JP2004122757A - Inkjet recording head, method of driving the same, and substrate for inkjet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a cost of an inkjet recording head having a plurality of kinds of recording elements of which the quantities of ejected inks are relatively different from each other in a simple structure and to facilitate the controlling therefor. <P>SOLUTION: This inkjet recording head has a recording element array wherein first and second recording elements of which the quantities of ejected inks are relatively different from each other are arranged in the identical rows in a predetermined direction. When the inkjet recording head is driven, recording data (34) for the first or second recording elements is input in a serial manner, the input recording data is sequentially stored in a shift register (38), the stored recording data is held in a latch (39), a select signal (30) indicating which one of the first and second recording elements are to be driven, a heat enable signal (32) and the recording data held in the latch are input to an AND gate (310), and then each of the recording elements is driven by a driver (311) according to the output thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head and a method of driving the ink jet recording head, and more particularly to an ink jet recording head having first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, and a method of driving such a recording head. It is.
[0002]
In addition, the present invention is directed to an ink jet recording head that performs recording by causing ink to generate bubbles by utilizing thermal energy generated by a heating resistor and ejecting the ink by the growth and shrinkage of the bubbles. Substrate to be used.
[0003]
[Prior art]
Most of the ink jet recording apparatuses are known as printing apparatuses in printers, copiers, etc., and among them, thermal ink is used as the energy used for ink ejection, and ink jet is a method of ejecting ink by bubbles generated by this. The device has recently become popular.
[0004]
The ink jet recording head used in the above-described ink jet printing apparatus uses an electrothermal conversion element (hereinafter, also referred to as a heater) to generate thermal energy. In many cases, a configuration including one heater corresponding to one discharge port (nozzle) is adopted.
[0005]
On the other hand, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-183179 (Patent Document 1), the amount of ink ejected from each ejection port is made variable using an ink jet recording head having a plurality of heaters in one ejection port. There is also disclosed a technology that enables recording in various recording modes.
[0006]
For example, in the high-speed mode, the capacity of the ink droplets ejected from each ejection port is increased, the dots recorded by one ink droplet are enlarged, and high-speed recording is performed at a lower recording resolution. In the mode, the capacity of the ink droplets ejected from each ejection port is reduced, the dots recorded by one ink droplet are reduced, and the recording is performed at a higher recording resolution, so that one ink jet recording head is formed. Thus, both high-speed recording and high-quality recording can be achieved.
[0007]
With such compatibility, a great effect is obtained that a user can obtain a desired image output by selecting an optimal recording mode.
[0008]
Further, as an ink jet recording head meeting such a demand, there is one disclosed in JP-A-09-286108 (Patent Document 2). Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique in which a plurality of heaters are provided in one nozzle to change a recording dot size to obtain a high gradation.
[0009]
FIG. 27 is an equivalent circuit of an electric circuit configured on the head base disclosed in Patent Document 2, and illustrates a multi-value heater in an ink flow path forming one nozzle, and an element 201 (1) forming the multi-value heater. , 201 (2),..., 201 (n), as well as an NMOS transistor 301 as a driving transistor, a shift register 302 for driving signal processing composed of CMOS transistors, and a latch circuit for holding data 303, and an AND circuit 307 connected to each of the transistors 301.
[0010]
The AND circuit 307 performs a logical operation on a block selection signal (Block ENB) 304, a select signal (Select) 305, and their data and a drive pulse signal (Heat ENB) 306 for dividing the ink flow path forming the nozzle into blocks. , And drives the corresponding transistor 301 based on the calculation result. Here, the groups S are formed S (1) to S (m) so as to correspond to the number m of the formed ink flow paths.
[0011]
Reference numeral 203 denotes an electrode wiring which individually supplies power to one end of elements 201 (1), 201 (2),... 201 (n) as n multi-value heaters formed in one nozzle. The other end of each of the multi-value heaters is connected to a common power supply 309. Further, a sub heater 311, a temperature sensor 312, a heater 313 for monitoring a resistance value of the heater, and the like are configured.
[0012]
In FIG. 27, VDD is a logic power supply, H-GND is a GND for the heater drive power supply 309 (VH), and L-GND is a GND for the logic power supply VDD. The heater drive power supply 309 is connected to the ends of all the elements 201 (1)... 201 (n) of the groups S (1) to S (m). The shift register 302 includes a serial image data input signal (Idata) corresponding to each of the groups S (1), S (2),..., S (m) and a shift register driving clock input signal (Clock). And outputs the image data to the latch circuit 303 as a parallel signal. The reset signal (Reset) and the latch signal (LTCLK) are input to the latch circuit 303, and the image data input from the shift register 302 is temporarily stored, and then the corresponding groups S (1), S (2),. , S (m) to the AND circuit 307. The drive pulse signal (Heat ENB) 306 is input to each of the heaters 201 (1), 201 (2),..., 201 (n) in the groups S (1) to S (m).
[0013]
The select signal 305 in FIG. 27 is input from input terminals 1 to n (Select 1 to n) corresponding to the groups S (1) to S (m) in common. Therefore, the heater to be heated in each of the groups S (1) to S (m) can be selected by the select signal 305.
[0014]
In FIG. 27, reference numeral 314 denotes a decoder, and the block selection signal 304 is input to input terminals 1, 2, 3 of the decoder. The five output terminals are separately connected to the AND circuits 307 for each of the groups S (1) to S (m). For example, when the number of groups S is 160 of S (1) to S (160), that is, when the number of nozzles is 160, the first output terminal among the five output terminals is changed to nozzle numbers 1 to 20. The second output terminal is connected to each of the AND circuits 307 of the corresponding groups S (1) to S (20), and the AND circuits 307 of the groups S (21) to S (40) corresponding to the nozzle numbers 21 to 40 are connected. , And the third output terminal is connected to each of the AND circuits 307 of the groups S (41) to S (60) corresponding to the nozzle numbers 41 to 60, and the fourth output terminal is connected to the nozzle numbers 61 to 60. 80 is connected to each of the AND circuits 307 of the groups S (61) to S (80), and the fifth output terminal is connected to the AND of the groups S (81) to S (100) corresponding to the nozzle numbers 81 to 100. Circuit 30 , And the sixth output terminal is connected to each of the AND circuits 307 of the groups S (101) to S (120) corresponding to the nozzle numbers 101 to 120, and the seventh output terminal is connected to the nozzle numbers 121 to 140 is connected to each of the AND circuits 307 of the groups S (121) to S (140), and the eighth output terminal is connected to the groups S (141) to S (160) corresponding to the nozzle numbers 141 to 160. Connected to each of the AND circuits 307.
[0015]
When the decoder 314 is connected as described above, the nozzle group of eight blocks connected to the same output terminal of the decoder 314 is selected as a heat nozzle for ejecting ink in accordance with the block selection signal 304, The timing at which ink is ejected from the nozzle groups of eight blocks can be controlled.
[0016]
Next, a specific configuration of the inkjet recording head will be described.
[0017]
FIG. 28 is a schematic sectional view showing a part of a recording head having a conventional configuration.
[0018]
Reference numeral 901 denotes a p-type semiconductor substrate made of single crystal silicon. Reference numeral 912 is a p-type well region, 908 is an n-type drain region, 916 is an n-type electric field relaxation drain region, 907 is an n-type source region, and 914 is a gate electrode. These are MIS (Metal Insulator Semiconductor) type. An MIS field-effect transistor 930 which is a switch element using a field-effect transistor is formed. 917 is a heat storage layer and a silicon oxide layer as an insulating layer, 918 is a tantalum nitride film as a heat resistance layer, 919 is an aluminum alloy film as a wiring, and 920 is a silicon nitride film as a protective layer. A head base 940 is formed. Here, 950 is a heat generating unit, and ink is discharged from the ink discharge unit 960. The top plate 970 forms a liquid passage 980 in cooperation with the base 940.
[0019]
By the way, many improvements have been made to the recording head and the switch element having the above-mentioned structure, but in recent years, high-speed driving, energy saving, high integration, low cost, and high performance have been realized for products. It has become even more demanding. For this reason, a plurality of MIS field-effect transistors 930 used as switch elements as shown in FIG. 28 are formed in the semiconductor substrate 901, and these MIS field-effect transistors 930 are operated alone or simultaneously, and The connected electrothermal transducer is driven.
[0020]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-08-183179
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-09-286108
[0021]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the conventional MIS field-effect transistor 930 functions under a large current required to drive the electrothermal transducer, the pn reverse bias junction between the drain and the well cannot withstand a high electric field. Then, a leakage current was generated, and the breakdown voltage required for the switching element could not be satisfied. Furthermore, if the ON resistance of the MIS field-effect transistor used as a switch element is large, the current required for driving the electrothermal conversion element cannot be obtained due to wasteful consumption of current here. There was a problem to be.
[0022]
In order to solve the problem of withstand voltage, an MIS field effect transistor 1020 as shown in FIG. 29 can be considered.
[0023]
In FIG. 29, a semiconductor substrate 1001, an n-type source region 1007, an n-type drain region 1008, a gate electrode 1004, a silicon oxide layer 1017 as a heat storage layer and an insulating layer, a tantalum nitride film 141 as a heat resistance layer, and wiring An aluminum alloy film 154 as a protective layer, a silicon nitride film 1020 as a protective layer, a recording head substrate 152, a heating unit 1050, an ink discharge unit 153, a top plate 156, and a liquid path 155 are each shown in FIG. , An n-type source region 907, an n-type drain region 908, a gate electrode 914, a silicon oxide layer 917 as a heat storage layer and an insulating layer, a tantalum nitride film 918 as a thermal resistance layer, an aluminum alloy film 919 as a wiring, and protection. A silicon nitride film 920 as a layer, a substrate 940 of a recording head, a heating section 950, Click discharge portion 960, top plate 970 is similar to the liquid path 980.
[0024]
The structure of the MIS field-effect transistor shown in FIG. 29 is different from a normal structure. A p-type semiconductor substrate 1001 has a shape in which a periphery of an n-type source region 1007 is surrounded by a p-type base region 1005. Thus, a part of the n-type well region 1002 is used as a drain, and is called a DMOS (Double diffused MOS transistor). As described above, by forming a channel in the drain by using the n-type well region 1002, the depth of the drain that determines the breakdown voltage can be made deep and low in concentration. This makes it possible to solve the problem of withstand voltage.
[0025]
Although the configuration disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 can provide high gradation, it requires a plurality of drive circuits and a plurality of heaters. It is necessary to provide an input terminal for a selection signal. For this reason, a problem to be solved arises in that the substrate is enlarged.
[0026]
However, in the case of using an ink jet recording head employing a configuration having one heater corresponding to one discharge port, it is difficult to change the amount of ink discharged per discharge port in multiple stages.
[0027]
In addition, if a plurality of heaters are provided corresponding to one discharge port in order to make the discharge amount multi-step, if the number of discharge ports increases, the number of heaters and their driving circuits needs to be a multiple of the number of discharge ports. At the same time, circuits for a plurality of heaters must be concentratedly arranged corresponding to the respective ejection ports, so that the circuit scale formed on the substrate of the ink jet recording head becomes complicated and the price of the recording head increases.
[0028]
As described above, it is desired to provide a recording head capable of ejecting ink having a relatively different ejection amount with a simple circuit configuration.
[0029]
The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to have a plurality of types of printing elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, and to achieve a low-cost control with a simple configuration. An object is to provide an easy inkjet recording head.
[0030]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of driving an ink jet recording head that simplifies the configuration of an ink jet recording head having a plurality of types of recording elements whose ink ejection amounts are relatively different from each other and whose driving control is easy. is there.
[0031]
Still another object of the present invention is to realize a substrate for an ink jet recording head which can obtain high gradation without increasing the size of the substrate.
[0032]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording head according to a first aspect of the present invention has a recording element array in which first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts are arranged in the same direction in a predetermined direction. An ink jet recording head, wherein a storage unit for sequentially storing print data input serially, a storage unit for holding print data stored in the storage unit, and one of a first and a second print element is driven. And a drive control circuit for driving each print element in accordance with a drive signal indicating a drive period, the print data held in the holding means, and the first and second print data. Is input to any of the recording elements.
[0033]
Further, in the method of driving an ink jet recording head according to the first aspect of the present invention, which achieves the another object, the first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts are arranged in the same direction in a predetermined direction. What is claimed is: 1. A method for driving an ink jet print head having a print element array, comprising: a data input step of serially inputting print data for one of a first and a second print element; and a storing step of sequentially storing input print data. And a holding step of holding the stored print data; a selection step of inputting a selection signal indicating which of the first and second printing elements is to be driven; and a drive designation of inputting a drive signal indicating a drive period. And a drive control step of driving each print element in accordance with the held print data, a selection signal, and a drive signal.
[0034]
Further, the above object is to provide an ink jet recording head having first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, wherein a storage means for sequentially storing print data input serially, Holding means for holding the stored print data, a selection signal indicating which of the first and second printing elements is to be driven, the print data held in the holding means, and a drive signal indicating a drive period. The present invention is also achieved by an ink jet print head according to the second invention of the present application, which includes a drive control circuit for driving each print element, and has a signal line to which print data and a selection signal are serially input.
[0035]
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of driving an ink jet print head having first and second print elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, wherein a storing step of sequentially storing print data input serially is provided. Holding the stored print data, inputting a selection signal indicating which of the first and second print elements is to be driven, and holding the print data and the drive signal indicating the drive period. And a drive control step of driving each print element in accordance with the method, wherein the print data and the selection signal are serially input from the same signal line, and the driving method of the ink jet print head according to the second invention of the present application is provided. Is also achieved by
[0036]
That is, in the first invention of the present application, when driving an ink jet recording head having a recording element array in which first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts are arranged in the same direction in a predetermined direction, Print data for one of the first and second print elements is serially input, the input print data is sequentially stored, the stored print data is held, and either the first or second print element is driven. A selection signal indicating whether to perform the operation is input, a driving signal indicating a driving period is input, and each recording element is driven according to the held print data, the selection signal, and the driving signal.
[0037]
With this configuration, even if the first and second printing elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts are arranged in the same row in a predetermined direction, for example, the first printing element and the second printing element may be arranged in the same direction. Considering the case where the number of recording elements is the same, the number of recording data input at one time is halved with respect to the total number of recording elements, so the amount of data to be stored and held is halved with respect to the number of recording elements. At the same time, the recording can be performed by any of the first and second recording elements with a simple drive control.
[0038]
Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the price of an ink jet recording head having a plurality of types of recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, and to facilitate the drive control thereof.
[0039]
The first and second printing elements are alternately arranged in the same number in the printing element row so that one print data is input to a pair constituted by the adjacent first and second printing elements. Preferably, it is configured.
[0040]
Further, the first and second printing elements are configured to be driven by being divided into a plurality of blocks by the same number, and print data is input to each block, and the drive control circuit outputs a selection signal and a holding signal. It is preferable to drive each printing element according to the print data, the drive signal, and the block signal that specifies the block to be driven.
[0041]
It is preferable that the selection signal is serially input to the recording data and separated from the output of the holding unit.
[0042]
Further, the recording element array may be provided for at least two colors so that color recording using a plurality of colors is possible.
In this case, the plurality of colors preferably include cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
[0043]
Further, the selection signal may be separately input to at least two printing element arrays, or may be commonly input to at least two printing element arrays.
[0044]
The recording element may be configured to perform recording using thermal energy.
[0045]
Further, in the second invention of the present application, when driving an ink jet print head having first and second print elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, print data input serially is sequentially stored, The stored print data is held, and each print element is driven according to a selection signal indicating which of the first and second print elements is to be driven, the held print data, and a drive signal indicating a drive period. In this case, the recording data and the selection signal are serially input.
[0046]
With this configuration, the selection signal (information) for switching the ejection amount can be transmitted in the same manner as the print data, so that the number of signal terminals can be reduced.
[0047]
Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the price of an ink jet recording head having a plurality of types of recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, and to facilitate the drive control thereof.
[0048]
It is preferable that the recording data is serially input to the signal line following the selection signal. In this case, the recording data is transmitted to one of the first and second recording elements per input. Is preferably input.
[0049]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inkjet recording head substrate including a plurality of heaters, wherein the heater is a substrate for an inkjet recording head that discharges ink by using generated thermal energy. Are divided into m groups of n units each, and m × n drive circuits provided corresponding to each heater for driving each heater, and m heaters are driven for input data. Data transfer circuit for dividing the image data into m groups and signals for selecting n heaters constituting each group, and an image for driving m heaters from the selected data transfer circuit A holding circuit for inputting data and supplying image data for each group to the heaters constituting the m groups, and m groups and heaters from the selected data transfer circuit. And a selection data holding circuit for inputting a signal for selecting n heaters constituting each group and selecting a heater to be driven via a drive circuit, and the n heaters are opposed in a zigzag manner across the ink supply port. The selection data holding circuit selects one of the n heaters constituting each group.
[0050]
The n heaters have the same size and the same amount of ink ejected by the generated thermal energy, or have different sizes and have different amounts of ink ejected by the generated thermal energy. May be any of
[0051]
Note that the drive circuit is preferably formed of a DMOS transistor.
[0052]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0053]
In the present specification, “recording” (sometimes referred to as “printing”) refers not only to forming significant information such as characters and figures, but also to meaningless or insignificant human perception. Regardless of whether or not the image is exposed, a case where an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a recording medium or a case where the medium is processed is also described.
[0054]
In addition, the term “recording medium” refers to not only paper used in general recording devices, but also a wide range of materials that can accept ink, such as cloth, plastic films, metal plates, glass, ceramics, wood, and leather. Shall be.
[0055]
Further, “ink” (sometimes referred to as “liquid”) is to be interpreted broadly as in the definition of “recording (printing)”, and when applied on a recording medium, an image or pattern , Or a liquid that can be used for forming a pattern or the like, processing a recording medium, or processing ink (for example, coagulation or insolubilization of a colorant in ink applied to a recording medium).
[0056]
First, an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using the recording head according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of the inkjet recording apparatus with a cover removed.
[0057]
The carriage 11 has an ink jet recording head 12 and a cartridge guide 13 mounted thereon, and can be moved in a scanning direction along two guide shafts 14 and 15 by a motor (not shown). Further, as the position detecting means, for example, a scale provided with slits at predetermined intervals in a direction along the guide axis of the recording apparatus, and a sensor arranged at a position facing the carriage and detecting a reflection signal from this scale Is provided, and the position of the carriage in the scanning direction is detected.
[0058]
The recording paper 16 is nipped by a paper feed roller 17, a paper feed roller 18 and a paper pressing plate 19, and is conveyed to a recording area on the front surface of the ink jet recording head 12 by rotation of the paper feed roller 18 to perform recording.
[0059]
Two types of ink cartridges, a color ink cartridge 110 containing three color inks of yellow, magenta and cyan, and a black ink cartridge 111 containing black ink, are separately inserted into the cartridge guide 13. Then, it is connected to an inkjet recording head 12 having an ejection port array for each color.
[0060]
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the inkjet printer IJRA. In the figure showing a control circuit, 1700 is an interface for inputting a print signal, 1701 is an MPU, 1702 is a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 1701, and 1703 is various data (the print signal and print data supplied to the head). Etc.) are stored in the DRAM. A gate array (GA) 1704 controls supply of print data to the print head IJH, and also controls data transfer between the interface 1700, the MPU 1701, and the RAM 1703. Reference numeral 1710 denotes a carrier motor for transporting the recording head IJH, and reference numeral 1709 denotes a transport motor for transporting the recording paper. Reference numeral 1705 denotes a head driver for driving the recording head, and 1706 and 1707 denote motor drivers for driving the transport motor 1709 and the carrier motor 1710, respectively.
[0061]
The operation of the above control configuration will be described. When a print signal enters the interface 1700, the print signal is converted into print data between the gate array 1704 and the MPU 1701. Then, the motor drivers 1706 and 1707 are driven, and the recording head is driven in accordance with the recording data sent to the head driver 1705 to perform recording.
[0062]
In this example, the control program executed by the MPU 1701 is stored in the ROM 1702. However, an erasable / writable storage medium such as an EEPROM is further added, and the control program is changed from a host computer connected to the inkjet printer IJRA. It can be configured to be able to do so.
[0063]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the recording head according to the present invention will be described.
[0064]
First, as a premise, a so-called side shooter type of a recording head that discharges ink using thermal energy, which discharges ink droplets vertically above a surface on which a heater that generates thermal energy is formed, is used. An example of the ink jet recording head will be described. In this type of ink jet recording head, generally, ink supply accompanying ejection is performed from the back side of the substrate provided with the heater through an ink supply port penetrating the substrate.
[0065]
FIG. 26 is a top view of a side shooter-type substrate (element substrate) for an inkjet recording head, and shows a layout of each component.
[0066]
A logic circuit 801 for specifying print data distribution and a driving order of each heater, a plurality of heaters 802 and a driving circuit 804, an external connection terminal 803, and an ink supply port 805 are provided.
[0067]
The plurality of drive circuits 804 are provided corresponding to the plurality of heaters 802, respectively, and selectively drive the heaters 802 according to print data output from the logic circuit. The logic circuit 801 controls the drive state of each drive circuit 804 in accordance with a signal externally provided via the external connection terminal 802.
[0068]
The external connection terminal 803 is provided at an end of the substrate. The heaters 802 are provided independently of each other with the ink supply port 805 interposed therebetween.
In the following, for the sake of simplicity, one ejection port array provided for one type of ink will be described.
[0069]
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the first embodiment of the ink jet print head used in the above-described printing apparatus. Heating elements 124 (heaters) are provided corresponding to the flow paths communicating with the discharge ports 122, respectively. When a predetermined energy is applied to the heaters 124 by the head drive circuit, the film boiling in the ink is caused. , A foaming phenomenon occurs, and ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port 122.
[0070]
Note that the heater 124 is formed on the silicon substrate 121 by a method similar to the semiconductor process. Reference numeral 126 denotes an ink supply port for supplying ink from the back surface of the element substrate so as to supply ink to each ejection port.
[0071]
FIG. 2 shows the ejection port arrangement of the print head of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, in order to eject two large and small ink droplets of different sizes, an ejection port (large ejection port) 20 for ejecting ink droplets having a large ejection amount and an ejection port (large ejection port) for ejecting ink droplets having a small ejection amount ( (Small discharge ports) 21 are alternately arranged in a line at an interval of 1200 dpi. The total number of discharge ports is 32, and is 0 seg, 1 seg,..., 31 seg from the top. The ink ejection amount is about 5 pl for the ejection port 20 and about 2 pl for the ejection port 21.
[0072]
As described above, in the present embodiment, each ejection port array is provided with ejection ports (nozzles) that eject ink droplets having different sizes, and the ejection ports to be used for printing are selected according to the printing mode set by the user. For example, printing is performed using large ejection ports in the high-speed printing mode, and using small ejection ports in the high-quality printing mode. Further, it is also possible to print a multi-tone image by using both the ejection ports, for example, by an area gradation method or the like.
[0073]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a drive circuit for discharging ink droplets from the discharge ports of the recording head. After the select signal 30 is input to the selector 36, it is decoded and input to the AND gate 310 connected to each heat driver 311. The block data 31 is decoded from 2 bits to 4 bits by the 2TO4Decoder 37 and input to the AND gate 310. Further, a heat enable signal 32 for applying a heat pulse to each heater is also input to the AND gate 310.
[0074]
Further, in response to the data signal 34, the recording data is serially input to the 16-bit shift register 38 in synchronization with the clock 35, is held in the latch 39 at the timing when the latch trigger 33 is input, and is input to each AND gate. The same latch data is input to the set of heat drivers corresponding to the large and small ejection ports such as 0 seg, 1 seg, 2 seg, and 3 seg, and the large (even seg) or small (odd seg) Is selected.
[0075]
As described above, the heater driver 311 is selectively driven by the four signals input to each AND gate 310, a heat pulse is applied to the heater, and ink droplets are ejected from the corresponding ejection port.
[0076]
FIG. 4 shows the input / output characteristics of the 2TO4Decoder 37. As shown in the figure, according to the combination of the two input signals BE0 and BE1, one of the four output signals BLE0 to BLE3 is decoded so as to be "High (H)".
[0077]
FIG. 5 shows the input / output characteristics of the selector 36. As shown, one of SEL0 and SEL1 is output as "High" (H) in accordance with the state of the input select signal 30.
[0078]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing driving conditions of each seg. As illustrated, each seg is driven according to the state of the output signal (BLE) from the 2TO4Decoder 37 and the state of the output signal (SEL) from the selector 36. The print head of this embodiment is a four-block distributed drive, and has a configuration in which an even seg or an odd seg is selected by the SEL signal.
[0079]
FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the state of each signal in FIG. In synchronization with both rising and falling edges of the clock 35, recording data 0 to 15 are input to the shift register 38 by the data signal 34 and stored. At the timing 70 when the latch trigger 33 is input, 16-bit data stored in the shift register 38 is held (latched) by the latch 39.
[0080]
In a state where the data is latched, driving of the heaters for the print data 0 to 15 is sequentially performed. Specifically, first, since BE0 = BE1 = 0, BLE0 goes high and the select signal 30 goes high, so that four segs (1, 9, 17, 25) connected to BLE0 and SEL1 (odd seg) ), The heat enable 32 is applied at the timing 71.
[0081]
Next, BLE1, BLE2, and BLE3 are sequentially set to H by the combination of BE0 and BE1, and a heat enable is sequentially applied in units of four odd-numbered seg connected to SEL1, and the drive is performed according to 16 print data from 0 to 15. Is carried out.
[0082]
Here, the case where 16 odd-numbered segs are driven has been described, but if the select signal 30 is L, 16 even-numbered segs are driven in accordance with print data in the same manner as described above.
[0083]
While the print data 0 to 15 are being ejected, 16 print data A to P are stored in the shift register 38 from the data 34 in synchronization with the rise and fall of the clock 35.
[0084]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if the ejection port having a large ink ejection amount and the ejection port having a small ink ejection amount are arranged in one line, the shift is performed for 32 heaters. The number of bits of the register and the latch can be halved to 16 bits. Therefore, the area of the substrate such as silicon on which the heater and the drive circuit are formed can be reduced, and the cost of the recording head can be reduced.
[0085]
[Second embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the characteristic parts of the present embodiment.
[0086]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drive circuit of the print head of the present embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the state of each signal in FIG.
[0087]
The print head of this embodiment also has 32 ejection ports arranged in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the configuration of the drive circuit of FIG. 8 is substantially the same as that of the drive circuit of FIG. The 2TO4Decoder 87, AND gate 810, and heat driver 811 correspond to the selector 36, 2TO4Decoder 37, AND gate 310, and heat driver 311 in FIG. The input / output characteristics of the 2TO4Decoder, the input / output characteristics of the selector, and the driving conditions of each seg are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0088]
This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the number of bits of the shift register 88 and the latch 89 is reduced to 4 bits (16/4 blocks) driven at the same timing. That is, in the present embodiment, print data is input in units of 4 bits that are simultaneously driven.
[0089]
Referring to the timing chart of FIG. 9, first, print data 10 to 13 are input to the shift register 88 in synchronization with the rise and fall of the clock 85, latched by the latch 89 by the latch trigger 90, and latched. The heat enable 91 is applied to the four segments 1, 9, 17, and 25 connected to BLE0 and SEL1 based on the print data thus generated, and the heater is driven.
[0090]
In the meantime, the recording data of 20 to 23 is stored in the shift register 88, latched by the latch 89 by the next latch trigger, and heated to the four segments 3, 11, 19, and 27 connected to BLE1 and SEL1. The enable is applied to drive the heater. By repeating the above operation, four seg of 5, 13, 21 and 29 are driven by the recording data of 30 to 33, and four seg of 7, 15, 23 and 31 are driven by the recording data of 40 to 43.
[0091]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the number of bits of the shift register and the latch can be set to 4 for 32 heaters. Therefore, the area of the substrate such as silicon on which the heater and the drive circuit are formed can be further reduced, and the cost of the recording head can be reduced.
[0092]
[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the description of the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments will be omitted, and the description will focus on the characteristic parts of the present embodiment.
[0093]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drive circuit of the print head of the present embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the state of each signal in FIG.
[0094]
The print head of this embodiment also has 32 ejection ports arranged in the same manner as the first and second embodiments, and the configuration of the drive circuit of FIG. 10 is substantially the same as that of the second embodiment of FIG. Similarly, the 2TO4 decoder 107, the AND gate 1010, and the heat driver 1011 in FIG. 10 correspond to the 2TO4 decoder 87, the AND gate 810, and the heat driver 811 in FIG. The input / output characteristics of the 2TO4Decoder, the input / output characteristics of the selector, and the driving conditions of each seg are the same as in the first embodiment.
[0095]
This embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that a select (selection) signal (S1 to S4 in FIG. 11) is transferred to the print head as a part of the data signal 104. . For this reason, the shift register 108 and the latch 109 have a 5-bit configuration, and the output corresponding to the select signal among the outputs of the latch 109 is input to the selector 106.
[0096]
Referring to the timing chart of FIG. 11, the recording data of the select signals S1 and 10 to 13 is input to the 5-bit shift register 108 in synchronization with the rising and falling of the clock 105, and the 5-bit latch 109 is input by the latch trigger 110. , The select data and the recording data are latched. The select data S1 is input to the selector 106 and is decoded into SEL0 and SEL1.
[0097]
The block data BE0 and BE1 signals are decoded into BLE0 to BLE3 by the 2TO4 decoder 107. Then, the heat enable 111 is applied to the four segs connected to one of the decoder outputs BLE0 to BLE3 and the selector output SEL0 or SEL1, and the heater is driven.
[0098]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the number of bits of the shift register and the latch can be set to 5 bits for 32 heaters, and the number of signal lines can be reduced by using the select signal in common with the data signal. . Therefore, in addition to the effect of the second embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of contacts used for connecting the recording apparatus main body and the recording head, and to further reduce the cost of the recording head.
[0099]
In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the select signal is input prior to the image data has been described, but the configuration may be reversed. Further, the continuous transfer of the image data and the select signal may intersect a non-signal period.
[0100]
[Fourth embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the characteristic parts of the present embodiment.
[0101]
FIG. 12 shows a discharge port arrangement of the print head of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, in order to eject ink droplets of three sizes, large, medium, and small, an ejection opening 1200 that ejects an ink droplet having a large capacity, an ejection opening 1201 that ejects an ink droplet having an intermediate capacity, The ejection ports 1202 for ejecting ink droplets are sequentially arranged at 1200 dpi intervals. The total number of discharge ports is 48, and is 0 seg, 1 seg,..., 47 seg from the top. The ink ejection amount is about 10 pl for the ejection port 1200, about 5 pl for the ejection port 1201, and about 2 pl for the ejection port 1202.
[0102]
As described above, the present embodiment has three types of ejection ports for ejecting ink droplets of three sizes, large, medium, and small. Therefore, a 2-bit signal is used as a select signal for selecting the type of ejection port. . Therefore, the selector is configured to select any one of the three output signals SEL0 to SEL2 according to the state of the 2-bit select signal as in the input / output characteristics shown in FIG.
[0103]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating driving conditions for each seg according to the present embodiment. As shown, each seg is driven according to the state of the output signals (BLE0 to BLE3) from the 2TO4Decoder and the output signals (SEL0 to SEL2) from the selector. The print head of this embodiment is a four-block distributed drive, and has a configuration in which seg corresponding to the size (large, medium, or small) of an ink droplet ejected by the SEL signal is selected.
[0104]
The configuration of the drive circuit and the timing chart of each signal can be the same as those in any of the first to third embodiments, except for the part relating to the selector. For example, regarding the configuration of the drive circuit, the select signals 30 and 80 in FIGS. 3 and 8 of the first and second embodiments are each two, and the output signals from the selectors 36 and 86 are three. Further, in FIG. 10 of the third embodiment, each of the shift register 108 and the latch 109 has 6 bits, and the input to the selector 106 is two and the output is three.
[0105]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first to third embodiments, it is possible to control the ejection of three types of ink droplets having different capacities.
[0106]
[Fifth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the inkjet recording head of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the characteristic parts of the present embodiment.
[0107]
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head of the present embodiment is viewed from the ejection port side. The arrow in the drawing is the scanning direction of the recording head, and black, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink droplets are respectively ejected from four ejection opening arrays 1501 to 1504 arranged in the scanning direction. And a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction.
[0108]
The arrangement of the cyan, magenta, and yellow orifice arrays among the four orifice arrays is similar to that of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, and ejects two types of large and small ink droplets at a 1200 dpi pitch. The discharge ports are alternately arranged. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, in the arrangement of the black ejection port array, 16 ejection ports 1601 for ejecting 30 pl ink droplets are arranged at a pitch of 600 dpi.
[0109]
Here, the drive circuits of the cyan, magenta, and yellow ejection opening arrays and the timing charts of the signals thereof can be the same as those in any of the first and second embodiments. Note that the timing charts of the drive circuit of the black ejection port array and the signals thereof are the same as those shown in the first and second embodiments except for the portion related to the select signal.
[0110]
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating types of signals for each ejection port array when the print head of the present embodiment is driven based on the first or second embodiment. In the figure, “Non” indicates that a signal is unnecessary, and the same symbol indicates that the same signal is commonly used. That is, in this embodiment, the block data signals (BE0, BE1), the latch trigger signal, and the clock are common to all the ejection port arrays, and the select signal and the print data are separate signals for each ejection port. . The heat enable signal is different only for the black ejection port, and is common to the cyan, magenta, and yellow ejection ports.
[0111]
Further, the drive circuit of each ejection port array and the timing chart of its signals in this embodiment can be the same as those in the third embodiment. In this case, of the signals shown in FIG. 17, the select signal is unnecessary, and the data signal for each ejection port array includes data used by betting on the select signal.
[0112]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the size of the ink droplet used for recording can be individually set for each color, so that more optimal driving can be performed.
[0113]
[Sixth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a sixth embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the characteristic parts of the present embodiment.
[0114]
The print head of this embodiment is almost the same as the fifth embodiment, but differs in the type of signal for each ejection port array when driving the print head. That is, as shown in FIG. 18, when the print head of this embodiment is driven based on the first or second embodiment, a select signal is common to each ejection port array.
In this case, the size of the ink droplet used for printing cannot be set individually for each color as compared with the fifth embodiment, but the signal line between the printing apparatus main body and the print head cannot be set. Therefore, the number of contacts used for connecting the recording apparatus main body to the recording head can be reduced, and the cost of the recording head can be further reduced.
[0115]
<Embodiment 1 of Printhead Substrate>
Next, an embodiment of a printhead substrate according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0116]
FIG. 20 is a plan view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a substrate (element substrate) for an inkjet recording head according to the present invention.
[0117]
The embodiment shown in FIG. 20 includes a logic circuit 301, heaters (heating elements) 302 and 303, an external connection terminal 304, a drive circuit 305, and an ink supply port 306.
[0118]
In the configuration of the ink jet recording head, as described above, the ejection port is provided at a position facing each heater, and ink is supplied to the ejection port position via an ink flow path.
[0119]
The heaters 302 and 303 have different sizes, and have different sizes. Heating elements having different heat generation amounts and different ink discharge amounts when generating heat are opposed to each other across the ink supply port 306 and have different sizes. Are arranged on both sides of the ink supply port 306 so as to alternately form one row.
[0120]
The drive circuit 305 is provided so as to correspond to each of the heaters 302 and 303 individually. Each drive circuit 305 drives a corresponding drive element under the control of a logic circuit 301 that operates in response to a signal supplied from outside via an external connection terminal 304. Further, since the left and right logic circuits 301 are formed independently of the supply port, the left and right logic circuits can be used uniformly regardless of which heater is selected. Therefore, there is no need to route extra wiring, and the size can be reduced.
[0121]
In the present embodiment, the DMOS transistor shown in FIG. 29 is used as the drive circuit 305. As a result, the heaters 302 and 303 having different sizes can be arranged without increasing the substrate area because the arrangement density can be doubled as compared with the conventional arrangement. The logic circuit 301 performs control so that heaters having the same size are simultaneously driven. Therefore, adjacent heaters are not driven at the same time, and stable ejection is possible.
[0122]
FIG. 21 is a plan view showing specific wiring on the substrate of the present embodiment.
[0123]
Each of the heaters 103 provided on the substrate 101 has the heating resistors 302 and 303 shown in FIG. 20 and electrode wiring for supplying power thereto. One wiring of each heater 103 is electrically connected to one of the power supply potential common electrodes 104a, 104b, 104c, and 104d. The other wiring serving as a selection electrode is connected to a driving element 108 including a transistor or the like as a switching element, and the driving element 108 is connected to common electrodes 105a, 105b, 105c, and 105d on the ground (GND) side.
[0124]
With the circuit configuration connected from the power supply potential common electrodes 104a, 104b, 104c, and 104d in the order described above, each heater 103 can be selectively driven in accordance with print data to discharge ink from a corresponding discharge port. It becomes. Each of the power supply potential common electrodes 104a, 104b, 104c, 104d and the electrodes 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d is connected to the electrode pad 107, whereby each can be connected to the device power supply and the ground circuit. The electrodes 105a, 105b, 105c, and 105d on the ground side are determined so that their wiring resistances are equal between the power supply potential common electrodes.
[0125]
Therefore, the heaters 103 having different sizes are arranged at positions sandwiching the supply port 102 (the ink supply port 306 in FIG. 20). However, no matter which heater 103 is selected, the wiring to be used is not biased. For this reason, it is possible to cope with a voltage drop when the wiring is turned on at the same time without increasing the wiring width, thereby enabling downsizing.
[0126]
FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration including the logic circuit 301, the driving circuit, and the heater shown in FIG.
[0127]
The circuit shown in FIG. 22 includes a heater drive signal input terminal 401, a clock (CLK) input terminal 402, a data input terminal 403, a selection circuit 404, a latch signal input terminal 405, a heater voltage input terminal 406, a drive circuit 407, and selected data. It comprises a transfer circuit 408, a selected data holding circuit 409, a decoder 410, a data transfer circuit 411, a holding circuit 412, and heaters A and B.
[0128]
The heaters A and B are the heaters 302 and 303 shown in FIG. 20, and m groups are provided as one group of 2 (n) types of heaters A and B. A drive circuit 407 and an AND circuit are provided for each of the heaters A and B in the group, and the drive circuit 407 drives the heaters according to the output of the AND circuit.
[0129]
In the present embodiment, the group and type of the heater are selected and the image is recorded based on the data input to the data input terminal 403. With respect to the data input to the data input terminal 403, the selected data transfer circuit 409 outputs data for selecting a heater group to the decoder 410, and outputs data for selecting a heater type to the selection circuit 4040. Data for recording an image is output to the data transfer circuit 411.
[0130]
The holding circuit 412 and the data transfer circuit 411 are common to the heaters A and B. Switching between the heaters A and B is determined by the data input to the selected data transfer circuit 408 via the data input terminal 403, and Selected.
[0131]
In FIG. 22, the heater driving power is the power supplied to the heater voltage input terminal 406. The heater drive power supply is connected to the ends of all the heaters A and B in the groups S (1) to S (m) via common wiring. Further, the data transfer circuit 411 receives serial image data corresponding to each of the groups S (1), S (2),..., S (m) input from the data input terminal 403 via the selected data transfer circuit 408. A signal and a clock input signal for driving the data transfer circuit input from the clock input terminal 402 via the selected data transfer circuit 408 are input, and the image data is output to the holding circuit 412 as a parallel signal.
[0132]
The latch signal is input to the holding circuit 412 via the latch signal input terminal 405, the image data input from the data transfer circuit 411 is temporarily stored, and then the corresponding group S (1), S (2),. , S (m).
[0133]
The drive pulse signal input to the heater drive signal input terminal 401 is input to each of the heaters A and B in the groups S (1) to S (m).
[0134]
As described above, the data input from the data input terminal 403 to the selected data transfer circuit 408 includes selection of the group and type of the heater to be driven together with the image data input signal. In the present embodiment, the 5-bit signal is used. Is output to the selection data holding circuit 409. The selection data holding circuit 409 outputs a 4-bit signal indicating a group to be driven among the input 5-bit signals to the decoder 410, and outputs a 1-bit signal indicating the type of heater to be driven to the selection circuit 404. .
[0135]
The output terminal of the decoder 410 is divided and connected to each of the AND circuits for each of the groups S (1) to S (m), and determines the group to be connected according to the input 4-bit signal. The selection circuit 404 selects the type of heater constituting each group, or one of the heaters A and B in the case of the present embodiment, and one output outputs the input 1-bit signal. The signal is directly output to an AND circuit provided for heater A, and the other output is obtained by inverting the input 1-bit signal via an inverter and outputting the inverted signal to an AND circuit provided for heater B. Therefore, the heaters A and B are not selected at the same time, and only one of them is selected.
[0136]
In the present embodiment configured as described above, the group and type of the heater are selected and the image is recorded based on the data input to the data input terminal 403. This makes it possible to provide an ink jet recording head substrate that can obtain high gradation without increasing the number of input terminals from the related art.
[0137]
In the present embodiment, the case has been described in which the heaters constituting each group have different sizes, but heaters having the same size may be used. In such a case, non-ejection can be complemented such that when ink cannot be ejected from one heater, the other is used.
[0138]
<Second Embodiment of Printhead Substrate>
Next, a second embodiment of the substrate for an inkjet recording head according to the present invention will be described.
[0139]
In the present embodiment, the circuit configuration of the logic circuit 301 shown in FIG. 20 is different from that of the above embodiment, and FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration together with a drive circuit and a heater.
[0140]
In the present embodiment, the number of types of heaters in FIG. 22 is set to 2 or more and n types, and a substrate for an ink jet recording head capable of obtaining higher gradation characteristics is provided.
[0141]
23, a heater drive signal input terminal 501, a clock (CLK) input terminal 502, a data input terminal 503, a latch signal input terminal 505, a heater voltage input terminal 506, a drive circuit 507, and a selected data transfer circuit 508. , The selected data holding circuit 509, the decoder 510, the data transfer circuit 511, and the holding circuit 512 are respectively a heater drive signal input terminal 401, a clock (CLK) input terminal 402, a data input terminal 403, and a latch signal input shown in FIG. These are the same as the terminal 405, the heater voltage input terminal 406, the drive circuit 407, the selected data transfer circuit 408, the selected data holding circuit 409, the decoder 410, the data transfer circuit 411, and the holding circuit 412.
[0142]
In the present embodiment, the number of heaters is 2 or more and n types. Accordingly, among the data input to the data input terminal 503, the signal for selecting the group and type of the heater to be driven is 4 + n bits. It has been. The selected data transfer circuit 508 outputs the 4 + n-bit signal to the selected data holding circuit 509, and the selected data holding circuit 509 outputs a 4-bit signal indicating a group to be driven to the decoder 510 among the input 4 + n-bit signals. The type of heater to be driven is recognized based on the n-bit signal indicating the type of heater to be output, and the output to an AND circuit provided for that type of heater is activated.
[0143]
In the present embodiment configured as described above, the number of types of heaters has been increased, so that it is possible to select a larger ejection amount, and to achieve higher gradation.
[0144]
Further, regarding the arrangement of n types of heaters, the same type of heaters are arranged in a staggered manner with the ink supply port interposed therebetween. Thus, as described above, even if any type of heater is selected, Since there is no bias in the wiring used, it is possible to cope with a voltage drop when the wiring is turned on at the same time, and it is possible to reduce the size.
[0145]
<Configuration of inkjet recording head>
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an inkjet recording head manufactured using the inkjet recording head substrate shown in FIGS.
[0146]
Electricity is generated on the element substrate 52 which is the substrate for the ink jet recording head shown in FIGS. 20 to 23 by generating heat by flowing an electric current and discharging ink from the discharge port 53 by bubbles generated by the heat. Heat conversion elements (heaters) 41 are arranged in a plurality of rows. Each of the electrothermal transducers is provided with a wiring electrode 54, and one end of the wiring electrode 54 is electrically connected to the switching element 42 described above. A flow path 55 for supplying ink to a discharge port 53 provided at a position facing the electrothermal transducer 41 is provided corresponding to each discharge square 53. The walls forming the discharge ports 53 and the flow path 55 are provided in the grooved member 56. By connecting these grooved members 56 to the above-described element substrate 52, the flow path 55 and the plurality of flow paths are formed. A common liquid chamber 57 (ink supply port) for supplying ink is provided.
[0147]
FIG. 25 shows a structure of an ink jet head incorporating the element substrate 52 which is the substrate for the ink jet recording head shown in FIGS. 20 to 23. The element base 52 is incorporated in a frame 58. A member 56 forming the discharge port 53 and the flow path 55 shown in FIG. Further, a contact pad 59 for receiving an electric signal from the apparatus side is provided, and an electric signal serving as various drive signals is supplied from the controller of the apparatus body to the element base 52 via the flexible printed wiring board 60. Is done.
[0148]
The ink jet recording head described above can be suitably used for the ink jet printer described above with reference to FIGS. 1A and 19.
[0149]
[Other embodiments]
Although the above embodiments have been described by taking as an example an ink jet recording head that performs recording in accordance with an ink jet system and a recording apparatus that uses the recording head, the present invention relates to a recording head other than the ink jet system and a recording apparatus that uses the recording head. Also applicable to
[0150]
In this case, the size of the ink droplet in the above embodiment corresponds to the size of the recording element (dot) to be recorded, and the ejection port (nozzle) or seg corresponds to the recording element in each recording head. The term corresponds to driving.
[0151]
Further, the recording method is not limited to the serial method exemplified in the above embodiment, and the recording head has a recording element array having a length corresponding to the width of the recording area, and the recording medium is arranged with respect to the recording head. The present invention can also be applied to a recording apparatus that employs a so-called full-line recording method in which recording is performed by relatively moving the recording medium.
[0152]
The above-described embodiment includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for causing ink to be ejected, particularly in an ink jet recording system. By using a method that causes a change in the state, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.
[0153]
Regarding the typical configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). Applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling, to generate heat energy in the electrothermal transducer, thereby causing the recording head to emit heat energy. This is effective in that film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the liquid, and as a result, air bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed.
[0154]
By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is in a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.
[0155]
As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.
[0156]
As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid flow path or the right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting surface The configurations described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose the configuration in which the is bent, are also included in the present invention.
[0157]
In addition, not only the cartridge-type recording head in which the ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, but also the electrical connection with the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip-type recording head that can supply ink from the apparatus main body may be used.
[0158]
Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above, since the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.
[0159]
Further, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, and may be a printing head integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The device may be provided with at least one of the full colors.
[0160]
【The invention's effect】
According to the inkjet recording head and the inkjet recording head driving method of the present application, it is possible to reduce the price of an inkjet recording head having a plurality of types of recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts, and to facilitate the drive control thereof. it can.
[0161]
Further, according to the substrate for an ink jet recording head of the present invention, it is possible to realize a substrate for an ink jet recording head capable of obtaining high gradation without increasing the size.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording head of the present invention.
FIG. 1B is a schematic view illustrating the structure of an inkjet recording head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of ejection ports of the print head according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a drive circuit of the recording head according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating input / output characteristics of the decoder of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating input / output characteristics of the selector of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating driving conditions of each seg of the recording head according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing states of respective signals of the circuit of FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a drive circuit of a print head according to a second embodiment.
9 is a timing chart showing the state of each signal in the circuit of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a drive circuit of a print head according to a third embodiment.
11 is a timing chart showing the state of each signal of the circuit of FIG.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of ejection ports of a print head according to a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating input / output characteristics of a selector according to a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating driving conditions of each seg of the recording head according to the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an array of ejection port arrays of a print head according to a fifth embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of black ejection ports of a print head according to a fifth embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating types of signals for each ejection port array of the print head according to the fifth embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating types of signals for each ejection port array of the print head according to the sixth embodiment.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the printing apparatus of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a configuration of an embodiment of an inkjet recording head substrate according to the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a plan view showing specific wiring on the substrate of the embodiment shown in FIG. 20;
FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of the logic circuit 301 shown in FIG. 20, together with a drive circuit and a heater.
FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of another embodiment of the substrate for an inkjet recording head of the present invention, together with a drive circuit and a heater.
FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording head manufactured using the inkjet recording head substrate shown in FIGS. 20 to 23;
FIG. 25 is a view showing a structure of an ink jet head incorporating the element substrate 52 which is a substrate for the ink jet recording head shown in FIGS. 20 to 23.
FIG. 26 is a top view of a side shooter type ink jet recording head.
FIG. 27 is a circuit diagram of a conventional example.
FIG. 28 is a schematic sectional view showing a part of a recording head having a conventional configuration.
FIG. 29 is a schematic sectional view showing a part of a recording head having a conventional configuration.

Claims (26)

An ink jet recording head having a recording element row in which first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts are arranged in the same direction in a predetermined direction,
Storage means for sequentially storing recording data input serially,
Holding means for holding the recording data stored in the storage means,
A drive control circuit that drives each print element in accordance with a selection signal indicating which of the first and second print elements is to be driven, the print data held in the holding unit, and a drive signal indicating a drive period; , And
An ink jet print head, wherein the print data is input to one of the first and second print elements. The first and second print elements are alternately arranged in the same number in the print element row, and one print data is input to a pair composed of adjacent first and second print elements. The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording head is configured as follows. The first and second printing elements are configured to be divided into a plurality of blocks by the same number and driven, and the print data is input to each block, and the drive control circuit includes the selection signal, 3. The ink jet print head according to claim 1, wherein each print element is driven in accordance with the held print data, the drive signal, and a block signal specifying a block to be driven. 4. The inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the selection signal is serially input to the print data and separated from an output of the holding unit. 5. head. The ink jet recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recording element rows are provided for at least two colors so that color recording using a plurality of colors is possible. The ink jet recording head according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of colors include cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. 7. The ink jet recording head according to claim 5, wherein the selection signal is separately input to the at least two recording element arrays. 7. The ink jet print head according to claim 5, wherein the selection signal is commonly input to the at least two print element arrays. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording element performs recording using thermal energy. A method for driving an ink jet recording head having a recording element array in which first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts are arranged in the same direction in a predetermined direction,
A data input step of serially inputting print data for any of the first and second print elements;
A storage step of sequentially storing input recording data,
A holding step of holding the stored recording data,
A selection step of inputting a selection signal indicating which of the first and second recording elements is to be driven;
A drive designation step of inputting a drive signal indicating a drive period,
A drive control step of driving each print element in accordance with the held print data, the selection signal, and the drive signal. The first and second printing elements are alternately arranged in the same number in the printing element row, and in the data input step, one for each pair formed of the adjacent first and second printing elements. The method for driving an ink jet print head according to claim 10, wherein print data is input. A division step of dividing the first and second recording elements into a plurality of blocks by the same number, and a block designation step of inputting a block signal designating a block to be driven;
In the data input step, the print data is input to each block, and in the drive control step, each print element is set in accordance with the selection signal, the held print data, the drive signal, and the block signal. The method according to claim 10, wherein the inkjet recording head is driven. 13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, in the data input step, a step of serially inputting the selection signal to the recording data and separating the selection signal from the held recording data. A method for driving an ink jet recording head according to any one of the preceding claims. The recording head has the recording element arrays for at least two colors so that color recording using a plurality of colors is possible, and in the selecting step, the selection signal is transmitted to the at least two recording colors. 14. The method of driving an ink jet recording head according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the input is separately input to an element row. The recording head has the recording element arrays for at least two colors so that color recording using a plurality of colors is possible, and in the selecting step, the selection signal is transmitted to the at least two recording colors. 14. The method of driving an ink jet recording head according to claim 10, wherein a common input is made to an element row. An ink jet recording head having first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts,
Storage means for sequentially storing recording data input serially,
Holding means for holding the recording data stored in the storage means,
A drive control circuit that drives each print element in accordance with a selection signal indicating which of the first and second print elements is to be driven, the print data held in the holding unit, and a drive signal indicating a drive period; , And
An inkjet printhead comprising: a signal line to which the print data and the selection signal are serially input. 17. The ink jet print head according to claim 16, wherein print data is serially input to the signal line following the selection signal. 18. The inkjet recording according to claim 17, wherein the recording data is configured such that data for one of the first and second recording elements is inputted per one input. head. What is claimed is: 1. A method for driving an ink jet recording head having first and second recording elements having relatively different ink ejection amounts,
A storage step of sequentially storing recording data input in serial,
A holding step of holding the stored recording data;
Inputting a selection signal indicating which of the first and second recording elements is to be driven;
A driving control step of driving each recording element in accordance with the held recording data and a driving signal indicating a driving period,
A method for driving an ink jet print head, wherein the print data and the selection signal are serially input from the same signal line. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein print data is serially input to the signal line following the selection signal. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the print data is input to one of the first and second print elements for each input. A substrate for an ink jet recording head that includes a plurality of heaters and discharges ink using generated thermal energy,
The heaters are divided into m groups of n heaters,
M × n driving circuits provided corresponding to each heater for driving each heater;
A selection data transfer circuit that divides the input data into image data for driving the m heaters and a signal for selecting the m groups and the n heaters forming each group;
A holding circuit that inputs image data for driving m heaters from the selected data transfer circuit, and supplies image data for each group to heaters constituting each of the m heaters;
A selection data holding circuit that inputs a signal for selecting the m groups and the n heaters included in each group from the selection data transfer circuit, and selects the heater to be driven via the drive circuit,
The n heaters are arranged in a staggered manner across the ink supply port, and the selection data holding circuit selects one of the n heaters forming each group. Substrate for inkjet recording head. 23. The substrate according to claim 22, wherein the n heaters have the same size and the same amount of ink ejected by the generated thermal energy. 23. The substrate according to claim 22, wherein the n heaters have different sizes and different amounts of ink ejected due to generated thermal energy. 25. The substrate for an ink jet recording head according to claim 22, wherein the driving circuit is configured by a DMOS transistor. An inkjet recording head using the inkjet recording head substrate according to any one of claims 22 to 25.

Images