Printing apparatus and thermal head

• US 10,639,907 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Imaizumi, Atsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Huan H
• Application Number:
  US16/039,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20190023025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/32 using thermal heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/355 Control circuits for heating-element selection

Abstract

A thermal printer has an identification information holding circuit that has identification information, a line thermal head in which the identification information holding circuit is mounted, a control signal line through which a signal that controls the line thermal head is transmitted, a memory that stores specification information about the line thermal head corresponding to the identification information, and a controller that acquires the identification information that has been output from the identification information holding circuit through the control signal line and also acquires the specification information about the line thermal head from the memory according to the acquired identification information.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus comprising:

a logical circuit that has identification information;

a thermal head in which the logical circuit is mounted;

signal lines through which signals that control the thermal head are transmitted, the signal lines including a first signal line through which print data is transmitted to the thermal head;

a memory that stores information about the thermal head corresponding to the identification information; and

a control circuit connected to the first signal line and configured to;

have a port that is switchable between an input setting and an output setting,

switch the port to the input setting to acquire the identification information output from the logical circuit to the first signal line,

acquire, thought the first signal line, the identification information output from the logical circuit, and

acquire the information about the thermal head from the memory according to the acquired identification information.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the signal lines include a second signal line through which a latch signal is transmitted to the thermal head, the latch signal causing print data to be temporarily held; and

when the latch signal is not in an active state in control of the thermal head, the logical circuit outputs the identification information to the control circuit.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the signal lines include a third signal line through which a clock signal that synchronously transmits print data to the thermal head is transmitted; and

the logical circuit outputs the identification information in synchronization with the clock signal entered through the third signal line.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the signal lines include a fourth signal line through which a voltage is applied and a fifth signal line a voltage in which is at a ground level; and

the logical circuit creates the identification information according to a combination between a connection of the fourth signal line and a connection of the fifth signal line.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit creates the signals that control the thermal head and transmits the created signal through the signal lines, according to the acquired information.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the signal lines include a sixth signal line through which a strobe signal corresponding to an energization time for the thermal head is transmitted; and

the control circuit controls the energization time for the thermal head through the sixth signal line according to the acquired information.

7. A thermal head attachable to and detachable from a printing apparatus having a port that is switchable between an input setting and an output setting and storing information about the thermal head, the thermal head comprising:

a heat-generating element unit having heat-generating elements;

signal lines through which signals that control the thermal head are transmitted, the signal lines including a first signal line through which print data is transmitted from the printing apparatus; and

a logical circuit having identification information about the thermal head,

wherein the logical circuit is configured to transmit, through the first signal line, the identification information to the printing apparatus when the port switches to the input setting, and

the thermal head is configured to acquire the signals according to the identification information about the thermal head from the printing apparatus.

8. A printing apparatus comprising:

a logical circuit that has identification information;

a thermal head in which the logical circuit is mounted;

signal lines through which signals that control the thermal head are transmitted, the signal lines including a signal line through which a latch signal is transmitted to the thermal head, the latch signal causing print data to be temporarily held;

a memory that stores information about the thermal head corresponding to the identification information; and

a control circuit connected to the signal line and configured to acquire the identification information output from the logical circuit and acquire the information about the thermal head from the memory according to the acquired identification information,

wherein when the latch signal is not in an active state in control of the thermal head, the logical circuit outputs the identification information to the control circuit.