Sensor circuitry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318751-B2
Application number	US-201916768607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 3, 2018
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

Examples of a print liquid supply unit are described herein. In some examples, the print liquid supply unit includes a regulator assembly. In some examples, the regulator assembly includes an at least partially expandable or contractible pressure chamber. In some examples, the print liquid supply unit includes a port. In some examples, the print liquid supply unit includes sensor circuitry positioned between the regulator assembly and the port in a print liquid reservoir.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A print liquid supply unit, comprising:
a regulator assembly comprising an at least partially expandable or contractible pressure chamber;
a port;
sensor circuitry positioned between the regulator assembly and the port in a print liquid reservoir; and
a first conductor and a second conductor, wherein the first conductor is a serial data line and the second conductor is a clock line.

2. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , further comprising a print liquid inlet and a gas inlet of the print liquid supply unit.

3. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , further comprising a third conductor and a fourth conductor, wherein the third conductor is a power line and the fourth conductor is a ground line.

4. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , wherein the sensor circuitry comprises a liquid level sensor.

5. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , wherein the sensor circuitry comprises strain or pressure sensor.

6. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , wherein the sensor circuitry is to detect a print liquid level for a portion of a level range of the print liquid reservoir.

7. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , wherein the sensor circuitry is distanced from the regulator assembly.

8. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , further comprising a first post and a second post, wherein a sensor support is attached to the first post and the second post.

9. The print liquid supply unit of claim 1 , further comprising a first post, a second post, and a third post, wherein the first post, the second post, and the third post are situated in slots of a sensor support.

10. A print liquid supply unit, comprising:
a regulator assembly comprising an at least partially expandable or contractible pressure chamber;
a port;
sensor circuitry positioned between the regulator assembly and the port in a print liquid reservoir;
a valve mechanism to open or close the port; and
a support rib to support the valve mechanism, wherein the support rib comprises a slot, and wherein a portion of the sensor circuitry is situated through the slot.

11. The print liquid supply unit of claim 10 , wherein the slot has a shape to create a first capillary force at a first end of the slot that is greater than a second capillary force at a second end of the slot.

12. A print liquid supply unit, comprising:
a regulator assembly comprising an at least partially expandable or contractible pressure chamber;
a port;
sensor circuitry positioned between the regulator assembly and the port in a print liquid reservoir; and
a front end with at least one print liquid interface, a bottom, and a top, wherein the print liquid supply unit comprises a recess in and between the front end and the top, wherein an electrical connection pad is situated in the recess and coupled to the sensor circuitry.

13. The print liquid supply unit of claim 12 , wherein the electrical connection pad and a conductor are supported by a lid.

14. The print liquid supply unit of claim 13 , wherein the electrical connection pad and the conductor are supported by a same wall of the lid.

15. The print liquid supply unit of claim 13 , wherein the sensor circuitry is connected to the conductor, wherein the sensor circuitry is supported by the same wall or the lid.

16. A print liquid container, comprising:
a container wall comprising posts;
a container property sensor including a strain sensor or pressure sensor secured to the container wall with the posts; and
a first conductor and a second conductor, wherein the first conductor is a serial data line and the second conductor is a clock line.

17. The print liquid container of claim 16 , wherein the posts are swaged to secure the container property sensor to the container wall.

18. A cartridge, comprising:
a body comprising a print liquid port, wherein a spring is to press a ball into the print liquid port when in a closed position;
a lid comprising a structure to retain the spring and the ball, wherein the structure comprises an opening;
sensor circuitry, wherein a tail of the sensor circuitry is situated in the opening to sense a print liquid level by the print liquid port; and
a first conductor and a second conductor, wherein the first conductor is a serial data line and the second conductor is a clock line.

19. The cartridge of claim 18 , wherein the opening has a first dimension that is greater than a second dimension of the opening.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Studer Anthony Donald
• Olsen David
• Weaver Quinton Buford

Classifications

• G06F13/4282

  on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247) · CPC title

• H04L9/0819

  Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) (network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062) · CPC title

• B41J2202/20

  Modules · CPC title

• G06F9/30105

  Register structure · CPC title

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title