Image processing apparatus for a printing mechanism of a wide format pagewidth inkjet printer

• US 20040145756A1
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Granted Patent: US 7,407,261 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/15 for serial printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1601 Production of bubble jet print heads B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1643 thin film formation by plating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 : Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 : Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 : Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 : Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/19 : Assembling head units
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 : Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 : by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 : multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 : using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 : 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An image processing apparatus for a pagewidth inkjet printer that includes an array of printhead chips that span a print area includes an elongate support structure for supporting the array of printhead chips. A plurality of printed circuit boards are mounted end-to-end on the support structure. Each printed circuit board includes a memory device. An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is connected to the memory device. The ASIC is configured to accept data to be written to the memory device and to write data from the memory device to a number of respective printhead chips. A serial bus is connected to the ASIC to write data to the ASIC. A microcontroller is connected to the ASIC so that the microcontroller can write data to the memory device, via the ASIC. A plurality of connectors is provided. Each connector is interposed between a respective ASIC and respective printhead chips.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for a pagewidth inkjet printer that includes an array of printhead chips that span a print area, the apparatus comprising

an elongate support structure for supporting the array of printhead chips;

a plurality of printed circuit boards mounted end-to-end on the support structure, each printed circuit board comprising

a memory device;

an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is connected to the memory device and to write data from the memory device to at least one respective printhead chip;

a serial bus that is connected to the ASIC to write data to the ASIC; and

a microcontroller that is connected to the ASIC so that the microcontroller can write data to the memory device, via the ASIC; and

a plurality of connectors, each connector being interposed between a respective ASIC and said at least one respective printhead chip to connect said respective ASIC to said at least one respective printhead chip.

2. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which each ASIC is connected to a number of printhead chips.

3. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which each ASIC comprises

a data bus;

a high-speed interface that is connected between the data bus and the microcontroller to permit the microcontroller to write to the data bus;

a memory device interface that is connected between the data bus and the memory device to permit data to be written to and from the memory device;

a printhead interface that is connected between the data bus and printhead chips to permit data to be written to the printhead chips; and

a controller that is connected between the serial bus and the data bus to control operation of the ASIC.

4. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which each ASIC includes page expansion circuitry that is connected to the data bus and is configured to receive compressed page data, to expand the compressed page data and to write expanded page data to the memory device.

5. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which the page expansion circuitry is configured to expand the compressed page data into dot data.

6. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which each ASIC includes line loader and formatter circuitry that is connected between the data bus and the printhead interface and is configured to read the dot data from the memory device and to format the dot data into dot data for a given print line such that the formatted dot data is readable by the printhead interface.

7. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which each connector is a flexible printed circuit board.

8. A printing mechanism that comprises

an elongate support structure that spans a print area;

a plurality of printhead chips that are positioned on the support structure to define an array that spans the print area;

a plurality of printed circuit boards mounted end-to-end on the support structure, each printed circuit board comprising

a memory device;

an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is connected to the memory device, the ASIC being configured to accept data to be written to the memory device and to write data from the memory device to at least one respective printhead chip;

a serial bus that is connected to the ASIC to write data to the ASIC; and

a microcontroller that is connected to the ASIC so that the microcontroller can write data to the memory device, via the ASIC; and

a plurality of connectors, each connector being interposed between a respective ASIC and said at least one respective printhead chip to connect said respective ASIC to said at least one respective printhead chip.