US 7,600,836 B2
Printhead driving method for printhead with reference voltage source, voltage divider, and differential amplifier
Kazunori Masuda, Saitama (Japan)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Dec. 29, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/617,867.
Application 11/617867 is a division of application No. 10/896074, filed on Jul. 22, 2004, granted, now 7,290,848.
Claims priority of application No. 2003-287139 (JP), filed on Aug. 05, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2007/0109335 A1, May 17, 2007
Int. Cl. B41J 29/38 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 347—10 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printhead driving method for driving an inkjet printhead having plural printing elements, a reference voltage source capable of outputting a reference voltage and a non-volatile memory for storing data indicating a pulse width of a drive signal for driving the plural printing elements, wherein the inkjet printhead is mounted to a printing apparatus or a printhead test device, the inkjet printhead further comprising a voltage dividing circuit for dividing a voltage supplied from the printing apparatus or the printhead test device, and a differential amplifier for comparing the voltage divided by the voltage dividing circuit with the reference voltage from the reference voltage source and outputting a signal based on a result of the comparison, the printing apparatus and the printhead test device each including a power supply circuit having a similar construction, and each power supply circuit is operable in a manner such that a difference between the divided voltage and the reference voltage is eliminated, said method comprising the steps of:
mounting the inkjet printhead to the printhead test device;
supplying a voltage based on the signal outputted from the differential amplifier and a drive signal having a pulse width based on data set in the printhead test device to the inkjet printhead;
measuring an ink amount discharged from the inkjet printhead;
storing the data indicating the pulse width with which the drive signal is used for driving the inkjet printhead into the non-volatile memory;
removing the inkjet printhead from the printhead test device and mounting the printhead to the printing apparatus; and
supplying the voltage based on the signal outputted from the differential amplifier and the drive signal based on the data indicating the pulse width stored in the non-volatile memory to the inkjet printhead.