Image output device with an injector

• US 7,665,816 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vista Peak Ventures LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Otose, Tomohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Huffman, Julian D
• Application Number:
  US11/330,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 347/9
• US Class Current: 347/9
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04581 controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 using ink jet print heads

Abstract

The invention provides a semiconductor device of low power consumption and low cost. A semiconductor device 50 is basically constituted of a semiconductor substrate 1 and an external signal processing substrate 8. The semiconductor substrate 1 is provided with a memory unit 3, a data driver 4, an element array 2, a scanning circuit 35 and a clock generator 36. When successively outputting an identical data signal to the element array 2 over a plurality of times, the data signal retained in the memory unit 3 is utilized.

Claims

1. An image output device provided with an injector for firing a droplet for printing, comprising:

a memory unit for temporarily storing a data signal to be provided to said injector;

a driving unit for reading out said data signal stored in said memory unit, generating a control signal for controlling said injector, on the basis of said data signal read out from said memory unit and driving said injector based on said control signal; and

a data-update control unit for causing a data signal providing unit to suspend outputting said data signal to said memory unit in response to an identical control signal being successively provided to said injector, so that said memory unit does not update said data signal stored therein;

wherein said data signal providing unit suspends outputting said data signal to said memory unit by turning off a circuit of said data signal providing unit.

2. The image output device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said driving unit and said memory unit may constitute a combined unit.

3. The image output device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said driving unit and said memory unit constitute a combined unit.

4. The image output device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a first signal transferring unit for transferring said data signal to said memory unit from a host device that provides said data signal to the image output device;

a second signal transferring unit for transferring said data signal from said memory unit to said driving unit;

wherein

said second signal transferring unit is shorter than said first transferring unit.

5. The image output device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a level converter for converting an amplitude of said data signal input into the image output device to a desired amplitude.

6. The image output device as set forth in claim 1, to which said data signal is to be input in a form of a serial signal, further comprising:

an S/P converter for converting said input serial data signal into a parallel signal.

7. The image output device as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a phase expanding unit for receiving said parallel signal as an O-phase signal and converting the received O-phase parallel signal into a P-phase parallel signal, wherein O and P are natural numbers and P is greater than O.

8. The image output device as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one of said driving unit, said first signal transferring unit, said memory unit and said second signal transferring unit is constituted of a thin film transistor.

9. The image output device as set forth in claim 8, wherein a semiconductor layer of said thin film transistor is constituted of polycrystalline silicon.

10. An image output device provided with an injector for firing a droplet for printing, comprising:

a memory unit for temporarily storing a data signal for selecting a driving waveform to be provided to said injector;

a driving unit for reading out said data signal stored in said memory unit, selecting said driving waveform from a plurality of driving waveforms input from an outside source based on said data signal read out from said memory unit and driving said injector based on said selected driving waveform; and

a data-update control unit for causing a data signal providing unit to suspend outputting said data signal to said memory unit in response to a same driving waveform being successively provided to said injector, so that said memory unit does not update said data signal stored therein;

wherein said data signal providing unit suspends outputting said data signal to said memory unit by turning off a circuit of said data signal providing unit.

11. The image output device as set forth in claim 10, wherein said driving unit and said memory unit may constitute a combined unit.

12. The image output device as set forth in claim 10, wherein said driving unit and said memory unit constitute a combined unit.

13. The image output device as set forth in claim 10, further comprising:

a first signal transferring unit for transferring said data signal to said memory unit from a host device that provides said data signal to the image output device;

a second signal transferring unit for transferring said data signal from said memory unit to said driving unit;

wherein

said second signal transferring unit is shorter than said first transferring unit.

14. The image output device as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a level converter for converting an amplitude of said data signal input into the image output device to a desired amplitude.

15. The image output device as set forth in claim 10, to which said data signal is to be input in a form of a serial signal, further comprising:

an S/P converter for converting said input serial data signal into a parallel signal.

16. The image output device as set forth in claim 15, further comprising a phase expanding unit for receiving said parallel signal as an O-phase signal and converting the received O-phase parallel signal into a P-phase parallel signal, wherein O and P are natural numbers and P is greater than O.

17. The image output device as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least one of said driving unit, said first signal transferring unit, said memory unit and said second signal transferring unit is constituted of a thin film transistor.

18. The image output device as set forth in claim 17, wherein a semiconductor layer of said thin film transistor is constituted of polycrystalline silicon.

19. An image output device provided with an injector for firing a droplet for printing, comprising:

a memory unit for temporarily storing a data signal for selecting a driving waveform to be provided to said injector;

a first driving unit for reading out said data signal stored in said memory unit, and outputting to said injector a signal for selecting, based on said data signal read out from said memory unit, said driving waveform from a plurality of driving waveforms input from an outside source;

a second driving unit for providing said selected driving waveform to said injector; and

a data-update control unit for causing a data signal providing unit to suspend outputting said data signal to said memory unit in response to an identical driving waveform being successively provided to said injector, so that said memory unit does not update said data signal stored therein;

wherein said data signal providing unit suspends outputting said data signal to said memory unit by turning off a circuit of said data signal providing unit.

20. The image output device as set forth in claim 19, wherein said driving unit and said memory unit may constitute a combined unit.

21. The image output device as set forth in claim 19, wherein said driving unit and said memory unit constitute a combined unit.

22. The image output device as set forth in claim 19, further comprising:

a first signal transferring unit for transferring said data signal to said memory unit from a host device that provides said data signal to the image output device;

a second signal transferring unit for transferring said data signal from said memory unit to said driving unit;

wherein

said second signal transferring unit is shorter than said first transferring unit.

23. The image output device as set forth in claim 19, further comprising a level converter for converting an amplitude of said data signal input into the image output device to a desired amplitude.

24. The image output device as set forth in claim 19, to which said data signal is to be input in a form of a serial signal, further comprising:

an S/P converter for converting said input serial data signal into a parallel signal.

25. The image output device as set forth in claim 24, further comprising a phase expanding unit for receiving said parallel signal as an O-phase signal and converting the received O-phase parallel signal into a P-phase parallel signal, wherein O and P are natural numbers and P is greater than O.

26. The image output device as set forth in claim 24, wherein at least one of said driving unit, said first signal transferring unit, said memory unit and said second signal transferring unit is constituted of a thin film transistor.

27. The image output device as set forth in claim 26, wherein a semiconductor layer of said thin film transistor is constituted of polycrystalline silicon.