Media Processing Device with Temperature Compensation
AssigneeZebra Technologies Corporation
InventorsJinqiang Huang, Zi Yang, Hongqiang Liu, Changyan Huang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A media processing device is configured with a temperature compensation component that operative to counteract a temperature of an environment by raising the temperature within a housing of the media processing device. The temperature compensation component selectively operated such that the temperature compensation component is configured to operate when a temperature within the housing or external to the housing falls below a specified activation temperature threshold.
Claims23
A media processing device, comprising:
- an electrothermal heating element;
- a temperature sensor;
- a printhead;
- a battery;
- a logic circuit operatively coupled to the electrothermal heating element, the temperature sensor, the printhead, and the battery;
- a housing defining at least one compartment containing the electrothermal heating element, the temperature sensor, and at least one of the printhead, battery, the logic circuit, or a media supply,
- the logic circuit configured to:
- receive power from the battery;
- control the printhead to perform print jobs, performance of the print jobs being degraded or inhibit below a specified temperature;
- determine whether an output of the temperature sensor corresponds to a sensed temperature that is equal to or less than an activation temperature threshold;
- and
- activate the electrothermal heating element in response to determining that the sensed temperature that is below an activation temperature threshold, the electrothermal heating element radiating heat within the at least one compartment in response to being activated.
The media processing device of 16, wherein the second electrothermal heating element is activated by the logic circuit in unison with the first electrothermal heating element.
The media processing device of 16, wherein the second electrothermal heating element is activated by the logic circuit in independently of the first electrothermal heating element.
A method comprising:
- sensing a temperature proximate to one or more components within a housing of a media processing device, performance of print jobs by the media processing device being degraded or inhibit below a specified temperature;
- determining whether the sensed temperature is below an activation temperature threshold;
- and
- activating the one or more electrothermal elements within the housing of the media processing device to increase the temperature proximate to the one or more components within the media processing device.
A media processing device, comprising:
- a printhead;
- a battery;
- a temperature compensation circuity that includes a temperature sensing circuit and an electrothermal circuit;
- a logic circuit operatively coupled to the temperature compensation circuit, the printhead, and the battery;
- a housing containing the temperature compensation circuit, the printhead, the battery, and the logic circuit
- the logic circuit configured to:
- receive an output voltage from the temperature sensing circuit, the voltage representative of a sensed temperature;
- determine whether the output voltage is indicative of a sensed temperature that is equal to or less than an activation temperature threshold;
- and
- activate the electrothermal circuit in response to determining that the sensed temperature that is below an activation temperature threshold, the electrothermal circuit including an electrothermal heating element that radiates heat within the housing in response to the electrothermal circuit being activated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.