Abstract: This invention is directed to: a printhead substrate which employs a constant current driving method and can suppress power consumption in a standby state, prevent an increase in printhead temperature, and stably discharge ink; a printhead using the printhead substrate; a head cartridge incorporating the printhead; and a printing apparatus using the printhead.

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 such as to surround the ink supply port.

Abstract: The purpose of this invention is to provide a head substrate capable of increasing layout efficiency. To achieve this purpose, an ink supply channel is arranged, and a plurality of printing element arrays are arranged on at least one side of the ink supply channel, and a plurality of driving element arrays are arranged adjacent to the plurality of printing element arrays. A plurality of power supply pads and a plurality of ground pads are arranged in areas between the plurality of driving element arrays.

Abstract: In a printhead element board including a plurality of printing elements which align in a predetermined direction, driving circuits which drive the printing elements, and an element selection circuit which selects printing elements within each group for each group having a predetermined number of adjacent printing elements, a plurality of element selection circuits are laid out adjacent to the driving circuits of the respective groups. With this layout, even if the number of printing elements increases, only the length in the printing element array direction increases without increasing the length in a direction perpendicular to the printing element array direction.

Abstract: A stable voltage can be supplied from a voltage converter circuit and an increase in the area of the entire element body can be suppressed even if the number of recording elements increases and the element body becomes longer. An element body for a recording head includes a plurality of arrayed recording elements, and a voltage converter circuit which converts an externally input voltage. The voltage converter circuit includes a reference voltage generating section and a voltage converter section, and the voltage converter section is formed from a plurality of distributedly arranged voltage converter elements.

Abstract: A printhead in which the voltage fluctuation absorption range of a MOS transistor serving as a constant current source is narrowed according to constant current driving. The printhead includes a controller which controls voltage fluctuations to adjust a current supplied to a plurality of printing elements. The printhead also includes a DC/DC converter which outputs a voltage of a voltage value to be applied to a plurality of printing elements from outside a printing element substrate.

Abstract: A recording element substrate includes a recording element, a first voltage conversion circuit configured to receive a first control signal and to output the first control signal with an increased amplitude, a second voltage conversion circuit configured to receive a second control signal and to output the second control signal with an increased amplitude, a PMOS transistor connected to one end of the recording element, and an NMOS transistor connected to the other end of the recording element, wherein the PMOS transistor has a gate connected to an output of the first voltage conversion circuit, and the NMOS transistor has a gate connected to an output of the second voltage conversion circuit.

Abstract: A recording element substrate includes a recording element array including a plurality of recording elements, a drive circuit configured to drive the recording elements, and a heater located to surround the recording element array as viewed in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the recording element substrate and located above or below a capacitive element or a resistive element included in the drive circuit as viewed on a cross section of the recording element substrate.

Abstract: A recording element substrate which is provided with a first recording element group and a second recording element group, each group including a plurality of recording elements.

Abstract: A recording head having a plurality of recording elements that are grouped into a plurality of blocks and ejecting ink by driving the recording elements in a time-divisional manner includes driving units configured to drive the recording elements, an input unit configured to receive an enable signal that defines a period during which the driving of the recording elements is enabled at one ink ejection, and a control unit configured to control the time-divisional driving by the driving units on the basis of pulses detected during the period defined by the enable signal received by the input unit.

Abstract: An inkjet recording head substrate having an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy used to discharge ink and a drive element for driving the electrothermal transducer mounted thereon includes a first circuit portion for outputting selection signals for selecting the electrothermal transducer to be driven at a amplitude level of a second voltage higher than a first voltage based on an input signal of the amplitude level of the first voltage, a second circuit portion for inputting the selection signals from the first circuit portion and controlling the drive element corresponding to the electrothermal transducer to be driven based on the selection signals subject to the second voltage, and a plurality of signal lines for transmitting the selection signals between the first and second circuit portions.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to implement higher-quality printing at a higher speed by changing an electric current value to a printing element and adjusting energy applied to the printing element in an inkjet printhead. To achieve this object, a current regulating circuit is arranged on the head substrate of an inkjet printhead of a constant electric current driving type which supplies a constant electric current to a heater. The electric current value is changed in accordance with a signal (digital signal etc.) supplied from the outside of the printhead. Energy corresponding to the electric current value is applied to the printing element from a constant electric current source corresponding to each group.

Abstract: An inkjet recording head substrate having an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy used to discharge ink and a drive element for driving the electrothermal transducer mounted thereon includes a first circuit portion for outputting selection signals for selecting the electrothermal transducer to be driven at a amplitude level of a second voltage higher than a first voltage based on an input signal of the amplitude level of the first voltage, a second circuit portion for inputting the selection signals from the first circuit portion and controlling the drive element corresponding to the electrothermal transducer to be driven based on the selection signals subject to the second voltage, and a plurality of signal lines for transmitting the selection signals between the first and second circuit portions.

Abstract: The objective of this invention is to provide a head substrate capable of integrating driver transistors while keeping the size small even at high nozzle density, and integrating a functional circuit such as a temperature sensor or energy adjustment circuit. To achieve this, an ink supply port, a heater array which is arrayed along the longitudinal direction of the ink supply port and includes a plurality of heaters, a transistor array which is arrayed along the arrayed direction of the heater array and includes a plurality of transistors for driving a plurality of heaters, and a logic circuit which drives the transistor array are arranged on a head substrate. The logic circuit is arranged between the heater array and the transistor array.

Abstract: This invention provides an element substrate having a heater selection circuit normally operable even in the use of voltage conversion circuits, which are arranged along the nozzle arrayed direction, each having a small-area in order to reduce the area of the element substrate. The element substrate according to this invention includes a heater selection circuit, which receives a signal output from a voltage conversion circuit, a block selection signal, and a print data signal, and generates and outputs a signal for performing switching by a switching element.

Abstract: A printhead in which the voltage fluctuation absorption range of a MOS transistor serving as a constant current source is narrowed according to constant current driving. The printhead includes a controller which controls voltage fluctuations to adjust a current supplied to a plurality of printing elements. The printhead also includes a DC/DC converter which outputs a voltage of a voltage value to be applied to a plurality of printing elements from outside a printing element substrate.

Abstract: A recording head having a plurality of recording elements comprises a plurality of switching elements, each provided in correspondence to each of the plurality of recording elements, constant current sources, each provided in correspondence to each of groups in which the plurality of recording elements are divided, for flowing a constant current into a plurality of recording elements of each group, and a constant current control circuit for controlling the constant current supplied from the constant current sources, and the recording elements are driven by the constant current.

Abstract: This invention is directed to: a printhead substrate which employs a constant current driving method and can suppress power consumption in a standby state, prevent an increase in printhead temperature, and stably discharge ink; a printhead using the printhead substrate; a head cartridge incorporating the printhead; and a printing apparatus using the printhead.

Abstract: An ink jet print head substrate is provided which can prevent voltage drop variations during driving, no matter in what way the ejection energy generation elements are driven, and which can also apply a stable energy to the ejection energy generation elements at all times. The ink jet print head substrate of this invention has a plurality of kinds of ejection energy generation elements to generate different magnitudes of ink ejection energy and wiring portions. The print head substrate also has a plurality of wiring layers arranged to at least partly overlap one another. The wiring portions connected to the different kinds of ejection energy generation elements are provided at least partly in different wiring portions.

Abstract: This invention provides a printing head which can prevent an increase in the number of block enable signal lines, and can prevent changes in printing ink density caused by interference due to the relative pressures of nozzles generated in ink discharge, and an image printing apparatus using the printing head. For this purpose, an increase in the number of input signal lines along with an increase in the number of blocks is prevented using a block clock signal or the like instead of a block enable signal as an input signal to the printing head. Three ring counters generate signals having different nozzle driving orders. These signals are selectively used by a ring counter selection signal. Ink is not always discharged from the nozzles in the same output order. This can prevent changes in ink density caused by pressure interference.