US 6,607,257 B2 · Printhead assembly with minimized interconnections to an inkjet printhead

Abstract

An inkjet printhead assembly (50) for an inkjet printer having a printhead (10) with a plurality of nozzles (24) and data path and control electronics circuitry (56) operably coupled with the printhead (10) for providing image data that control the flow of ink through the nozzles (24). The nozzles (24) are arranged in sections with at least two heater elements, an upper heater (28a) and a lower heater (28b), predisposed about each nozzle (24), the heater elements configured to actuate a nozzle (24) for printing. The data path and control electronics circuitry (56) comprises a plurality of shift registers (100, 102) configured to drive the nozzles, causing them to deliver ink in the direction of a receiver media, such as paper. Interconnections (54) between the data path and control electronics circuitry (56) and printhead (10) include DATA, CLOCK, LATCH and ENABLE lines which are used to operate the printhead (10) and, in turn, the nozzles (24) via the shift register stages (100, 102). The number of interconnections are minimized by interleaving data to the shift registers between upper and lower heater elements of the printhead (10) or by interleaving the data on the DATA line to the shift register stages (104, 106) for the upper and lower heater elements.

Claims38

Dependent claims

An inkjet printhead comprising:

a plurality of nozzles having corresponding nozzle openings for delivering ink to a receiver medium;
a plurality of shift registers stages operably coupled to a plurality of actuators associated with said nozzles and adapted to cause ink to be delivered through said nozzles openings in the direction of said receiver medium, each nozzle having associated therewith an upper actuator and a lower actuator, and said plurality of shift register stages being connected into a plurality of multistage shift registers so that some shift registers (“upper shift registers”) are arranged to transfer data used to operate upper actuators and other shift registers (“lower shift registers”) are arranged to transfer data used to operate lower actuators;
and
a print data driver operably coupled to said plurality of shift registers via a plurality of interconnections, said plurality of interconnections comprising data lines and clock lines for delivering respectively print data signals and timing signals to said lower and upper shift registers;
wherein said data lines are interleaved between said upper shift registers and said lower shift registers and wherein said print data driver is configured to operate said clock lines by transmitting timing signals that causes said upper and lower shift registers to shift data received over said data lines and thereby position data for transfer for use in operating said plurality of actuators.

2 more elements

A method of providing image data in a printer apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of recording elements arranged in an array for recording of an image on a receiver medium;
providing a plurality of actuators associated with each respective recording element, each actuator being separately drivable to affect recording by a respective recording element;
providing a first plural number of shift register stages and the first plural number of the actuators, each stage being associated with a respective different actuator of the first plural number of the actuators, each recording element being associated with different shift register stages, and the first plural number of shift register stages being associated with the first plural number of recording elements and being connected as a first shift register of plural shift register stages for shifting data from one stage associated with one recording element of the first plural number of recording elements directly to another shift register stage associated with another recording element of the first plural number of recording elements to distribute data to the different stages, so that for most of the stages forming the first shift register, data shifted into a stage associated with an actuator for one recording element is shifted directly into a stage associated with another actuator for a different recording element in the course of shifting data from stage to stage;
providing a second plural number of shift register stages and the second plural number of the actuators, each stage of said second plural number of shift register stages being associated with a respective different actuator of the second plural number of the actuators, and the second plural number of shift register stages being associated with the second plural number of recording elements and being connected as a second shift register of plural shift register stages for shifting data from one stage associated with one recording element of the second plural number of recording elements directly to another shift register stage associated with another recording element of the second plural number of recording elements to distribute data to the different stages so that, for most stages of the second shift register, the data shifted into a stage associated with an actuator for one recording element of the second plural number of recording elements is shifted directly into a stage associated with another actuator for a different recording element of the second plural number of recording elements in the course of shifting data from stage to stage;
and
wherein at least some of the recording elements in the second plural number of recording elements are the same recording elements in the first plural number of recording elements and wherein the first plural number of shift register stages all are different shift register stages from the second plural number of shift register stages and the first plural number of actuators all are different actuators from the second plural number of actuators.

3 more elements

A printer apparatus comprising:

a plurality of recording elements arranged in an array for recording of an image on a receiver medium;
a plurality of actuators associated with each respective recording element, each actuator being separately drivable to affect recording by a respective recording element;
a first plural number of shift register stages and a first plural number of the actuators, each stage being associated with a respective different actuator of the first plural number of the actuators, each recording element being associated with different shift register stages, and the first plural number of shift register stages being associated with the first plural number of the recording elements and being connected as a first shift register of plural shift register stages for shifting data from one stage associated with one recording element of the first plural number of recording elements directly to another shift register stage associated with another recording element of the first plural number of recording elements to distribute data to the different stages so that, for most of the stages forming the first shift register, data that is shifted into a stage associated with an actuator for one recording element may be shifted directly into a stage associated with another actuator for a different recording element in the course of shifting data from stage to stage;
a second plural number of shift register stages and a second plural number of the actuators, each stage of said second plural number of shift register stages being associated with a respective different actuator of the second plural number of the actuators, and the second plural number of shift register stages being associated with a second plural number of recording elements and being connected as a second shift register of plural shift register stages for shifting data from one stage associated with one recording element of the second plural number of the recording elements directly to another shift register stage associated with another recording element of the second plural number of recording elements to distribute data to the different stages so that, for most stages of the second shift register, the data shifted into a stage associated with an actuator for one recording element of the second plural number of recording elements may be shifted directly into a stage associated with another actuator for a different recording element of the second plural number of recording elements in the course of shifting data from stage to stage;
and
wherein at least some of the recording elements in the second plural number of recording elements are the same recording elements in the first plural number of recording elements and wherein the first plural number of shift register stages all are different shift register stages from the second plural number of shift register stages and the first plural number of actuators all are different actuators from the second plural number of actuators.

3 more elements

An inkjet printhead comprising:

a plurality of nozzles having corresponding nozzle openings for delivering ink to a receiver medium;
a plurality of actuators associated with said nozzles, said actuators comprising a first counterpart set of first actuators and a second counterpart set of second actuators, each nozzle having associated therewith a first actuator from the first counterpart set and a second actuator from the second counterpart set;
a plurality of shift registers stages operably coupled to a plurality of actuators associated with said nozzles and adapted to shift data associated with actuation of said first and second actuators, and said plurality of shift register stages being connected into a multistage shift register so that some shift register stages are arranged to transfer first data from the shift register to control operation of the first actuators and other shift stages are arranged to transfer second data from the shift register to control operation of the second set of second actuators;
and
a print data driver operably coupled to said shift register, said driver providing an alternating sequence of first and second data for the control of operation of the first and second actuators wherein there is simultaneously present in the shift register the first and second data for control of the first and second actuators.

2 more elements

A method of providing data to an inkjet printhead, the method comprising:

providing a printhead having a plurality of nozzles having corresponding nozzle openings for delivering ink to a receiver medium;
providing a plurality of actuators associated with said nozzles, said actuators comprising a first counterpart set of first actuators and a second counterpart set of second actuators, each nozzle having associated therewith a first actuator from the first counterpart set and a second actuator from the second counterpart set;
providing a plurality of shift registers stages operably coupled to a plurality of actuators associated with said nozzles and adapted to shift data associated with actuation of said first and second actuators, and said plurality of shift register stages being connected into a multistage shift register so that some shift register stages operate to transfer first data from the shift register to control operation of the first actuators and other shift stages operate to transfer second data from the shift register to control operation of the second set of second actuators;
and
providing an alternating sequence of first and second data for the control of operation of the first and second actuators wherein there is simultaneously present in the shift register the first and second data for control of the first and second actuators.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Printhead assembly with minimized interconnections to an inkjet printhead

Life of this patent

Printhead assembly with minimized interconnections to an inkjet printhead

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims38