Abstract: A liquid ejection method is provided which ejects small-volume droplets from ejection openings and causes them to reliably combine together on the fly into a large droplet that is less susceptible to influences of air flows, thus realizing a printing with reduced droplet landing position deviations. To that end, each of the ejection openings is constructed of two openings spaced apart and a slit-like constricted connection portion that connects the two openings together.

Abstract: A liquid ejection method is provided which ejects small-volume droplets from ejection openings and causes them to reliably combine together on the fly into a large droplet that is less susceptible to influences of air flows, thus realizing a printing with reduced droplet landing position deviations. To that end, each of the ejection openings is constructed of two openings spaced apart and a slit-like constricted connection portion that connects the two openings together.

Abstract: A recording apparatus uses a liquid recording head for effecting recording by ejecting liquid through ejection outlets corresponding to heat generation elements provided in the recording head. The recording head has a heating device for heating the recording head. A controller will select a heat generating element from among the heat generating elements to correct a temperature distribution of the recording head resulting from the heating by the heating device such that the heat generating element generates heat to such an extent that liquid for recording is not ejected through the ejection outlet during the temperature correction.

Abstract: A recording apparatus and method of controlling the apparatus includes a recording head for ejecting liquid ink for recording by heat energization, a temperature change rate detecting device for detecting the temperature change rate of the recording head in a normal state, a storage device for storing the temperature change rate information, a determining device for determining the average ejection duty cycle from recording data, an obtaining device for obtaining information relating the temperature change rate in the normal state to the average ejection duty cycle, and a discriminating device for discriminating an abnormality of the recording head determined by the information relating the temperature change rate in the normal state to the average ejection duty cycle, and the temperature change rate detected by the temperature change rate detecting device.

Abstract: A substrate for liquid ejection includes a built-in energy generating element for generating thermal energy, a built-in electrode wiring portion for supplying an electric signal to the energy generating element, and a built-in temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate for liquid ejection includes a built-in energy generating element for generating thermal energy, a built-in electrode wiring portion for supplying an electric signal to the energy generating element, and a built-in temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention involves recording apparatus having such a recording head that records using thermal energy. The recording head has a substrate which includes plural thermal energy generating elements for generating thermal energy, plural wiring lines electrically connected with associated said thermal energy generating elements, and a temperature detecting element built in the substrate. This temperature detecting element is either a diode or a transistor.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head detachably mountable to a main assembly of a recording apparatus includes ejection energy generating elements for generating energy for ejecting ink; wiring for supplying electric signals to the ejection energy generating elements; electric contacts, connected with the wiring, for receiving the electric signals; and an electric discharge path, provided at least a part of a periphery of the electric contacts, for releasing static electricity.

Abstract: A printing head according to the present invention resets the count value of a counter in response to an externally supplied signal, and thereafter, counts a signal supplied upon input of an image signal. A decoder generates a selection signal in accordance with the count value, thereby selecting a divided heat-generating element group in units of 32 clocks. Furthermore, an electric current is supplied to heat-generating resistors which belong to the selected heat-generating element group, thereby performing a printing operation. With this printing head, a printer, which can be controlled by a smaller number of control signals, can be realized.

Abstract: A substrate usable for a liquid jet recording head having a semiconductor substrate, transistors, and electricity-heat converting elements for generating heat energy to be utilized for discharging a liquid, which is electrically connected to said transistors, in which a plurality of said transistors is provided and the collector region of said transistors is made common.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes an ink discharging portion having a discharge opening for discharging ink, a substrate having an electrical/thermal converting element for generating thermal energy supplied to the ink discharging portion and used to discharge the ink, and a temperature detecting element, and an information bearing means for carrying information providing the feature of the temperature detecting element. The output from the temperature detecting element are used to adjust the temperature of the ink jet recording head.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a liquid ejection portion having an ejection outlet for ejecting ink; and a recording head having a substrate on which are provided an electrothermal transducer for generating heat for the ejection of ink supplied to the ejection portion, at least one functional device electrically connected to the electrothermal transducer, and a laminate. The structure of at least a part of the laminate is identical with the structure of the functional devices and the laminate is useable as a reserve functional device. Such construction of the recording head makes it possible to change the function thereof easily, and, can be copied flexibly with change of design. A portion of the functional device can be formed in a U shape.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting recording head using thermal energy to eject liquid for recording an image, includes an element chip having a plurality of electrothermal transducer elements for producing thermal energy to create bubbles to ejecto the liquid; a temperature detecting element disposed on the element chip to detect a temperature of the chip; liquid passages, disposed on the chip, corresponding to the electrothermal transducer elements having an opening at an end; correcting means for correcting an output of the temperature detecting element.

Abstract: A recording apparatus has a recording operation that is performed after a disposable liquid ejection recording head is mounted. The discrimination is made as to whether the recording head mounted is proper or not relative to the main assembly to which the recording head is mounted, when the main switch is actuated or the recording head is mounted. The discrimination is made with use of a part of a structure in the recording head: a temperature sensor, a temperature keeping heater, an ejection heater or a driving semiconductor function element, for example. If it is not proper, the recording operation is prevented, and/or the improperness is displayed.

Abstract: A device for use with a liquid jet recording head, and such a head, include a substrate having a semiconductor functional element, an electrothermal transducer electrically connected to the semiconductor functional element for generating thermal energy to be utilized to discharge liquid from the liquid jet recording head, and an insulating layer disposed on the semiconductor functional element and having a contact hole. An electrode is disposed within the contact hole and another insulating layer is disposed on the electrode and has a through hole. The transducer is disposed on the other insulating layer and has a resistor layer and a pair of electrodes, and that resistor layer includes a portion disposed between the electrode within the contact hole and one of the pair of electrodes within the through hole.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head includes energy generators for generating the energy used to discharge ink and a substrate on which a circuit electrically connected to the energy generators is formed. Also provided is a protective member on an insulating layer on the substrate above the energy generators. The area of a protective member which is in contact with the ink is made to be as small as possible.

Abstract: A liquid jet recording apparatus includes an ink container. A pair of electrodes are provided to be immersed in the ink in the container. By applying a voltage between the electrodes, the remainder of the ink is detected by a change in the electric resistance between the electrodes. The voltage application is not continuous but is intermittent and is performed at a predetermined time associated with the recording operation (at the time of carriage reversal) to detect the remainder of the ink. When the ink remainder detecting operation is not performed, the voltage is not applied to the electrodes. During a stand-by period the execution of the remainder of ink detection process is carried out only once to prevent degradation of the ink caused by electrolysis.

Abstract: In order to prevent change in the properties of recording liquid such as surface tension, viscosity, etc. a recording head is provided with an integral temperature sensor. The temperature controlling operation is performed in response to an output of the temperature sensor to maintain the recording liquid within a predetermined temperature range. In order to correct the variation in the properties of the individual temperature sensors, the main apparatus contains a reference temperature sensor. The temperature sensor of the recording head is corrected in its output on the basis of comparison between the temperature sensors. The recording head is provided with information representative of a property of the temperature sensor of the recording head. By the mounting of the recording head into the apparatus, the information is read, and the output of the temperature sensor is corrected on the basis of the read information.

Abstract: A device for detecting a quantity of remaining ink includes first and second electrodes provided in an ink supply passage which connects an ink tank for storing an ink to a recording head for emitting the ink, and a detection means for detecting a resistance between the first and second electrodes. The second electrode is provided in the ink supply passage in an area relatively close to the recording head, whereas the first electrode is provided in the ink supply passage in an area relatively far from the recording head with the second electrode therebetween. The second electrode is maintained at the same potential as that of a substrate which constitutes the recording head and on which emission energy generating elements driven to emit the ink are disposed, whereas the first electrode is maintained at a potential different from that of the second electrode. Consequently, the amount of remaining ink can be detected by measuring changes in the resistance between the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: A substrate for use with a liquid jet recording head has a semiconductor substrate, functional elements formed on said semiconductor substrate, and electro-thermal transducers electrically connected to the functional elements for generating thermal energy to be utilized to discharge liquid. The substrate comprises a common electrode electrically connected to the functional elements in common. The common electrode has a notch at a position facing control electrodes formed between adjacent functional elements. The notch minimizes the overlap of the common electrode and the control electrodes to decrease the probability of an electrical defect.