Abstract: An apparatus and method to protect an inkjet printer head including a head controller of a printer body and a head chip to drive a heater by using a serial interface, the apparatus including: a clock monitoring unit to monitor a serial clock signal that is used as a reference clock signal supplied to the head chip to control the head chip, and if the serial clock signal is abnormal, to output a signal indicating that the serial clock signal is abnormal; and a heater driving limiting unit to limit energy applied to the heater by using the signal, which is output by the clock monitoring unit, to indicate that the serial clock signal is abnormal.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus capable of preventing a peak current from being introduced into internal units of the electronic apparatus when the internal units are simultaneously activated and a method to control one or more internal units thereof. The electronic apparatus includes at least one internal unit and a signal generator to generate a drive pulse having a width that gradually changes in an edge region and to drive the at least one internal unit. Accordingly a peak current is prevented from being introduced into the internal units by gradually increasing or decreasing the drive pulse to drive the internal units as time changes or by dividing the internal units into a block unit and sequentially providing the drive pulse to the internal units.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to protect an inkjet printer head including a head controller of a printer body and a head chip to drive a heater by using a serial interface, the apparatus including: a clock monitoring unit to monitor a serial clock signal that is used as a reference clock signal supplied to the head chip to control the head chip, and if the serial clock signal is abnormal, to output a signal indicating that the serial clock signal is abnormal; and a heater driving limiting unit to limit energy applied to the heater by using the signal, which is output by the clock monitoring unit, to indicate that the serial clock signal is abnormal.

Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus is disclosed. A print head is provided having a plurality of head chips having nozzles arranged in at least two rows for each color. A storage unit stores position information of a head chip having a normal formed gap (which is in an integer multiple relationship having a resolution of, e.g., 9?/1200 or 10?/1200) between a first row of nozzles and a second row of nozzles of the at least two rows of nozzles, position information of a head chip having an erroneous formed gap (which is not in an integer multiple relationship having a resolution of, e.g., 8.5?/1200 or 9.5?/1200) between the first row of nozzles and the second row of nozzles, and gap information.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus capable of preventing a peak current from being introduced into internal units of the electronic apparatus when the internal units are simultaneously activated and a method to control one or more internal units thereof. The electronic apparatus includes at least one internal unit and a signal generator to generate a drive pulse having a width that gradually changes in an edge region and to drive the at least one internal unit. Accordingly a peak current is prevented from being introduced into the internal units by gradually increasing or decreasing the drive pulse to drive the internal units as time changes or by dividing the internal units into a block unit and sequentially providing the drive pulse to the internal units.

Abstract: An image scanning device and a shading compensation method include reading out a second region of a reference white sheet spaced by a predetermined distance from a white roller prior to reading out a to-be-scanned document to generate a reference shading compensation value; comparing the generated reference shading compensation value and a stored initial sheet shading compensation value for the second region to calculate a final shading compensation value of a first region of the white roller; and compensating for image data of the read document according to the calculated final shading compensation value. Accordingly, the present invention generates a shading profile and compensates for shading distortions according to characteristic changes of an image readout unit, such as a CIS, thereby enabling more precise image data to be obtained.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of controlling power supplied to a printer head included in an image forming device. The apparatus includes a power supply unit to supply DC power to the printer head, a capacitor connected to a power supply terminal of the printer head to stabilize the DC power supplied to the printer head, a discharger to discharge the capacitor, a controller to drive the power supply unit by generating a power signal of a first predetermined value and a discharge signal of a second predetermined value to supply the power to the printer head, and to drive the discharger by generating the power signal of a third predetermined value and the discharge signal of a fourth predetermined signal not to supply the power to the printer head, and a head locker to lock the printer head so that the printer head cannot be disassembled from the image forming device while the power is being supplied to the printer head.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of detecting a functionally defective substrate includes a detection unit to detect a trend in change in a voltage of a power source when a substrate is heated by the power source given by discharging of a capacitor and a test unit to compare the detected trend to a trend of change set in advance and to output the comparison result as a determination signal which indicates whether the substrate has a defect.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to control a temperature of a printer head chip. The temperature control apparatus includes a heater, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The heater heats a predetermine portion of the printer head chip. The temperature sensor senses the temperature of the printer head chip. The controller is provided in the printer head chip and provides a control signal to the heater according to the sensed temperature. Accordingly, damage to the printer head chip can be prevented and safety in using the printer can be guaranteed. Also, ink droplets can be accurately ejected from the printer head chip such that printing quality is improved and a life span of the heater is extended.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the same. The method includes counting a total number of dots of an image formed on a sheet of recording medium during an image forming operation in an image forming unit employing a page width print head, calculating an optimal drying time that corresponds to the counted total number of dots from a lookup table, and controlling a drying time of the corresponding sheet of recording medium or a print time of a next sheet of recording medium. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain excellent print quality and effectively perform a high speed printing operation.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for identifying paper cassettes. The apparatus for identifying paper cassettes includes first through N-th paper cassettes, wherein each of N-1 output ports (where N is a positive integer greater than 1) is connected to N-1 input ports, which have one of N input ports and one of N output ports, a paper cassette identification unit to generate a synchronizing signal in response to an identification symbol which is transmitted from the first through N-th paper cassettes and indicates one of the first through N-th paper cassettes, and to transmit the generated synchronizing signal to paper cassettes in which an “undefined symbol” that indicates that the identification symbol has not been assigned, among the first through N-th paper cassettes is given, and a serial bus which connects the first through N-th paper cassettes to the paper cassette identification unit.

Abstract: An image scanning device and a shading compensation method include reading out a second region of a reference white sheet spaced by a predetermined distance from a white roller prior to reading out a to-be-scanned document to generate a reference shading compensation value; comparing the generated reference shading compensation value and a stored initial sheet shading compensation value for the second region to calculate a final shading compensation value of a first region of the white roller; and compensating for image data of the read document according to the calculated final shading compensation value. Accordingly, the present invention generates a shading profile and compensates for shading distortions according to characteristic changes of an image readout unit, such as a CIS, thereby enabling more precise image data to be obtained.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for identifying paper cassettes. The apparatus for identifying paper cassettes includes first through N-th paper cassettes, wherein each of N-1 output ports (where N is a positive integer greater than 1) is connected to N-1 input ports, which have one of N input ports and one of N output ports, a paper cassette identification unit to generate a synchronizing signal in response to an identification symbol which is transmitted from the first through N-th paper cassettes and indicates one of the first through N-th paper cassettes, and to transmit the generated synchronizing signal to paper cassettes in which an “undefined symbol” that indicates that the identification symbol has not been assigned, among the first through N-th paper cassettes is given, and a serial bus which connects the first through N-th paper cassettes to the paper cassette identification unit.