ELECTRONIC PRINTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING METAL PRINT ITEM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefits of the Chinese Patent Application Serial Number 202411925284.5, filed on Dec. 25, 2024, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method of using the same, and more particularly to an electronic printing device and a method of using the electronic printing device to produce metal print items.

Description of Related Art

During the printing process using the current three-dimensional metal printing system, multiple anode print units are placed in the electrolyte, and metal items are continuously generated on the cathode board. As the amount of printed metal increases, the distance between the cathode board and the anode print units decreases, resulting in poor printing quality.

Therefore, a novel electronic printing device and a method for producing metal print items are needed. The electronic printing device of the present disclosure includes a sensing electrode and a sensing line, which are arranged on a substrate and in an active region. During the three-dimensional metal printing process, the distance between the cathode board and the anode print units can be monitored and adjusted to avoid the problem of poor printing quality caused by the distance between the cathode board and the anode print units being too small.

Therefore, it is desired to improve the waterproof design of electronic devices so as to mitigate and/or obviate the existing defects.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an electronic printing device including a print board. The print board includes a substrate, a first print unit, a first gate line, a first sensing electrode and a first sensing line. The substrate has an active region and a border region, wherein the active region is adjacent to the border region. The first print unit is arranged on the substrate and disposed in the active region, wherein the first print unit includes a first print electrode and a first transistor, the first transistor has a first end, a second end and a gate end, and the second end of the first transistor is electrically connected to the first print electrode. The first gate line is arranged on the substrate, configured to extend along a first direction, and electrically connected to the gate end of the first transistor. The first sensing electrode is arranged on the substrate and disposed in the active region. The first sensing line is arranged on the substrate and electrically connected to the first sensing electrode, wherein the first sensing line at least partially overlaps with the active region.

In one embodiment, the electronic printing device further includes a cathode board, a storage tank and an electrolyte. The cathode board is arranged opposite to the print board. The print board and the electrolyte are disposed in the storage tank, and the electrolyte contains ions of a metal.

The present disclosure further provides a method for producing a metal print item. The method includes the steps of: providing the aforementioned electronic printing device, wherein the print board of the electronic device includes multiple print units that include the first printing unit; providing a first electrical energy to a first group of print units of the multiple print units of the print board to perform a first printing, so that the metal of the electrolyte is printed on the cathode board to form a first portion of the metal print item; and providing a second electrical energy to a second group of print units in the multiple print units of the print board to perform a second printing, so that the metal of the electrolyte is printed on the cathode board to form a second portion of the metal print item, wherein the second portion of the metal print item is formed on the first portion of the metal print item; providing a reference capacitance value; in a sensing stage, measuring a detection capacitance value through the first sensing line; and adjusting a distance between the print board and the metal print item according to a difference between the detection capacitance value and the reference capacitance value.

Other novel features of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic printing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the print board according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation process of the electronic printing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A is an equivalent circuit diagram of the print unit according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is another signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is an equivalent circuit diagram of the print unit according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B is a signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a print board according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B is an equivalent circuit diagram of a print unit according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6C is a signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 6D is another signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a print board according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a print board according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of one group of print units of the print board according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of the print board according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the print board taken along line A-A′ of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11A is a flow chart illustrating the steps of the printing process of the print unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram of the printing process corresponding to FIG. 11A; and

FIG. 11C is another schematic diagram of the printing process corresponding to FIG. 11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and description to refer to the same or like parts.

Throughout the specification and the appended claims, certain terms may be used to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that electronic device manufacturers may refer to the same components by different names. The present application does not intend to distinguish between components that have the same function but have different names. In the following description and claims, words such as “containing” and “comprising” are open-ended words, and should be interpreted as meaning “including but not limited to”.

The terms, such as “about”, “substantially”, or “approximately” are generally interpreted as within 10% of a given value or range, or as within 5%, 3%, 2%, 1% or 0.5% of a given value or range.

In the specification and claims, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers, such as “first” and “second”, used herein are intended to distinguish components rather than disclose explicitly or implicitly that names of the components bear the wording of the ordinal numbers. The ordinal numbers do not imply what order a component and another component are in terms of space, time or steps of a manufacturing method. Thus, what is referred to as a “first component” in the specification may be referred to as a “second component” in the claims.

In the present application, the terms “the given range is from the first numerical value to the second numerical value” and “the given range falls within the range from the first numerical value to the second numerical value” mean that the given range includes the first numerical value, the second numerical value, and other numerical values therebetween.

In addition, the electronic device of the present disclosure may include a printing device, a three-dimensional printing device, a vehicle device, an imaging device, an assembly device, a backlight device, an antenna device, a tiled device, a touch electronic device, a curved electronic device or free shape electronic device, an automation device, a mechanical device, a drug preparation device or an exposure device, etc., but not limited thereto. The display device may, for example, include a liquid crystal, a light emitting diode, fluorescence, phosphor, other suitable display media, or a combination thereof, but not limited thereto. The display device may be a non-self-luminous display device or a self-luminous display device. The antenna device may be a liquid crystal antenna device or a non-liquid crystal antenna device, and the sensing device may be a sensing device for sensing capacitance, light, heat or ultrasound, but not limited thereto. The tiled device may, for example, include a display tiled device or an antenna tiled device, but not limited thereto. It should be noted that the electronic device may be any combination of the foregoing arrangements, but not limited thereto. In addition, the electronic device may be a bendable or flexible electronic device. It should be noted that the electronic device may be any combination of the foregoing arrangements, but not limited thereto. In addition, the appearance of the electronic device may be rectangular, circular, polygonal, a shape with curved edges, or other suitable shapes. The electronic device may have peripheral systems such as a drive system, a control system, a light source system, a shelf system, etc. to support a display device, an antenna device, or a tiled device. For convenience of description, the present disclosure will illustrate the electronic device as an electronic printing device.

It is noted that the following are exemplary embodiments of the present application, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, while a feature of some embodiments can be applied to other embodiments through suitable modification, substitution, combination, or separation. In addition, the present disclosure can be combined with other known structures to form further embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art related to the present application. It can be understood that these terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having meaning consistent with the relevant technology and the background or context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or excessively formal way, unless there is a special definition in the embodiment of the present application.

In addition, in the specification and claims, the terms such as “adjacent” or “neighboring” are used to describe proximity to each other, and there may be contact or no contact between the two adjacent ones.

In addition, the description of “when . . . ” or “while . . . ” in the present disclosure means “now, before, or after”, etc., and is not limited to occurrence at the same time. In the present disclosure, the similar description of “disposed on” or the like refers to the corresponding positional relationship between the two elements, and does not limit whether there is contact between the two elements, unless specifically limited. Furthermore, when the present disclosure recites multiple effects, if the word “or” is used between the effects, it means that the effects can exist independently, but it does not exclude that multiple effects may exist at the same time.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic printing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic printing device 1 may include a print board 2, a cathode board 3, a storage tank 4 and an electrolyte 5. The cathode board 3 and the print board 2 are arranged opposite to each other in a normal direction (for example, the Z direction). The print board 2 and the electrolyte 5 are arranged in the storage tank 4, and the electrolyte 5 may include ions of a metal. The print board 2 includes a substrate 21 and multiple print units 22, and each print unit 22 may include a print electrode 23. In one embodiment, the electronic printing device 1 may further include a sensing driver 8, a control unit 9, and a motor element 10. The sensing driver 8 may be electrically connected to the print units 22. The control unit 9 may be, for example, a central control unit, such as having a processor or a controller, and may be electrically connected to the sensing driver 8 and the motor element 10. The motor element 10 may be used to control the cathode board 3 to move, for example, but not limited to, in the Z direction. The motor element 10 may be a step motor element. In addition, the electronic printing device 1 may be used to perform printing (such as but not limited to three-dimensional metal printing) so as to form a metal print item 11 on the cathode board 3.

For details of the print board 2, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the print board 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the print board 2 may include a substrate 21, multiple print units 22, multiple gate lines GL, multiple data lines DL, and multiple sensing lines SL. The print units 22, the gate lines GL, the data lines DL, and the sensing lines SL may be disposed on the substrate 21. The print units 22 may be arranged in an array. It should be noted that, in the present disclosure, the number of components in the drawings is only for illustration but not for limitation. In addition, in one embodiment, each print unit 22 in the print board 2 may further include a sensing electrode 24, wherein the sensing electrode 24 in each print unit 22 may share the same electrode with the print electrode 23; for example, the sensing electrode 24 of each print unit 22 and the print electrode 23 may be the same component, or at least a portion of the print units 22 are sensing electrodes, so that the print electrode 23 may be used as a sensing electrode, while it is not limited thereto. In addition, in one embodiment, the gate line GL may extend along a first direction (for example, X direction). In one embodiment, the data line DL may extend along a second direction (for example, Y direction), wherein the first direction (X) is different from the second direction (Y). For example, the first direction (X) and the second direction (Y) may be perpendicular to each other. In one embodiment, the sensing line SL may extend along the second direction (for example, Y direction). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The substrate 21 may have an active region A and a border region B, wherein the active region A is adjacent to the border region B, for example, the border region B may surround the active region A, but it is not limited thereto. The print units 22 may be disposed in the active region A, and at least a portion of the sensing lines SL may be disposed in the active region A. That is, viewed along the Z direction, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensing lines SL at least partially overlap with the active region A. In one embodiment, the print units 22, the print electrodes 23 and/or the sensing electrodes may be disposed in the active region A. In one embodiment, viewed along the Z direction, the sensing lines SL, the data lines DL and/or the gate lines GL may at least partially overlap with the active region A, but it is not limited thereto.

In addition, the electronic printing device 1 may further include a data driver 6 and a gate driver 7. The data driver 6, the gate driver 7 and/or the sensing driver 8 may be disposed on the substrate 21, for example, in the border region B; however, in other embodiments, the data driver 6, the gate driver 7 and/or the sensing driver 8 may also be disposed outside the substrate 21, for example, disposed on a further substrate, while it is not limited thereto. The data driver 6 may be electrically connected to the data lines DL. The gate driver 7 may be electrically connected to the gate lines GL. The sensing driver 8 may be electrically connected to the sensing lines SL. In one embodiment, each gate line GL may be electrically connected to multiple print units 22, wherein the gate driver 7 may transmit a scanning signal to the print unit 22 via the gate line GL. In one embodiment, each data line DL may be electrically connected to multiple print units 22, and the data driver 6 may transmit a data signal to the print unit 22 via the data line DL. In one embodiment, each sensing line SL may be electrically connected to a print unit 22, and the sensing driver 8 may transmit a transmission signal to the print unit 22 through the sensing line SL and receive a sensing signal from the print electrode 23 of the print unit 22 through the sensing line SL.

Next, the operation process of the electronic printing device 1 is described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation process of the electronic printing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 at the same time. First, step S01 is executed, in which, before the electronic printing device 1 performs printing, a reference capacitance value between each print electrode 23 and the cathode board 3 is obtained. For example, the sensing driver 8 may transmit a transmission signal to the print electrode 23 of each print unit 22 through the sensing line SL. At this moment, the capacitance value between each print electrode 23 and the cathode board 3 may be regarded as the reference capacitance value.

Next, the sensing driver 8 may receive the reference capacitance value between each print electrode 23 and the cathode board 3, and transmit the reference capacitance value to the control unit 9. In one embodiment, since printing has not yet been performed, each print electrode 23 may correspond to the same reference capacitance value, while it is not limited thereto. Since printing has not yet been performed, the distance between all print electrodes 23 on the substrate and the cathode board 3 is the same, so that the sensing driver 8 may transmit a transmission signal to the print electrode 23 of one of the corresponding print units 22 through a sensing line SL, and thus the capacitance value between the print electrode 23 and the cathode board 3 may be obtained, and this capacitance value may be regarded as a reference capacitance value. That is, in one embodiment, a single reference capacitance value may be obtained, and this reference capacitance value may be transmitted to the control unit 9.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, step S02 is executed. In the printing stage, the print units 22 on the print board 2 are turned on and electrical energy is provided to the print units 22. For example, when the electronic printing device 1 starts printing, the gate driver 7 may transmit a scanning signal to a specific print unit 22 through the gate line GL to turn on the specific print unit 22, and the data driver 6 may transmit a data signal to the print electrode 23 of the specific print unit 22 through the data line DL. Then, step S03 is executed, in which the print unit 22 performs printing to form at least a portion of the metal print item 11 on the cathode board 3. For example, the print electrode 23 of the specific print unit 22 that receives the data signal may be electroplated, so that the metal ions in the electrolyte 5 move to the corresponding position of the print electrode 23 of the specific print unit 22 on the cathode board 3, thereby causing the metal to be printed on the cathode board 3 to form a portion of the metal print item 11. Then, step S04 is executed, in which, in the sensing stage, a detection capacitance value is obtained through the sensing line SL. For example, the sensing driver 8 may transmit a transmission signal to the print electrode 23 of each print unit 22 through the sensing line SL. At this moment, there may be a detection capacitance value C_test between each print electrode 23 and the metal print item 11. Then, the sensing driver 8 receives a sensing signal from the print electrode 23 (for example, the detection capacitance value C<test> sensed by each print electrode 23) and transmits the detection capacitance value C_test to the central control unit 9. After printing is performed for a period of time, due to the shape factor of the metal print item 11, as shown in FIG. 1, the metal print item 11 may have different thicknesses in different areas. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the metal print item 11 has a larger thickness at position 110A and a smaller thickness at position 110B. It should be noted that, in order to simplify the drawings, FIG. 1 only shows six print electrodes 23 and six sensing electrodes (or may be regarded as the area corresponding to the electrodes), but in fact, m×n print electrodes 23 may be set on the substrate to form print electrodes 23 arranged in matrix, where n and m are each a positive integer, n and m may be the same or different, and n and m may each be a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, for example, greater than 10, for example, greater than 100, greater than 1000, for example, a positive integer between 2 and 10000. The number of sensing electrodes 24 may be equal to the number of print electrodes 23, or the number of sensing electrodes 24 may be less than the number of print electrodes 23. The sensing electrodes 24 may be disposed in the active region on the substrate. The multiple sensing electrodes 24 may also be arranged in a matrix. The position 110A may correspond to the first portion 24A of the multiple sensing electrodes 24, and the position 110B may correspond to the second portion 24B of the multiple sensing electrodes 24. To explain in more detail, the first portion 24A and/or the second portion 24B of the sensing electrodes 24 shown in FIG. 1 may actually be an area formed by multiple sensing electrodes 24, so that each of the six sensing electrodes 24 drawn in FIG. 1 may actually represent more sensing electrodes 24, while it is not limited thereto.

Then, step S05 is executed to calculate the difference between the detection capacitance value C_test and the reference capacitance value. For example, the central control unit 9 may calculate the difference between the detection capacitance value C_test sensed by each print electrode 23 and the reference capacitance value. Then, step S06 is executed to adjust the distance between the print board 2 and the metal print item 11 according to the difference between the detection capacitance value C_test and the reference capacitance value. For example, the control unit 9 may determine whether the distance between the print board 2 and the metal print item 11 needs to be adjusted according to the difference calculated in step S05. When the control unit 9 determines that the distance between the print board 2 and the metal print item 11 needs to be adjusted, the control unit 9 may send a command to the motor element 10 to control the motor element 10 to adjust the position of the cathode board 2 in the Z direction.

In one embodiment, the reference capacitance value sensed by the print electrode 23 may represent the distance between the print electrode 23 and the cathode board 3 before printing (for example, the shortest distance between the two in the Z direction), and the detection capacitance value C_test corresponding to the print electrode 23 may represent the distance between the print electrode 23 and the metal print item 11 after printing (for example, the shortest distance between the two in the Z direction), wherein the larger the detection capacitance value C_test corresponding to a print electrode 23 is, the closer the distance between the print electrode 23 and the metal print item 11 is. In addition, in one embodiment, the control unit 9 may preset a threshold value, and when the difference between the detection capacitance value C_test corresponding to a print electrode 23 and the reference capacitance value exceeds the threshold value, it indicates that the distance between the print electrode 23 and the metal print item 11 has exceeded the allowable range (for example, the two are too close or too far in the Z direction), and thus the control unit 9 may determine that the distance between the cathode board 3 and the print board 2 needs to be adjusted. Thus, it can be seen that the electronic printing device 1 of the present disclosure may instantly sense or instantly adjust the distance between the print electrode 23 and the metal print item 11, so as to solve the problems of the prior art. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the detection capacitance value C_test(A) measured by the sensing electrode 24 of the first portion 24A and the detection capacitance value C_test(B) measured by the sensing electrode 24 of the second portion 24B may be different. For example, the detection capacitance value C_test(A) may be greater than the detection capacitance value C_test(B). The multiple detection capacitance values measured by the multiple sensing electrodes 24 may be different due to the different thicknesses corresponding to the metal print item 11. According to some embodiments, the maximum detection capacitance value measured may be used as a basis. When the difference between the maximum detection capacitance value and the reference capacitance value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it indicates that the distance between the sensing electrode 24 of the first portion 24B and the cathode board 3 is too close. The control unit 9 may transmit a signal to the motor element 10, so that the motor element 10 controls the cathode board 3 to move, for example, to move upward in the Z direction, so as to increase the distance between the cathode board 3 and the substrate 21.

In order to realize the above functions, the print unit 22 of the print board 2 may have a special circuit structure or driving method, which will be described below with reference to FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C, as well as FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 as an assistance. FIG. 4A is an equivalent circuit diagram of the print unit 22 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 4B is a signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is another signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the print board 2 may include print units 22(1) and 22(y), the first gate line to the third gate line GL 1˜GL3, . . . n-th gate line GLn, the first data line DL1, . . . m-th data line DLm that are disposed on the substrate 21, and the first and second sensing lines SL1 and SL2 at least partially overlapping the active region A, wherein GLn represents the n-th gate line, DLm represents the m-th data line, n and m are each a positive integer, n and m may be the same or different, n may be a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, for example, greater than 10, for example, greater than 100, and m may be a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, for example, greater than 10, for example, greater than 100. In this way, a print unit is defined by two adjacent gate lines and two adjacent data lines. For example, in FIG. 4A, the gate lines GL1 and GL2, and the data lines DL1 and DL2 (not shown) define the print unit 22(1). Therefore, the print board 2 may include m×n print units 22. The first sensing line SL1 may be electrically connected to the print unit 22(1), and the second sensing line SL2 may be electrically connected to the print unit 22(y). In addition, in one embodiment, no sensing line SL is electrically connected to the first data line DL1, for example, there may be no electrical connection between the first sensing line SL1 and/or the second sensing line SL2 and the first data line DL1, but it is not limited thereto. In addition, each print unit 22(1), 22(y) may include a group of transistors T1˜T3, wherein each transistor in each group of transistors T1˜T3 may include a first end a, a second end b and a gate end c, wherein the first end a may be, for example, a source or a drain, and the second end b may be, for example, a drain or a source. When the first end a is a source, the second end b is a drain. When the first end a is a drain, the second end b is a source. Each group of transistors T1˜T3 is disposed on the substrate 21 and disposed in the active region A.

Next, one of the print units 22 is mainly used for explanation. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the structure of the equivalent circuit is described using the print unit 22(1). For the convenience of explanation, the print unit 22(1) is referred to as the first print unit 22(1), and the transistors T1 to T3 of the first print unit 22(1) are referred to as the first transistor T1 to the third transistor T3. In addition, the first print unit 22(1) may also include a first print electrode 23(1) and a storage capacitor CS, wherein the first print electrode 23(1) may be electrically connected between the second end b of the first transistor T1 and the second end b of the third transistor T3. More specifically, in one embodiment, the first end a of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) may be electrically connected to the first data line DL1, the second end b of the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the gate end c of the second transistor T2, and the gate end c of the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the first gate line GL1. The first end a of the second transistor T2 may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1), and the second end b of the second transistor T2 may be electrically connected to a high voltage signal VDD, wherein “high voltage signal VDD” may represent a signal that provides energy to drive the first print electrode 23(1) for electroplating, while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the high voltage signal VDD may not be a zero signal or a ground signal, and may have a positive polarity or a negative polarity, while it is not limited thereto. Therefore, it can be seen that the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1) through the second transistor T2. In addition, the first end a of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1, the second end b of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1), and the gate end c of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the second gate line GL2. One end of the storage capacitor CS may be electrically connected to the gate end c of the second transistor T2, and the other end of the storage capacitor CS may be electrically connected to the first end a of the second transistor T2. In addition, each print unit 22 may also include a sensing electrode 24, for example, the first print unit 22(1) may include a first sensing electrode 24(1), wherein the first print electrode 23(1) and the sensing electrode 24(1) may share the same electrode, while it is not limited thereto.

The circuit structure of the print unit 22(y) is similar to the circuit structure of the first print unit 22(1). The details can be inferred from FIG. 4A and the description of the first print unit 22(1), and thus a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

Next, the operation process of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A is described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4B, the operation process of the equivalent circuit may include a first stage (Stage1) to a fourth stage (Stage4), wherein the first stage (Stage1) and the second stage (Stage2) may correspond to a printing stage of the first print unit 22(1) of FIG. 4A, and the third stage (Stage3) may correspond to a sensing stage of the first print unit 22(1). In addition, the third stage (Stage3) and the fourth stage (Stage4) may also correspond to a printing stage of the print unit 22(y) of FIG. 4A.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, in the first stage (Stage1), the first gate line GL1 may first transmit a scanning signal to the gate end c of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) (for example, the signal transmitted by the first gate line GL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage, where the low voltage may be, for example, a zero voltage signal or a ground signal, and the high voltage may be, for example, a signal capable of turning on the transistor, and is not a zero signal or a ground signal and may have a positive polarity or a negative polarity, while it is not limited thereto) so as to turn on the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1). The first data line DL1 may transmit a data signal to the first end a of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) (for example, the signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage). At this moment, the data signal may pass through the first transistor T1, and the storage capacitor CS may store the data signal for charging. Next, the second transistor T2 of the first print unit 22(1) may be turned on, so that the energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may pass through the second transistor T2 of the first print unit 22(1) and enter the first print electrode 23(1), so that the first print electrode 23(1) starts printing (that is, electroplating) to form a portion of the metal print item 11 on the cathode board 3. Next, the first gate line GL1 may stop transmitting the scanning signal (for example, the signal transmitted by the first gate line GL1 changes from a high voltage to a low voltage), and the first data line DL1 stops transmitting the data signal (for example, the signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 changes from a high voltage to a low voltage). At this moment, since the storage capacitor CS has stored the data signal, the second transistor T2 may still remain in the turn-on state, so that the first print electrode 23(1) may continue to print (that is, electroplating).

In the second stage (Stage 2), the first gate line GL1 again transmits a scanning signal to the gate end c of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) (for example, the signal transmitted by the gate line GL1 again changes from a low voltage to a high voltage). At this moment, since the signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 maintains a low voltage, the storage capacitor CS continues to discharge, and the second transistor T2 of the first print unit 22(1) is turned off, thereby stopping the printing of the first print electrode 23(1) (that is, stopping electroplating).

With reference to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, in the third stage (Stage 3), the second gate line GL2 may transmit a scanning signal to the gate end c of the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1) and the gate end c of the transistor T1 of the print unit 22(y) (for example, the signal transmitted by the second gate line GL2 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage) to turn on the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1) and the transistor T1 of the print unit 22(y), the first data line DL1 may transmit a data signal to the first end a of the transistor T1 of the print unit 22(y) (for example, the signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage), and the first sensing line SL1 may transmit a transmission signal to the first end a of the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1) (for example, the signal transmitted by the first sensing line SL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage), so that the transmission signal may enter the first print electrode 23(1) through the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1), and the first print electrode 23(1) (also serving as the first sensing electrode 24(1)) may start to provide a sensing signal (for example, providing a detection capacitance value C_test between the first print electrode 23(1) and the metal print item 11 on the cathode board 3). At this moment, the sensing driver 8 may receive the detection capacitance value C_test (shown in FIG. 1) corresponding to the first print electrode 23(1) (sensing electrode 24(1)), and may transmit the detection capacitance value C_test to the central control unit 9. In one embodiment, when it is necessary to stop sensing, the sensing driver 8 may stop transmitting the transmission signal, or the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1) may be turned off, so that the first print electrode 23(1) may stop sensing, and the sensing driver 8 may stop receiving the sensing signal from the first print electrode (23(1)). At the same time, the second print electrode 23(y) of the print unit 22(y) may perform printing (that is, electroplating), the details of which are applicable to the description of the first stage (Stage 1) of the first print unit 22(1), so that a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

In the fourth stage (Stage 4), the first sensing line SL1 does not transmit a transmission signal to the first print unit 22(1), and the first print electrode 23(1) of the first print unit 22(1) does not perform sensing (for example, does not provide a sensing signal). In addition, the print unit 22(y) may stop performing electroplating, and the details thereof are applicable to the description of the second stage (Stage 2) of the first print unit 22(1), so that a detailed description is deemed unnecessary. Thus, the operation of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A can be understood.

In the aforementioned circuit of FIG. 4A, the print electrode 23(1) in the print unit 22(1) may also serve as the sensing electrode 24(1). That is, the first print electrode 23(1) and the first sensing electrode 24(1) share the same electrode. For example, in the first stage of FIG. 4B, the first print electrode 23(1) in the print unit 22(1) performs printing, and in the third stage, the first print electrode 23(1) in the print unit 22(1) serves as the sensing electrode 24(1) to perform sensing. Furthermore, in the third stage, the print electrode 23(y) in the print unit 22(y) performs printing.

In addition, the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A may also have different driving modes, as shown in FIG. 4C. In the example of FIG. 4B, the sensing stage and the printing stage of two adjacent print units (for example, the first print unit 22(1) and the print unit 22(y)) in the Y direction may at least partially overlap, and in the example of FIG. 4C, a first frame period (Frame1) of the electronic printing device 1 may correspond to the printing stage of all print units 22, and a second frame period (Frame2) of the electronic printing device 1 may correspond to the sensing stage of all print units 22, wherein “one frame period” refers to the entire period during which all gate lines (GL1, GL2, . . . GLn) of the electronic printing device 1 sequentially complete one transmission of a scanning signal. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, it is assumed that the electronic printing device 1 has n rows of print units, and the n rows of print units are electrically connected to the first gate line GL1 to the n-th gate line GLn, respectively. That is, the print board 2 includes n×m print units. During one frame period, the n rows of print units may perform printing in sequence (first row, second row, . . . n-th row). During the next frame period, the n rows of print units may perform sensing in sequence (for example, providing sensing signals). The driving method for printing or sensing may be applicable to the description of FIG. 4B, and thus a detailed description is deemed unnecessary. It can be seen that, in FIG. 4C, when all n×m print units have completed printing, sensing will begin. As a result, another operation process of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 4A can be understood.

The print unit 22 of the print board 2 may also have different circuit structures and driving methods. FIG. 5A is an equivalent circuit diagram of the print unit 22 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 5B is a signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 5A.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the print board 2 may include a first print unit 22(1), a further print unit 22(x), a first gate line GL1, a second gate line GL2, a first sensing line SL1 and a second sensing line SL2 disposed on a substrate 21, wherein the first print unit 22(1) and the print unit 22(x) may be disposed adjacent to each other, for example, in a first direction (for example, X direction), while it is not limited thereto. In FIG. 5A, the first sensing line SL1 and the data line may share the same signal line, and the second sensing line SL2 and the data line may share the same further signal line. That is, the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2 may have the function of a data line; for example, in the printing stage, the signal line and the further signal line may be used as data lines to transmit data signals, and in the sensing stage, the signal line and the further signal line may be used as the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2, respectively, to transmit transmission signals and sensing signals. Therefore, in one embodiment, the data driver 6 (shown in FIG. 2) may be adjusted to be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2 to transmit the data signal through the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2, or the data driver 6 may be integrated into the sensing driver 8, and the sensing driver 8 may provide data signals, transmission signals or sensing signals at different stages, while it is not limited thereto. The number of the aforementioned components is only an example but not a limitation.

The first print unit 22(1) may have a first transistor T1, a second transistor T2, a third transistor T3, a storage capacitor CS and a first print electrode 23(1). In addition, the first print unit 22(1) may also have a first sensing electrode 24(1), wherein the first print electrode 23(1) and the first sensing electrode 24(1) may share the same electrode, that is, the two may be the same component, and the first print electrode 23(1) may be used as the first sensing electrode 24(1), while it is not limited thereto. The first end a of the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1, the second end b of the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the gate end c of the second transistor T2, and the gate end c of the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the first gate line GL1. The first end a of the second transistor T2 may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1), and the second end b of the second transistor T2 may be electrically connected to the high voltage signal VDD. The first end a of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1, the second end b of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1), and the gate end c of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the second gate line GL2. The storage capacitor CS of the first print unit 22(1) may be electrically connected between the gate end c of the second transistor T2 and the first end a of the second transistor T2. In addition, similarly, the print unit 22(x) may have a first transistor T11, a second transistor T22, a third transistor T33, a storage capacitor CS and a second print electrode 23(x). In addition, the print unit 22(x) may also have a sensing electrode 24(x), wherein the print electrode 23(x) and the sensing electrode 24(x) may share the same electrode, while it is not limited thereto. The first end a of the first transistor T11 may be electrically connected to the second sensing line SL2, the second end b of the first transistor T11 may be electrically connected to the gate end c of the second transistor T2, and the gate end c of the first transistor T11 may be electrically connected to the first gate line GL1. The first end a of the second transistor T22 may be electrically connected to the second print electrode 23(x), and the second end b of the second transistor T22 may be electrically connected to the high voltage signal VDD. The first end a of the third transistor T33 may be electrically connected to the second sensing line SL2, the second end b of the third transistor T33 may be electrically connected to the second print electrode 23(x), and the gate end c of the third transistor T33 may be electrically connected to the second gate line GL2. The storage capacitor CS of the print unit 22(2) may be electrically connected between the gate end c of the second transistor T22 and the first end a of the second transistor T22.

Next, the driving process is described. As shown in FIG. 5B, the driving process of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 5A may include a first stage (Stage1), a second stage (Stage2) and a third stage (Stage3), wherein the first stage (Stage1) and the second stage (Stage2) may correspond to the printing stage of the first print unit 22(1) and/or the print unit 22(x), and the third stage (Stage3) may correspond to the sensing stage of the first print unit 22(1) and/or the print unit 22(x).

In the first stage (Stage1), the first gate line GL1 may transmit a scanning signal to the gate end c of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) and the gate end c of the first transistor T11 of the print unit 22(x) (for example, the signal transmitted by the first gate line GL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage) to turn on the first transistor T1 and the first transistor T11, and the first sensing line SL1 transmits a data signal to the first end a of the first transistor T1 (for example, the signal transmitted by the data driver 6 through the first sensing line SL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage). The data signal passes through the first transistor T1, and then the storage capacitor CS of the first print unit 22(1) may store the data signal and the second transistor T2 of the first print unit 22(1) may be turned on, so that the energy provided by the high voltage VDD is transmitted to the first print electrode 23(1) through the second transistor T2, and the first print electrode 23(1) starts printing (that is, electroplating). In addition, in one embodiment, the second sensing line SL2 may not transmit data signal to the first end a of the first transistor T11 (for example, the signal transmitted by the data driver 6 through the second sensing line SL2 maintains a low voltage), and the first transistor T11 is turned off, so that the energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may not be transmitted to the second print electrode 23(x), and the second print electrode 23(x) does not perform printing. It should be noted that, in another embodiment, the second print electrode 23(x) may also be set to perform printing, and the first print electrode 23(1) may also be set to not perform printing. It can be seen that, according to different design requirements, the data driver 6 may selectively transmit or not transmit the data signal to the first print unit 22(1) and/or the print unit 22(x), so as to make the first print electrode 23(1) and/or the second print electrode 23(x) perform printing or not perform printing.

In the second stage (Stage2), the first gate line GL1 may transmit a scanning signal to the gate end c of the first transistor T1 of the print unit 22(1) and the gate end c of the first transistor T11 of the print unit 22(2) (for example, the signal transmitted by the first gate line GL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage) to turn on the first transistor T1 and the first transistor T11. Moreover, the signals transmitted by the data driver 6 (shown in FIG. 2) through the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2 are both low voltages, so that the second transistor T2 is turned off, the first print electrode 23(1) stops printing (that is, stops electroplating), the second transistor T22 remains in a turn-off state, and the second print electrode 23(x) remains in a non-printing state.

In the third stage (Stage3), the second gate line GL2 transmits a further scanning signal to the gate end c of the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1) and the gate end c of the third transistor T33 of the print unit 22(x) to turn on the third transistor T3 and the third transistor T33. Furthermore, the first sensing line SL1 transmits a transmission signal to the first end a of the third transistor T3 (for example, the signal transmitted by the sensing driver 8 (shown in FIG. 2) through the first sensing line SL1 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage), and the transmission signal may be transmitted to the first print electrode 23(1) through the third transistor T3, and the second sensing line SL2 transmits a transmission signal to the first end a of the third transistor T33 (for example, the signal transmitted by the sensing driver 8 through the second sensing line SL2 changes from a low voltage to a high voltage), and the transmission signal may be transmitted to the second print electrode 23(x) through the third transistor T33, thereby causing the first print electrode 23(1) and the second print electrode 23(x) to start providing a sensing signal (for example, a detection capacitance value C_test). Moreover, the sensing driver 8 may receive the detection capacitance values C_test corresponding to the first print electrode 23(1) and the second print electrode 23(x), respectively, and transmit the detection capacitance value C_test to the central control unit 9. Thus, the operation of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 5A can be understood.

The print board 2 may also have different circuit structures or driving methods, and please refer to FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D, as well as FIG. 1 to FIG. 5B as an assistance. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a print board 2 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6B is an equivalent circuit diagram of a print unit 22 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, which is used to present an equivalent circuit diagram of the print unit 22 of the print board 2 of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B. FIG. 6D is another signal timing diagram corresponding to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the print board 2 may include multiple groups of print units A-1˜A-6, wherein each group of the multiple groups of print units A-1˜A-6 may include multiple print units 22. It should be noted that the number of the multiple groups of print units shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example but not a limitation. In one embodiment, each group of the multiple groups of print units A-1˜A-6 may include, for example, four print units 22(1)˜22(4). For example, the first group of print units A-1 may include print units 22(1)˜22(4), the second group of print units A-2 may include a further group of print units 22(1)˜22(4), the third group of print units A-3 may include a further group of print units 22(1)˜22(4), and so on. It should be noted that, although four print units 22(1)˜22(4) are taken as an example in FIG. 6A, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, each group of print units A-1˜A-6 may include L print units 22, where L may be a positive integer and may be between 4 and 9 (that is, 4≤L≤9), while it is not limited thereto.

In addition, in one embodiment, the print board 2 further includes, for example, multiple gate lines GL1˜GL8, multiple data lines DL1˜DL2, and multiple sensing lines SL1˜SL2, and it should be noted that the number of components shown in FIG. 6A is for example only and is not intended to be limiting. In one embodiment, the first group of print units A-1 and the second group of print units A-2 may be disposed adjacent to each other in a first direction (for example, X), and may share the first gate line GL1 to the fourth gate line GL4, while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the first group of print units A-1 and the third group of print units A-3 may be disposed adjacent to each other in a second direction (for example, Y), and may share the first data line DL1 and the first sensing line SL1, while it is not limited thereto. In addition, the second group of print units A-2 may be electrically connected to the second data line DL2 and the second sensing line SL2. In addition, the third group of print units A-3 may be electrically connected to the fifth gate line GL5 to the eighth gate line GL8. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in the first group of print units A-1, the print unit 22(1) (hereinafter referred to as the first print unit 22(1)) may include a first print electrode 23(1) and a first transistor T1 to a fifth transistor T5, the print unit 22(2) may include a second print electrode 23(2) and a sixth transistor T6 to a tenth transistor T10, the print unit 22(3) may include a third print electrode 23(3) and an eleventh transistor T11 to a fifteenth transistor T15, and the print unit 22(4) may include a fourth print electrode 23(4) and a sixteenth transistor T16 to a twentieth transistor T20. The gate end of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1), the gate end of the sixth transistor T6 of the print unit 22(2), the gate end of the fifteenth transistor T15 of the print unit 22(3), and the gate end of the twentieth transistor T20 of the print unit 22(4) may be electrically connected to the first gate line GL1. The gate end of the third transistor T3 of the first print unit 22(1), the gate end of the ninth transistor T9 of the print unit 22(2), the gate end of the fourteenth transistor T14 of the print unit 22(3), and the gate end of the eighteenth transistor T18 of the print unit 22(4) may be electrically connected to the gate line GL2. The gate end of the fifth transistor T5 of the first print unit 22(1), the gate end of the tenth transistor T10 of the print unit 22(2), the gate end of the eleventh transistor T11 of the print unit 22(3), and the gate end of the sixteenth transistor T16 of the print unit 22(4) may be electrically connected to the gate line GL3. The gate end of the fourth transistor T4 of the first print unit 22(1), the gate end of the eighth transistor T8 of the print unit 22(2), the gate end of the thirteenth transistor T13 of the print unit 22(3), and the gate end of the nineteenth transistor T19 of the print unit 22(4) may be electrically connected to the gate line GL4. It should be noted that the relative positions of the components in FIG. 6B are only examples but not limiting. For example, the relative positions of the print units 22(1) to 22(4) in FIG. 6B are only for the purpose of illustrating the details of the circuit configuration and are not actually limited thereto.

Furthermore, in the first print unit 22(1), two ends of the first transistor T1 may be electrically connected to the first data line DL1 and one end of the fourth transistor T4, respectively; two ends of the second transistor T2 may be electrically connected to the high voltage signal VDD and the first print electrode 23(1), respectively; two ends of the third transistor T3 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1 and one end of the fifth transistor T5, respectively; the other end of the fourth transistor T4 may be electrically connected to the gate end of the second transistor T2; the other end of the fifth transistor T5 may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1). Similarly, in the print unit 22(2), two ends of the sixth transistor T6 may be electrically connected to the first data line DL1 and the ninth transistor T9, respectively; two ends of the seventh transistor T7 may be electrically connected to the high voltage signal VDD and the second print electrode 23(2), respectively; two ends of the eighth transistor T8 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1 and one end of the tenth transistor T10, respectively; the other end of the ninth transistor T9 may be electrically connected to the gate end of the seventh transistor T7; the other end of the tenth transistor T10 may be electrically connected to the second print electrode 23(2). In the print unit 22(3), two ends of the eleventh transistor T11 may be electrically connected to the first data line DL1 and the fourteenth transistor T14, respectively; two ends of the twelfth transistor T12 may be electrically connected to the high voltage signal VDD and the third print electrode 23(3), respectively; two ends of the thirteenth transistor T13 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1 and one end of the fifteenth transistor T15, respectively; the other end of the fourteenth transistor T14 may be electrically connected to the gate end of the twelfth transistor T12; the other end of the fifteenth transistor T15 may be electrically connected to the third print electrode 23(3). In the print unit 22(4), two ends of the sixteenth transistor T16 may be electrically connected to the first data line DL1 and one end of the nineteenth transistor T19, respectively; two ends of the seventeenth transistor T17 may be electrically connected to the high voltage signal VDD and the fourth print electrode 23(4), respectively; two ends of the eighteenth transistor T18 may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1 and one end of the twentieth transistor T20, respectively; the other end of the nineteenth transistor T19 may be electrically connected to the gate end of the seventeenth transistor T17; the other end of the twentieth transistor T20 may be electrically connected to the fourth print electrode 23(4).

In one embodiment, in the first group of print units A-1, the first transistor T1, the second transistor T2 and the fourth transistor T4 of the first print unit 22(1), the sixth transistor T6, the seventh transistor T7 and the ninth transistor T9 of the print unit 22(2), the eleventh transistor T11, the twelfth transistor T12 and the fourteenth transistor T14 of the print unit 22(3), and the sixteenth transistor T16, the seventeenth transistor T17 and the nineteenth transistor T19 of the print unit 22(4) may be associated with the printing stage of the electronic printing device 1, and the third transistor T3 and the fifth transistor T5 of the first print unit 22(1), the eighth transistor T8 and the tenth transistor T10 of the print unit 22(2), the thirteenth transistor T13 and the fifteenth transistor T15 of the print unit 22(3), and the eighteenth transistor T18 and the twentieth transistor T20 of the print unit 22(4) may be associated with the sensing stage of the electronic printing device 1, while it is not limited thereto.

Thus, the structure of the equivalent circuit of the first print unit group A-1 can be understood. Other print units may have an equivalent circuit structure similar to that of the first group of print units A-1. Therefore, according to FIG. 6B and the above description, the details of the circuit structure of the second group of print units A-2, the third group of print units A-3 and other groups of print units may be inferred, and thus a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

Next, the operation process of the circuit will be described, and the first print unit A-1 will be mainly used for the description. As shown in FIG. 6C, the operation process of the equivalent circuit of the first print unit A-1 may include the first stage (Stage1) to the fourth stage (Stage4).

In the example of FIG. 6C, the first data line DL1 and the second data line DL2 may provide data signals in each stage of the first stage (Stage1) to the fourth stage (Stage 4) (for example, the signals transmitted by the first data line DL1 and the second data line DL2 change from a low voltage to a high voltage), and the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2 may provide transmission signals in each stage of the first stage (Stage1) to the fourth stage (Stage4) (for example, the signals transmitted by the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2 change from a low voltage to a high voltage).

As shown in FIG. 6C, in the first stage (Stage1), the first gate line GL1 and the second gate line GL2 transmit scanning signals (for example, the transmitted signals change from a low voltage to a high voltage). At this moment, the sixth transistor T6 and the ninth transistor T9 of the print unit 22(2) are turned on, and the data signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 may be transmitted to the gate end of the seventh transistor T7 through the sixth transistor T6 and the ninth transistor T9 to turn on the seventh transistor T7, so that the energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may be transmitted to the second print electrode 23(2) of the print unit 22(2) through the seventh transistor T7, and the second print electrode 23(2) starts printing (that is, electroplating). In addition, the eighteenth transistor T18 and the twentieth transistor T20 of the print unit 22(4) are also turned on, and the transmission signal transmitted by the first sensing line SL1 may be transmitted to the fourth print electrode 23(4) of the print unit 22(4) through the eighteenth transistor T18 and the twentieth transistor T20, so that the fourth print electrode 23(4) starts sensing (for example, providing a sensing signal).

As shown in FIG. 6C, in the second stage (Stage 2), the first gate line GL1 and the fourth gate line GL4 transmit scanning signals (for example, the transmitted signals change from a low voltage to a high voltage). At this moment, the first transistor T1 and the fourth transistor T4 of the first print unit 22(1) are turned on, and the data signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 may be transmitted to the gate end of the second transistor T2 through the first transistor T1 and the fourth transistor T4 to turn on the second transistor T2, so that the energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may be transmitted to the first print electrode 23(1) of the first print unit 22(1) through the second transistor T2, and the first print electrode 23(1) starts printing. In addition, the thirteenth transistor T13 and the fifteenth transistor T15 of the print unit 22(3) are also turned on, and the transmission signal transmitted by the first sensing line SL1 may be transmitted to the third print electrode 23(3) of the print unit 22(3) through the thirteenth transistor T13 and the fifteenth transistor T15, so that the third print electrode 23(3) starts sensing (for example, providing a sensing signal).

As shown in FIG. 6C, in the third stage (Stage3), the second gate line GL2 and the third gate line GL3 transmit scanning signals (for example, the transmitted signals change from a low voltage to a high voltage). At this moment, the eleventh transistor T11 and the fourteenth transistor T14 of the print unit 22(3) are turned on, and the data signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 may be transmitted to the gate end of the twelfth transistor T12 through the eleventh transistor T11 and the fourteenth transistor T14 to turn on the twelfth transistor T12, so that the energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may be transmitted to the third print electrode 23(3) of the print unit 22(3) through the twelfth transistor T12, and the third print electrode 23(3) starts printing. In addition, the third transistor T3 and the fifth transistor T5 of the first print unit 22(1) are also turned on, and the transmission signal transmitted by the first sensing line SL1 may be transmitted to the first print electrode 23(1) of the first print unit 22(1) through the third transistor T3 and the fifth transistor T5, so that the first print electrode 23(21) starts sensing (for example, providing a sensing signal).

As shown in FIG. 6C, in the fourth stage (Stage4), the third gate line GL3 and the fourth gate line GL4 transmit scanning signals (for example, the transmitted signals change from a low voltage to a high voltage). At this moment, the sixteenth transistor T16 and the nineteenth transistor T19 of the print unit 22(4) are turned on, and the data signal transmitted by the first data line DL1 may be transmitted to the gate end of the seventeenth transistor T17 through the sixteenth transistor T16 and the nineteenth transistor T19 to turn on the seventeenth transistor T17, so that the energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may be transmitted to the fourth print electrode 23(4) of the print unit 22(4) through the seventeenth transistor T17, and the fourth print electrode 23(4) starts printing. In addition, the eighth transistor T8 and the tenth transistor T10 of the print unit 22(2) are also turned on, and the sensing signal transmitted by the first sensing line SL1 may be transmitted to the second print electrode 23(2) of the print unit 22(2) through the eighth transistor T8 and the tenth transistor T10, so that the second print electrode 23(2) starts sensing (for example, providing a sensing signal).

The aforementioned order in which the gate lines transmit the scanning signals is only an example and is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, since the second print unit A-2 shares the gate lines GL1 to GL4 with the first print unit A-1, the timing of the printing stage and the sensing stage of the second print unit A-2 may correspond to the timing of the first print unit A-1. In one embodiment, the data signal received by the second print unit A-2 is transmitted by the second data line DL2, and the transmission signal received by the second print unit A-2 is transmitted by the second sensing line SL2. In addition, the driving method of each transistor in the second print unit A-2 may be applicable to the driving method in the first print unit A-1, so that a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

As shown in FIG. 6C, in one embodiment, since the third print unit A-3 shares the data line DL1 and the sensing line SL1 with the first print unit A-1, but the third print unit A-3 is electrically connected to the gate lines GL5˜GL8, the timing of the printing stage and the sensing stage of the third print unit A-3 may be subsequent to the timing of the first print unit A-1, such as the fifth stage (Stage5), the sixth stage (Stage6), and so on. The data signal received by the third print unit A-3 is transmitted by the first data line DL1, and the transmission signal received by the third print unit A-3 is transmitted by the first sensing line SL1. In addition, the driving method of each transistor in the third print unit A-3 may be applicable to the driving method in the first print unit A-1, so that a detailed description is deemed unnecessary. Based on this, more driving methods of other print units can be inferred.

Accordingly, an operation process of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B can be understood.

The equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B may also have different driving methods. As shown in FIG. 6D, the first data line DL1 and the second data line DL2 may transmit data signals (for example, the transmitted signals continuously or periodically change from a low voltage to a high voltage) during the first frame period (Frame1) of the electronic printing device 1, and the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2 may transmit transmission signals (for example, the transmitted signals continuously or periodically change from a low voltage to a high voltage) during the second frame period (Frame2) of the electronic printing device 1. In other words, assuming that the electronic printing device 1 has multiple groups of print units, the print electrodes 23 in the multiple groups of print units will start sensing (for example, providing sensing signals) only after all the print electrodes 23 in the multiple groups of print units perform printing (that is, electroplating), and vice versa, while it is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 6D, in one embodiment, since the second group of print units A-2 and the first group of print units A-1 share the gate lines GL1 to GL4, during the first frame period (Frame1), the second group of print units A-2 and the first group of print units A-1 may perform printing synchronously, and during the second frame period (Frame2), the second group of print units A-2 and the first group of print units A-1 may perform sensing synchronously, while it is not limited thereto. In addition, during the first frame period (Frame1), the timing of printing of the third group of print units A-3 may not be synchronized with the timing of printing of the first group of print units A-1, and during the second frame period (Frame2), the timing of sensing of the third group of print units A-3 may not be synchronized with the timing of sensing of the first group of print units A-1, while it is not limited thereto. Based on this, more driving methods of other groups of print units can be inferred.

Accordingly, another operation process of the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B can be understood.

In addition, the print units and the sensing lines of the present disclosure may have different configurations, and please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 4A and FIG. 7 at the same time. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a print board 2 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is used to present the variations of the examples of FIG. 2 and FIG. 4A. In addition, in order to make the diagram clear, FIG. 7 only shows the gate lines GL, the sensing lines SL, the first transistors T1, the print units 22 and the print electrodes 23. In the examples of FIG. 2 and FIG. 4A, each print unit 22 is electrically connected to a sensing line SL, and in the example of FIG. 7, the print unit 22 may include a first type print unit 221 and a second type print unit 222, wherein the first type print unit 221 may include a first print unit 22(1), and the second type print unit 222 may, for example, include a second print unit 22(xk) and 22(yk). The print units 22(1) and 22(xk) are adjacently arranged along the first direction X. The print units 22(1) and 22(yk) are arranged adjacent to each other along the second direction Y. The print units 22(1), 22(xk) and 22(yk) are each arranged on the substrate 21 and disposed in the active region A. The first type print unit 221 may be electrically connected to the sensing line SL, and thus may be used for printing and sensing. There is no sensing line SL electrically connected to the second type print unit 222; for example, the print units 22(xk) and 22(yk) are not electrically connected to any sensing line SL, and thus may be used exclusively for printing. In more detail, the first print unit 22(1) may include a first print electrode 23(1) and a first transistor T1, and one end (for example, the second end, refer to FIG. 4A) of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) may be electrically connected to the first print electrode 23(1). The second print unit 22(2) may include a second print electrode 23(2) and a further first transistor T1. One end (for example, the second end, see FIG. 4A) of the first transistor T1 of the second print unit 22(xk) may be electrically connected to the second print electrode 23(xk), the first gate line GL1 may be electrically connected to the gate end of the first transistor T1 of the first print unit 22(1) and the gate end of the first transistor T1 of the second print unit 22(xk), and no sensing line SL is electrically connected to the second print electrode 23(xk) of the second print unit 22(xk). For example, the second print electrode 23(xk) of the second print unit 22(2) is not electrically connected to any sensing line SL, that is, no sensing line SL is electrically connected to the second print electrode 23(xk). In addition, in one embodiment, a second type print unit 222 may be disposed between every P first type print units 221 in the X direction and/or the Y direction, where P is a positive integer greater than 1 (in the example of FIG. 7, P is 2, so that, in the X direction and/or the Y direction, a second print unit 22(xk) is disposed between every two first print units 22(1)). In one embodiment, P may be between 2 and 16 (2≤P≤16), but it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, P may be between 2 and 12 (2≤P≤12), but it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, P may be between 2 and 9 (2≤P≤9), but it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, P may be between 2 and 5 (2≤P≤5), but it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, P may be between 2 and 3 (2≤P≤3), but it is not limited thereto. In this way, the number of required sensing lines SL may be reduced.

The print units and the sensing lines of the present disclosure may also have different configurations, and please refer to FIG. 5A and FIG. 8 at the same time. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a print board 2 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is used to present a variation of the example of FIG. 5A. In addition, in order to make the diagram clear, FIG. 8 only shows the sensing lines SL, the gate lines GL, the switch elements SW, the print units 22 and the print electrodes 23. In FIG. 5A, the first print electrode 23(1) may be electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1 through the third transistor T3, and the second print electrode 23(x) may be electrically connected to the second sensing line SL2 through the third transistor T33. In FIG. 8, the print unit may include a first type print unit 221 and a second type print unit 222. The first type print unit 221 (for example, the first print unit 22(1) having the first print electrode 23(1)) may be electrically connected to the sensing line SL (for example, the first sensing line SL1) through a switching element SW (for example, the third transistor T3), wherein the switching element SW is, for example but not limited to, a transistor, and the switching element SW may be electrically connected to the gate line GL (for example, the first gate line GL1). Therefore, the first type print unit 221 may be used for both printing and sensing. There are no switch element SW and sensing line SL electrically connected to the second type print unit 222; for example, the second type print unit 222 (for example, the second print unit 22(xk) having the second print electrode 23(xk)) is not electrically connected to any switch element SW and any sensing line SL. Therefore, the second type print unit 222 may be used exclusively for printing. In one embodiment, in the X direction and/or the Y direction, one second type print unit 222 may be disposed between every P first type print units 221, while it is not limited thereto. In this way, the number of required sensing lines SL may be reduced.

The print units and sensing lines of the present disclosure may also have different configurations. Please refer to FIG. 6B and FIG. 9 at the same time. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of one group of print units (for example, A-1) of the print board 2 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is used to present a variation of the example of FIG. 6B. In the example of FIG. 6B, all print electrodes (for example, 23(1) to 23(4)) in each group of print units (for example, A-1) are electrically connected to the first sensing line SL1. In the example of FIG. 9, each group of print units may include a first type print unit 221 and a second type print unit 222, wherein the first print unit 22(1) may, for example, belong to the first type print unit 221, and the second print unit 22(2) may belong to the second type print unit 222. The print electrodes of the first type print unit 221 (for example, the first print electrode 23(1) of the first print unit 22(1)) may be electrically connected to the sensing line SL (for example, the first sensing line SL1) through a switch element set SW2 (for example, the third transistor T3 and the fifth transistor T5), so that the first type print unit 221 may be used for printing and sensing. There are no switch element set SW2 and sensing line SL electrically connected to the print electrodes of the second type print unit 222. For example, the print electrodes of the second type print unit 222 (for example, the print electrodes 23(2k) and 23(4k)) are not electrically connected to any switch element set SW2 and any sensing line SL, so that the second type print unit 222 may be used exclusively for printing. In one embodiment, in each group of print units, the ratio of the number of second type print units 222 to the number of first type print units 221 may be P:1, while it is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the number of required sensing lines SL can be reduced.

In addition, the print board 2 of the present disclosure may also have different structures, and please refer to FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B at the same time, as well as FIG. 1 to FIG. 9 as an assistance, wherein FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of the print board 2 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the print board 2 taken along line A-A′ of FIG. 10A.

As shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, the print board 2 further includes at least one sensing electrode 24 and an insulating layer 25, wherein the sensing electrode 24 may be arranged opposite to the print electrode 23. The print electrode 23 and the sensing electrode 24 may be disposed in the active region A. In one embodiment, in the Z direction, the sensing electrode 24 is arranged on the substrate 21, the print electrode 23 is arranged on the sensing electrode 24, and the insulating layer 25 is arranged between the print electrode 23 and the sensing electrode 24 (for example, the insulating layer 25 may be arranged between the first print electrode 23(1) and the first sensing electrode 24(1)). Each sensing electrode 24 may be electrically connected to a sensing line SL, and in one embodiment, the print electrode 23 is not electrically connected to the sensing line SL. In one embodiment, multiple print electrodes 23 may correspond to one sensing electrode 24. For example, when viewed along the Z direction, the multiple print electrodes 23 and the sensing electrode 24 may at least partially overlap (for example, the first print electrode 23(1) and the first sensing electrode 24(1) may at least partially overlap), while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the ratio of one sensing electrode 24 to the number of print electrodes 23 corresponding thereto may be 1:Q, where Q is a positive integer, while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, Q may be between 2 and 100, that is, one sensing electrode 24 may correspond to 2 to 100 print electrodes 23. In one embodiment, Q may be between 2 and 16 (1≤Q≤16), while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, Q may be between 2 and 12 (2≤Q≤12), while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, Q may be between 2 and 9 (2≤Q≤9), while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, Q may be between 2 and 5 (2 ≤Q ≤5), while it is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, Q may be between 2 and 3 (2≤Q≤3), while it is not limited thereto. Thus, the print electrode 23 may be used exclusively for printing, and the sensing electrode 24 may be used exclusively for sensing.

In addition, in one embodiment, when the equivalent circuits of FIGS. 4A and 5A are to be used with the designs of FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, the transistor electrically connected to the sensing line SL (such as the transistor T3 in FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A) may be changed to be electrically connected to the sensing electrode 24, while it is not limited thereto. In addition, in one embodiment, when the equivalent circuit of FIG. 6B is to be used with the designs of FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, the transistor electrically connected to the sensing line SL (such as the transistors T4 and T5, T9 and T10, T14 and T15, and T19 and T20 in FIG. 6B) may be changed to be electrically connected to the sensing electrode 24, while it is not limited thereto. Thus, the structure of the examples of FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B can be understood.

Next, the details of the printing process of different print units 22 will be described, and please refer to FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C at the same time, as well as FIG. 1 to FIG. 10B as an assistance, wherein FIG. 11A is a flow chart illustrating the steps of the printing process of the print unit 22 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram of the printing process corresponding to FIG. 11A, and FIG. 11C is another schematic diagram of the printing process corresponding to FIG. 11A. The components in FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C are applicable to the description of FIG. 1, and thus a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B, firstly, step S11 is executed to provide the first electrical energy to the first group of print units 22A of the print board 2 to perform the first printing, so that the metal in the electrolyte 5 is printed on the cathode board 3, and the first portion 11A of the metal print item 11 is formed. Then, step S12 is executed, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 11A and FIG. 11C, to provide the second electrical energy to the second group of print units 22B of the print board 2 to perform the second printing, so that the metal in the electrolyte 5 is printed on the cathode board 3, and the second portion 11B of the metal print item 11 is formed. The first group of print units 22A and the second group of print units 22B may each include multiple print units 22, and the print units 22 of the first group of print units 22A and the print units 22 of the second group of print units 22B may overlap, while it is not limited thereto.

Regarding step S11, in one embodiment, when performing the first printing, the gate driver 7 (shown in FIG. 2) may transmit a scanning signal to the first group of print units 22A through the gate line GL electrically connected to the first group of print units 22A, and the data driver 6 (shown in FIG. 2) may transmit a data signal to the first group of print units 22A through the data line DL electrically connected to the first group of print units 22A, so that the first electrical energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may be transmitted to the first group of print units 22A, thereby causing the first group of print units 22A to perform printing, so as to form the first portion 11A of the metal print item 11 on the cathode board 3. The details of the aforementioned driving may refer to the description of the aforementioned embodiment, and thus a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

Regarding step S12, in one embodiment, when the second printing is performed, the gate driver 7 (shown in FIG. 2) may transmit a scanning signal to the second group of print units 22B through the gate line GL electrically connected to the second group of print units 22B, and the data driver 6 (shown in FIG. 2) may transmit a data signal to the second group of print units 22B through the data line DL electrically connected to the second group of print units 22B, so that the second electrical energy provided by the high voltage signal VDD may be transmitted to the second group of print units 22B, thereby enabling the second group of print units 22B to perform printing, so as to form the second portion 11B of the metal print item 11 on the cathode board 3. The details of the aforementioned driving may refer to the description of the aforementioned embodiment, and thus a detailed description is deemed unnecessary.

In one embodiment, when the first group of print units 22A and the second group of print units 22B have the same print unit 22, the second portion 11B of the metal print item 11 formed by the print unit 22 during the second printing may be formed on the first portion 11A of the metal print item 11 formed by the print unit during the first printing, wherein the second portion 11B of the metal print item 11 formed by the print unit is closer to the print unit 22 than the first portion 11A of the metal print item 11 formed by the print unit, while it is not limited thereto.

In addition, in one embodiment, the first electrical energy and the second electrical energy may be voltages, and the voltages may be provided by a high voltage signal VDD, for example, while it is not limited thereto.

Thus, the details of the printing process of the electronic printing device 1 can be understood, while it is not limited thereto.

It can be seen that, according to some embodiments, in the print board, the sensing electrode is arranged in the active region of the substrate, and the sensing electrode may be used to detect the capacitance value, thereby determining whether the distance between the metal print item and the sensing electrode (or print electrode) is smaller than the preset value. In this way, the distance between the metal print item and the sensing electrode (or print electrode) may be automatically adjusted by the detected capacitance value to avoid poor printing effect caused by too small distance. According to some embodiments, the print electrode and the sensing electrode may share the same electrode, which may reduce the area occupied by the electrode. According to some embodiments, the data line electrically connected to the print electrode and the sensing line electrically connected to the sensing electrode may be a shared signal line, so as to reduce the area occupied by the signal line. The circuit structure of the electronic printing device 1 of the present disclosure is simple and may reduce the production cost. Alternatively, the effect of real-time monitoring or adjusting the spacing can be achieved so as to solve the problems of the prior art.

Accordingly, the detailed features of the electronic printing device 1 of the present disclosure can be understood. It should be noted that the numerical values or dimensions, the outlines and structures of each component mentioned in the above description are only examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure may determine whether a product in contention falls within the protection scope of the present disclosure at least by the presence or absence of components, component configurations, mechanism observation and/or operating modes of the product, while it is not limited thereto.

The details or features of the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be mixed and matched as long as they do not violate the spirit of the invention or conflict with each other.

The aforementioned specific embodiments should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting the rest of the present disclosure in any way.