Printing pen and printing system
View Patent ↗A printing system comprising a pen comprising a number of print bars; each print bar comprising a number of printheads in which the printheads are grouped to a number of printheads from each of the number or print bars, the grouped printheads forming a slice and in which the printheads of the slice are electrically coupled to a common power supply unit. A printing pen comprising a number of print bars in which each of the number of print bars comprises a number of printheads, in which the number of printheads are grouped together to form a slice, the slice comprising a printhead from each of the print bars, and in which the slice is powered by a common power supply unit.
1. A printing system comprising:
a pen comprising a number of print bars; each print bar comprising a number of printheads;
in which the printheads are grouped with a number of printheads from each of the number of print bars, the grouped printheads forming a slice; in which the slice comprises printheads from each print bar that run parallel with each other and parallel with respect to the direction a medium is passed under the pen; and
in which the printheads of the slice are electrically coupled to a common power supply unit.
2. The printing system of claim 1 , in which the power supply unit provides power to those printheads grouped in the slice.
3. The printing system of claim 1 , in which the pen may be expanded perpendicularly with respect to the direction a medium is passed under the pen by adding a new slice comprising a new group of printheads to the pen.
4. The printing system of claim 3 , in which the new slice comprises a number of new printheads equal to the number of existing print bars.
5. The printing system of claim 1 , in which the printheads of each of the print bars eject a different color of ink.
6. The printing system of claim 5 , in which the number of print bars is four and a single print bar ejects one of a cyan colored ink, a magenta colored ink, a yellow colored ink, and a black colored ink.
7. A printing pen comprising:
a number of print bars, in which each of the number of print bars comprises a number of printheads;
in which the number of printheads are grouped together to form a slice, the slice comprising a printhead from each of the print bars;
in which the slice is to be powered by a common power supply unit; and
wherein the printing pen may be expanded perpendicularly with respect to the direction a medium is passed under the printing pen by adding a new slice comprising a new group of printheads to the printing pen.
8. The pen of claim 7 , in which the slice comprises those printheads from each of the print bars that run parallel with each other and parallel with respect to the direction a medium is passed under the pen.
9. The pen of claim 7 , in which the power supply unit provides power to those printheads grouped in the slice.
10. The pen of claim 7 , in which the printheads of each of the print bars eject a different color of ink.
11. The pen of claim 10 , in which the number of print bars is four and a single print bar ejects one of a cyan colored ink, a magenta colored ink, a yellow colored ink, and a black colored ink.
12. The pen of claim 7 , in which the new slice comprises a number of new printheads equal to the number of existing print bars.
13. A method of manufacturing a pen of a printing system, comprising:
grouping a number of printheads of a print bar into a number of perpendicularly arranged slices;
electrically coupling a power supply unit to each slice; and
expanding the pen perpendicularly with respect to the direction a medium is passed under the pen by adding a new slice comprising a new group of printheads to the pen and the new slice comprises a number of new printheads equal to the number of existing print bars.
14. The method of claim 13 , in which the slices each comprise printheads from each of a number of print bars, the printheads of each slice running parallel with each other and parallel with respect to the direction a medium is passed under the pen.
15. The printing pen of claim 7 , in which the new slice comprises a number of new printheads equal to the number of printhead in the existing print bars.
16. The printing system of claim 1 , in which the printheads of each of the slices are coupled to individual power supply units.
17. The printing system of claim 16 , wherein each of the individual power supply units adds a printhead to its respective electrical circuit when a new slice comprising a new group of printheads is added to the pen.
18. The pen of claim 8 , in which the power supply unit provides power to those printheads in each print bar individually.
19. The method of claim 13 , in which the printheads of each of the print bars eject a different color of ink.
20. The method of claim 13 , in which the number of print bars is four and a single print bar ejects one of a cyan colored ink, a magenta colored ink, a yellow colored ink, and a black colored ink.