WO2016192486A1

WO2016192486A1 - Imaging cartridge and storage chip applied in imaging cartridge

Info

Publication number: WO2016192486A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/080214
Authority: WO
Inventors: 韦胜雨
Original assignee: 珠海纳思达企业管理有限公司
Priority date: 2015-06-04
Filing date: 2016-04-26
Publication date: 2016-12-08
Also published as: EP3260299A1; EP3260299A4; EP3260299B1

Abstract

Provided are a storage chip, an imaging cartridge and a method for causing an imaging device to stop performing an imaging operation. The storage chip (100) is detachably mounted on the imaging cartridge, and the imaging cartridge is detachably mounted on the imaging device (200). The storage chip comprises: an interface unit (100) electrically connecting the storage chip to the imaging device and receiving an instruction sent from the imaging device; a storage unit (120) storing information related to the imaging cartridge; a service life determination unit (140) determining whether a service life of the imaging cartridge has ended according to the information related to the imaging cartridge and stored in the storage unit; an abnormality processing unit (150) performing an abnormality processing according to the instruction sent by the imaging device when the service life determination unit determines that the service life of the imaging cartridge has ended. The storage chip can effectively prevent the imaging device from a malfunction caused by idle running thereof attributable to depletion of an imaging material in the imaging cartridge.

Description

Imaging cartridge and memory chip used on the imaging cartridge

Technical field

The present invention mainly relates to the field of imaging technology, and in particular, to an imaging cartridge and a memory chip used on the imaging cartridge.

Background technique

In the prior art, in order to be able to monitor the state of use of the imaging cartridge in real time, a memory chip that stores related information is generally disposed on the imaging cartridge. Generally, the memory chip is provided with a storage module, an interface unit, and the like, wherein the storage chip is electrically connected to an imaging device (for example, an inkjet printer, a laser printer, etc.) via an interface unit to establish a channel for data transmission, and the storage module is used for the storage module. For storing information related to the imaging cartridge, such as the remaining amount of imaging material, the number of printed pages, the date of manufacture, and the like. Moreover, with the operation of the print imaging, the image forming apparatus gradually updates the variable data in the above-described memory chip, such as the number of printed pages, the remaining amount of the image forming material, and the like.

The imaging device often judges whether the imaging cartridge has reached the end of its useful life by observing whether some variable data in the memory chip has reached a preset threshold, for example, observing whether the remaining amount of the imaging material reaches a preset threshold. Since the image forming apparatus mainly estimates the remaining amount of the image forming material based on the number of ink droplet ejections, the weight of the ink droplets, and the like, there is inevitably a certain calculation error. Due to the existence of the calculation error, when the imaging device prompts that the imaging material in the imaging cartridge is about to be exhausted, the imaging material in the imaging cartridge may have been exhausted, and a small amount of imaging material may also be present.

Usually, after the remaining amount of the imaging material reaches the preset threshold, the imaging device prompts the user on the imaging device screen or the computer client: "Is the imaging material to be exhausted, whether to continue printing?" It is the imaging material in the imaging cartridge that has been exhausted, or there may be some residual imaging material in the imaging cartridge. At this time, if the user chooses to continue the printing operation, if the imaging material has been exhausted, the imaging device may be vacant due to the lack of imaging material, which may easily cause the imaging device to malfunction and shorten the service life of the imaging device.

Summary of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defect that the imaging device in the prior art may still cause the imaging device to continue the imaging operation when the remaining amount of the imaging material reaches the preset threshold, which is likely to cause device failure.

The present invention first provides a memory chip for use on an imaging cartridge that can be detachably mounted on an imaging cartridge that can be detachably mounted in an imaging device; wherein the memory chip includes: An interface unit for electrically connecting the memory chip to the imaging device and receiving an instruction issued from the imaging device; a storage unit for storing information related to the imaging cartridge; and a service life judging unit Determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to information stored in the storage unit and relating to the imaging cartridge; the abnormalization processing unit is configured to determine the service life of the imaging cartridge in the service life judging unit When exhausted, the abnormalization process is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device.

Preferably, the service life judging unit judges whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating a remaining amount of the printing material; wherein the information related to the imaging cartridge includes the direct or indirect A parameter indicating the remaining amount of printed material.

Preferably, the service life judging unit judges whether the print material remaining amount information reaches a preset threshold value, according to whether the printing material usage amount information reaches a preset threshold value, or according to whether a flag bit indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material changes. Whether the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted; wherein the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material includes the remaining amount information of the printing material, the usage information of the printing material, or a flag indicating the state of the remaining amount of the printing material Bit.

Preferably, the abnormality processing unit is configured to: when the lifespan determining unit determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, does not respond to an instruction of the imaging device or incorrectly responds to an instruction of the imaging device To perform the abnormalization process.

Preferably, the abnormalization processing unit is configured to erase the portion stored in the storage unit according to an instruction issued by the imaging device when the lifespan determining unit determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted Or all of the data in an order that does not respond to the imaging device, or changes the electrical characteristics of the memory chip to incorrectly respond to instructions of the imaging device.

Preferably, the memory chip includes: a control unit, configured to stop responding to an instruction of the imaging device according to the prohibition response command sent by the abnormality processing unit; The abnormalization processing unit is configured to send the prohibition response command to the control unit according to an instruction issued by the imaging device when the lifespan determining unit determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted.

Preferably, the control unit is configured to send, according to the incorrect response command sent by the abnormalization processing unit, an incorrect response that causes the imaging device to consider that the storage chip has an abnormal condition; wherein The abnormality processing unit is configured to send the incorrect response command to the control unit according to an instruction issued by the imaging device when the lifespan determining unit determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted.

The present invention also provides an imaging cartridge detachably mounted with the memory chip as described above.

The present invention also provides a method of stopping an imaging operation of an imaging device, the imaging device being detachably mounted with an imaging cartridge, the imaging cartridge being detachably mounted with a memory chip, the imaging device and the memory chip Electrical connection; wherein the memory chip performs the following steps in the method: receiving an instruction issued by the imaging device; determining, according to information related to the imaging box, whether a service life of the imaging box is exhausted; When the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the abnormality processing is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device.

Preferably, determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to information related to the imaging cartridge includes: determining whether the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating a remaining amount of the printing material Wherein the information related to the imaging cartridge includes the parameter directly or indirectly representing the remaining amount of the printed material.

Preferably, determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating a remaining amount of the printing material includes: whether the information according to the remaining amount of the printing material reaches a preset threshold, according to whether the information on the usage amount of the printing material is reached. Determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a preset threshold or according to whether a flag indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material changes; wherein the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material includes The remaining amount information of the printing material, the information on the amount of printed material used, or the flag indicating the state of the remaining amount of the printed material.

Preferably, the abnormalizing process is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device, including: not responding to an instruction of the imaging device or incorrectly responding to an instruction of the imaging device to perform the abnormalization process.

Preferably, not responding to the instruction of the imaging device comprises: erasing part or all of the data stored in the storage unit; or stopping responding to an instruction of the imaging device.

Preferably, incorrectly responding to the instructions of the imaging device comprises: transmitting to the imaging device an incorrect response that causes the imaging device to consider an abnormal condition of the memory chip; or changing an electrical characteristic of the memory chip.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention can effectively avoid the occurrence of a malfunction of the imaging device due to the blanking when the imaging material in the imaging cartridge may be exhausted.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by the structure and/or <RTIgt;

DRAWINGS

The drawings serve to provide a further understanding of the technical aspects of the invention or the prior art and form part of the specification. The drawings that express the embodiments of the present invention are used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention together with the embodiments of the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation of the technical solutions of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a memory chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another schematic structural diagram of a memory chip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a method for stopping an imaging operation of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, by which the present invention can be applied to the technical problems and the implementation of the corresponding technical effects can be fully understood and implemented. The features of the embodiments of the present invention and the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict, and the technical solutions formed are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Additionally, the steps illustrated in the flowchart of the figures may be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions. And, although the logical order is shown in the flowchart, In some cases, the steps shown or described may be performed in an order different than that described herein.

In order to avoid the risk that the imaging device may cause a malfunction when the imaging material may be insufficient (the imaging operation is still performed when the imaging material is insufficient in the imaging cartridge), preferably, the present invention forcibly stops the imaging device in advance when the imaging material is insufficient. The imaging operation prompts the user to replace the imaging cartridge to prevent the imaging device from malfunctioning due to a blank.

Common imaging devices include inkjet recording devices and laser recording devices. In contrast, common imaging cartridges also primarily refer to inkjet cartridges loaded with ink and toner cartridges loaded with toner. Hereinafter, the technical solutions of the respective embodiments will be described in detail based on the inkjet printer and the inkjet cartridge as an example. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the description of the embodiments of the following embodiments is equally applicable to other types of printing material accommodating containers and corresponding recording devices. Similarly, the printing material containers may also be corresponding containers capable of accommodating printing materials. Such as toner boxes and the like.

The structure of the memory chip which can be detachably mounted on an imaging cartridge provided by the embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 1, and the imaging cartridge (not shown) can be detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus.

In FIG. 1, the memory chip includes an interface unit 110, a storage unit 120, a control unit 130, a service life judging unit 140, and an abnormality processing unit 150.

The interface unit 110 is configured to electrically connect the memory chip 100 to the imaging device 200 and receive an instruction from the imaging device 200; the connection between the interface unit 110 and the imaging device 200 may be a wired manner, such as a wire. Or the contact connection of the contacts; it can also be wireless, for example, through a contactless connection such as Bluetooth, infrared, WIFI.

The storage unit 120 is configured to store information related to the imaging cartridge. When the printing material loaded in the image forming cartridge is ink, the information related to the image forming cartridge may be, for example, ink cartridge identification information, manufacturer, date of manufacture, ink amount flag, ink usage amount, ink remaining amount, and the like. The ink cartridge identification information may be ink color information, or may be the device address of the storage unit 120, or other information that can distinguish different ink cartridge types; the ink amount identification bit is generally used to mark two states of the ink amount, respectively, sufficient and insufficient. . The storage unit 120 uses a common non-volatile memory, such as EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, ferroelectric memory, phase change memory, etc., and can also use a volatile memory plus a power supply scheme, such as SRAM + battery or capacitor, DRAM + Battery or capacitor.

The control unit 130 is connected to the interface unit 110 and the storage unit 120 for responding to The memory unit 120 is read and written by an instruction from the imaging device 200.

The memory chip 100 of this embodiment further includes a service life judging unit 140 and an abnormality processing unit 150.

The service life judging unit 140 is connected to the storage unit 120, and is configured to judge whether the service life of the imaging box is exhausted according to the information stored by the storage unit 120.

The abnormality processing unit 150 is connected to the interface unit 110 and the service life judging unit 140, and is configured to, according to the instruction issued by the imaging device 200, when the service life judging unit 140 determines that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted. The memory chip 100 is subjected to an abnormalization process. The abnormalization processing of the memory chip 100 means that the memory chip 100 in the normal state is abnormalized and becomes in an abnormal state. The memory chip in an abnormal state cannot communicate normally with the imaging device. The imaging device cannot communicate normally with the memory chip, and normal operation cannot be performed. Therefore, abnormal processing of the memory chip in the normal state causes the imaging device to stop the imaging operation.

When the service life judging unit 140 determines that the service life of the imaging cartridge is not completed, the control unit 130 performs a read/write operation on the storage unit 120 in response to an instruction issued by the imaging device 200, and When the service life judging unit 140 judges that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the control unit 130 may no longer respond to an instruction issued by the imaging device 200.

The service life judging unit 140 judges whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to the information stored in the storage unit 120, and specifically includes the following manners.

In one embodiment, in the storage unit 120, the remaining amount information of the printing material is stored, and the service life determining unit 140 determines whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to whether the remaining amount information of the printing material reaches a preset threshold. For example, when the threshold value is set to 1% of the ink full amount of the printing material, when the remaining amount information of the printing material indicates that the remaining amount of the printing material is less than or equal to 1% of the full amount of the printing material, the service life of the imaging cartridge is determined. Exhausted; on the contrary, if the remaining amount information of the printing material indicates that the remaining amount of the printing material is greater than 1% of the full amount of the printing material, it is judged that the life of the imaging cartridge is not completed.

Alternatively, in the storage unit 120, the usage amount information of the printing material is stored, and the service life judging unit 140 judges whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to whether the printing material usage amount information reaches a preset threshold. For example, setting the threshold to the amount of ink filled with the printed material 99% of the time, when the printing material usage information indicates that the printing material usage amount has been greater than or equal to 99% of the full amount of the printing material, it is judged that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted; on the contrary, if the printing material usage information indicates printing If the amount of material used is less than 99% of the total amount of ink in the printed material, it is judged that the life of the image forming cartridge is not completed.

Still another way is that in the storage unit 120, a flag indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material is set. Initially, when the flag has not changed, it means that the remaining amount of the printed material is sufficient (not exhausted); when the flag is changed, it means that the printed material is about to be exhausted, and the remaining amount of the printed material is about 0. Thereby, the service life judging unit 140 can judge whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to whether the set flag bit changes.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the remaining amount information of the printing material is used to indicate the amount of the printing material remaining in the imaging cartridge, and the flag bit is used to indicate the amount of the printing material remaining in the imaging cartridge, which can directly represent the printing material. The remaining amount of parameters. The amount of printing material remaining in the image forming cartridge can also be obtained according to the amount of full ink of the printing material in the image forming cartridge and the amount that has been used, and thus the usage amount information using the printing material can be used as a parameter indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material.

In the memory chip, other parameters for directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material may be stored, such as the remaining amount of the printing material, the printing material usage amount or the remaining state flag of the printing material, directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material. The parameters can be used as the judgment object for judging whether the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, and are not limited to the above-mentioned remaining amount of printed material, the amount of printed material used, or the remaining state flag of the printed material. -

The abnormal processing of the memory chip may be different according to the characteristics of the imaging device. For example, when a part of the image forming apparatus is capable of receiving a response of the memory chip as a criterion for determining whether the chip is abnormal, the abnormality processing can be realized when the memory chip selects an instruction that does not respond to the image forming apparatus. When the image forming apparatus determines whether the chip is abnormal or not by using the received memory chip as a standard for determining whether the chip is abnormal, the abnormality processing can be realized when the memory chip responds to an incorrect signal (a signal that does not match the expected signal) to the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the above-described abnormality processing unit 150 can abnormalize the memory chip by means of "not responding to an instruction of the imaging device" or "sending erroneous data to the imaging device in response to an instruction of the imaging device" or the like. Wherein, as long as the data does not match the instruction of the imaging device, it can be used as erroneous data in the embodiment of the present invention.

By abnormalizing the memory chip, the imaging device considers that the storage chip has an abnormal condition, and causes the imaging device to stop the imaging operation in time, thereby preventing the imaging device from being damaged due to the air-slipping phenomenon caused by insufficient printing material.

When the embodiment of the present invention is applied to some occasions, the abnormalization processing of the memory chip 100 is realized by not responding to an instruction issued by the imaging device. When the service life judging unit 140 judges that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the abnormality processing unit 150 performs an abnormalization processing on the memory chip 100 according to an instruction issued by the imaging device, that is, a part of the data in the storage unit 120. Or all data is erased. The data stored in the storage unit 120 generally includes two types, one is application data, which is data that the imaging device does not read or rewrite, and the application data constitutes a control flow of the memory chip; the other is The imaging cartridge data that the printer will read or rewrite, such as the information associated with the imaging cartridge described above, including the cartridge identification information, manufacturer, date of manufacture, ink level identification, and the like.

Therefore, when the abnormality processing unit 150 erases the application data, the memory chip 100 will not be able to execute any given control flow so as not to respond to the instructions of the imaging device; and when the abnormalization processing unit 150 erases the imaging cartridge data At the same time, the memory chip 100 can execute a predetermined control flow, can respond to the instructions of the imaging device, but cannot read valid data.

When the storage chip adopts an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), the control function of the memory chip has been solidified in the circuit. Therefore, in this type of memory chip, most or all of the data stored in the storage unit 120 is Is the imaging box data. When the memory chip adopts an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), the control function of the memory chip needs to be written into the application data. Therefore, in this type of memory chip, the data stored in the storage unit 120 necessarily includes the above-mentioned Application data and imaging box data. Since the MCU is a general-purpose controller, to implement a certain function, it is necessary to write a suitable program.

The abnormalization processing of the memory chip 100 is implemented by not responding to an instruction issued by the imaging device, and the abnormalization processing unit 150 may prohibit the memory chip 100 from responding to an instruction of the imaging device. Since the memory chip 100 responds to the instruction of the imaging device by the control unit 130, the abnormality processing unit 150 needs to be connected to the control unit 130 in this case. As shown in FIG. 2, the life-time determining unit 140 determines the imaging cartridge. When the service life is exhausted, the abnormalization processing unit 150 disables the memory chip by transmitting a prohibition response command to the control unit 130. The control unit 130 in 100 is responsive to an instruction issued by the imaging device. After receiving the prohibition response command sent by the abnormalization processing unit 150, the control unit 130 stops responding to the instruction of the imaging device, so that the imaging device considers that the storage chip 100 has an abnormal condition due to the failure to receive the response of the memory chip 100, thereby timely By causing the image forming apparatus to stop the image forming operation, it is possible to effectively prevent the image forming apparatus from being damaged due to the occurrence of a blanking phenomenon due to an insufficient amount of printing material.

The instruction to respond to the image forming apparatus is prohibited, for example, when the image forming apparatus needs to read the remaining amount of printing material information of the memory chip 100, the abnormality processing unit 150 prohibits the control unit 130 from returning data regarding the remaining amount of the printing material to the image forming apparatus.

In addition, in the standard inter-integrated circuit bus (IIC) protocol, after the imaging device transmits one byte of data to the memory chip 100, the memory chip 100 should respond with a low level signal to indicate that the data is received (according to the parity check) In the case of a CRC cyclic redundancy check (Cyclic Redundancy Check), at this time, the memory chip 100 may not respond to such a low-level signal that the response should be made, so that the imaging device considers that the memory chip 100 is abnormal. Stop the imaging operation in time. In this case, one byte of data transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the memory chip 100 is the instruction transmitted to the memory chip 100 as described above. After the memory chip 100 receives the data of the one byte, the abnormalization processing unit 150 sends a command to the control unit 130 to prohibit the response of the low level signal, so that the memory chip 100 does not respond to the low power corresponding to the data of the one byte. The signal is flat, thereby causing the imaging device to stop the imaging operation because the memory device 100 is abnormal due to the inability to receive the low level signal.

When the embodiment of the present invention is applied to some occasions, the abnormalization processing of the memory chip 100 may be implemented in response to an instruction issued by the imaging device but in response to a signal that is not in accordance with the expectation. In response to an instruction from the imaging device, in response to an incorrect signal to the imaging device, the abnormality processing unit 150 of the memory chip 100 responds to the imaging when the lifespan determining unit 140 determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted. The instruction issued by the device abnormalizes the memory chip 100, that is, sends an incorrect response to the imaging device, and the incorrect response can cause the imaging device to consider storing because it exceeds the feedback expectation of the instruction issued by the imaging device. The chip 100 has an abnormal condition, and the imaging operation is stopped in time, thereby effectively preventing the imaging device from being damaged due to the air-slipping phenomenon caused by insufficient printing material.

Since the memory chip 100 responds to the instructions of the imaging device through the control unit 130, in this case, the abnormality processing unit 150 needs to be connected to the control unit 130. In use When the life determining unit 140 determines that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the abnormality processing unit 150 instructs the control unit 130 in the memory chip 100 to incorrectly respond to the image forming apparatus by transmitting an incorrect response command to the control unit 130. Instructions. Under the action of the control unit 130, the memory chip 100 sends an incorrect response to the imaging device, so that the imaging device considers that the memory chip 100 has an abnormal condition, and causes the imaging device to stop the imaging operation in time, effectively avoiding the shortage of the printing material. The occurrence of a blanking phenomenon causes damage to the imaging device.

The aforementioned incorrect response refers to data that the memory chip replies to the imaging device that does not meet the expectations of the imaging device. Such data does not match the instructions issued by the imaging device, and does not conform to the normal response specification or content of the memory chip. For example, when the imaging device reads the manufacturer information of the memory chip, the imaging device is deliberately replied to an incorrect manufacturer's data, or cannot represent a manufacturer's data at all; when the imaging device reads the identification information of the memory chip Deliberately replying the imaging device with a non-existent (ie, incorrect) identification information, or data that exists but cannot represent the identification information at all. In addition, there is often a process of data encryption and verification between the memory chip and the imaging device. For example, the imaging device instructs the memory chip to perform some encryption operation by sending an instruction (generally, the memory chip sets an encryption algorithm, and the imaging device is clear and specific. The encryption algorithm, if the memory chip is processed and the data fed back to the imaging device is correct, indicating that the memory chip is normal, the abnormality processing unit 150 of the embodiment may cause the control unit 130 to deliberately use the wrong encryption algorithm for the encryption operation. Or use the wrong input parameters for encryption operations to respond to the imaging device with an incorrect response.

In addition, the mutated data is also a kind of incorrect response. For example, if the remaining amount of the printed material has been exhausted, the imaging device is replied with a mutation data exceeding 100% or even 110% or -10% beyond the normal remaining amount range. It is also not in line with the expectations of imaging equipment.

In other embodiments of the present invention, in response to an instruction from the imaging device, in response to an incorrect signal to the imaging device, the abnormality processing unit 150 of the memory chip 100 determines the lifetime of the imaging cartridge at the lifetime determining unit 140. When depleted, in response to an instruction issued by the imaging device, the memory chip 100 is subjected to an abnormalization process to change the electrical characteristics of the memory chip 100.

The memory chip and the imaging device generally communicate using fixed electrical characteristics, such as Communication at a certain clock frequency, the operating voltage, operating current, etc. of the memory chip are all varied in a relatively stable range, and the like.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the service life judging unit 140 judges that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the abnormality processing unit 150 changes the electrical characteristics of the memory chip 100 in response to an instruction issued by the imaging device, for example, Forcibly pulling the clock signal low causes the clock signal to be abnormal. The imaging device stops the imaging operation according to the clock signal, and the power consumption of the memory chip is increased. For example, the circuit is short-circuited to make the current change. Large, causing the imaging device to think that the memory chip is abnormal and stopping the imaging operation; or pulling the operating voltage of the memory chip low enough to cause the imaging device to think that the memory chip is abnormal and stop the imaging operation. In addition to the various electrical characteristics exemplified, other electrical characteristics of the memory chip can be changed, as long as the imaging device can know that there is an abnormality in the memory chip and stop the imaging operation.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the memory chip requires the imaging device to mistakenly think that the memory chip has a problem and is in an abnormal state, two implementation methods are generally given. An instruction that does not directly respond to the imaging device fails to receive the response of the memory chip within a reasonable time, and the imaging device considers that the memory chip is abnormal and is in an abnormal state. The other is an incorrect response to the instructions of the imaging device, especially for some of the more critical instructions; of course, it is also feasible to respond to the error data for all instructions; the imaging device does not receive the correct memory chip within a reasonable time. In response, the imaging device assumes that the memory chip is abnormal and is in an abnormal state. Thus, when the imaging device does not receive a response when it is desired to receive a response, or when it is expected to receive an expected response but does not receive an expected response, it is considered that the memory chip has a problem, thereby stopping the imaging operation. Effectively avoiding the occurrence of damage due to the amount of printed material that causes the imaging device to be damaged.

An imaging cartridge including the above memory chip according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the imaging cartridge is detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus. Regarding the imaging cartridge of the embodiment of the present invention, please also refer to the foregoing memory chip of the embodiment of the present invention.

According to the memory chip described above, in the method for stopping the imaging operation of the imaging device in the embodiment of the present invention, at least one imaging cartridge is detachably mounted in the imaging device, and the storage in the foregoing embodiment is detachably mounted on the imaging cartridge. The chip, the imaging device and the memory chip are electrically connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the memory chip performs the following steps in the method.

Step S310, receiving an instruction issued by the imaging device.

Step S320, judging whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to the information related to the imaging cartridge.

For example, whether or not the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted can be judged based on a parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material. Wherein, the information related to the imaging cartridge includes the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material.

And determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material, or determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is consumed according to whether the remaining amount information of the printing material reaches a preset threshold. And determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to whether the printing material usage information reaches a preset threshold, or determining whether the flag is changed according to a status indicating a remaining amount of the printing material. The life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted. The parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material includes the aforementioned remaining amount of printing material information, the printing material usage amount information, or a flag indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material.

In step S330, when it is determined that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the abnormality processing is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the abnormality processing is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device, including an instruction not to respond to the imaging device, or an instruction to respond to the imaging device incorrectly, both of which may perform the foregoing The exception handling.

Specifically, not in response to an instruction of the imaging device, it may be to erase some or all of the data stored in the storage unit. Alternatively, it is also possible to stop responding to an instruction of the imaging device.

Incorrectly responding to the instructions of the imaging device, it may be to send an incorrect response to the imaging device such that the imaging device considers the memory chip to be abnormal, or to change the electrical characteristics of the memory chip.

The method for stopping the imaging operation of the imaging device in the embodiment of the present invention is also understood in conjunction with the foregoing memory chip of the embodiment of the present invention and an imaging cartridge including the foregoing memory chip, and details are not described herein again.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the above-mentioned devices provided by the embodiments of the present invention are each The components, as well as the steps in the method, can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed over a network of multiple computing devices. Alternatively, they may be implemented in program code executable by a computing device. Thus, they may be stored in a storage device by a computing device, or they may be fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or a plurality of modules or steps thereof may be implemented as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of implementing the above method embodiments may be completed by program instructions or related hardware. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The program, when executed, performs the steps including the foregoing method embodiments; and the foregoing storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The embodiments disclosed in the present invention are as described above, but the description is only for the purpose of understanding the technical solutions of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modification and variation in the form and details of the embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope defined by the appended claims shall prevail.

Claims

A memory chip for use on an imaging cartridge, detachably mountable on an imaging cartridge, the imaging cartridge being detachably mountable in an imaging device; wherein the memory chip comprises:

An interface unit for electrically connecting the memory chip to the imaging device and receiving an instruction issued from the imaging device;

a storage unit, configured to store information related to the imaging cartridge;

a service life judging unit, configured to judge whether the service life of the imaging box is exhausted according to information related to the imaging box stored by the storage unit;

The abnormalization processing unit is configured to perform an abnormalization process according to an instruction issued by the imaging device when the lifespan determining unit determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted.
The memory chip of claim 1 wherein:

The service life judging unit judges whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating a remaining amount of the printing material;

Wherein, the information related to the imaging cartridge includes the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material.
The memory chip of claim 2, wherein:

The service life judging unit judges whether the image is based on whether the remaining amount information of the printing material reaches a preset threshold value, according to whether the printing material usage amount information reaches a preset threshold value, or according to whether a flag bit indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material changes. Whether the life of the box is exhausted;

Wherein the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material includes the printing material remaining amount information, the printing material usage amount information, or a flag indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material.
A memory chip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

The abnormality processing unit is configured to: when the lifespan determining unit determines that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, does not respond to an instruction of the imaging device or incorrectly responds to an instruction of the imaging device to perform The abnormalization process.
A memory chip according to claim 4, wherein:

The abnormalization processing unit is configured to determine, in the service life judging unit, the When the service life of the cartridge is exhausted, part or all of the data stored in the storage unit is erased according to an instruction issued by the imaging device to not respond to an instruction of the imaging device, or the electrical characteristics of the memory chip are changed. In response to an instruction that the imaging device is not responding correctly.
The memory chip of claim 4, wherein the memory chip comprises:

a control unit, configured to stop responding to an instruction of the imaging device according to the prohibition response command sent by the abnormalization processing unit;

The abnormalization processing unit is configured to send the prohibition response command to the control unit according to an instruction issued by the imaging device when the service life judging unit determines that the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted. .
The memory chip of claim 4 wherein:

a control unit, configured to send, according to the incorrect response command sent by the abnormalization processing unit, an incorrect response that causes the imaging device to consider that the storage chip has an abnormal condition;

The abnormalization processing unit is configured to send the incorrect response to the control unit according to an instruction issued by the imaging device when the service life determining unit determines that the service life of the imaging box is exhausted. command.
An imaging cartridge characterized by being detachably mounted with the memory chip according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
A method of causing an imaging device to stop an imaging operation, the image forming apparatus being detachably mounted with an imaging cartridge, the imaging cartridge being detachably mounted with a memory chip, the imaging device being electrically connected to the memory chip; The memory chip performs the following steps in the method:

Receiving an instruction issued by the imaging device;

Determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to information related to the imaging cartridge;

When it is judged that the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted, the abnormality processing is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device.
The method according to claim 9, wherein determining whether the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to information related to the imaging cartridge comprises:

Determining whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material;

Wherein, the information related to the imaging cartridge includes the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material.
The method according to claim 10, wherein determining whether the life of the imaging cartridge is exhausted according to a parameter directly or indirectly indicating a remaining amount of the printing material comprises:

Whether the service life of the imaging cartridge is consumed according to whether the remaining amount information of the printing material reaches the preset threshold, whether the information of the printing material usage amount reaches the preset threshold, or according to whether the flag indicating the state of the remaining amount of the printing material changes. End

Wherein the parameter directly or indirectly indicating the remaining amount of the printing material includes the printing material remaining amount information, the printing material usage amount information, or a flag indicating a state of the remaining amount of the printing material.
The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the abnormalizing processing is performed according to an instruction issued by the imaging device, comprising:

The abnormality processing is performed without responding to an instruction of the imaging device or incorrectly responding to an instruction of the imaging device.
The method of claim 12, wherein the not responding to the instructions of the imaging device comprises:

Erasing some or all of the data stored in the storage unit; or

Stop responding to the instructions of the imaging device.
The method of claim 12, wherein incorrectly responding to the instructions of the imaging device comprises:

Transmitting, to the imaging device, an incorrect response that causes the imaging device to consider an abnormal condition of the memory chip; or

Changing the electrical characteristics of the memory chip.