JP5222426B2 - Element substrate, recording head having the element substrate, and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an element substrate for a detachable recording head having a connection state output circuit that outputs a signal corresponding to an electrical connection state between a recording head and a recording apparatus. Also it relates to a recording head, and recording equipment with the element substrate.

  As a typical ink ejection method of a recording head mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, ink is heated by an electrothermal transducer (heater), and the ink is heated by film boiling. Those that discharge droplets are known.

  A recording apparatus including the above-described ink jet recording head can output high-quality characters and images at low cost. In particular, printers that eject ink droplets by the action of film boiling occupy most of the market because of the advantage that color printing can be performed at a low price.

  In general, the number of ejection ports of a recording head has increased from 64 to 128, further to 256, etc. due to the trend toward higher image quality. The number of ejection ports per inch (dpi) is 300 dpi, 600 dpi, etc. Is arranged. A heating element as an electrothermal converter arranged for these discharge ports forms bubbles due to film boiling by a heat pulse of the order of several μsec to 10 μsec, and prints at high speed and high image quality by driving at high frequency. Is realized.

  The means for electrically connecting the recording heads in the ink jet recording apparatus is provided on a carriage that is mounted with the recording heads and reciprocates. Specifically, a plurality of contacts are provided on the carriage so that when the recording head is mounted on the carriage, the contacts are in contact with the plurality of contacts provided on the recording head side. Thus, the electrical connection between the recording head and the ink jet recording apparatus is established.

  Many of the exchangeable print heads are premised on being exchanged by a user. In an ink jet printing apparatus using a print head integrated with an ink tank, a new print head is mounted each time ink is consumed. Since the electrical connection is performed every time the recording head is replaced by the user, it is desirable to monitor the electrical connection state between the recording apparatus main body and the recording head. A recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus provided with means for monitoring the electrical connection state are disclosed (see Patent Document 1). This is an AND circuit that calculates the logical product of a recording signal input from the recording apparatus main body to the input terminal of the recording head, a clock signal for transferring the recording signal, and a control signal for performing a recording operation according to the recording signal. And an output terminal for outputting the result of the operation.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a conventional connection state output circuit. A logical product of the recording signal (DATA), the clock signal (CLK), the driving signal (HE) for driving the heater, and the latch signal (LT) for latching the recording signal in the latch circuit is calculated by an AND circuit and connected. The calculation result is output from the status output terminal (CNO). Only when all of the latch signal, the drive signal, the recording signal, and the clock signal are High, the CNO signal is High. Therefore, when each input signal is input High at a certain timing from the recording apparatus main body and the CNO signal is output High, the electrical connection between the recording head and the recording apparatus main body is confirmed. In this way, it can be confirmed whether or not the recording head is correctly connected to the recording apparatus main body, so that it is possible to prevent recording failure such as missing recording dots or destruction of the recording head due to contact failure. .

  By the way, an exchangeable recording head that is supposed to be exchanged by the user is directly touched by the user at the time of exchange. Therefore, for example, when static electricity is generated when touched directly by a user, the current due to the static electricity is supplied to the element substrate via the terminal or wiring of the recording head, and the portion of the element substrate that is vulnerable to static electricity is destroyed. There is. For this reason, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the element substrate from being destroyed.

  As a solution to this problem, a configuration is generally adopted in which an electrostatic protection element formed of a diode is inserted between each recording signal input section and a power supply line and a ground line. As a result, the current flowing in as static electricity is dispersed and flows out to the power supply line and ground line, and the resistance of the element substrate to static electricity is improved.

JP-A-8-252909

  However, it is possible to check the electrical connection state, and in a recording head provided with an electrostatic protection element, when a signal with each signal terminal being High is input at the time of electrical connection confirmation, it is connected to the power line through the electrostatic protection element. Current may flow. If a current flows through a logic power supply (VDD) line as a power supply line, it may not be possible to confirm the connection with the VDD terminal alone. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of an electrostatic protection circuit using a diode as an electrostatic protection element. In the vicinity of the recording signal input pad, diodes serving as electrostatic protection elements are provided on the VDD line side and the ground side, respectively. With this configuration, the current flowing in as static electricity is dispersed and flows out. Here, when the electrical connection state is confirmed, a voltage such as 3.3 V is applied to each recording signal terminal. However, even if the VDD terminal is poorly connected, a voltage of about 2.6 V is supplied to the VDD line through the diode. Therefore, when confirming the electrical connection state, this voltage is confirmed as the VDD voltage. There is no problem as long as the VDD terminal is connected and energized. However, if the heater terminal power supply VH (for example, 24 V) is applied while the VDD terminal is poorly connected, the logic of the logic circuit is not fixed. There is a risk of destroying the recording head due to a malfunction of the heater. Therefore, in a recording head having both an electrical connection output circuit and an electrostatic protection circuit, it is desirable that the electrical connection state with the logic power supply can be confirmed independently in order to further improve the reliability.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above, and its main purpose is to confirm the electrical connection state between the recording head and the recording apparatus using the recording head, particularly the electrical connection state of the logic power supply. An object of the present invention is to provide an element substrate that can be independently confirmed.

The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
A recording element;
A circuit for performing a logical operation on a plurality of signals for controlling driving of the recording element;
A plurality of signal input terminals to which the plurality of signals are respectively input;
A voltage input terminal to which a voltage for driving the circuit is input;
A state output terminal for outputting a state signal for confirming a connection state of the plurality of signal input terminals and the voltage input terminal , and an element substrate,
A MOS transistor connected between the voltage input terminal and the ground via a drain and a source, and a result of a logical operation from the circuit is input to the gate;
Provided on the drain side of the MOS transistor, and having a connection for supplying the state signal to the state output terminal,
The MOS transistor changes the level of the state signal when the voltage is input from the voltage input terminal when the plurality of signals are non-signals .
Wherein in the state where said from the voltage input terminal to the circuit voltage is supplied, according to the result of the logic operation from the circuit, and wherein altering the level of the state signal.

Further, another aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems, a recording head having the element substrate are及 beauty recording equipment.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an element substrate capable of independently confirming an electrical connection state with a logic power supply without increasing costs by increasing the number of terminals. In addition, it is possible to provide a recording head, a head cartridge, and a recording apparatus having the element substrate.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the connection state output circuit which is one Example of this invention, and the timing of each signal. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the conventional static electricity protection circuit. It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional connection state output circuit. It is a figure which shows an example of a connection state output circuit. It is a figure which shows the circuit structural example of the inkjet recording head of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a first recording head that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a first recording head that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the first element substrate constituting the first recording head which is an embodiment of the present invention in a cutaway manner. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the inkjet recording device of this invention. It is a figure which shows the control structure of the inkjet recording device of this invention. 3 is a flowchart of a procedure for checking an electrical connection state with a recording head in an ink jet recording apparatus.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In this specification, “recording” (hereinafter also referred to as “printing”) is not only for forming significant information such as characters and figures, but also for images on a wide range of recording media, regardless of significance. A case where a pattern, a pattern, or the like is formed or a medium is processed is also expressed. It does not matter whether it has been made obvious so that humans can perceive it visually.

  “Recording medium” refers not only to paper used in general recording apparatuses but also widely to cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, and the like that can accept ink. Shall.

  Further, the term “ink” should be interpreted broadly in the same way as the definition of “recording” described above. When applied to a recording medium, it forms an image, a pattern, a pattern or the like, or processes the recording medium. It represents a liquid that can be subjected to the treatment. Examples of the ink treatment include solidification or insolubilization of the colorant in the ink applied to the recording medium.

  The “element substrate” used in the description does not indicate a simple substrate made of a silicon semiconductor, but indicates a substrate provided with each element, wiring, and the like.

  “On the element substrate” not only indicates the surface of the element substrate, but also indicates the inside of the element substrate near the surface of the element substrate. In addition, the term “built-in” in the present invention is not a term indicating that each individual element is simply placed on the substrate, but each element is integrated on the element substrate by a semiconductor circuit manufacturing process or the like. It shows that it is formed and manufactured.

  6 to 10 are explanatory views for explaining a suitable recording head (head cartridge) to which the present invention is applied or applied. Hereinafter, each component will be described with reference to these drawings.

  The recording head of this embodiment is an ink tank integrated type that contains ink. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the recording head includes a first recording head H1000 containing black ink. The recording head H1000 is fixedly supported on a carriage mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus main body by positioning means and electrical contacts, and is detachable from the carriage. When the filled ink is not consumed, the recording head can be replaced.

  Hereinafter, regarding the recording head H1000, each component constituting the recording head will be described in detail.

(Recording head)
The first recording head H1000 is a bubble jet (registered trademark) recording head using an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy for causing film boiling in ink in response to an electrical signal. In addition, the recording head is a so-called side shooter type recording head that is disposed so that the electrothermal transducer and the ink discharge port face each other.

(1) First recording head H1000
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the first recording head H1000. The first recording head H1000 includes a first recording element substrate H1100, an electric wiring tape H1300, an ink supply holding member H1500, a filter H1700, an ink absorber H1600, a lid member H1900, and a seal member H1800.

(1-1) First recording element substrate H1100
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the first recording element substrate H1100, which is partially broken. For example, the first recording element substrate H1100 is anisotropically formed by using a Si substrate H1110 having a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm and an ink supply port H1102 having a long groove-like through-hole serving as an ink flow path by utilizing the crystal orientation of Si. Formed by a method such as reactive etching or sandblasting.

  On the Si substrate H1110, on both sides of the ink supply port H1102, electrothermal conversion elements H1103 as recording elements and driving elements (not shown) for driving these elements are arranged in a line. Furthermore, an electric wiring (not shown) made of Al or the like for supplying electric power to the electrothermal conversion element H1103 is formed. These electrothermal conversion elements H1103 and electric wiring can be formed by using an existing film forming technique. The electrothermal conversion elements H1103 in each column are arranged in a staggered manner. That is, the positions of the ejection ports in each row are slightly shifted so as not to line up in the direction orthogonal to the row direction.

  The Si substrate H1110 has electrode portions H1104 for supplying electric power to the electric wiring and supplying an electric signal for driving the electrothermal conversion element H1103, at both ends of the row of the electrothermal conversion elements H1103. It is arranged along the side part located on the side. A bump H1105 made of Au or the like is formed on each electrode portion H1104.

  On the surface of the Si substrate H1110 on which the pattern of recording elements such as wiring and resistance elements is formed, a structure made of a resin material having an ink flow path for each electrothermal transducer H1103 is formed by photolithography. ing. This structure has an ink flow path wall H1106 that divides each ink flow path and a ceiling portion that covers the ink flow path wall H1106, and a discharge port H1107 is opened in the ceiling portion. The discharge port H1107 is provided facing each of the electrothermal conversion elements H1103, thereby forming a discharge port group H1108.

  In the first recording element substrate H1100 configured as described above, the ink supplied from the ink supply port H1102 is applied to each electrothermal conversion element H1103 by the pressure of bubbles generated by the heat generated by each electrothermal conversion element H1103. It discharges from the opposing discharge port H1107.

(1-2) Electric wiring tape H1300
The electric wiring tape H1300 forms an electric signal path for applying an electric signal for ejecting ink to the first recording element substrate H1100. Further, an opening H1303 for incorporating the first recording element substrate H1100 is formed, and an electrode terminal H1304 connected to the electrode portion H1104 of the first recording element substrate H1100 is formed near the edge of the opening. Is formed. Further, an external signal input terminal H1302 for receiving an electrical signal from the main unit is formed on the electrical wiring tape H1300, and the external signal input terminal H1302 and the electrode terminal H1304 are connected by a continuous copper foil wiring pattern. ing.

  For the electrical connection between the electric wiring tape H1300 and the first recording element substrate H1100, the bumps H1105 of the first recording element substrate H1100 and the electrode terminals H1304 of the electric wiring tape H1300 are electrically joined by the thermosonic bonding method. It is made by that.

(1-3) Ink supply holding member H1500
As shown in FIG. 7, the ink supply holding member H1500 has the function of an ink tank by having an ink absorber H1600 for holding ink inside and generating negative pressure. Further, an ink supply function is provided by forming an ink flow path for guiding the ink to the recording element substrate H1100.

  An ink supply port H1200 for supplying black ink to the first recording element substrate H1100 is formed in the downstream portion of the ink flow path. The position of the first recording element substrate H1100 with respect to the ink supply holding member H1500 is accurate so that the ink supply port H1102 of the first recording element substrate H1100 communicates with the ink supply port H1200 of the ink supply holding member H1500. Adheres and fixes well.

  Further, the plane around the bonding surface of the first recording element substrate H1100 and a part of the back surface of the electric wiring tape H1300 are bonded and fixed by the second adhesive. The electrical connection portion between the first recording element substrate H1100 and the electrical wiring tape H1300 is sealed with a first sealant H1307 and a second sealant H1308 (see FIG. 9), and thereby the electrical connection portion is sealed. Protects against ink corrosion and external impact. The first sealant H1307 mainly includes the back side of the connection portion between the external signal input terminal H1302 of the electric wiring tape H1300 and the bump H1105 of the first recording element substrate H1100, and the outer peripheral portion of the first recording element substrate H1100. And are sealed.

  Next, the mounting of the above-described recording head to the ink jet recording apparatus will be specifically described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first recording head H1000 includes a mounting guide H1560 for guiding the carriage to the mounting position of the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus main body. In addition, an engagement portion H1930 is provided for mounting and fixing to the carriage by the headset lever. Furthermore, a carriage scanning direction abutting portion H1570 for positioning the carriage at a predetermined mounting position, a recording medium conveyance direction abutting portion H1580, and an ink ejection direction abutting portion H1590 are provided. Positioning by these abutting portions enables accurate electrical contact between the external signal input terminals H1302 on the electrical wiring tapes H1300 and H1301 and the contact pins of the electrical connection portions provided in the carriage.

<Inkjet recording apparatus>
Next, a liquid discharge recording apparatus capable of mounting the above-described cartridge type recording head will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a recording apparatus on which the ink jet recording head of the present invention can be mounted.

  Referring to FIG. 10, this recording apparatus has a carriage 102 on which the recording head H1000 shown in FIG. The carriage 102 is provided with an electrical connection unit for transmitting a drive signal or the like to each ejection unit via an external signal input terminal on the recording head H1000. As this electrical connection part, each terminal, such as a logic power supply output terminal and a connection state input terminal, which is connected to each terminal such as a logic power supply input terminal and a connection state output terminal of an element substrate described later is provided.

  The carriage 102 extends in the scanning direction and is supported so as to be reciprocally movable along a guide shaft 103 installed in the apparatus main body. The carriage 102 is driven by a scanning motor 104 via drive mechanisms such as a motor pulley 105, a driven pulley 106, and a timing belt 107, and its position and movement are controlled. The carriage 102 is provided with a home position sensor 130. When the home position sensor 130 on the carriage 102 passes the position of the shielding plate 136, the position that becomes the home position is detected.

  The recording medium 108 such as printing paper or plastic thin plate is separated one by one from the auto sheet feeder (ASF) 132 when the paper feeding motor 135 rotates the pickup roller 131 via a gear, and the paper is fed. Is done. Further, the recording medium 108 is conveyed through a position (printing unit) facing the discharge port surface of the recording head H1000 by the rotation of the conveying roller 109. The driving by the LF motor 134 is transmitted to the transport roller 109 via a gear. The determination of whether or not the paper has been fed and the determination of the cueing position at the time of paper feeding are performed when the recording medium 108 passes the paper end sensor 133. The paper end sensor 133 is also used to finally determine the current recording position from the actual rear end where the rear end of the recording medium 108 actually exists.

<Control configuration>
Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  In FIG. 11, 1700 is an interface for inputting a recording signal, 1701 is an MPU, and 1702 is a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 1701. Reference numeral 1703 denotes a DRAM for storing various data (such as a recording signal supplied to the recording head H1000). Reference numeral 1704 denotes a gate array (GA) that controls supply of recording signals to the recording head H1000, and also performs data transfer control among the interface 1700, MPU 1701, and RAM 1703. Reference numeral 1710 denotes a carrier motor for conveying the recording heads H1000 and H1001, and 134 denotes an LF motor for conveying the recording medium. Reference numeral 1705 denotes a head driver for driving the recording head H1000, 1706 denotes a motor driver for driving the carry motor 1709, and 1707 denotes a motor driver for driving the carrier motor 1710.

  The operation of the above control configuration will be described. When a recording signal enters the interface 1700, the recording signal is converted into a recording signal for printing between the gate array 1704 and the MPU 1701. Then, the motor driver 1706 and the motor driver 1707 are driven, and the recording head H1000 is driven according to the recording signal sent to the head driver 1705 to perform recording.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the recording element substrate H1100 of the recording head H1000 in this embodiment. In the first recording element substrate H1100, semiconductor elements and wirings are formed on a Si substrate H1110 by a semiconductor process. The recording head H1000 in this embodiment is provided with n nozzles per row with respect to the ink supply port H1102. Corresponding to each nozzle, an electrothermal conversion element H1103 capable of heating ink in the nozzle and a drive element H1116 for driving the electrothermal conversion element H1103 are provided. The electrothermal conversion element, the driving element, and the ink discharge nozzle are collectively referred to as a recording element.

  The recording head H1000 has a recording signal input terminal H1121 for inputting a recording signal (DATA) as an electrical contact with the recording apparatus main body and a clock for inputting a clock signal (CLK) for synchronizing and inputting the recording signal. A signal input terminal H1120 is provided. Also, a latch signal input terminal H1123 that inputs a latch signal (LT) to the latch circuit H1117 and a drive signal input terminal H1122 that inputs a heat signal (HE) that enables the drive element H1116 that drives the electrothermal transducer H1103. And provide. Further, a logic power supply input terminal H1128 for inputting a logic power supply (VDD) that is a voltage applied to the logic circuit is provided. Furthermore, a power supply wiring terminal H1124 of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 and a power supply wiring terminal H1125 of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 on the ground side are provided. H1113 is a power supply wiring for the electrothermal transducer H1103, and H1114 is a ground-side power supply wiring. Further, although not shown, a diode as a protective element as shown in FIG. 2 is arranged in the vicinity of the recording signal input terminal H1121, the clock signal input terminal H1120, the latch signal input terminal H1123, and the drive signal input terminal H1122. Has been. Further, the recording head shown in FIG. 5 employs divided driving in which n recording elements are driven by being divided into a plurality of blocks.

  Such a recording head is driven by the following procedure.

  The recording signal is input from the recording signal input terminal H1121 in synchronization with the clock signal input from the clock signal input terminal H1120, and the recording signals are sequentially held in the shift register H1118. When the recording signal of a predetermined bit is held in the shift register H1118 in this way, the latch signal is input to the latch signal input terminal H1123, and the latch circuit H1117 in the next stage of the shift register H1118 receives the recording signal in accordance with the input of the latch signal. Latch. A part of the recording signal is input to a decoder (not shown) as a block selection signal (BLE) for dividing and driving the n electrothermal transducers H1103. Among the recording elements selected by the block selection signal, the recording element selected by the output from the AND circuit H1119 that calculates the logical product of the heat signal input to the drive signal input terminal H1122 and the recording signal output from the latch circuit H1117. The recording element is driven. Then, ink is ejected from the nozzle corresponding to the recording element, and recording is performed. Here, while the recording element is driven, a recording signal, a clock signal, a latch signal, and a driving signal for performing the next recording are input to the recording head.

  Next, a procedure for confirming the electrical connection state between the recording head H1000 and the ink jet recording apparatus will be described.

  The recording head H1000 is mounted on the carriage 102 of the recording apparatus main body shown in FIG. A contact portion (not shown) for connecting electrical contacts to each other is provided between the carriage 102 and the recording head H1000. Accordingly, when the recording head H1000 is mounted on the carriage 102, the recording head H1000 comes into contact with the external signal input terminal H1302 that transmits and receives various electrical signals provided in the recording head H1000, and is electrically connected. This recording head H1000 is provided with a connection state output circuit H1127 and a connection state output terminal H1126 (CNO) for outputting the operation result of this circuit to the recording apparatus body as means for confirming the electrical connection state with the recording apparatus body. Yes.

  A connection state output circuit H1127 of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The connection state output circuit H1127 includes a first AND circuit that calculates the logical product of the recording signal and the clock signal, a second AND circuit that calculates the logical product of the latch signal and the heat signal, and the first and second AND circuits. And a third AND circuit that calculates the logical product of the operation results obtained in FIG. The calculation result in the third AND circuit is input to the gate of the NMOS transistor. The NMOS transistor has a drain connected to the logic power input terminal H1128 via a resistor and a source connected to the ground. In this way, a signal output from the connection state output terminal H1126 is output as a divided voltage between the logic power input terminal and the drain, and between the drain and the source. With such a configuration, according to the level of the signal input to the gate, the first level signal reflecting the voltage applied to the logic power supply input terminal, or the voltage input to each input terminal such as the recording signal, etc. The reflected second level signal is output from the connection state output terminal. Thus, the connection state of the logic power supply (VDD) can be confirmed independently.

  FIG. 1B shows each signal input from the recording apparatus to the recording head when the connection state between the recording head and the recording apparatus main body is confirmed, and an output signal (CNO signal) output from the connection state output terminal H1126. It is a timing diagram. Here, the latch signal and the drive signal, which are control system signals, are negative logic (low active) that turns ON when the signal is in the Low state. The negative logic is a high state by a pull-up resistor when there is no signal, that is, when the logic is “false (0)”, and when the logic is “true (1)”, it is in a low state. The recording signal and the clock signal are positive logic (high active) that turns ON when the signal is in a high state, and are connected to a pull-down resistor so as to be at the GND level when there is no signal. This is because when all the signals are positive logic, if all the signals are in a high state for some reason, the drive control of the printing element becomes impossible. In order to prevent such a situation, signals of different logic are used, and since a noise margin is usually advantageous, the latch signal and drive signal, which are control system signals, are set to negative logic, the clock signal and recording The signal is positive logic.

  First, a method for independently confirming the connection state of VDD will be described. In the initial state, that is, in the time zone T1, the input signal from each signal terminal is in the Low state, and VDD is also in the Low state. At the time of confirming the single VDD connection, all the input signals from the respective signal terminals are maintained in the Low state, and the signal is input from the VDD terminal at time T2 to set VDD to the High state. As a result, the CNO output is output in a high state, and the electrical connection between the VDD terminal of the recording head and the recording apparatus main body can be confirmed. After the CNO output is correctly confirmed on the recording apparatus side in T1 to T4, the connection state of each signal terminal is confirmed.

  In the method for confirming the connection state of each signal terminal, first, in the time zone T5, the recording signal, clock signal, latch signal, drive signal, and logic power supply VDD are all once in the high state, and the CNO output is output in the low state. Here, a low state signal is input only from the recording apparatus main body to the recording head in the time zone T6. When the CNO output is in a high state in synchronization with LT, the connection is correctly established, and the recording apparatus main body determines the connection state by confirming the logic. Similarly, it is confirmed whether each logic input terminal is individually connected from T8 to T13.

  FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of the procedure for checking the electrical connection state with the recording head in the above-described ink jet recording apparatus.

  First, in step S110, VDD, DATA, CLK, HE, and LT are output to the element substrate. Next, in step S120, a confirmation result by the element substrate connection state output circuit H1127 is input. In step S130, the MPU 1701 or the like determines the electrical connection state of the VDD terminal and the electrical connection state of each signal input terminal independently of each other. In this embodiment, the confirmation of the electrical connection state of the VDD terminal is performed prior to the confirmation of the electrical connection state of the input terminal of each signal, but it may be performed in the reverse order.

  By performing the above processing at the time of turning on the power of the recording apparatus or before the recording operation, it is possible to prevent recording failure such as missing recording dots or destruction of the recording head due to contact failure.

  On the other hand, as another method for independently confirming the connection state of the logic power supply (VDD) which is the object of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the connection confirmation is made from the logic power input terminal H1128 which is the VDD input terminal as shown in FIG. There is a method by which the terminal H1129 is directly connected. Since this configuration is a configuration in which the VDD input terminal H1128 and the connection confirmation terminal H1129 are directly connected, the circuit configuration in the first ink jet recording substrate is the simplest configuration. However, since the connection confirmation terminal H1129 is newly provided, one terminal is newly provided, which may affect the size of the element substrate. On the other hand, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1A, since the existing connection state output circuit is improved, there is no need to newly provide an output terminal, and the size of the element substrate is increased. Reliability can be improved without any problems.

  Further, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like as well as a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function as well as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer are provided integrally or separately. It may take a form.

  In the above embodiment, the element substrate for the ink jet recording head has been described as an example. However, it can be used for an element substrate for a thermal transfer type recording head, a sublimation type recording head, or the like.

H1100 First inkjet recording substrate H1101 Second inkjet recording substrate H1103 Electrothermal conversion element H1104 Electrode terminal H1105 Bump H1120 Clock signal input terminal H1121 Recording signal input terminal H1122 Drive signal input terminal H1123 Latch signal input terminal H1126 Connection state output circuit Output terminal H1127 Connection status output circuit H1128 Logic power input terminal H1129 Logic power connection confirmation terminal

Claims (7)

A recording element;
A circuit for performing a logical operation on a plurality of signals for controlling driving of the recording element;
A plurality of signal input terminals to which the plurality of signals are respectively input;
A voltage input terminal to which a voltage for driving the circuit is input;
A state output terminal for outputting a state signal for confirming a connection state of the plurality of signal input terminals and the voltage input terminal , and an element substrate,
A MOS transistor connected between the voltage input terminal and the ground via a drain and a source, and a result of a logical operation from the circuit is input to the gate;
Provided on the drain side of the MOS transistor, and having a connection for supplying the state signal to the state output terminal,
The MOS transistor changes the level of the state signal when the voltage is input from the voltage input terminal when the plurality of signals are non-signals .
Wherein in the state where a voltage the voltage to the circuit from the input terminal is supplied, according to the result of the logic operation from the circuit, the element substrate, wherein altering the level of the state signal. The MOS transistor sets the state signal to a low level or a high level when the voltage is supplied from the voltage input terminal and the result of the logic operation from the circuit is a predetermined logic level. The element substrate according to claim 1 . The plurality of signals include a recording signal and a latch signal,
3. The element substrate according to claim 1, further comprising: a shift register that holds the recording signal; and a latch circuit that latches the recording signal held by the shift register. . The MOS transistor is connected between the voltage input terminal and the ground through a resistor,
4. The element substrate according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is provided between a drain of the MOS transistor and the resistor. 5. 5. The element according to claim 1, wherein the circuit is a circuit that calculates a logical product of the plurality of signals, and the plurality of signals include a negative logic signal and a positive logic signal. 6. substrate.   A recording head comprising the element substrate according to claim 1. A carriage having the recording head according to claim 6 mounted thereon, the carriage having a voltage output terminal for outputting the voltage and a state input terminal for inputting the state signal;
The connection state between the voltage input terminal and the voltage output terminal is determined based on whether or not the level of the state signal has changed, and the level of the state signal according to the change in the signal level of each of the plurality of signals And a determination circuit for determining a connection state of the plurality of signal input terminals based on a change in the recording apparatus.

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