Circuit board for a printing cartridge, printing cartridge, and printing system

Abstract

A circuit board for a printing cartridge, having a number of contact surfaces, wherein two or more of the contact surfaces are arranged in a first row, two or more of the contact surfaces are arranged in a second row, the first row is at a distance from the second row, and the contact surfaces of the second row are designed to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact surfaces of the first row.

Claims

1. A circuit board for a printer cartridge, comprising: a plurality of contact pads; wherein two or more of the contact pads are arranged in a first row; wherein two or more of the contact pads are arranged in a second row; wherein the first row has a spacing from the second row; wherein the contact pads of the second row are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads of the first row; and wherein, in the second row, the contact pads are exclusively configured to apply the higher operating voltage.

2. The circuit board as claimed in claim 1, wherein: two or more contact pads are arranged in a third row; the third row is arranged between the first row and the second row; the third row has a spacing from the first row and the second row; and the contact pads of the second row are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads of the third row.

3. The circuit board as claimed in claim 2, wherein: a contact pad of the second row and a contact pad of the first row have at least one contact pad of the third row arranged between them; or each contact pad of the second row and a contact pad of the first row have at least one contact pad of the third row arranged between them.

4. The circuit board as claimed in claim 2, wherein: at least one contact pad of the third row has a width that is greater than a width of a contact pad of the first row or of the second row; and/or at least one contact pad of the third row has a height that is less than a height of a contact pad of the first row or of the second row.

5. The circuit board as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the contact pads are arranged on a plate made of electrically insulating carrier material; the plate has a single cutout between the contact pads of the second row and wherein at least the contact pads of the third row adjoin the cutout; or the plate has two or more cutouts spaced apart from one another and wherein at least one contact pad of the third row adjoins a respective one of the cutouts.

6. The circuit board as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least two of the contact pads of the third row each have an elevation, said elevations being configured for the abutment of a respective contact element of a printer.

7. The circuit board as claimed in claim 2, wherein: one of the contact pads of the third row is a grounding connection; and/or one of the contact pads of the third row is a power supply connection; and/or one of the contact pads of the third row is a clock connection; and/or one of the contact pads of the third row is a reset connection; and/or one contact pad of the third row is a data connection.

8. The circuit board as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the third row has precisely three contact pads; and/or one contact pad of the third row spans at least two contact pads of the third row and/or the contact pads of the second row, wherein the spanning contact pad is a grounding connection.

9. The circuit board as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first row has precisely four contact pads and/or the second row has precisely two contact pads.

10. The circuit board as claimed in claim 1, wherein: at least two contact pads of the first row are configured to make contact with a short-circuit detection device of a printer; and/or at least one of the contact pads of the first row is a grounding connection; and/or one of the contact pads of the first row is a power supply connection; and/or one of the contact pads of the first row is a clock connection; and/or one of the contact pads of the first row is a reset connection; and/or one contact pad of the first row is a data connection.

11. The circuit board as claimed in claim 1, wherein a spacing between end contact pads of the second row is greater than a length of the first row.

12. The circuit board as claimed in claim 1, comprising a memory, wherein: the memory is connected to at least some of the contact pads; and the contact pads of the second row are configured to apply a voltage that is higher than the supply voltage of the memory.

13. A printer cartridge, comprising: a housing that has a supply volume for supplying ink; and a circuit board comprising a plurality of contact pads; wherein two or more of the contact pads are arranged in a first row; wherein two or more of the contact pads are arranged in a second row; wherein the first row has a spacing from the second row; wherein the contact pads of the second row are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads of the first row; and wherein, in the second row, the contact pads are exclusively configured to apply the higher operating voltage.

14. A printing system, comprising: a printer and a printer cartridge inserted into the printer; the printer cartridge comprising a housing that has a supply volume for supplying ink and a circuit board comprising a plurality of contact pads; wherein two or more of the contact pads are arranged in a first row; wherein two or more of the contact pads are arranged in a second row; wherein the first row has a spacing from the second row; wherein the contact pads of the second row are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads of the first row; wherein, in the second row, the contact pads are exclusively configured to apply a higher operating voltage; and wherein the printer has contact elements that abut the contact pads of the circuit board of the printer cartridge.

15. The printing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein: the contact elements and the contact pads have abutment regions formed between them; abutment regions of the contact pads of the first row are arranged in a first abutment row; and/or abutment regions of the contact pads of the second row are arranged in a second abutment row; and/or abutment regions of the contact pads of the third row are arranged in a third abutment row, which is arranged between the first abutment row and the second abutment row.

16. The printing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a spacing between end abutment regions of the second row is greater than a length of the first abutment row.

17. The printing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein: the abutment regions have no overlap as seen in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the rows; and/or the contact elements of the printer are arranged in two rows in the state in which they are not in contact with the contact pads.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is described in more detail below on the basis of a drawing that depicts exemplary embodiments and in which, in each case schematically:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a circuit board according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a further circuit board according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a further circuit board according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a further circuit board according to the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a further circuit board according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a further circuit board according to the invention;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a further circuit board according to the invention;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a further circuit board according to the invention; and

(10) FIG. 9 shows a printing system, a printer cartridge according to the invention and a printer according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) FIG. 1 shows a circuit board 2 for a printer cartridge. The circuit board 2 has a plurality of contact pads 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20.

(12) The contact pads 4, 6, 8, 10 are arranged in a first row 22. The contact pads 18, 20 are arranged in a second row 24. The first row 22 has a spacing a1 from the second row 24. The contact pads 18, 20 of the second row 24 are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads 4, 6, 8, 10 of the first row 22. In the present case, the second row 24 accordingly has exclusively contact pads 18, 20 arranged in it that are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads 4, 6, 8, 10 of the first row 22.

(13) The contact pads 12, 14, 16 are arranged in a third row 26. The third row 26 is arranged between the first row 22 and the second row 24.

(14) The third row 26 has a spacing a2 from the first row 22. The third row 26 has a spacing a3 from the second row 24. The contact pads 18, 20 of the second row 24 are configured to apply a higher operating voltage than the contact pads 12, 14, 16 of the third row 26.

(15) As can be seen from FIG. 1, each contact pad 18, 20 of the second row 24 and a contact pad 4, 6, 8, 10 of the first row 22 have at least one contact pad 12, 14 or 16 of the third row 26 arranged between them. The contact pads 12, 14, 16 of the third row 26 accordingly cause shadowing between the contact elements 4, 6, 8, 10 of the first row 22 and the contact pads 18, 20 of the second row 24.

(16) The first row 22 has a height h1 and a width b1. The second row 24 has a height h2 and a width b2. The third row 26 has a height h3 and a width b3.

(17) The contact pads 12, 16 of the third row 26 each have a width b4 that is greater than a width b5 of the contact pads of the first row 22 and of the second row 24.

(18) The contact pads 12, 16 of the third row 26 have a height h3 that is less than a height h1 or h2 of the contact pads 4, 6, 8, 10 of the first row 22 and of the contact pads 18, 20 of the second row 24.

(19) The contact pads 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 are arranged on a plate 28 that has an electrically insulating material.

(20) In the present case, the plate 28 has three slot-style cutouts 30 that are arranged between the contact pads 18, 20 of the second row 24. The cutouts 30 and the contact pads 12, 14, 16 adjoin one another. As can be seen from FIG. 1, one end of a respective cutouts 30 merges into a respective contact pad 12, 14, 16.

(21) The arrangement of the contact pads 18, 20 in a separate row 24 and an arrangement of an additional row 26 between the first row 22 and the second row 24 allow in particular a leak-related short circuit between contact pads 4, 6, 8, 10 of the first row 22 and contact pads 18, of the second row 24 to be avoided.

(22) Further variants of circuit boards are described below, wherein, to avoid repetition, identical features are assigned identical reference signs and only the differences from exemplary embodiments above are discussed.

(23) FIG. 2 shows a circuit board 32 for a printer cartridge, wherein, in contrast to the variant shown in FIG. 1, the contact pads 12 and 16 in the variant of FIG. 2 are rectilinearly extended in a space-saving manner and the cutouts 30 are narrow, substantially oval, slots.

(24) FIG. 3 shows a variant for a circuit board 34 that differs from the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 by virtue of the cutouts 30 having been introduced into the plate 28 in comb style and being open in the region of an end that is remote from the contact pads 12, 14, 16.

(25) With the circuit board 36, FIG. 4 shows a further variant, which differs from the preceding exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 by virtue of there now being provision for a single cutout 38 instead of three separate cutouts 30, said single cutout being open in a region that is remote from the contact elements 12, 14, 16.

(26) A common feature of all of the exemplary embodiments described above is that there is no overlap between the first row 22, the second row 24 and the third row 26.

(27) Using the circuit board 36, an exemplary description of how contacts can be made with a circuit board and printer-based contact elements is provided with reference to FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b.

(28) A printer contains a plurality of contact elements 40, which substantially consist of spring arms that are brought into abutment with the contact pads 2-20. In the state in which a printer cartridge has finished being mounted, the contact elements 40 abut the contact pads 2-20 under sprung elastic tension.

(29) The contact pads of the circuit board 36 and the contact elements 40 of the printer have abutment regions 42, 44, 46 formed between them in this manner, the abutment regions 42 being arranged in an abutment row 48, the abutment regions 44 being arranged in an abutment row 50 and the abutment regions 46 being arranged in an abutment row 52. As can be seen from FIG. 5, a spacing between the abutment regions 46 of the abutment row 52 is greater than a total width of the abutment row 48.

(30) FIG. 5b schematically shows an abutment of the contact elements 40 on the circuit board 36 in a cross section.

(31) FIG. 6 shows a further variant of a circuit board 54, which differs from the exemplary embodiments described above by virtue of the cutouts 30 being arranged with an offset with respect to the contact pads 18, 20 and, contrary to the exemplary embodiments described above, the cutouts 30 accordingly not being accompanied at the sides by the contact pads 18, 20.

(32) FIG. 7 illustrates the arrangement of abutment regions 42, 44, 46 for contact elements (not depicted) of a printer, for example in order to bring a storage medium of a printer cartridge into contact with a printer.

(33) FIG. 8 shows a further variant of a circuit board 66, which differs from the preceding exemplary embodiments by virtue of the contact pad 14 of the third row 26 spanning the contact pads 12, 16 of the third row and/or the contact pads 18, 20 of the second row 24, wherein the spanning contact pad 14 is a grounding connection.

(34) FIG. 9 shows a printing system 64, having a printer cartridge 56, having a circuit board 2, 32, 34, 36, 38, 54, 66 and having a memory 58 connected to the circuit board. The printer cartridge 56 is inserted into a printer 60, which has a contact device 62 that carries contact elements (not depicted).

REFERENCE SIGNS

(35) 2 Circuit board 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 Contact pads 22 First row 24 Second row 26 Third row 28 Plate 30 Cutout 32 Circuit board 34 Circuit board 36 Circuit board 38 Cutout 40 Contact elements 42 Abutment regions 44 Abutment regions 46 Abutment regions 48 Abutment row 50 Abutment row 52 Abutment row 54 Circuit board 56 Printer cartridge 58 Memory 60 Printer 62 Contact device 64 Printing system 66 Circuit board h1 Height h2 Height h3 Height b1 Width b2 Width b3 Width b4 Width b5 Width