Fluidic die having trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12233645-B2
Application number	US-202018018253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2020
Priority date	Jul 31, 2020
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

A fluidic die includes fluid-transfer elements, and a temperature sensor to monitor a temperature on the fluidic die. The fluidic die includes a trickle-warming circuit to warm fluid transferrable by the fluid-transfer elements, and a pulse-warming circuit to warm the fluid. A warming control circuit selectively activates the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fluid-transfer system comprising:
a fluidic die comprising:
a plurality of fluid-transfer elements, each fluid-transfer element comprising a firing element that is energized to transfer fluid;
a temperature sensor to monitor a temperature on the fluidic die;
a trickle-warming circuit to warm the fluid transferrable by the fluid-transfer elements, the trickle-warming circuit comprising a warming element separate from the firing element and that is energized to warm the fluid;
a pulse-warming circuit to warm the fluid; and

a warming control circuit to selectively activate the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits.

2. The fluid-transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the warming control circuit activates the pulse-warming circuit at initiation of a fluid-transfer job,
and wherein the warming control circuit activates the trickle-warming circuit at commencement of the fluid-transfer job.

3. The fluid-transfer system of claim 2 , wherein the warming control circuit also activates the trickle-warming circuit at initiation of the fluid-transfer job.

4. The fluid-transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the warming control circuit activates just one of the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits responsive to the monitored temperature being less than a first temperature threshold; and
wherein the warming control circuit activates both of the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits responsive to the monitored temperature being less than a second temperature threshold less than the first temperature threshold.

5. The fluid-transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the warming control circuit activates the trickle-warming circuit during fluid-transfer activity of the fluidic die corresponds to a first fluid-transfer mode;
and wherein the warming control circuit activates the pulse-warming circuit during the fluid-transfer activity of the fluidic die corresponds to a second fluid-transfer mode.

6. The fluid-transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the warming control circuit selectively activates the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits to maintain a specified ratio of warming power dissipation of the trickle-warming circuit to warming power dissipation of the pulse-warming circuit.

7. The fluid-transfer system of claim 1 , wherein the warming control circuit is separate from the fluidic die.

8. A fluidic die comprising:
a plurality of fluid-transfer elements, each fluid-transfer element comprising a firing element that is energized to transfer fluid;
a temperature sensor to monitor a temperature on the fluidic die;
a trickle-warming circuit to warm the fluid transferrable by the fluid-transfer elements; and
a pulse-warming circuit to warm the fluid.

9. The fluidic die of claim 8 , further comprising:
a warming control circuit to selectively activate the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits.

10. The fluidic die of claim 8 , wherein the pulse-warming circuit pulsatingly energizes to warm the fluid without transferring the fluid.

11. The fluidic die of claim 8 , wherein the fluid-transfer elements each comprise a firing element that is energized to transfer the fluid, that the pulse-warming circuit pulsatingly energizes to warm the fluid without transferring the fluid, and that the trickle-warming circuit energizes at a power insufficient to transfer the fluid to warm the fluid without transferring the fluid.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing program code executable by a warming control circuit to perform processing comprising:
selectively activating trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits of a fluidic die having a plurality of fluid-transfer elements, each fluid transfer element comprising a firing element that is energized to transfer the fluid, and wherein the trickle-warming circuit comprises a warming element separate from the firing element that is energized to warm the fluid.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 12 , wherein selectively activating the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits comprises:
activating the pulse-warming circuit at initiation of a fluid-transfer job; and
activating the trickle-warming circuit at commencement of the fluid-transfer job.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 12 , wherein selectively activating the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits comprises:
activating just one of the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits responsive to a monitored temperature being less than a first temperature threshold; and
activating both of the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits responsive to the monitored temperature being less than a second temperature threshold less than the first temperature threshold.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium of claim 12 , wherein selectively activating the trickle-warming and pulse-warming circuits comprises:
activating the trickle-warming circuit during fluid-transfer activity of the fluidic die in a first fluid-transfer mode; and
activating the pulse-warming circuit during the fluid-transfer activity of the fluidic die in a second fluid-transfer mode.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Martin Eric Thomas
• Clark Garrett E
• Spencer Jeremy
• Korthuis Vincent C
• Cicili Rogelio

Classifications

• B41J2/0458 Primary

  controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles · CPC title

• B41J2/175

  Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor} · CPC title

• B41J2/04528

  aiming at warming up the head · CPC title

• B41J2/04543

  Block driving · CPC title

• B41J2/04563

  detecting head temperature; Ink temperature · CPC title