating the actuator to eject ink by enabling the column and row enable inputs, deactivates the bleed transistor and activates the drive transistor to link the actuator to the power supply. Testing the actuator involves enabling the open actuator test input to activate the sense transistor, so that the actuator is short-circuited and the sense node is pulled high if the actuator is open-circuit. | 03-04-2010 |
20100134554 | PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HAVING SENSING AND TEST CIRCUITRY - A printhead IC is provided having ejection nozzles, drive circuitry for sending drive pulses to resistive heaters of the nozzles to cause ejection from the nozzles, sensing circuitry being activated to sense the temperature of the printhead IC and adjust the profile of the sent drive pulses in accordance with the sensed temperature and being de-activated after a period of use, and test circuitry for selectively disabling the resistive heaters when they receive the drive pulses while comparing the resistance of the resistive heaters against a predetermined threshold to assess whether the resistive heaters are defective. | 06-03-2010 |
20100149239 | PRINTHEAD IC WITH SUB EJECTION CONTROL - A printhead IC is provided having an array of ejection nozzles, sensing circuitry for sensing a temperature of the nozzle array which is de-activatable after a period of use, and drive circuitry for receiving print data and providing drive pulses to the nozzles to cause ejection in accordance with the print data. The drive circuitry is configured to set the duration of the drive pulses to a sub-ejection value for any nozzle which is not to eject in accordance with the print data. | 06-17-2010 |
20100149243 | Printhead IC Having Temperature Based Ejection - A printhead IC is provided having an array of ejection nozzles, sensing circuitry for sensing temperatures of regions of the nozzle array, and drive circuitry for providing drive pulses to the nozzles to cause ejection. The drive circuitry is configured to set a different profile of the drive pulses for each region of the nozzle array in accordance with the sensed temperatures. | 06-17-2010 |
20100149244 | Printhead IC With Multiple Operating Modes - A printhead IC for receiving print data from a print engine controller (PEC) which may be one of a plurality of different types of PEC. The printhead IC has an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles. The drive circuitry is configured for connection to a power source in the printer. The drive circuitry is configured to reset itself to a known initial state in response to receiving power from the power source after a period of not receiving power from the power source. | 06-17-2010 |
20100188458 | TEST CIRCUITRY FOR A PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - A printhead integrated circuit that has a nozzle, a thermal actuator for ejecting ink through the nozzle, an open actuator test input, a column enable input, a row enable input, a drive transistor for connecting the thermal actuator to a power supply when the column enable input and the row enable input are asserted, a sense node, and a sense transistor for connecting the sense node to the drive transistor drain when the open actuator test input is asserted. During use the sense node is pulled high when the row enable input, the column enable input and the open actuator test are all asserted, and the thermal actuator is open circuit. | 07-29-2010 |
20100207977 | Printer Incorporating Multiple Synchronizing Printer Controllers - A printer includes a printhead having first and second elongate printhead modules; and first and second printer controllers receiving print data and processing the print data to output dot data to the printhead, the first printer controller outputting dot data to the first printhead module and the second printer controller outputting dot data to the second printhead module. The first elongate printhead module is informationally isolated from the second elongate printhead module, whereby no dot data passes therebetween. The first printer controller and the second printer controller communicate therebetween a synchronization signal to effect synchronization therebetween. | 08-19-2010 |
20100220136 | PRINTER WITH CONTROLLER FOR GENERATING COMBINED PRINT DATA AND CLOCK SIGNAL - An inkjet printer that has a printhead IC an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles and, a print engine controller (PEC) for sending print data to the printhead IC. The drive circuitry is configured to extract a clock signal from the data transmission from the PEC. | 09-02-2010 |
20100231625 | PRINTHEAD HAVING CONTROLLED NOZZLE FIRING GROUPING - A printhead is provided having a plurality of rows of nozzles, with the nozzles in each row being grouped into fire groups, and a controller configured to fire the nozzles of each fire group by outputting firing pulses to the nozzles. The controller sets the number of fire groups in each row based on the width of the firing pulses and a predetermined length of time for firing all of the nozzles of that row. | 09-16-2010 |
20100245429 | PRINT ENGINE CONTROLLER EMPLOYING ACCUMULATIVE CORRECTION FACTOR IN PAGEWIDTH PRINTHEAD - A print engine controller for a pagewidth inkjet printhead having a plurality of abutting printhead modules mounted on a carrier. The print engine controller is configured to: (a) receive data identifying a rotational yaw displacement of an erroneously displaced printhead module; (b) determine a correction factor that compensates for ink dot displacement by nozzles in the erroneously displaced printhead module; (c) use the correction factor to determine an accumulative Y-offset for each printhead module in the printhead; and (d) alter the output of the ink dots from nozzles in each printhead module having a non-zero accumulative Y-offset to compensate for the rotational yaw displacement of the erroneously displaced printhead module. | 09-30-2010 |
20100271439 | PRINTHEAD INTEGRATED CIRCUIT WITH THERMALLY SENSING HEATER ELEMENTS - A printhead integrated circuit including a MEMS layer having a plurality of nozzle assemblies and a CMOS layer having control circuitry. Each nozzle assembly includes a heater element for ejecting ink and sensing a temperature of the nozzle assembly. The control circuitry modifies operation of the heater elements in response to a sensed temperature exceeding a predetermined threshold. | 10-28-2010 |
20100277527 | PRINTER HAVING PRINTHEAD WITH MULTIPLE CONTROLLERS - A printer is provided having a printhead having ejection nozzles and a plurality of controllers configured to process print data for printing and to output the processed data to the printhead. The plurality of controllers are connected to a common input of the printhead. | 11-04-2010 |
20110085006 | Printhead having Mirrored Rows of Print Nozzles - A printhead having at least first and second rows of print nozzles. Each nozzle has first circuitry of a first type arranged asymmetrically to second circuitry of a second type. The respective positions of the first and second circuitry of each nozzle of the first row are arranged mirrored with respect to the first and second circuitry of each nozzle of the second row. | 04-14-2011 |
20120062632 | PRINTHEAD WITH CONTROLLER FOR GENERATING COMBINED PRINT DATA AND CLOCK SIGNAL - An inkjet printhead that has a support member, and a plurality of printhead IC's mounted adjacent each other on the support member. Each of the printhead IC's has an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate, and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles. A print engine controller (PEC) sends print data to each of the printhead IC's and the drive circuitry extracts a clock signal from the data transmission from the PEC. | 03-15-2012 |
20120086748 | PRINTHEAD HAVING MIRRORED ROWS OF PRINT NOZZLES - A printhead having at least first and second rows of print nozzle cells. Each each nozzle cell has an ink chamber, control circuitry and drive circuitry. Each nozzle cell in the first row has a corresponding nozzle cell in the second row. The drive circuitry of each nozzle cell of the first row is arranged adjacent the drive circuitry of the corresponding nozzle cell in the second row and distant the control circuitry of the corresponding nozzle cell in the first row. | 04-12-2012 |