Selectors for nozzles and memory elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11351776-B2
Application number	US-201716479822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2017
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

In some examples, a circuit for use with a memory element and a nozzle for outputting fluid, includes a data line, a fire line, and a selector responsive to the data line to select the memory element or the nozzle. The selector is to select the memory element responsive to the data line having a first value, and to select the nozzle responsive to the data line having a second value different from the first value. The fire line is to control activation of the nozzle in response to the nozzle being selected by the selector, and to communicate data of the memory element in response to the memory element being selected by the selector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid ejection device comprising:
a plurality of memory elements;
a plurality of nozzles for outputting fluid;
a data line;
a fire line; and
a selector responsive to the data line to select a memory element or a nozzle, wherein the selector is to select the memory element responsive to the data line having a first value, and to select the nozzle responsive to the data line having a second value different from the first value, wherein the data line is to communicate data of another memory element,
the fire line to control activation of the nozzle in response to the nozzle being selected by the selector, and to communicate data of the memory element in response to the memory element being selected by the selector.

2. The fluid ejection device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a decoder to receive an address over an address line and to enable the memory element for access in response to the address, wherein the address line is different from the data line.

3. The circuit fluid ejection device of claim 2 , wherein the decoder is to enable the nozzle for activation in response to the address.

4. The circuit fluid ejection device of claim 3 , wherein the selector comprises:
a first switch to connect to the memory element, the first switch activated when the data line has the first value; and
a second switch to connect to a nozzle activation element of the nozzle, the second switch activated when the data line has the second value.

5. The fluid ejection device of claim 4 , wherein the first switch comprises a first transistor to connect in series with the memory element, and the second switch comprises a second transistor to connect in series with the nozzle activation element, and
wherein a gate of the first transistor is connected to the data line, and a gate of the second transistor is connected to an inverse of the data line.

6. The fluid ejection device of claim 3 , wherein the selector comprises:
a first switch to connect an output of the decoder to a first transistor in series with the memory element in response to the data line having the first value; and
a second switch to connect the output of the decoder to a second transistor in series with a nozzle activation element of the nozzle in response to the data line having the second value.

7. The fluid ejection device of claim 2 , wherein the decoder is a first decoder, and the fluid ejection device further comprises:
a second decoder to receive the address and to enable a nozzle activation element of the nozzle for activation in response to the address.

8. The fluid ejection device of claim 1 , wherein the memory element is part of a first memory, and wherein the data line is to communicate data of the another memory element that is part of a second memory responsive to the second memory being enabled for access, wherein the second memory is of a memory type different from the first memory element.

9. The fluid ejection device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a decoder to receive an address and to enable a nozzle activation element of the nozzle for activation in response to the address.

10. The fluid ejection device of claim 9 , further comprising:
shift registers to receive address inputs and to enable the memory element for access in response to the address inputs.

11. A fluid ejection device comprising:
a plurality of memory elements;
a plurality of nozzles for outputting fluid;
a selector comprising:
a first transistor to select a memory element for access responsive to a data line being set to a first value, wherein the data line is different from an address line to carry an address and the data line is to communicate data of another memory element;
a second transistor to select a nozzle activation element of a nozzle for activation responsive to the data line being set to a second value different from the first value; and
a fire line to communicate data of the memory element in response to the first transistor selecting the memory element for access, and to activate the nozzle activation element in response to the second transistor selecting the nozzle activation element of the nozzle for activation.

12. The fluid ejection device of claim 11 , wherein the first transistor is to be connected in series with the memory element and a third transistor controlled by a pre-charge transistor that couples a select signal to a gate of the third transistor.

13. The fluid ejection device of claim 11 , wherein the second transistor is to:
disable a gate of a third transistor connected in series with the nozzle activation element, in response to the data line being set to the first value, and
enable pre-charge of the gate of the third transistor, in response to the data line being set to the second value.

14. A fluid ejection device comprising:
one or more dies that comprise:
a plurality of nozzles to output a printing fluid;
a plurality of memory elements;
a fire line coupled to a nozzle of the plurality of nozzles and a memory element of the plurality of memory elements;
a data line to communicate data of a further memory element, wherein the data line is different from an address line to carry an address; and
a selector responsive to the data line to select the memory element or the nozzle, wherein the selector is to select the memory element responsive to the data line having a first value, and to select the nozzle responsive to the data line having a second value different from the first value,
the fire line to control activation of the nozzle in response to the nozzle being selected by the selector, and to communicate data of the memory element in response to the memory element being selected by the selector.

15. The fluid ejection device of claim 14 , wherein the one or more dies comprise:
a first type of memory comprising the memory element;
a second, different type of memory comprising the further memory element.

16. The fluid ejection device of claim 14 , wherein the one or more dies comprise a fluid ejection die that comprises the nozzle.

17. The fluid ejection device of claim 16 , wherein the one or more dies comprise another die separate from the fluid ejection die, the another die comprising the memory element.

18. The fluid ejection device of claim 2 , wherein the decoder is to receive the address over a plurality of address lines including the address line, and wherein the plurality of address lines are different from the data line.

19. The fluid ejection device of claim 11 , wherein the address is carried by a plurality of address lines including the address line, and wherein the plurality of address lines are different from the data line.

20. The fluid ejection device of claim 14 , wherein the address is carried by a plurality of address lines including the address line, and wherein the plurality of address lines are different from the data line.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Ng Boon Bing
• Pan Rui
• Sudhakar Mohan Kumar
• Hall Brendan

Classifications

• B41J2/04541 Primary

  Specific driving circuit · CPC title

• B41J2/0452 Primary

  reducing demand in current or voltage · CPC title

• B41J2202/17

  Readable information on the head · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/0455 Primary

  Details of switching sections of circuit, e.g. transistors · CPC title