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US 6,629,742 B2Granted
Printhead, printing apparatus using printhead, printhead cartridge, and printing element substrate
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYasuo Fujii
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention is to provide a printhead capable of printing at a higher speed even when the number of printing elements is large, a printing apparatus using this printhead, a printhead cartridge, and a printing element substrate. For this purpose, print signals necessary for driving M printing elements belonging to each of N divisional blocks and a select control signal necessary for block selection are transferred by inputting print signals corresponding to L (L<M) printing elements serially from a first signal line by using a clock signal and inputting print signals corresponding to the remaining (M−L) printing elements and a corresponding select control signal serially from a second signal line by using the same clock signals.
Claims16
A printhead comprising:
- M×N printing elements;
- M×N driving circuits for dividing said M×N printing elements into N blocks each consisting of M printing elements and time-divisionally driving each block of M printing elements;
- a first shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to a number L of said M printing elements, wherein L<M and said signals are input serially from a first signal line by using a clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals;
- a second shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to (M−L) of said M printing elements, and a select control signal for selecting one of the N blocks, wherein said (M−L) print signals and said select control signal are input into said second shift register serially from a second signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals and the select control signal;
- a selective driving circuit for driving said M printing elements belonging to a block selected on the basis of the select control signal, by the print signals which are stored in said first and second shift registers and correspond to said M printing elements;
- a first latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said first shift register and corresponding to said L printing elements;
- a second latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said second shift register and corresponding to said (M−L) printing elements;
- and
- a third latch circuit for latching the select control signal stored in said second shift register,
- wherein L, M, and N are positive integers.
7 more elements
A printhead cartridge comprising:
- a printhead;
- and
- an ink tank for holding ink to be supplied to the printhead being connected to each other,
- the printhead comprising:
- M×N printing elements;
- M×N driving circuits for dividing said M×N driving elements into N blocks each consisting of M printing elements and time-divisionally driving each block of M printing elements;
- a first shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to a number L of said M printing elements, wherein L<M and said signals are input serially from a first signal line by using a clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals;
- a second shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to (M−L) of said M printing elements, and a select control signal for selecting one of the N blocks, wherein said (M−L) print signals and said select control signal are input into said second shift register serially from a second signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals and the select control signal;
- a selective driving circuit for driving said M printing elements belonging to a block selected on the basis of the select control signal, by the print signals which are stored in said first and second shift registers and correspond to said M printing elements;
- a first latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said first shift register and corresponding to said L printing elements;
- a second latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said second shift register and correspond to said (M−L) printing elements;
- and
- a third latch circuit for latching the select control signal stored in said second shift register,
- wherein L, M, and N are positive integers.
11 more elements
A printing apparatus for printing comprising:
- a printhead;
- and
- control means for controlling so as to convert print data into print signals corresponding to M printing elements per block printing, and to transfer the print signals to the printhead through first and second signal lines by using a clock signal,
- the printhead comprising:
- M×N printing elements;
- M×N driving circuits for dividing said M×N driving elements into N blocks each consisting of M printing elements and time-divisionally driving each block of M printing elements;
- a first shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to a number L of said M printing elements, wherein L<M and said signals are input serially from the first signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals;
- a second shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to (M−L) of said M printing elements, and a select control signal for selecting one of the N blocks, wherein said (M−L) print signals and said select control signal are input into said second shift register serially from the second signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals and the select control signal;
- a selective driving circuit for driving said M printing elements belonging to a block selected on the basis of the select control signal, byte print signals which are stored in said first and second shift registers and correspond to said M printing elements;
- a first latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said first shift register and corresponding to said L printing elements;
- a second latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said second shift register and corresponding to said (M−L) printing elements;
- and
- a third latch circuit for latching the select control signal stored in said second shift register,
- wherein L, M, and N are positive integers.
11 more elements
A printing clement substrate comprising:
- at least M printing elements×N blocks;
- M×N driving circuits corresponding to said M printing elements×N blocks;
- a first shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to a number L of said M printing elements, wherein L<M and said signals are input serially from a first signal line by using a clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals;
- a second shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to (M−L) of said M printing elements, and a select control signal for selecting one of the N blocks, wherein said (M−L) print signals and said select control signal are input into said second shift register serially from a second signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals and the select control signal;
- a selective driving circuit for driving said M printing elements belonging to a block selected on the basis of the select control signal, by the print signals which are stored in said first and second shift registers and correspond to said M printing elements;
- a first latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said first shift register and corresponding to said L printing elements;
- a second latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said second shift register and corresponding to said (M−L) printing elements;
- and
- a third latch circuit for latching the select control signal stored in said second shift register,
- wherein at least the M printing elements×N blocks, the M×N driving circuits, the first shift register, the second shift register, and the selective driving circuit are formed on one substrate, and
- wherein L, M, and N are positive intergers.
8 more elements
A printhead comprising:
- a plurality of printing elements;
- dividing/driving circuits for dividing said plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks and driving said plurality of blocks;
- a first shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to, of print signals corresponding to a plurality of printing elements constituting one block, a predetermined number of printing elements serially from a first signal line by using a clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals;
- a second shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to printing elements different from said predetermined number of printing elements constituting said one block and a block select signal for selecting a block to be driven, wherein said print signals corresponding to printing elements different from said predetermined number of printing elements, and said block select signal are input into said second shift resister serially from a second signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals and the block select signal;
- a driving circuit for driving printing elements on the basis of the print signals stored in said first and second shift registers and the block select signal stored in said second shift register,
- a first latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said first shift register and corresponding to said predetermined number of printing elements;
- a second latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said second shift register and corresponding to said printing elements different from said predetermined number of printing elements;
- and
- a third latch circuit for latching the select control signal stored in said second shift register.
6 more elements
A printing element substrate comprising:
- a plurality of printing elements;
- dividing/driving circuits for dividing said plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks and driving said plurality of blocks;
- a first shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to, of print signals corresponding to a plurality of printing elements constituting one block, a predetermined number of printing elements serially from a first signal line by using a clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals;
- a second shift register for inputting print signals corresponding to printing elements different from said predetermined number of printing elements constituting said one block and a block select signal for selecting a block to be driven, wherein said print signals corresponding to printing elements different from said predetermined number of printing elements, and said block select signal are input into said second shift register serially from a second signal line by using the clock signal, and for temporarily storing the input print signals and the block selcct signal;
- a driving circuit for driving printing elements on the basis of the print signals stored in said first and second shift register and the block select signal stored in said second shift register;
- a first latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said first shift register and corresponding to said predetermined number of printing elements;
- a second latch circuit for latching the print signals stored in said second shift register and corresponding to said printing elements different from said predetermined number of printing elements;
- and
- a third latch circuit for latching the select control signal stored in said second shift register,
- wherein the plurality of printing elements, the dividing/driving circuits, the first shift register, the second shift registers, and the driving circuit are formed on one substrate.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.