JP2020023077A - Element substrate, recording head, and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To arrange a memory and a temperature detection sensor while suppressing a size increase in an element substrate.SOLUTION: Power for reading and writing information is supplied to a memory, power for temperature detection is supplied to a sensor for detecting temperature, and further, a wiring and a terminal for outputting the temperature information from the sensor are made common. Also, the power for reading and writing information is supplied to the memory, a wiring and a terminal for supplying power for temperature detection to the sensor for detecting temperature are made common, and a wiring and a terminal for outputting the temperature information from the sensor are independently provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an element substrate, a recording head, and a recording apparatus, and more particularly to, for example, an element substrate including a temperature sensor, a recording head using the element substrate, and a recording apparatus using the recording head.

  In an element substrate mounted on a conventional recording head, a Poly fuse memory is known as an OTP (One Time Programmable) ROM for recording unique information such as a product ID and setting parameters inside the head. The Poly fuse memory uses Poly silicon for forming a gate wiring and a resistance element of a transistor, and has an advantage that a memory can be formed on an element substrate without adding any process to an existing semiconductor manufacturing process. .

  In recent years, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163,086 discloses a memory that can be made smaller in memory module as compared with a Poly fuse memory and can be created without adding a new process using a conventional semiconductor manufacturing process. Fuse memories are known. In this method, a gate oxide film of a MOS transistor is formed as a memory, and an overvoltage is applied to the gate oxide film and short-circuited to use the characteristic change as a memory.

  On the other hand, the print head has a close relationship between the temperature, the ink droplet diameter, the ejection speed, etc., which affects the image density and affects the print quality. Temperature detection plays an important role. Therefore, as a temperature detection module provided on an element substrate of a recording head, a diode sensor or the like that can be formed on a silicon substrate by a semiconductor manufacturing process is used.

  By the way, the output voltage when a constant current is supplied to the diode sensor for detecting the temperature decreases because the voltage drop in the wiring increases as the wiring resistance increases. As a result, the temperature detection accuracy decreases.

  For this reason, in order to improve the temperature detection accuracy by the diode sensor, it is necessary to minimize the influence of the wiring resistance. Conventionally, when measuring using a terminal that also serves as a constant current supply to the diode sensor for temperature detection and voltage monitoring, the wiring width to that terminal is made as large as possible, and the wiring resistance is made as small as possible. There is a way to do that.

JP 2014-0558130 A

  However, the above conventional example has a problem that a large wiring area is required on the element substrate. Therefore, as another configuration for minimizing the influence of wiring resistance, a configuration in which a constant current supply terminal for temperature detection and a terminal for monitoring the voltage near the diode are separately provided can be considered. Another problem occurs in that the number of terminals provided on the element substrate increases. As described above, in any measurement, there is a problem that an attempt to measure the temperature with high accuracy using the diode sensor causes an increase in the size of the element substrate due to an increase in the wiring area and the number of terminals.

  In particular, when a diode sensor is arranged near the center of a printing element array formed by arranging a plurality of printing elements on an element substrate, the wiring from the input / output terminal to the diode sensor is long for electrical connection. Since it is necessary to crawl the distance, the above problem becomes more remarkable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example, and has an element substrate including a sensor capable of performing temperature detection with high accuracy while reducing the size, a recording head using the element substrate, and a recording head using the element substrate. It is an object to provide a recording device used.

  In order to achieve the above object, an element substrate according to the present invention has the following configuration.

  That is, an element substrate including a plurality of recording elements, a memory capable of reading and writing information, and a sensor for detecting temperature, an electric power for reading and writing information in and from the memory, and a sensor for detecting temperature in the sensor. A first terminal for supplying power for the power supply and outputting temperature information from the sensor, and a first wiring connecting the memory and the sensor to the first terminal. And

  Alternatively, an element substrate including a plurality of recording elements, a memory capable of reading and writing information, and a sensor for detecting temperature, a power for reading and writing information from and to the memory, Terminal for supplying power for the first and second terminals for outputting temperature information from the sensor, and connected to the first terminal for supplying power to the memory and the sensor. And a second wiring connecting the sensor to the second terminal.

  According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a recording head including the element substrate having the above-described configuration.

  According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a recording apparatus including the recording head.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the temperature can be detected with high accuracy while reducing the size of the element substrate. Thus, high-quality recording can be achieved by performing recording with a recording head using this element substrate.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus that is a typical embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a head holder. It is an exploded perspective view of a head holder. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view for explaining a configuration of a recording head. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a layout configuration of a head substrate according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a detailed configuration of a main part of the head substrate according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of a memory module mounted on a head substrate. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a layout configuration of a head substrate according to a second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a detailed configuration of a main part of a head substrate according to a second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In this specification, “recording” (also referred to as “print”) means not only forming significant information such as characters and figures, but also meaningless. Furthermore, regardless of whether or not the image is visualized so that a human can perceive it visually, it is also assumed that an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a recording medium or a medium is processed.

  In addition, the term “recording medium” refers to not only paper used in general recording apparatuses, but also broadly those that can accept ink, such as cloth, plastic films, metal plates, glass, ceramics, wood, and leather. Shall be.

  Further, “ink” (sometimes referred to as “liquid”) is to be widely interpreted similarly to the definition of “recording (printing)”. Therefore, by being applied on the recording medium, it is used for forming an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, processing the recording medium, or processing ink (for example, solidifying or insolubilizing a coloring material in the ink applied to the recording medium). Shall represent liquids that can be used.

  Further, the “recording element (or nozzle)” generally refers to an ejection port, a liquid path communicating with the ejection port, and an element that generates energy used for ink ejection, unless otherwise specified.

  An element substrate (head substrate) for a recording head used below does not indicate a simple substrate made of a silicon semiconductor, but indicates a configuration provided with each element, wiring, and the like.

  Further, the term “on the substrate” refers not only to the top of the element substrate but also to the surface of the element substrate and the inside of the element substrate near the surface. The term "built-in" as used in the present invention is not a word indicating that the individual elements are simply arranged as separate elements on the surface of the base, but the elements are manufactured in a semiconductor circuit. This indicates that the device is integrally formed and manufactured on an element plate by a process or the like.

<Description of inkjet recording apparatus (FIG. 1)>
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 1 which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter, a recording apparatus) has an ink jet recording head (hereinafter, a recording head) 3 which performs recording by discharging ink according to an ink jet system mounted on a carriage 2, and the carriage 2 has an arrow A. The recording is performed by reciprocating in the direction. A recording medium P such as recording paper is fed through a paper feeding mechanism 5 and conveyed to a recording position, where recording is performed by discharging ink onto the recording medium P from the recording head 3 at the recording position.

  The recording head 1 is mounted not only on the carriage 2 of the recording apparatus 1 but also with an ink cartridge 6 for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head 3. The ink cartridge 6 is detachable from the carriage 2.

  The printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is capable of performing color printing. Therefore, the carriage 2 has four carriages containing magenta (M), cyan (C), yellow (Y), and black (K) inks, respectively. Equipped with an ink cartridge. These four ink cartridges are independently detachable.

  The recording head 3 of this embodiment employs an ink-jet method of discharging ink using thermal energy. Therefore, an electrothermal converter is provided. The electrothermal transducers are provided corresponding to the respective ejection ports, and discharge ink from the corresponding ejection ports by applying a pulse voltage to the corresponding electrothermal transducer in accordance with a recording signal.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the recording head 3 and the ink cartridge 6 are separated, but a head cartridge in which the recording head and the ink cartridge are integrated may be used.

<Control configuration of inkjet recording apparatus (FIG. 2)>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the printing apparatus shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 600 includes an MPU 601, a ROM 602, a special-purpose integrated circuit (ASIC) 603, a RAM 604, a system bus 605, an A / D converter 606, and the like. Here, the ROM 602 stores a program corresponding to a control sequence described later, a required table, and other fixed data. The ASIC 603 generates control signals for controlling the carriage motor M1, controlling the transport motor M2, and controlling the recording head 3. The RAM 604 is used as a development area for image data, a work area for executing programs, and the like. A system bus 605 interconnects the MPU 601, the ASIC 603, and the RAM 604 to exchange data. The A / D converter 606 inputs an analog signal from a sensor group described below, performs A / D conversion, and supplies a digital signal to the MPU 601.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 610 denotes a computer (or a reader for reading images, a digital camera, or the like) serving as a supply source of image data, and is generally called a host device. Image data, commands, status signals, and the like are transmitted and received between the host device 610 and the recording device 1 via an interface (I / F) 611. This image data is input, for example, in a raster format.

  A switch group 620 includes a power switch 621, a print switch 622, a recovery switch 623, and the like.

  A sensor group 630 for detecting the state of the apparatus includes a position sensor 631, a temperature sensor 632, and the like.

  Reference numeral 640 denotes a carriage motor driver for driving a carriage motor M1 for reciprocally scanning the carriage 2 in the direction of arrow A, and reference numeral 642 denotes a transport motor driver for driving a transport motor M2 for transporting the recording medium P. Reference numeral 644 denotes a head driver that drives the print head based on print data and control signals transferred from the controller 600.

  The ASIC 603 transfers data for driving a print element (ejection heater) to the print head while directly accessing the storage area of the RAM 604 during print scan by the print head 3.

  Then, the power supply device 100 supplies power to the controller 600. Further, the power supply device 100 can supply power required for the operation of each unit of the device such as each driver, each motor, the recording head, the sensor group, the switch group, and each mechanism unit.

<Configuration of Recording Head (FIGS. 3 to 5)>
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the head holder.

  The recording head 3 is incorporated in a head holder 30 as shown in FIG. 3, and the head holder 30 is mounted on the carriage 2 separately from the ink tank mounted on the recording apparatus.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the head holder. The head holder 30 includes the recording head 3, a head fixing section 1200, an electric wiring tape 1300, and an ink tank holding section 1500.

  Hereinafter, the components of the recording head 3 will be described in detail.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, four ink cartridges each containing YMCK ink are mounted on the ink tank holding unit 1500. For this reason, the recording head 3 is formed with four ink supply ports for ejecting four color inks. Here, for simplicity of description, one ink supply port for ejecting one color ink is formed. The configuration described above will be described as an example.

  The recording head 3 includes an element substrate provided with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for causing ink to cause film boiling in response to an electric signal. The recording head 3 is arranged so that the electrothermal transducer and the ink ejection port face each other.

  FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view for explaining the configuration of the recording head 3.

  The recording head 3 has, for example, a head substrate 400 in which an ink supply port 408 that is a through-hole for flowing ink from the back surface of the substrate is formed on a 0.5 mm to 1 mm thick Si (silicon) substrate. I have.

  On the head substrate 400, on both sides of the ink supply port 408, electrothermal transducers (recording elements) Rh are arranged along the ink supply port 408 (in this embodiment, one side is provided on both sides of the ink supply port). Arranged side by side). Further, electric wiring (not shown) made of aluminum (Al) or the like for supplying electric power to the electrothermal conversion element Rh is arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance from the ink supply port 408. The electrothermal transducer Rh and the electric wiring can be formed by using an existing film forming technique (for example, photolithography technique).

  In addition, the head substrate 400 has an electrode portion (connection terminal) 1104 for supplying electric power to the electric wiring and supplying an electric signal for driving the electrothermal conversion element Rh, to the electrothermal conversion element Rh. The rows are arranged along the sides located on both ends. Each electrode portion 1104 may be formed with a bump 1105 made of Au or the like.

  On the surface of the head substrate 400, a structure made of a resin material constituting an ink flow path is formed by photolithography technology corresponding to the electrothermal transducer Rh. This structure has an ink flow path wall 1106 that divides each ink flow path, and a ceiling that covers the ink flow path wall 1106, and a discharge port 1107 is opened in the ceiling. The discharge ports 1107 are provided to face each of the electrothermal transducers Rh, thereby forming a discharge port group 1108. Thus, a recording element that ejects ink is configured.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, as described above, a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements (recording elements) Rh are arranged along the ink supply port 408 on both sides of the ink supply port 408 to form a recording element row. Further, ejection ports are formed corresponding to the respective printing elements. In this embodiment, the recording elements on both sides of the ink supply port 408 are arranged at a pitch of 600 dpi, and the recording elements on the opposite side are arranged with a shift of ピ ッ チ pitch from the recording elements on one side. Therefore, printing can be performed at a resolution of 1200 dpi in the direction of the printing element array by the printing elements on both sides.

  In the recording head H1100 configured as described above, the ink supplied from the ink supply port 408 is supplied to the ejection port facing each electrothermal conversion element Rh by the pressure of the bubbles generated by the heat generated by each electrothermal conversion element Rh. Discharged from 1107.

  Next, an embodiment of the configuration of the head substrate incorporated in the recording head 3 in the above configuration will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a layout configuration of the head substrate according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ink supply ports 408 are formed in the long side direction of the head substrate 400, and the ejection modules 204 are arranged in two rows on both sides along the ink supply ports 408. The memory modules 206 are arranged on one side along the ink supply port 408. Similarly, a common logic bus line 402 is arranged on one side along the ink supply port 408. Further, a temperature detection module 208 is arranged between the plurality of memory modules 206.

  FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a detailed configuration of a main part of the head substrate according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ejection module 204 includes a printing element Rh, a driving element (DMOS transistor) 204a for driving the printing element Rh, and a selection circuit (AND circuit) 204b for selecting the printing element. By driving the recording element Rh, that is, by applying heat to the recording element Rh to generate heat, ink is ejected and recording can be performed.

  The memory module 206 includes an anti-fuse element AF, a resistance element Rp, a drive element 206a for writing information to the anti-fuse element AF, and a selection circuit (AND circuit) 206b for selecting the anti-fuse element AF. The selection circuit 204b and the selection circuit 206b are connected to the common logic bus wiring 402, and further connected to the control data supply circuit 201, and the ejection bus 204 and the memory module 206 share the logic bus wiring 402. The anti-fuse element AF holds information in a fixed manner when an overvoltage is applied, that is, functions as a memory that can be programmed only once. The drive element 206a is controlled by a logical data signal from the control data supply circuit 201.

  The temperature detection module 208 is a diode sensor including a diode element that operates as the temperature detection element DI, and is disposed near a central portion in a module row including a plurality of memory modules 206.

  The control data supply circuit 201 includes, for example, a shift register and a latch circuit (not shown). The control data supply circuit 201 receives logic data signals such as a clock signal CLK, an image data signal DATA, a latch signal LT, and a print element control signal HE from the main body of the printing apparatus. A power supply voltage VDD (for example, 3 to 5 V) is supplied to the selection circuits 204b / 206b and the control data supply circuit 201 as a logic power supply voltage.

  Here, the control data supply circuit 201 controls the ejection modules 204 for each of the m groups each having n ejection modules 204 to perform time-division driving control of the recording element Rh. More specifically, the ejection element 204 receives at least one bit of the block selection signal 202, at least one bit of the time division selection signal 203, and at least one bit of the switching signal 205, so that the recording element Rh Is time-divisionally controlled. The block selection signal 202 is output from the control data supply circuit 201 by m bits. The time division selection signal 203 is output from the control data supply circuit 201 for n bits. The control signal supply circuit 201 outputs at least one bit of the switching signal 205.

  Further, the control data supply circuit 201 controls the memory modules 206 for each of the y groups each having x memory modules 206 to perform time-division driving control of the anti-fuse element AF. More specifically, the memory module 206 receives at least one bit of each of the block selection signal 202, the time division selection signal 203, and the switching signal 205, so that the antifuse element AF is time division controlled. At this time, the ejection module 204 and the memory module 206 are exclusively driven by the switching signal 205, so that all the recording elements Rh and all the anti-fuse elements AF are not driven at the same time.

  The corresponding block selection signal 202, time-division selection signal 203, and switching signal 205 are input to the selection circuit 204b. The driving element 204a is turned on in response to the input signal, and the recording element Rh connected in series with the driving element 204a is driven. As the driving element 204a, a DMOS transistor (Double-diffused MOSFET) which is a high-voltage MOS transistor is used.

  Here, a power supply voltage VH (for example, 24 V) is supplied to the ejection module 204 as a power supply voltage for driving the printing element, and a ground potential is set to GNDH. As described above, the head substrate 400 includes the driving unit (corresponding to the ejection module 204) including the recording element and the driving element for driving the recording element, and the logic unit (corresponding to the control data supply circuit 201) for controlling the driving unit. Including. In general, a substrate in which a transistor for high withstand voltage and a normal transistor coexist is used for the driving unit to operate at a higher voltage than the logic unit.

  The corresponding block selection signal 202, time-division selection signal 203, and switching signal 205 are also input to the selection circuit 206b. A signal corresponding to the input signal is output to the driving element 206a, and the driving element 206a is switched between a conductive state and a non-conductive state. As the driving element 204a, a DMOS transistor is used for the driving element 206a. The selection circuit 206b is configured by a MOS transistor. A power supply voltage VID (for example, 24 V) for writing information to the anti-fuse element AF is supplied to the memory module 206, and the ground potential is set to GNDH.

  The power supply voltage VID and the power supply voltage VH are independent power supply lines. Which information is written to the anti-fuse element AF of which memory module 206 is determined by the block selection signal 202, the time-division selection signal 203, and the switching signal 205 according to the signals CLK, DATA, LT, and HE.

  Referring again to FIG. 6, the power supply side of the ejection module 204 is connected to the VH wiring 410, the ground potential side is connected to the GNDH wiring 411, and a via 4022 is commonly provided for each module row constituting the plurality of ejection modules 204. It is electrically connected to another layer via the same. The read / write power supply side of the memory module 206 is electrically connected to the VID / DIA wiring 412, and the ground potential side is commonly connected to the GNDH wiring 411 via a via 4022 to another layer. The anode side of the diode sensor of the temperature detection module 208 is electrically connected to the VID / DIA wiring 412 and the cathode side of the diode sensor is connected to the substrate GND wiring 413 via a via 4022 to another layer.

  It is preferable that the diode sensors of the memory module 206 and the temperature detection module 208 be arranged in a line along the VID / DIA wiring 412. Thus, each element and the VID / DIA wiring 412 can be connected with the shortest distance, and the wiring resistance can be minimized.

  The diode sensor is used for monitoring the temperature information and performing recording control in order to stably discharge the ink droplets from the discharge module 204. Therefore, the diode sensor is operated when the ejection module 204 is driven, but is not operated during the memory module read / write operation. Therefore, the wiring for supplying a constant current and monitoring the voltage to the diode sensor that may operate simultaneously and the wiring for supplying power to the ejection module 204 (VH wiring 410) can accurately detect the temperature due to the influence of the driving of the ejection module. It is not shared because it may disappear.

  On the other hand, the wiring for supplying power at the time of reading / writing of the memory module 206 which does not operate at the same time and the wiring for supplying a constant current and monitoring the voltage during operation of the diode sensor and its terminals can be shared (VID / DIA wiring 412). And terminals). This makes it possible to reduce the number of terminals and the wiring area. The reason why the cathode side of the diode sensor is connected to the substrate GND wiring 413 and the discharge module 204 and the GNDH wiring 411 that is the ground potential connection destination of the memory module are not shared is also to eliminate the influence of driving the discharge module. It is.

  Note that the VH wiring 410, the GNDH wiring 411, the VID / DIA wiring 412, and the substrate GND wiring 413 are each connected to one of the electrode units (connection terminals) 1104. FIG. 6 shows these connection terminals as VH, GNDH, substrate GND, and VID / DIA.

  FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a memory module mounted on a head substrate.

  FIG. 8 illustrates an example in which the selection circuit 206b includes the NAND circuit 306 and the inverter INV. The inverter INV includes a PMOS transistor MP1 and an NMOS transistor MN1. The input signal Sig is input to the inverter INV, and the output signal Vg is output to the gate of the drive element (MOSFET) 206a. The capacitance Ca of the anti-fuse element AF is connected at one end to the drive element 206a in series. The other end of the capacitor Ca is supplied with a power supply voltage VID used when reading and writing information.

  Further, a resistance element (resistance value is Rp, hereinafter, referred to as resistance element Rp) connected in parallel with the anti-fuse element AF is further provided. Thus, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an overvoltage is applied to both ends of the anti-fuse element AF and information is erroneously written to the anti-fuse element AF even though the drive element 206a is non-conductive. .

  Next, an operation at the time of writing information to the anti-fuse element AF will be described.

  When writing information to the anti-fuse element AF, the drive element 206a is turned on by inputting a "Low" level signal to the control signal Sig. As a result, the high voltage VID is applied to the gate oxide film forming the anti-fuse element AF. Therefore, the gate oxide film is destroyed, and information is written to the anti-fuse element AF. That is, the anti-fuse element AF is a capacitance element before writing, whereas it becomes a resistance element after writing. Once the gate oxide film is destroyed, information cannot be rewritten, and the anti-fuse element AF operates as an OTPROM.

  As a method of reading information written in the anti-fuse element AF, there is a method of measuring a change in impedance of the anti-fuse element AF, or the like. In this embodiment, a constant current circuit (not shown) is connected to a recording device used when a diode sensor described later is operated, a constant current of 200 μA is supplied, and writing to the anti-fuse element is performed based on the voltage value of the anti-fuse element AF at that time. Judge the information that was included. Depending on whether or not the resistance value of the resistance element of one anti-fuse element AF is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, information of “0” or “1”, that is, 1-bit information can be held.

  As can be seen from the configurations shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the number (M) of the anti-fuse elements AF is slightly smaller than the number (N) of the ejection modules 204 arranged on one side of the ink supply port 408. Since several hundred to 1,000 ejection modules are mounted on one side of the ink supply port 408 on a recent element substrate, the same number as the number (M) of the anti-fuse elements AF is mounted. As described above, one-bit information is written by destroying the gate oxide film of one anti-fuse element AF. Therefore, if one element substrate is used as a whole, M anti-fuse elements AF require M bits (several hundreds). (About 1000 bits).

  The information recorded in the anti-fuse element AF is product-specific information such as a chip ID and a setting parameter, and these are written at a factory using an inspection machine or the like at the time of product shipment. Alternatively, when the information is mounted on the product main body and the user writes information after the start of use of the product, a voltage corresponding to the high voltage VID is supplied from the product main body.

  Next, the operation of the diode sensor used as the temperature detection module 208 will be described.

  The anode of the semiconductor diode DI formed on the head substrate 400 is connected to the VID / DIA wiring 412, and the cathode is connected to the substrate GND 413. When used as a temperature sensor, it is connected to a constant current circuit (not shown) of the printing apparatus and supplies a constant current of 200 μA from the VID / DIA wiring 412 connected to the anode to the substrate GND terminal 413 connected to the cathode. . By monitoring the forward voltage (Vf) at that time, the forward voltage Vf has a temperature characteristic of about −2 to −2.5 mV / ° C., whereby a change in temperature can be detected. In other words, it can be said that voltage monitoring is detecting temperature information.

  Further, it is desirable to increase the width of the wiring for supplying electric power at the time of reading / writing of the memory module 206 because a large current flows at the time of writing information to the anti-fuse element AF. On the other hand, it is desirable to increase the width of the wiring for supplying a constant current and monitoring the voltage during operation of the diode sensor in order to reduce the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance. The effect of reducing the wiring area is increased by sharing these wirings that need to be widened.

  Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the memory module and the temperature detection module can be arranged without increasing the substrate size by sharing the wiring to the anti-fuse element and the diode sensor. Further, since the shared wiring has a sufficiently wide wiring width, a voltage drop due to wiring resistance is suppressed, and high-precision temperature detection becomes possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the memory module row and one diode sensor are arranged on one side along the ink supply port 408. However, the memory module row and the diode sensor are arranged on both sides, and both sides are as described above. It may be configured. Alternatively, the memory module row may be arranged on one side and the diode sensors may be arranged on both sides, and only one side may be configured as described above.

  In the embodiment described above, one diode sensor is arranged near the center of the memory module row. However, the location and the number of the diode sensors are not limited to this, and the diode sensor is not limited to this. It may be near the terminal.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the resistance element Rp is connected in the memory module to prevent the erroneous writing of the anti-fuse element AF. However, in the case where the erroneous writing is prevented under the use conditions or another configuration. May not have the resistance element Rp.

  Further, in the embodiments described above, the anti-fuse element is used as the memory of the memory module. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a Poly fuse or the like may be used. Further, in the embodiment described above, the recording element Rh is an electrothermal conversion element, but may be a piezo element.

  In the first embodiment, as can be seen from the configuration shown in FIG. 6, one temperature detection module 208 is disposed at the center of a memory module row including a plurality of memory modules 206, and power supply and voltage for temperature detection are provided. A configuration in which monitoring is performed by one terminal was used. Here, a configuration will be described in which a plurality of temperature detection modules are arranged in a memory module row, and power supply and voltage monitoring for temperature detection are performed at different terminals.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a layout configuration of a head substrate according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a detailed configuration of a main part of a head substrate according to the second embodiment. 9 and 10, the same components as those already described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals or reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Here, only the configuration and features unique to this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the DIA monitor wiring 414 for monitoring the voltage of the temperature detecting element and the connection terminal (DIA monitor) are provided. It is newly provided. Then, the anode side of the diode sensor is electrically connected to the VID / DIA wiring 412 and the DIA monitor wiring 414 via a via to another layer, and the cathode side is electrically connected to the substrate GND wiring 413 via a via to another layer. Connect to

  In the first embodiment, the VID / DIA wiring 412 and its connection terminal (VID / DIA) have three roles of power supply during reading / writing of the memory module, constant current supply during operation of the diode sensor, and voltage (temperature information) monitoring. Was shared. Therefore, by increasing the wiring width of the VID / DIA wiring 412 and reducing the wiring resistance as much as possible, it is possible to minimize the voltage drop in the wiring due to the flow of a constant current, thereby enabling highly accurate measurement of the diode sensor. Was. However, it is impossible to reduce the wiring resistance to zero, and a voltage drop in the wiring has occurred to some extent.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the VID / DIA wiring 412 is used as a wiring for supplying power at the time of reading / writing of the memory module 206 and a wiring for supplying a constant current at the time of operating the diode sensor, and the DIA monitor wiring 414 is used as a wiring for monitoring the voltage. Used. As a result, the VID / DIA wiring 412 that supplies a constant current when the diode sensor is operated has a voltage drop due to the wiring resistance as in the first embodiment. The voltage drop due to is hardly caused. For this reason, if the wiring is taken out from the vicinity of the diode sensor, the diode element voltage as close as possible to the true value can be measured.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the power supply during reading and writing of the memory module 206 and the constant current supply during the operation of the diode sensor are shared by the VID / DIA wiring 412. This makes it possible to reduce the number of terminals and the wiring area. It is preferable that the memory module 206 and the diode sensor be arranged in a line along the VID / DIA wiring 412 and the DIA monitor wiring 414, as shown in FIG. Thus, each element, the VID / DIA wiring 412 and the DIA monitor wiring 414 can be connected with the shortest distance, and the wiring resistance can be minimized.

Configuration of Temperature Detection Module and Arrangement of Plurality of Temperature Detection Modules As shown in FIG. 10, the temperature detection module 208 includes a temperature detection element DI (diode sensor) and a driving element (transistor) for driving the temperature detection element DI. 208a and a selection circuit (AND circuit) 208b for selecting the temperature detection element DI. The temperature detection modules 208 are provided at a plurality of locations (three locations in the example of FIG. 9) in the memory module row.

  The selection circuit (AND circuit) 208b is connected to the common logic bus line 402 together with the selection circuit 204b and the selection circuit 206b. The common logic bus line 402 is further connected to the control data supply circuit 201, and the discharge bus 204, the memory module 206, and the temperature detection module 208 share the logic bus line.

  The corresponding block selection signal 202, time-division selection signal 203, and switching signal 205 are input to the selection circuit 208b. Then, a signal corresponding to the input signal is output to the driving element 208a, and the driving element 208a is switched between a conductive state and a non-conductive state. As the driving element 208a, a DMOS transistor is used similarly to the driving element 204a and the driving element 206a. Further, the selection circuit 208b is configured by a MOS transistor.

  Further, which of the diode sensors of the plurality of temperature detection modules is to be written with information is determined by a block selection signal and a time division selection signal according to each of the clock signal CLK, the image data signal DATA, the latch signal LT, and the recording element control signal HE. It is determined by the switching signal.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the ejection module, the memory module, and the temperature detection module are exclusively driven by the switching signal, and all the recording elements, all the anti-fuse elements, and all the diode sensors are operated at the same time. It is configured not to be driven. Due to such a configuration, when the temperature detection and the ink ejection do not operate simultaneously, the cathode side connection of the diode sensor is not shared with the substrate GND wire, but is shared with the same GNDH wire as the ground potential connection destination of the ejection module and the memory module. You may.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, more accurate temperature detection can be performed from the diode sensor by using the power supply and the voltage monitoring of the diode sensor as separate wiring terminals.

201 control data supply circuit, 204 discharge module,
204a, 206a, 208a drive elements (DMOS transistors),
204b, 206b, 208b selection circuit (AND circuit),
206 memory module, 208 temperature detection module,
400 head substrate, 402 common logic bus wiring,
410 VH wiring, 411 GNDH wiring, 412 VID / DIA wiring,
413 board GND wiring, 414 DIA monitor wiring,
AF anti-fuse element, DI temperature detection element (diode sensor),
Rh electrothermal conversion element (recording element), Rp resistance element,

Claims (17)

An element substrate including a plurality of recording elements, a memory capable of reading and writing information, and a sensor for detecting a temperature,
Power for reading and writing information from and to the memory, and supplying power for temperature detection to the sensor, and a first terminal for outputting temperature information from the sensor;
An element substrate, comprising: a first wiring connecting the memory and the sensor to the first terminal.   The element substrate according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is formed of a diode.   The element substrate according to claim 2, wherein an anode side of the diode is connected to the first wiring. An element substrate including a plurality of recording elements, a memory capable of reading and writing information, and a sensor for detecting a temperature,
Power for reading and writing information from and to the memory, a first terminal for supplying power for temperature detection to the sensor,
A second terminal for outputting temperature information from the sensor;
A first wiring connected to the first terminal to supply power to the memory and the sensor;
An element substrate, comprising: a second wiring connecting the sensor to the second terminal.   The element substrate according to claim 4, wherein the sensor is formed of a diode.   The element substrate according to claim 5, wherein an anode side of the diode is connected to the first wiring and the second wiring.   The element substrate according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the memories are provided along a recording element row in which the plurality of recording elements are arranged.   The element substrate according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is provided at a central portion of the recording element row.   The element substrate according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is provided at each of a plurality of locations in the recording element row. A plurality of first driving elements for driving each of the plurality of recording elements;
A plurality of first selection circuits for selecting the plurality of first driving elements;
A second driving element for driving the memory;
The element substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a second selection circuit that selects the second drive element. A third drive element for driving the sensor;
The device substrate according to claim 10, further comprising a third selection circuit that selects the third drive element. The memory is formed of an anti-fuse element made using a gate oxide film,
The plurality of first driving elements, the second driving elements, and the third driving elements are DMOS transistors,
The device substrate according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of first selection circuits, the second selection circuit, and the third selection circuit are MOS transistors.   The plurality of recording elements, the memory, and the sensor are each selected by the plurality of first selection circuits, the second selection circuit, and the third selection circuit by a common signal input from a common wiring. The element substrate according to claim 12, wherein:   14. The element substrate according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of recording elements and the selection of the memory and the sensor are mutually exclusive. Further comprising an ink supply port for supplying ink to the plurality of recording elements,
The element substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of recording elements includes an electrothermal conversion element.   A recording head comprising the element substrate according to claim 15.   A recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium using the recording head according to claim 16.

Images