Patent ID: 6712439
Filing Date: 2004-03-30
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A method of activating a printing element within an array of printing elements on a printhead of an inkjet printer comprising:(a) providing a plurality of printing elements, (b) providing a plurality of power switching devices coupled to the plurality of printing elements, each power switching device having a power source, power drain, and power gate, (c) providing a plurality of pass switching devices, each pass switching device coupled to a corresponding power switching device, each pass switching device having a pass source, pass drain, and a pass gate, (d) providing one or more ground switching devices, the one or more ground switching devices having a ground source, ground drain, and ground gate, where the pass drain of each pass switching device is connected to the power gate of a corresponding one of the power switching devices, where a ground drain of the one or more one ground switching devices is coupled to one or more power sources of one or more of the power switching devices, and where the power drain of each power switching device is connected to a corresponding one of the printing elements, (e) defining a plurality of groups of printing elements and associated pass switching and power switching devices, (f) within each group defining a plurality of subsets of printing elements and associated pass switching devices, (g) providing a subset selection signal to the pass switching devices and power switching devices of a selected one of the subsets to thereby select a subset of printing elements in the array of printing elements based on the subset selection signal, (h) providing an address signal to a selected subset of the pass switching devices to thereby select a one or more printing elements based on the address signal, (i) providing a heater select signal to one or more of the ground switching devices, (j) providing a primitive signal to a select one of the groups of printing elements on the printhead, and (k) activating a selected printing element within the select group based on the primitive signal and the heater select signal.