Controller for an inkjet printer

• US 7,463,373 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US11/124,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20050206541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 382/166, 382/232, 382/233, 382/237, 358/1.9, 358/2.99, 358/3.01, 358/3.02, 358/3.06, 358/534, 358/482, 358/448, 358/1.1, 358/1.15, 710/300, 347/50, 347/86, 359/366, 359/731
• US Class Current: 358/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/008 Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0452 reducing demand in current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04551 using several operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0458 controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04586 controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16505 Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16511 Constructions for cap positioning B41J2/16547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/515 line printer type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/17569 : based on the amount printed or to be printed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/17 : Readable information on the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 : Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/34 : Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 : Framework
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/13 : Cases or covers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0863 : provided with identifying means or means for storing process- or use parameters, e.g. an electronic memory
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 : Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0697 : being an electronically readable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1823 : Cartridges having electronically readable memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1213 : at an intermediate node or at the final node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1214 : at the submitting node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 : with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 : by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 : Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 : Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 : using ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1814 : including print-ready data, i.e. data already matched to the printing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1815 : Receiving print data in mixed format
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1817 : Buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1852 : involving combining data of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1855 : Combining raster data and graphic primitives
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1856 : characterized by its workflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1857 : involving parallel processing in the same printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0094 : Colour printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 : using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 : Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32598 : Bus based systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 : the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40 : Picture signal circuits H04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/41 : Bandwidth or redundancy reduction by scanning H04N1/17 ; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 : Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/642 : Adapting to different types of images, e.g. characters, graphs, black and white image portions

Abstract

A printer controller for an inkjet printer comprises a purpose-specific microprocessor; connections for linking the microprocessor to an external USB module, a printhead, a paper transport mechanism and a print media sensor; a memory module; a power source connection and an authentication chip. The microprocessor represents an integrated circuit fabricated on a single substrate. The integrated circuit includes a data bus and purpose-specific functional units connected to the data bus. The functional units include a JPEG decoder, a compressed bi-level expander, a halftoner, and a printhead interface. A general-purpose processor may also be connected to the data bus for controlling the functional units. The processor may be connected to run software that coordinates the functional units to receive, expand and print pages.

Claims

1. A printer controller for an inkjet printer, the controller comprising:

a central processor;

connections for linking the central processor to a source of print data, a printhead, a paper transport mechanism and a print media sensor;

a memory module; and

a power source or a power source connection,

wherein the central processor includes an integrated circuit fabricated on a single substrate, the integrated circuit comprising a data bus and purpose-specific functional units operatively connected to said data bus, the units comprising;

a JPEG decoder;

a compressed bi-level expander;

a halftoner; and

a printhead interface.

2. A printer controller according to claim 1, wherein said JPEG decoder and said compressed bi-level expander are operative to decompress in parallel both a bi-level layer and a contone layer.

3. A printer controller according to claim 1, wherein said halftoner is operative to halftone contone color data to a bi-level color layer, and then to composit a bi-level black layer over said bi-level color layer.

4. A printer controller according to claim 1, wherein said halftoner is operative to halftone contone CMYK data to a bi-level CMYK layer, and then to composit a bi-level black layer over said bi-level CMYK layer.

5. A printer controller according to claim 1, wherein said compressed bi-level expander is an EDRL expander.

6. A printer controller according to claim 1, wherein said compressed bi-level expander unit comprises:

a bitstream decoder;

a state machine operatively connected to said bitstream decoder;

edge calculation logic operatively connected to said state machine;

two runlength decoders operatively connected to said edge calculation logic; and

a runlength (re)encoder operatively connected to said edge calculation logic.

7. A printer controller according to claim 6, wherein said state machine is operative to control said edge calculation logic in response to codes supplied by said bitstream decoder.

8. A printer controller according to claim 1, wherein the central processor further comprises a general-purpose processor operatively connected to said data bus for controlling said functional units, said general-purpose processor being operative to run software that coordinates said functional units to receive, expand and print pages.

9. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein said the general-purpose processor is operative to print pages in streaming mode.

10. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein said general-purpose processor is operative to print pages in single-page mode when the size of said received pages exceeds a memory threshold.

11. A printer controller according to claim 10, wherein said memory threshold is 3 MB.

12. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein said general-purpose processor is operative to transfer bi-level CMYK data to said printhead interface at a constant required rate.

13. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein said general-purpose processor is operative to expand pages in real time during printing.

14. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein the central processor further comprises a multi-channel DMA controller operatively connected to said data bus, wherein each of said functional units further comprises one or more on-chip input and/or output FIFOs, and wherein each FIFO is allocated a separate channel in said multi-channel DMA controller.

15. A printer controller according to claim 14, wherein said DMA controller is operative to interrupt said processor when a data transfer is complete.

16. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein the controller further comprises a speaker for notifying the user of an error condition.

17. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein all components of the controller are located on a single PCB.

18. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein the memory module is an RDRAM module.

19. A printer controller according to claim 8, wherein the connection to the media sensor is a flex PCB.