Abstract: Limitations on the number of recording elements capable of being simultaneously driven are relaxed so that driving voltage fluctuation falls within an allowable range. The substrate includes arrays of recording elements, common power supply wires extended from portions near one end portions of the arrays to portions near the other end portions thereof and connected to a power supply-side electrode pad through a position near the one end portions of the arrays, and common ground wires extended from portions near the one end portions of the arrays to portions near the other end portions thereof and connected to a ground-side electrode pad through a position near the other end portions of the arrays. Thus, since the sum of the lengths of common wires from the electrode pads is equal for all the plurality of elements included in each array, and the combined resistance of common wiring portions becomes substantially equal.

Abstract: This invention relates to an element substrate capable of confirming an electrical connection status before a printhead malfunctions. The element substrate is a substrate for a printhead, which is detachable from a printing apparatus and includes a plurality of printing elements, a logical circuit for controlling the printing elements, and a voltage application terminal for applying a driving voltage to drive the printing elements. The logical circuit is driven at a voltage lower than the driving voltage. The element substrate includes a connection status output circuit which outputs a signal reflecting the electrical connection status between the printhead and the printing apparatus on the basis of the driving voltage.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead board and inkjet printhead is provided having a reliable storage element which allows for print without causing damages to an interlayer insulation film and protection film upon printing data unique to the printhead and is free from the restriction in arrangement position. For this purpose, a printing device board uses therein an information storage element formed common in material and process to electro-thermal converter element, the resistance value of which is changed to enable information storage so that information can be read out of the information storage element.

Abstract: Plural electrothermal transducers (heaters) belonging to each of blocks having different driving timings are constituted as one group and are connected to a common interconnecting wiring in units of one group. Plural lines are connected to the common wiring such that the plural lines are extended to return with respect to the heaters and are each arranged to extend in an adjacent or sandwiched relation to the heaters. A printhead substrate, a printhead, and a printing apparatus can be provided which can realize higher quality of a printed image and a higher printing speed by arraying the heaters at a higher density while ensuring a sufficient area for arrangement of each of the heaters.

Abstract: This element substrate is an element substrate for a printhead which includes a plurality of printing elements to which a first voltage is applied, a plurality of driving elements which drive the plurality of printing elements, a logical circuit which outputs a driving signal to control the plurality of driving elements, and a driving voltage converter circuit which converts the voltage of the driving signal output from the logical circuit into a second voltage lower than the first voltage and outputs the second voltage to the plurality of driving elements. The element substrate includes a driving voltage generating circuit which generates, on the basis of the first voltage, the second voltage to drive the driving voltage converter circuit. The driving voltage generating circuit has a constant current source for generating a constant current based on the first voltage and generates the second voltage based on the constant current.

Abstract: An element substrate includes a plurality of printing elements, a plurality of driving circuits which drive the plurality of printing elements, an input unit which inputs an enable signal to define the driving period of each printing element, a shift register which inputs a print data, a latch circuit which stores, in accordance with an externally input latch signal, the print data output from the shift register and outputs a print data signal, a time-divisional selection circuit which generates a block selection signal to divide the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks and time-divisionally drive the printing elements, and a delay unit which changes the drive timing between the printing elements in a single block. The delay unit delays the enable signal and the print data signal.

Abstract: An element substrate has a plurality of printing elements, and a block selection unit which divides the plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks and time-divisionally drives the blocks. The element substrate includes a plurality of input terminals which divide the plurality of printing elements included in each block into a plurality of groups and supply a driving voltage to the printing elements belonging to each group, a delay circuit which externally receives an enable signal for enabling energization to the printing elements and generates a plurality of delayed enable signals having different delay times with respect to the enable signal, and a wiring which supplies the enable signal and the plurality of delayed enable signals output from the delay circuit to different groups in the order of the different delay times.

Abstract: This invention relates to a printhead element substrate having a plurality of electrothermal transducers and a plurality of switching elements which drive the plurality of electrothermal transducers. The element substrate has a level converter which is shared by adjacent electrothermal transducers and steps up an input driving signal, and a switch circuit which supplies the driving signal output from the level converter to one of the adjacent electrothermal transducers. The switch circuit switches the supply destination of the driving signal in accordance with an external input selection signal.

Abstract: An increase in energy applied to a heating element can be prevented and the service life of a printhead can be prolonged even when the temperature of the printing element having a negative temperature coefficient rises and the resistance of the heating element decreases upon controlling a switching element for controlling a current flowing through the heating element so as to make energy as constant as possible.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to prevent an increase in energy applied to a heating element and prolong the service life of a printhead even when the temperature of the printing element having a negative temperature coefficient rises and the resistance of the heating element decreases upon controlling a switching element for controlling a current flowing through the heating element so as to make energy as constant as possible.

Abstract: This invention relates to a printhead substrate capable of suppressing an increase in wiring width and an increase in the size of a substrate formed by a film forming process while increasing the number of simultaneously driven printing elements in order to improve the printing performance, a printhead using the substrate, and a printing apparatus using the printhead. The wiring lines of the substrate are formed into a common wiring line, and energy applied to a heating resistance element is prevented from deviating from a stable ink discharge range owing to the difference in the number of simultaneously driven heating resistance elements. For this purpose, a driving element is greatly downsized in comparison with a conventional one, and the operation region of a MOS transistor is shifted from the non-saturation region to the saturation region.

Abstract: A recording head including outlets disposed in a staggered pattern so that the distances from an ink inlet to the outlets differ alternately for adjacent outlets. A recording head includes an outlet group including a plurality of outlets on at least one side of an ink inlet. The outlet group includes first outlets and second outlets, wherein the distance from the ink inlet to the first outlets differs from the distance from the ink inlet to the second outlets. First recording elements and second recording elements including heat resistors are provided. The first recording elements and second recording elements correspond to the first outlets and the second outlets, respectively, and are disposed in first ink channels and second ink channels, respectively. The first recording elements are rectangular, whereas the second recording elements are substantially square.

Abstract: There is disclosed a solid semiconductor element which very efficiently detects information about a liquid and bidirectionally exchanges the information with the outside. The solid semiconductor element is disposed in a liquid container, and includes at least energy converting unit, information acquiring unit, and information communicating unit. The energy converting unit converts an electromotive force from the outside to a power, and operates the information acquiring unit and information communicating unit. The information acquiring unit acquires the information about the liquid in which the solid semiconductor element is disposed from the liquid, and the information communicating unit transmits the information acquired by the information acquiring unit to the outside.

Abstract: A recording head substrate includes a plurality of groups of recording elements arranged in arrays; a number, corresponding to a number of the groups, input contacts for receiving driving pulse signals; signal lines for supplying the driving pulse signals to the groups of recording elements from the input contacts, respectively, wherein in a region between two of the groups of recording elements are adjacent to each other, the signal lines are connected to the recording elements such that areas in which the groups of recording elements are disposed, respectively, have respective driving pulse signal change areas which are overlapped with each other.

Abstract: This invention relates to a printhead substrate capable of suppressing an increase in wiring width and an increase in the size of a substrate formed by a film forming process while increasing the number of simultaneously driven printing elements in order to improve the printing performance, a printhead using the substrate, and a printing apparatus using the printhead. The wiring lines of the substrate are formed into a common wiring line, and energy applied to a heating resistance element is prevented from deviating from a stable ink discharge range owing to the difference in the number of simultaneously driven heating resistance elements. For this purpose, a driving element is greatly downsized in comparison with a conventional one, and the operation region of a MOS transistor is shifted from the non-saturation region to the saturation region.

Abstract: There is disclosed a solid semiconductor element which very efficiently detects information about a liquid and bidirectionally exchanges the information with the outside. The solid semiconductor element is disposed in a liquid container, and includes at least energy converting unit, information acquiring unit, and information communicating unit. The energy converting unit converts an electromotive force from the outside to a power, and operates the information acquiring unit and information communicating unit. The information acquiring unit acquires the information about the liquid in which the solid semiconductor element is disposed from the liquid, and the information communicating unit transmits the information acquired by the information acquiring unit to the outside.

Abstract: In a connection status output circuit for confirming the connection status with a recording apparatus via connecting terminals corresponding respectively to recording signal DATA, clock signal CLK for transferring the recording signal, and control signals LT and HE for controlling a recording operation according to the recording signal, the signals being received from the recording apparatus, when the connection status is confirmed, a signal designating the connection status is outputted, and when a recording operation is performed, the output signal does not change.

Abstract: To drive an inkjet printhead having an array of printing elements, where the first and second printing elements which discharge relatively different amounts of ink are arranged on the same array in a predetermined direction, print data for the first or second printing element is serially inputted, the inputted print data is sequentially stored, the stored print data is latched, a selection signal indicative of which of the first or second printing element is to be driven is inputted, a driving signal indicative of a driving period is inputted, and respective printing elements are driven in accordance with the latched print data, the selection signal, and the driving signal. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the cost of the printhead having plural types of printing elements, which discharge relatively different amounts of ink, and possible to easily control driving of the printhead.

Abstract: Provided is a configuration for connecting common wires (a common power supply wire for connecting a plurality of printing elements commonly to a power supply and a common ground wire for connecting the plurality of printing elements commonly to a ground) to the outside, which configuration does not obstruct a constitution for reducing resistances of the common wires. For this purpose, the common wires are directly connected respectively to electrode leads of an electric wiring tape for external connection without use of electrode pads. In the case of this configuration, the widths of the common wires need not be narrower in vicinities of the electrode pads which would otherwise be in an edge of the board, and accordingly reduction of resistances of the common wires is not obstructed.

Abstract: A liquid discharge recording head includes a substrate having a liquid supply opening facilitating supplying liquid and heating resistors for generating energy for discharging the liquid, a flow path member having discharge openings and flow paths including first and second flow paths that are adjacent each other, the second flow path being longer than the first flow path, and a first resister corresponding to the first flow path and a second resistor corresponding to the second flow path, each of the first and second resistors being disposed at an area of the flow path member which is situated in correspondence with the liquid supply opening, wherein an amount of protrusion of the first resister at a side of the first flow path is greater than an amount of protrusion of the second resister at a side of the second flow path.