Inkjet head control apparatus and inkjet printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10265950-B2
Application number	US-201815928632-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2018
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inkjet head control apparatus, comprising:
a mother substrate having a plurality of connectors;
a plurality of daughter substrates connected to the 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 connected to one of the plurality of connectors, and
transmit a control signal including the selected address and information for controlling power supply to an inkjet head to the plurality of connectors, wherein

each of the plurality of daughter substrates includes:
a determination circuit configured to determine whether or not the selected address included in the control signal 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 by the determination circuit that the selected address included in the control signal corresponds to the built-in address.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the voltage generating circuit generates the DC voltage based on a voltage value included in the control signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of connectors includes a plurality of signal lines, each of which can be set in a grounded state or an open state, and
the selected address included in the control signal is supplied as a particular combination of grounded state and the open state signal lines in the plurality of signal lines.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus on the mother substrate and connecting the communication circuit and the plurality of connectors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a data output circuit on the mother substrate and configured to output image data to the inkjet head to be printed.

6. An inkjet printer, comprising:
an inkjet head that forms an image on a printing medium;
a mother substrate having a plurality of connectors;
a plurality of daughter substrates connected to the 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 connected to one of the plurality of connectors, and
transmit a control signal including the selected address and information for controlling power supply to the inkjet head to the plurality of connectors, wherein

each of the plurality of daughter substrates includes:
a determination circuit configured to determine whether or not the selected address included in the control signal 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 by the determination circuit that the selected address included in the control signal corresponds to the built-in address.

7. The inkjet printer according to claim 6 , wherein
the inkjet head includes a plurality of partial heads, each of the plurality of partial heads including a different number of ink discharging rows and connecting to one respective daughter substrate of the plurality of daughter substrates,
each ink discharging row comprises nozzles aligned in a line.

8. The inkjet printer according to claim 7 , wherein
the generation circuit of each of the plurality of daughter substrates generate a voltage to drive one of the plurality of partial heads.

9. The inkjet printer according to claim 6 , wherein the voltage generating circuit generates the DC voltage based on a voltage value included in the control signal.

10. The inkjet printer according to claim 6 , wherein
each of the plurality of connectors includes a plurality of signal lines, each of which can be set in a grounded state or an open state, and
the selected address included in the control signal is supplied as a particular combination of grounded state and the open state signal lines in the plurality of signal lines.

11. The inkjet printer according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus on the mother substrate and connecting the communication circuit and the plurality of connectors.

12. The inkjet printer according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a data output circuit on the mother substrate and configured to output image data to the inkjet head to be printed.

13. An inkjet head control apparatus, comprising:
a mother substrate having a first connector and a second connector;
a first daughter substrate connected to the first connector of the mother substrate and having a first built-in address;
a second daughter substrate connected to the second connector of the mother substrate and having a second built-in address;
a communication circuit on the mother substrate and configured to select one of the first and second built-in addresses, and transmit a control signal including the selected one of the first and second built-in addresses and information for controlling a power supply of an inkjet head to the first and second connectors, wherein
each of the first and second daughter substrates includes:
a determination circuit configured to determine whether or not the control signal includes an address matching the respective built-in address; 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 by the determination circuit that the address included in the control signal matches the built-in address.

14. The inkjet head control apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a third daughter substrate connected to the mother substrate, the third daughter substrate having a third built-in address, wherein
the mother substrate further includes:
a third connector for connecting the third daughter substrate; and
the communication circuit is further configured to select one of the first, second, and third built-in addresses to be included in the control signal as the selected address.

15. The inkjet head control apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
the inkjet head includes a plurality of partial heads, each of the plurality of partial heads including a different number of ink discharging rows and connecting to one respective daughter substrate of the plurality of daughter substrates,
each ink discharging row comprises nozzles aligned in a line.

16. The inkjet head control apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein
the generation circuit of each of the plurality of daughter substrates generates a voltage to drive.

17. The inkjet head control apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the voltage generating circuit generates the DC voltage based on a voltage value included in the control signal.

18. The inkjet head control apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
each of the plurality of connectors includes a plurality of signal lines, each of which can be set in a grounded state or an open state, and
the selected address included in the control signal is supplied as a particular combination of grounded state and the open state signal lines in the plurality of signal lines.

19. The inkjet head control apparatus according to claim 13 , further co

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Nagane Ryuta

Classifications

• B41J2/04543

  Block driving · CPC title

• B41J2/04551

  using several operating modes · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/04541 Primary

  Specific driving circuit · CPC title

• B41J2202/13

  Heads having an integrated circuit · CPC title