Abstract: An inkjet printer head driving apparatus and a control method thereof include a switching unit turning on and off each of heating elements to heat and eject ink through nozzles, a level shift unit having a level converter converting to a predetermined potential level a potential level of a signal inputted to drive the switching unit, a transient time extending part provided with at least one time extending element to extend a transient time during which a potential level of the signal inputted from the level converter to the switching unit is converted from a first signal level to a second signal level and vice versa, and a control unit outputting to the level shift unit the delayed signal as a nozzle selection signal to select the nozzles corresponding to a to-be-recorded image.

Abstract: A head driving device, an inkjet printer comprising the same and data processing method of an ink jet printer are provided, in which a nozzle driving unit turns on/off a plurality of thermal elements that correspond to a plurality of nozzles and heat ink discharged from the nozzles, a data processing unit processes printing data and outputs a nozzle select signal corresponding to an image to the nozzle driving unit; and a head logic unit receives the printing data externally, divides the printing data of one address group into a plurality of data groups, transmits the plurality of data groups to the data processing unit via different data buses corresponding to the plurality of data groups, respectively, and controls the data processing unit to process the divided printing data. Accordingly, an EMI characteristic between signals can be improved by lowering the data buses density in one area, and a data processing speed can be adjusted by dividedly processing printing data.

Abstract: A head driving device, an inkjet printer comprising the same and data processing method of an ink jet printer are provided, in which a nozzle driving unit turns on/off a plurality of thermal elements that correspond to a plurality of nozzles and heat ink discharged from the nozzles, a data processing unit processes printing data and outputs a nozzle select signal corresponding to an image to the nozzle driving unit; and a head logic unit receives the printing data externally, divides the printing data of one address group into a plurality of data groups, transmits the plurality of data groups to the data processing unit via different data buses corresponding to the plurality of data groups, respectively, and controls the data processing unit to process the divided printing data. Accordingly, an EMI characteristic between signals can be improved by lowering the data buses density in one area, and a data processing speed can be adjusted by dividedly processing printing data.

Abstract: A thermal inkjet printhead includes a substrate, an insulation layer formed on the substrate, a heater formed on the insulation layer, a conductor formed on the heater to supply a current to the heater, a chamber layer stacked on the insulation layer having the heater and the conductor therebetween, and having an ink chamber to be filled with ink to be ejected formed therein; a nozzle layer stacked on the chamber layer and having a nozzle through which the ink in the ink chamber is to be ejected, and a plurality of thermal plugs formed in a lower portion of the insulation layer to contact the insulation layer and the substrate and to dissipate heat generated by the heater toward the substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus to sense the temperature of an ink-jet head includes at least one or more CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) lateral BJTs (bipolar junction transistors) to sense the temperature of the ink-jet head, and a current supply unit to supply a current to the CMOS lateral BJTs. Minimum sized CMOS lateral BJTs are applied to an ink-jet printer head so that precise temperature control can be performed in a shuttle or array type ink-jet printer.

Abstract: An inkjet print head and an inkjet image forming apparatus having the same includes photo sensors are mounted on the inkjet print head to sense whether or not nozzles normally discharge ink and to sense missing nozzles whenever the ink is printed on a recording paper, thereby rapidly and correctly sensing the missing nozzles.

Abstract: An inkjet print head to accurately determine whether a relevant nozzle is a normal nozzle or a missing nozzle according to an ink temperature sensed by a temperature sensor, and consequently, to enable the supply of high-quality inkjet print head products and improve printing quality and reliability thereof. The inkjet print head includes an ink feed hole through which ink is introduced, a plurality of ink chambers each having a nozzle, through which the ink is ejected, a plurality of individual flow paths to connect the plurality of ink chambers with the ink feed hole, and a temperature sensor provided in each of the plurality of individual flow paths and used to sense an ink temperature in an associated individual flow path when an ink bubble generated in an associated one of the plurality of ink chambers moves backward to the ink feed hole.

Abstract: An inkjet print head having a dummy ink chamber and a dummy heater disposed in the inkjet print head such that air bubbles gathered at edges of an ink feed hole are pushed toward an inner side of the ink feed hole when inks are sprayed. Accordingly, although air bubbles caused by the air introduced from an exterior or separated from inks are gathered at the edges of the ink feed hole, the air bubbles are forcedly pushed toward the center portion of the ink feed hole communicating with an ink storage container such that the air bubbles can flow into the ink storage container. Thus, inks are easily supplied to ink chambers adjacent to the edges of the ink feed hole, so that missing nozzles can be prevented from being generated.

Abstract: An ink jet image forming apparatus includes a reset correction unit to restrict a heater driving time so as to prevent a heater from being damaged due to overheating when an error occurs in a system clock. The reset correction unit may determine that an error occurs in the system clock if a discharging voltage of at least one charging circuit, which performs a charging operation using the system clock, is decreased to a reference voltage. In this case, the reset correction unit can generate a reset signal having an initial state such that the heater is no longer driven.

Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus includes a simulation driving circuit having the same characteristics as a driving circuit of a heater corresponding to several nozzles in a head-chip. The inkjet image forming apparatus adjusts a driving power-supply signal applied to a pre-driver to drive an nMOSFET connected to the heater using the simulation driving circuit, and acquires information of additional resistance compensating for a heater driving current. The inkjet image forming apparatus performs a printing process using the acquired additional resistance information, resulting in implementation of a superior print quality.

Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus includes a stabilization circuit to stabilize operations of a thermal shutdown circuit simultaneously restricting noise induced in a thermal shutdown circuit. The stabilization circuit includes a pair of PMOSFETs. The PMOSFETs are connected between a power-supply signal of the thermal shutdown circuit and a ground terminal, and serve as a current source and a resistor. The voltage applied to a gate of the pair of PMOSFETs is equal to a voltage applied to the thermal shutdown circuit, so that a circuit configuration is simplified. This voltage is higher than a minimum turn-on voltage of the PMOSFETs, and current signals flowing in the pair of PMOSFETs are approximately equal to each other.

Abstract: A filter plate usable with an ink jet head, an ink jet head with the filter plate, and a method of fabricating the filter plate are provided. The filter plate includes a filter substrate having a filter hole region. Filter holes having angled line shapes extend through the filter substrate of the filter hole region. Each of the filter holes may include an upper filter hole formed to have a first angle with respect to the filter substrate at an upper portion of the filter substrate, and a lower filter hole formed at a lower portion of the filter substrate to be connected to the upper filter hole and having a second angle with respect to the filter substrate different from the first angle.

Abstract: An inkjet print head and manufacturing method includes a substrate, an insulating layer formed on a surface of the substrate to have an electrode formation space, an electrode formed in the electrode formation space to be positioned on the same plane with the insulating layer, a heater formed on upper surfaces of the insulating layer and the electrode, and a passivation layer formed on the insulating layer and the heater. The heater is formed to be flat on the insulating layer and the electrodes, thereby reducing the thickness of the passivation layer. Further, copper having relatively high electric conductivity is used as a material of the electrodes, which apply current to the heater to generate heat, instead of aluminum, thereby increasing a degree of freedom in the thickness of the electrodes.

Abstract: Auxiliary nozzles to be used as substitutes for main nozzles formed near an ink feedhole in a print head. The main nozzles are used to perform printing when such nozzles are not defective. When a main nozzle has become defective and cannot normally jet ink, a corresponding spare nozzle is used to perform printing in place of the main nozzle.

Abstract: A headchip and a head of an array type inkjet printer. The headchip of the array type inkjet printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept includes an ink supply unit which is arranged into first nozzle groups and second nozzle groups according to colors, and a power supply unit to supply power to the plurality of first and second nozzle groups in an alternate order, in which the first and second nozzle groups for one color and the first and second nozzle groups for another color closest in proximity to the one color, are connected using one power line. Accordingly, a voltage drop may be avoided when the plurality of nozzles are driven at the same time.

Abstract: A method to compensate for a degradation of print image quality generated by a defective nozzle, from which no ink or less than a design specification required amount of ink is ejected, in an inkjet image forming device includes moving a printer head a moving distance in a scanning direction, shifting image data corresponding to nozzles of the printer head in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the printer head by the number of nozzles corresponding to the moving distance of the printer head, and printing an image by driving the nozzles according to the shifted image data, and an apparatus to compensate for a degradation of print image quality generated by a defective nozzle, from which no ink or less than a design specification required amount of ink is ejected.

Abstract: An apparatus to control a heater in an ink jet printer head. The apparatus to control the heater in an ink jet printer head includes a limit circuit to generate a limit pulse to limit a strobe pulse such that a maximum driving time of the heater is limited to an abnormal input of a system clock which is provided from the printer body. The maximum driving time of the heater is limited even when an erroneous serial clock signal pulse is input due to an abnormal operation of the printer body in a printing operation to prevent breakdown of the heater.

Abstract: An apparatus to prevent overheating of a print head. The apparatus includes a temperature sensing unit, a voltage dividing unit, and a comparing unit. The temperature sensing unit includes a first resistor having a low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and a second resistor having a higher TCR than the first resistor, and outputs a voltage between the first resistor and the second resistor. The first resistor and the second resistor are connected in series. The voltage dividing unit divides a reference voltage and outputs the divided reference voltage. The comparing unit compares the output voltage of the temperature sensing unit and the output voltage of the voltage dividing unit and outputs a signal to stop an operation of the print head according to the comparison result.

Abstract: A method to compensate for a degradation of print image quality generated by a defective nozzle, from which no ink or less than a design specification required amount of ink is ejected, in an inkjet image forming device includes moving a printer head a moving distance in a scanning direction, shifting image data corresponding to nozzles of the printer head in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the printer head by the number of nozzles corresponding to the moving distance of the printer head, and printing an image by driving the nozzles according to the shifted image data, and an apparatus to compensate for a degradation of print image quality generated by a defective nozzle, from which no ink or less than a design specification required amount of ink is ejected.

Abstract: A device to select and drive recording elements included in a print head that prints images, for example, a nozzle. The device includes an encoder to encode address data, a decoder to decode the encoded address data to restore original address data, an address data bus to connect the encoder with the decoder to transfer the encoded address data to the decoder, a driver to drive the recording elements using the primitive data and the decoded address data, and a primitive data bus to transfer the primitive data to the driver. Accordingly, when the recording elements included in the print head are driven using the primitive data and the address data, the address data can be encoded so that neighboring recording elements share the address data bus to reduce the number of address data bus lines and a size of a print head chip.