Abstract: An element substrate capable of suppressing occurrence of electromagnetic noise upon driving printing elements on an element substrate with long wiring lengths, preventing an operation error, and printing a high-quality image is provided. In the element substrate, plural element substrates each including printing elements are arrayed in an arrayed direction of the printing elements. Each element substrate including a wiring for supplying a driving power to drive the printing elements, and a ground wiring from the printing elements is configured as follows. Each element substrate includes a delay circuit for delaying a heat enable signal to drive the printing elements and supplying it to each printing element, and a switchover circuit for switching over, in accordance with a control signal, a delay sequence when supplying the heat enable signal to each printing element.

Abstract: Data transfer is realized to support a high-speed and complex driving control of the driving element. A driving device includes a driving unit configured to supply a driving element with a pulse signal that determines a driving period to drive the driving element, an input unit configured to receive, in synchronization with a trigger signal, a data signal containing first information, second information, a first flag and a second flag that determine a waveform of the pulse signal, a first setting unit configured to set in the driving unit the first information that is input to the input unit, a retaining unit configured to read and retain the second information on the basis of the first flag, and a second setting unit configured to set in the driving unit the second information that is retained in the retaining unit on the basis of the second flag.

Abstract: A printing apparatus, comprising N (N is an integer equal to or larger than two) printing element substrates each including a printing element, wherein each of the N printing element substrates includes a first terminal serving as a terminal on a high-potential side to receive a power supply voltage to be supplied to the printing element and a second terminal serving as a terminal on a low-potential side to receive the power supply voltage, and a first wiring connects the first terminal of a kth (k is an integer of one (inclusive) to N?1 (inclusive)) printing element substrate and the second terminal of a (k+1)th printing element substrate with each other, and is connected to one end of a second wiring to which a power supply voltage is supplied.

Abstract: A print head includes upper protective members located at positions corresponding to heat generating resistor elements to protect the heat generating resistor elements, and further, a part of the protective member can be eluted into ink when a current flows inside in a state in which the ink is stored in the pressure chambers. The print head includes a drive element and a logic circuit capable of allowing a current to independently flow in each of the upper protective layers so as to elute a part of the upper protective layer, in which the current flows, into the ink.

Abstract: A printhead substrate, comprising a plurality of printing elements which are assigned to a plurality of groups, a plurality of driving circuits which are arranged in correspondence with the respective groups and drive the printing elements, a first current source configured to generate currents of a plurality of current amounts corresponding to the respective groups, second current sources which are arranged in correspondence with the respective driving circuits and configured to generate currents to be supplied to the printing elements, and setting units configured to generate voltages in accordance with currents generated by the first current source and set currents to be generated by the second current sources based on the voltages.

Abstract: A device includes a first element substrate and a second element substrate for driving a driving element; a first signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the first element substrate; a second signal input unit connected to an input terminal of the second element substrate; and a signal output unit. Each of the first and second element substrates includes a driving element, a first signal generation unit configured to output a first signal, a second signal generation unit configured to output a second signal, an input terminal, an output terminal, and a selection unit configured to receive a signal from the first and the second signal generation units, select one of a state of the first signal, a state of the second signal, and a high-impedance state on the basis of the selection signal input from the input terminal, and output the state to the output terminal.

Abstract: A printing element substrate, comprising a plurality of printing elements which form a plurality of groups, a first generating unit configured to generate a threshold signal set for each of the plurality of groups and a ramp signal, based on an externally received digital signal, and second generating units, which are arranged in correspondence with the respective groups, configured to generate, based on the ramp signal and the threshold signal, enable signals for setting a period during which the printing element is driven.

Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a first unit configured to supply power, and a second unit including an input unit to which the power is input, a plurality of heaters connected to the input unit via a common power source line and configured to discharge liquid, an energization unit configured to energize the plurality of heaters, and a selection unit configured to select a target heater from the heaters for discharging liquid to be energized in turn by the energization unit for a period corresponding to a time interval at which liquid is discharged, wherein the selection unit further selects non-target heaters from the heaters to be energized different from the heater targeted for use for discharging liquid before and after the target heater is energized.

Abstract: An embodiment of this invention relates to an element substrate that implements size reduction of the element substrate and simplification of the arrangement as well as a highly-reliable print operation, a printhead using the same, and a printing apparatus including the printhead. In the element substrate according to this embodiment, the slope of a ramp wave is changed to generate a plurality of pulses using one reference voltage. The slope of the ramp wave can be changed by changing the mirror ratio or the capacitance of a comparator as well as by changing the resistance of a DAC.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head substrate includes: a plurality of energy generating element arrays each including a plurality of energy generating elements configured to generate energy for ejecting liquid; a supply port array in which a plurality of supply ports configured to supply liquid to the plurality of energy generating elements are arranged between the plurality of energy generating element arrays in an arrangement direction in which the plurality of energy generating elements are arranged; a temperature detection element that is configured to detect a temperature of the liquid ejection head substrate and that is provided on one side of the supply port array; and a heating element that is configured to heat the liquid ejection head substrate and that is provided on the other side of the supply port array.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a control unit configured to perform control so as to apply a first driving voltage to a heat generation element to discharge ink from an orifice and then apply a second driving voltage to the heat generation element so as not to cause bubbling or discharging of ink. In this case, the control unit performs control to apply the second driving voltage before detection of a feature point on the waveform of a signal representing temperatures in a temperature drop process detected by the temperature detection element after application of the first driving voltage and along with the application of the first driving voltage based on a temperature detected by a temperature detection element.

Abstract: An element substrate capable of suppressing occurrence of electromagnetic noise upon driving printing elements on an element substrate with long wiring lengths, preventing an operation error, and printing a high-quality image is provided. In the element substrate, plural element substrates each including printing elements are arrayed in an arrayed direction of the printing elements. Each element substrate including a wiring for supplying a driving power to drive the printing elements, and a ground wiring from the printing elements is configured as follows. Each element substrate includes a delay circuit for delaying a heat enable signal to drive the printing elements and supplying it to each printing element, and a switchover circuit for switching over, in accordance with a control signal, a delay sequence when supplying the heat enable signal to each printing element.

Abstract: A recent inkjet printing apparatus includes a large-capacitance capacitor to stabilize a heater power supply. The presence of this capacitor requires a long time to drop the heater voltage at the time of power shutdown or the like. For this reason, an unwanted heater current may flow during the drop. To solve this problem, in this embodiment, a high voltage logic circuit is provided near a printing element, and a terminal is provided so that a signal can directly be input to this circuit. Heater driving control is performed via the terminal. This makes it possible to reliably control the heater regardless of the logic power supply state even if the logic voltage abruptly drops at the time of power shutdown or the like.

Abstract: A print head includes upper protective members located at positions corresponding to heat generating resistor elements to protect the heat generating resistor elements, and further, a part of the protective member being eluted to ink when a current flows inside in a state in which the ink is reserved in the pressure chambers. The print head includes a drive element and a logic circuit capable of allowing a current to independently flow in each of the upper protective layers so as to elute a part of the upper protective layer, in which the current flows, to the ink.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an ejection port for ejecting liquid, a liquid chamber communicating with the ejection port, and a substrate having a heat generating resistor arranged in the liquid chamber at a position corresponding to the ejection port and a bubble detecting device arranged on the heat generating resistor for controlling driving of the heat generating resistor by detecting a bubble produced by the heat generated by the heat generating resistor. The bubble detecting device has two electrodes arranged in the liquid chamber and, as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the substrate, one of the two electrodes is arranged at a position overlapping the heat generating resistor whereas the other one of the two electrodes is arranged at a position not overlapping the heat generating resistor.

Abstract: An embodiment of this invention relates to an element substrate that implements size reduction of the element substrate and simplification of the arrangement as well as a highly-reliable print operation, a printhead using the same, and a printing apparatus including the printhead. In the element substrate according to this embodiment, the slope of a ramp wave is changed to generate a plurality of pulses using one reference voltage. The slope of the ramp wave can be changed by changing the mirror ratio or the capacitance of a comparator as well as by changing the resistance of a DAC.

Abstract: A recent inkjet printing apparatus includes a large-capacitance capacitor to stabilize a heater power supply. The presence of this capacitor requires a long time to drop the heater voltage at the time of power shutdown or the like. For this reason, an unwanted heater current may flow during the drop. To solve this problem, in this embodiment, a high voltage logic circuit is provided near a printing element, and a terminal is provided so that a signal can directly be input to this circuit. Heater driving control is performed via the terminal. This makes it possible to reliably control the heater regardless of the logic power supply state even if the logic voltage abruptly drops at the time of power shutdown or the like.

Abstract: A printhead according to an embodiment of this invention in which a plurality of element substrates each including a plurality of printing elements are arranged in the arrayed direction of the printing elements has the following arrangement. Each element substrate includes a temperature detection element for detecting the temperature of the element substrate. The printhead includes a head control IC connected to each element substrate and configured to control driving of the printing elements integrated on the element substrates. The head control IC and the element substrates are connected via a head terminal by a signal wire for transferring a signal between the head control IC and each element substrate. A temperature detection signal output from the temperature detection element and an image data signal are multiplexed on part of the signal wires.

Abstract: A print head is provided that well preserves ink characteristics upon printing by way of performing effective ink preliminary heating. The print head has heaters and ejection openings formed at locations corresponding to the heaters. Viewed from the side from which ink is ejected, a sub-heater is established in the print head between the ink supply port and the print elements so as to surround the ink supply port.

Abstract: This invention is directed to real time detection of occurrence of a transfer error and feedback of the detection result to a printing apparatus in consideration of a possible risk that a signal transfer error occurs on a transfer path that becomes longer as the printhead is elongated. To accomplish this, in a printhead configured by cascade-connecting a plurality of element substrates, information of a transfer error detected in real time in each element substrate during transfer of a print data signal is output to an element substrate on the next stage by taking account of information input from an element substrate on the preceding stage. Information containing pieces of information from all element substrates is output from an element substrate on the final stage.