Substrate for liquid dispensing head, liquid dispensing head, and liquid dispensing device

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for measuring a substrate temperature of a substrate for a liquid discharge head.SOLUTION: A substrate for a liquid discharge head includes: a substrate; a plurality of liquid discharge elements arranged along a first direction on a main surface of the substrate so as to discharge a liquid; a liquid supply port disposed on the substrate separately in a second direction crossing the first direction relative to the plurality of liquid discharge elements; a plurality of temperature detection elements arranged on the substrate so as to detect a temperature of the substrate; and a drive wiring pattern for driving the plurality of temperature detection elements. The drive wiring pattern is shared by the plurality of temperature detection elements.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate for a liquid ejection head, a liquid ejection head, and a liquid ejection device.

Background Art

[0002] A liquid ejection head that applies energy to a liquid using an ejection element and ejects the liquid from an ejection port is widely used. Patent Document 1 shows that by providing a substrate temperature detection element on a substrate for a recording head, the temperature of the substrate for the recording head is detected and the ejection characteristics of the liquid are controlled.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is necessary to connect a wiring pattern for operating the temperature detection element to the temperature detection element. When a plurality of temperature detection elements are arranged to measure the temperature of each part of the substrate, the area required for the wiring pattern connected to the temperature detection element increases, and the wiring area of the wiring pattern connected to the ejection element and other elements becomes narrow. When the line width of the wiring pattern connected to the ejection element is made narrow due to the narrowing of the wiring area, the wiring resistance increases, and the characteristics of the liquid ejection head may deteriorate.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique advantageous for measuring the substrate temperature of a substrate for a liquid ejection head.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In view of the above problems, a substrate for a liquid discharge head according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, a plurality of liquid discharge elements arranged on the main surface of the substrate along a first direction for discharging liquid, a liquid supply port provided on the substrate spaced apart from the plurality of liquid discharge elements in a second direction intersecting the first direction for supplying the liquid to the plurality of liquid discharge elements, a plurality of temperature detection elements arranged on the substrate for detecting the temperature of the substrate, and a drive wiring pattern extending in the second direction for driving the plurality of temperature detection elements, wherein the drive wiring pattern extends to the end of the substrate in the second direction and is connected to an external connection terminal and is shared by the plurality of temperature detection elements. Each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to the drive wiring pattern via a switch element. It is characterized by having this feature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that is advantageous for measuring the substrate temperature of a substrate for a liquid discharge head. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a substrate for a liquid discharge head according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of the temperature detection unit for the liquid discharge head substrate. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows an example of the wiring pattern configuration in region A of the substrate for the liquid discharge head. [Figure 4] This figure shows a modified version of the temperature detection unit in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This figure shows a modified version of the substrate for the liquid discharge head shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a cross-section of the substrate for the liquid discharge head between B and B'. [Figure 7] This figure shows a modified version of the substrate for the liquid discharge head shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This figure shows a modified version of the substrate for the liquid discharge head shown in Figure 1. [Figure 9] Figure 8 shows an example of the wiring pattern configuration in region C of the substrate for the liquid discharge head. [Figure 10] Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the temperature detection unit for the liquid discharge head substrate. [Figure 11] Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the control wiring pattern for the liquid dispensing head substrate. [Figure 12] Figures 1, 5, 7, and 8 show examples of the configuration of a liquid dispensing device using substrates for liquid dispensing heads. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate 100 for a liquid discharge head in this embodiment. The substrate 100 for a liquid discharge head in this embodiment includes a substrate 101, a plurality of liquid discharge elements 123 arranged along the X direction on the main surface of the substrate 101 for discharging liquid, a liquid supply port 102 provided on the substrate 101 spaced apart in the Y direction intersecting the X direction with respect to the plurality of liquid discharge elements 123 for supplying liquid to the plurality of liquid discharge elements 123, a plurality of temperature detection units 108 each equipped with a temperature detection element D1 (shown in Figure 2) arranged on the substrate 101 for detecting the temperature of the substrate 101, and a drive wiring pattern 109 for driving the temperature detection elements D1 arranged on each of the plurality of temperature detection units 108. Hereinafter, when referring to a specific temperature detection unit 108 among the plurality of temperature detection units 108, a subscript will be added after the reference number, such as temperature detection unit 108 "a". Unless otherwise specified, it will simply be referred to as "temperature detection unit 108". The same applies to other components.

[0011] The substrate 101 has a roughly rectangular shape with a long side along the X direction (longitudinal direction) and a short side along the Y direction (short direction). The liquid supply port 102 has a long groove shape with the X direction as its long side, penetrating the substrate 101. The liquid discharge elements 123 for discharging liquid are arranged in a single row along the X direction along the liquid supply port 102, forming a liquid discharge element row 103. A driver circuit 104 for driving the liquid discharge elements 123 is arranged along the liquid supply port 102.

[0012] In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the substrate 101 is provided with three liquid supply ports 102a to 102c. Additionally, control circuits 105a to 105c, each for supplying control signals to the driver circuit 104, are arranged on the substrate 101 at both ends of the liquid discharge element array 103, spaced apart in the X direction. Furthermore, the substrate 101 is provided with multiple external connection terminals 106 and 107 for supplying power to the liquid discharge head substrate, such as the control circuit 105, and for supplying data signals to the control circuit 105. These external connection terminals 106 and 107 are located at both ends of the substrate 101 in the X direction.

[0013] The temperature detection unit 108 is located in the region between the external connection terminal 106 and the driver circuit 104 in the X direction. In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the temperature detection units 108a to 108c are provided to correspond to the liquid supply ports 102a to 102c, respectively. A drive wiring pattern 109 is located near the temperature detection units 108a to 108c to supply drive current for driving the temperature detection elements D1 arranged in the temperature detection unit 108. The drive wiring pattern 109 is connected to the external connection terminal 106a. The drive wiring pattern 109 is shared by multiple temperature detection units 108 (multiple temperature detection elements D1).

[0014] FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing an example of the connection relationship between the temperature detection units 108a to 108c and the drive wiring pattern 109 in the present embodiment. A temperature detection element D1 is arranged in each temperature detection unit 108. In FIG. 2, an example in which a diode sensor is used as the temperature detection element D1 is shown. The source terminal of the switch element NM1 is connected to the anode terminal of the two terminals of the temperature detection element D1. In FIG. 2, an example in which an NMOS transistor is used as the switch element NM1 is shown. The drain terminal of the switch element NM1 is connected to the drive wiring pattern 109. That is, each of the temperature detection elements D1 arranged in the plurality of temperature detection units 108a to 108c is connected to the drive wiring pattern 109 via the switch element NM1. The drain terminals of the switch elements NM1a to NM1c of the respective temperature detection units 108a to 108c are commonly connected to the drive wiring pattern 109. On the other hand, the cathode terminal of the temperature detection element D1 is connected to the ground potential. The gate terminal of the switch element NM1 is connected to the control wiring pattern 110. The switch elements NM1a to NM1c operate to exclusively connect the temperature detection elements D1a to D1c arranged in the temperature detection units 108a to 108c to the drive wiring pattern 109 according to the potentials of the control wiring patterns 110a to 110c.

[0015] In the present embodiment, a current is applied to the temperature detection element D1 of the selected temperature detection unit 108 from the external connection terminal 106a, and the voltage between the two terminals of the temperature detection element D1 that changes according to the temperature is monitored via the external connection terminal 106a to detect the temperature. In the present embodiment, a diode is used as the temperature detection element D1, but it is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration in which the potential between the two terminals of a resistance element having temperature characteristics, such as a resistance element using polysilicon or TaSiN, may be measured.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a top view showing a configuration example of a wiring pattern in a region A surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 1. In a region I between a region of the substrate 101 where the control circuit 105, the temperature detection unit 108, the liquid supply port 102, etc. are arranged and the external connection terminal 106, the wiring layer M1 performs wiring in the Y direction and the wiring layer M2 performs wiring in the first direction.

[0017] In the region A, the temperature detection unit 108c and the control circuit 105 are arranged adjacent to each other. Using the wiring layer M2, a power supply wiring pattern 111 and a ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid ejection element 123 are arranged. In order to stabilize the characteristics of the liquid ejection element 123, the power supply wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 need to connect the external connection terminal 106 and the liquid ejection element 123 with low resistance. For this reason, the power supply wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 can be arranged with the largest possible wiring width. In the present embodiment, the drive wiring pattern 109 is wired to extend in the Y direction in a wiring layer M1 different from the wiring layer M2 in which the power supply wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid ejection element 123 are arranged. Further, the drive wiring pattern 109 extends in the X direction in the wiring layer M1 at the Y-direction end of the substrate 101. As a result, the drive wiring pattern 109 is connected to the external connection terminal 106c so as to go around the power supply wiring pattern 117 and the ground wiring pattern 118 for the control circuit 105 provided at the end of the wiring layer M1 on the side of the external connection terminal 106 in the X direction of the substrate 101.

[0018] In this embodiment, the drive wiring pattern 109 for driving the temperature detection element D1 of the temperature detection unit 108 is drawn out in the Y direction and connected to the external connection terminal 106c by being routed in the X direction at the X-direction end of the substrate 101. As a result, in region I between the liquid supply port 102 and the external connection terminal 106, the drive wiring pattern 109 is drawn out to the Y-direction end of the substrate 101, avoiding the wiring areas of the power wiring pattern 117 and ground wiring pattern 118 for the liquid discharge element 123, which extend in the X direction in the wiring layer M2. Furthermore, in region I, the drive wiring pattern 109 is drawn out to the Y-direction end of the substrate 101, avoiding the wiring areas of the power wiring pattern 117 and ground wiring pattern 118 for the control circuit 105, which extend in the Y direction in the wiring layer M1. In addition, the drive wiring pattern 109 can be routed in the X direction by utilizing the area that may be surplus space at the Y-direction end of the substrate 101. This eliminates the need to secure a region for drive wiring patterns that extend in the X direction to the external connection terminal 106 for each temperature sensing element D1 provided at each liquid supply port 102. As a result, it becomes possible to widen the wiring area for the power supply wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123.

[0019] In this way, the drive wiring pattern 109 is shared by multiple temperature sensing elements D1 arranged on the substrate 101. This improves the wiring efficiency of the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 compared to the case where each temperature sensing element D1 arranged in the temperature sensing unit 108 corresponding to each liquid supply port 102 is connected to an external connection terminal 106. It also improves the wiring efficiency of the power wiring pattern 117 and ground wiring pattern 118 for the control circuit 105. More specifically, by sharing the drive wiring pattern 109 with multiple temperature sensing elements D1, the wiring area of ​​the wiring patterns connected to other elements such as the liquid discharge element 123 and the control circuit 105 does not become narrower, and the increase in wiring resistance can be suppressed. Suppressing the increase in wiring resistance of the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 connected to the liquid discharge element 123 leads to suppression of the deterioration of the characteristics of the liquid discharge head using the liquid discharge head substrate 100. Furthermore, by measuring the temperature of the substrate 101 of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 at multiple locations, it becomes possible to perform more precise control over the temperature-induced characteristic changes of the liquid discharge element 123. As a result, the characteristics of the liquid discharge head using the liquid discharge head substrate 100 are improved.

[0020] Figure 4 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a modified version of the temperature detection unit 108 shown in Figure 2. Monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114 may be connected to each of the two terminals of the temperature detection element D1 arranged in the temperature detection unit 108 via switch elements NM2 and NM3. In the configuration shown in Figure 4, the anode terminal of the temperature detection element D1 is connected to the monitor wiring pattern 113 via switch element NM2. The monitor wiring pattern 113 is connected to the external connection terminal 106b. In addition, the cathode terminal of the temperature detection element D1 is connected to the monitor wiring pattern 114 via switch element NM3. The monitor wiring pattern 114 is connected to the external connection terminal 106c. In Figure 4, an example is shown in which NMOS transistors are used as switch elements NM2 and NM3, similar to switch element NM1. The gate terminals of switch elements NM1 to NM3 are connected to a common control wiring pattern 110, and switch elements NM1 to NM3 turn on or off at the same timing.

[0021] In the configuration shown in Figure 2, for example, it is necessary to correct the measured voltage value of the temperature detection element D1 for each temperature detection unit 108 using a correction table or the like, according to the wiring resistance value from the external connection terminal 106a. Similarly, for each temperature detection unit 108, it is necessary to correct the measured voltage value of the temperature detection element D1, taking into account the on-resistance value when the switch element NM1 is on, the temperature characteristics of the on-resistance value, etc.

[0022] On the other hand, by using the configuration shown in Figure 4, it becomes possible to independently measure the current flowing through the temperature sensing element D1 and the potential applied to the temperature sensing element D1, a so-called four-terminal measurement. Therefore, the current and potential of the temperature sensing element D1 can be measured without considering the potential difference caused by the non-uniformity of the resistance values ​​from the external connection terminal 106c to each temperature sensing element D1, which occurs when multiple temperature sensing elements D1 are connected to a single drive wiring pattern 109. As a result, the accuracy of temperature measurement of the substrate 101 of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 can be improved.

[0023] Figure 4 shows one temperature detection unit 108, but for example, each of the temperature detection units 108a to 108c shown in Figure 2 may have a similar configuration. In this case, the monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114 may be shared by multiple temperature detection units 108 (temperature detection elements D1), similar to the drive wiring pattern 109. Also, the monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114 may be arranged in parallel with the drive wiring pattern 109 on the wiring layer M1. Furthermore, the control wiring pattern 110 may be connected separately to external connection terminals 106 and 107 for each temperature detection unit 108. However, if the number of temperature detection units 108 increases, providing separate external connection terminals 106 and 107 for each temperature detection unit 108 would require many more external connection terminals 106 and 107. Also, many control wiring patterns 110 would be required. For this reason, for example, the control circuit 105 may control the switch elements NM1 to NM3 of the temperature detection unit 108. This makes it possible to reduce the number of external connection terminals 106 and 107 and the area where the control wiring pattern 110 is located. In other words, it is possible to improve the wiring efficiency of the power supply wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123, and the power supply wiring pattern 117 and ground wiring pattern 118 for the control circuit 105.

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing an example configuration of a liquid discharge head substrate 500, which is a modified version of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 shown in Figure 1. The liquid discharge head substrate 500 shown in Figure 5 is configured to acquire the temperature near the center of a liquid discharge element array 103 in which multiple liquid discharge elements 123 are arranged in the X direction. For this reason, temperature detection units 108a to 108d, each containing a temperature detection element D1, are arranged near the center of the substrate 101 in the X direction, spaced apart from each other in the Y direction. Temperature detection unit 108a is positioned between the liquid discharge element array 103a and one end of the substrate 101 in the Y direction (one of the longer sides extending in the X direction). Temperature detection unit 108b is positioned between the liquid discharge element array 103b and the liquid discharge element array 103c, and temperature detection unit 108c is positioned between the liquid discharge element array 103d and the liquid discharge element array 103e. A temperature detection unit 108d is positioned between the liquid discharge element array 103f and the other end of the substrate 101 in the Y direction (the other long side extending in the X direction).

[0025] For example, the discharge capacity of the liquid discharge element 123 in the liquid discharge element array 103a may be adjusted based on the measurement result of the temperature detection element D1 in the temperature detection unit 108a. Similarly, the discharge capacity of the liquid discharge elements 123 in the liquid discharge element arrays 103b and 103c may be adjusted based on the measurement result of the temperature detection element D1 in the temperature detection unit 108b, the discharge capacity of the liquid discharge elements 123 in the liquid discharge element arrays 103d and 103e may be adjusted based on the measurement result of the temperature detection element D1 in the temperature detection unit 108c, and the discharge capacity of the liquid discharge element 123 in the liquid discharge element array 103f may be adjusted based on the measurement result of the temperature detection element D1 in the temperature detection unit 108d. However, this is not limited to this, and the discharge capacity of the liquid discharge elements 123 in the liquid discharge element arrays 103a to 103f may be adjusted as appropriate based on the measurement result of the temperature detection elements D1 in the temperature detection units 108a to 108d.

[0026] In the configuration shown in Figure 5, a beam 215, which is integrally formed with the substrate 101, is provided at the liquid supply port 102 in order to arrange the drive wiring pattern 109 along the Y direction in the center of the substrate 101 in the X direction. As a result, the liquid supply port 102 is formed as two separate parts in the center of the substrate 101 in the X direction. The liquid supply port 102 may be connected at the lower part of the beam 215. The configuration other than the arrangement of the temperature detection unit 108 and the beam 215 through which the drive wiring pattern 109 passes may be the same as that of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 described above. Therefore, this description will focus on the configuration of the liquid discharge head substrate 500 that differs from that of the liquid discharge head substrate 100, and will omit descriptions of configurations that may be the same as those of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 as appropriate.

[0027] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a cross-section between B and B' in Figure 5. On the substrate 101, wiring layers including wiring layer M1 and wiring layer M2 are formed together with an interlayer film (interlayer insulating film). A similar layer configuration is formed on the beam 215, which is formed integrally with the substrate. The drive wiring pattern 109 extends in the Y direction using the wiring layer M2 formed on the beams 215A to C. Furthermore, in the region sandwiched between the liquid discharge element row 103b and the liquid discharge element row 103c, the drive wiring pattern 109 extends in the Y direction through the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123, which extend in the X direction from the external connection terminals 106 and 107 arranged on the wiring layer M2. In this case, for example, the power wiring pattern 111a and ground wiring pattern 112a, which are among the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 and are arranged between the external connection terminal 106 and the drive wiring pattern 109, can be connected to the external connection terminal 106. Similarly, the power wiring pattern 111b and ground wiring pattern 112b, which are located between the drive wiring pattern 109 and the external connection terminal 107, may be connected to the external connection terminal 107. Furthermore, the monitoring wiring patterns 113 and 114 described above may be arranged along the drive wiring pattern 109 using a wiring layer M2. Figure 6 shows a wiring pattern with only the monitoring wiring pattern 113. The monitoring wiring pattern 114 can be omitted if the impedance of the ground wiring is designed to be low. Therefore, the monitoring wiring pattern 113 may be connected to one of the two terminals of the temperature sensing element D1 (for example, the anode terminal).

[0028] In this way, the drive wiring pattern 109 can be extended to the Y-direction end of the substrate 101 while suppressing parallelism with the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 that extend in the X-direction from the external connection terminals 106 and 107. More specifically, the drive wiring pattern 109, which requires a particularly wide wiring width among the wiring patterns connected to the temperature detection units 108a to 108d, passes through beams 215a to 215c. As a result, the drive wiring pattern 109 is shared by the temperature detection elements D1 of the multiple temperature detection units 108 and is extended to the Y-direction end of the substrate 101. Therefore, there is no need to reserve an area for the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the X-direction to the external connection terminal 106 for each temperature detection unit 108 (temperature detection element D1). Therefore, the width of the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 can be increased, improving wiring efficiency.

[0029] In this embodiment, a drive wiring pattern 109 is formed on a beam 215 located in the center of the liquid supply port 102 using a wiring layer M2, and the wiring is performed in the Y direction, avoiding circuit elements located in the underlying layer rather than the wiring layer, such as the driver circuit 104. On the other hand, the power wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 connected to the external connection terminals 106 and 107 extend in the X direction to the center of the liquid supply port 102. Furthermore, as described above, the wiring is divided into a power wiring pattern 111a and ground wiring pattern 112a connected to the external connection terminal 106, and a power wiring pattern 111b and ground wiring pattern 112b connected to the external connection terminal 107.

[0030] To avoid uneven discharge caused by the impedance of the wiring patterns, the power wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 may each have approximately the same number of connected liquid discharge elements 123. The drive wiring pattern 109, which extends in the Y direction, passes through the beam 215 located in the center of the substrate 101. Consequently, the power wiring patterns 111a, 111b and the ground wiring patterns 112a, 112b become approximately the same length in the X direction. Therefore, without requiring a special wiring layer, the number of liquid discharge elements 123 connected to the power wiring pattern 111a and ground wiring pattern 112a extending from the external connection terminal 106 and the power wiring pattern 111b and ground wiring pattern 112b extending from the external connection terminal 107 can be configured to be approximately the same.

[0031] Thus, in the liquid discharge head substrate 500, similar to the liquid discharge head substrate 100 described above, the wiring area of ​​the wiring pattern connected to the liquid discharge element 123 does not become narrower, and an increase in wiring resistance can be suppressed. As a result, this leads to suppression of the degradation of the characteristics of the liquid discharge head using the liquid discharge head substrate 100. Furthermore, by measuring the temperature of the substrate 101 of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 at multiple locations, it becomes possible to perform more precise control over the temperature-induced characteristic changes of the liquid discharge element 123.

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing an example configuration of a liquid discharge head substrate 700, which is a modified version of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 shown in Figure 1 and the liquid discharge head substrate 500 shown in Figure 5. In the liquid discharge head substrates 100 and 500 described above, multiple temperature detection units 108 (temperature detection elements D1) are arranged spaced apart from each other in the Y direction. However, the configuration is not limited to this. The following description will focus on configurations of the liquid discharge head substrate 700 that differ from those of the liquid discharge head substrates 100 and 500 described above.

[0033] In the configuration shown in Figure 7, a liquid supply port 102 extending in one X direction is provided, and multiple beams 215 formed integrally with the substrate 101 are arranged therein. A drive wiring pattern 109 passes through some of these beams 215a.

[0034] Furthermore, the temperature detection unit 108 includes not only temperature detection units 108 spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, such as the substrates 100 and 500 for the liquid discharge head (e.g., temperature detection unit 108a1 and temperature detection unit 108b1), but also temperature detection units 108 spaced apart from each other in the X direction (e.g., temperature detection unit 108a1 and temperature detection unit 108a2). In this case, each temperature detection element D1 arranged in the temperature detection unit 108 spaced apart in the X direction may be connected to one extension portion 109a of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction. However, in that case, a drive wiring pattern 109 extending in the X direction would be required for each temperature detection unit 108 spaced apart in the X direction, which could encroach on the area where the power supply wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 are located. Here, the extension portion 109a of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction refers to the portion of the drive wiring pattern 109 that continuously extends in the Y direction and does not include any portion that substantially extends in the X direction.

[0035] Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, a plurality of temperature detection elements D1 (for example, temperature detection elements D1 arranged in temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4) that are spaced apart from each other in the Y direction may be connected to an extension 109a via an extension 109b of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the X direction. Here, the extension 109b of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the X direction refers to a portion of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends continuously in the X direction and does not substantially include a portion that extends in the Y direction.

[0036] The power supply wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid ejection elements 123 are arranged from the external connection terminals 106 and 107 toward the center in the X direction of the substrate 101 where the liquid ejection element row 103 is located. When many liquid ejection elements 123 are operated simultaneously, the amount of current flowing through the liquid ejection elements 123 closer to the external connection terminals 106 and 107 may increase. Therefore, the required wiring width for the power supply wiring pattern 111 and ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid ejection elements 123 may increase in the region from the end of the liquid ejection element row 103 to the external connection terminal 106. In the configuration shown in Figure 7, the drive wiring pattern 109 is arranged in the Y direction for multiple temperature detection units 108 that are spaced apart in the Y direction, via a beam 215 provided near the center of the liquid ejection element row 103, without passing through the X-direction end of the liquid ejection element row 103. Furthermore, multiple temperature detection units 108, spaced apart from each other in the X direction, are connected to one extension portion 109b of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the X direction. Also, similar to the liquid discharge head substrates 100 and 500 described above, the drive wiring pattern 109 can be extended to the external connection terminal 106 using the area that may be left over at the Y-direction end of the substrate 101. In this way, even in the liquid discharge head substrate 700 shown in Figure 7, the wiring width of the power wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 can be increased, thereby improving wiring efficiency. In other words, even in the liquid discharge head substrate 700, similar to the liquid discharge head substrates 100 and 500 described above, the wiring area of ​​the wiring pattern connected to the liquid discharge element 123 does not become narrower, and an increase in wiring resistance can be suppressed. As a result, this leads to suppression of the degradation of the characteristics of the liquid discharge head using the liquid discharge head substrate 100. Furthermore, by measuring the temperature of the substrate 101 of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 at multiple locations, it becomes possible to perform more precise control over temperature-induced characteristic changes of the liquid discharge element 123.

[0037] Figure 8 is a schematic plan view showing an example configuration of a liquid discharge head substrate 800, which is a modified version of the liquid discharge head substrates 100, 500, and 700 described above. In the liquid discharge head substrates 100, 500, and 700, each of the temperature detection elements D1 arranged in the multiple temperature detection units 108 is connected to one extension portion 109a extending in the Y direction of the drive wiring pattern 109. However, this is not the only configuration. The following description will focus on the configuration of the liquid discharge head substrate 800 that differs from that of the liquid discharge head substrates 100, 500, and 700.

[0038] In the liquid discharge head substrates 100, 500, and 700 described above, the external connection terminals 106 and 107 were arranged along the Y direction at both ends of the substrate 101 in the longitudinal direction (X direction). On the other hand, in the liquid discharge head substrate 800 shown in Figure 8, the external connection terminal 306 is arranged along the X direction at one end of the substrate 101 in the short direction (Y direction).

[0039] Furthermore, two rows of liquid supply ports 102 are provided for each row of liquid discharge elements 103. For example, for a row of liquid discharge elements 103a, liquid supply ports 102a1 and 102a2 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the Y direction. The liquid supply ports 102 are divided into multiple openings provided by beams 215 that penetrate the substrate 101.

[0040] In the configuration shown in Figure 8, the substrate 101 is arranged with three liquid ejection element rows 103a to 103c, each consisting of multiple liquid ejection elements 123 arranged in the X direction. In addition, multiple temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4, each equipped with a temperature detection element D1, are arranged corresponding to liquid ejection element row 103a. Similarly, multiple temperature detection units 108b1 to 108b4 and 108c1 to 108c4, each equipped with a temperature detection element D1, are arranged corresponding to liquid ejection element rows 103b and 103c.

[0041] Furthermore, in the configuration shown in Figure 8, a control circuit 105 for controlling the driver circuit 104 and the temperature detection unit 108 is provided adjacent to the driver circuit 104. Control circuit 105a may be provided in correspondence with the driver circuit 104a and the temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4. Similarly, control circuits 105b and 105c may be provided in correspondence with the driver circuits 104b and 104c and the temperature detection units 108b1 to 108b4 and 108c1 to 108c4, respectively.

[0042] Temperature detection units 108a1, 108b1, and 108c1 of the temperature detection unit 108, which are located at approximately the same position in the X direction and spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, are connected to one extension portion 109c of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction. Temperature detection units 108a2, 108b2, and 108c2 of the temperature detection unit 108, which are located at approximately the same position in the X direction and spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, are connected to one extension portion 109d of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction. Temperature detection units 108a3, 108b3, and 108c3 of the temperature detection unit 108, which are located at approximately the same position in the X direction and spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, are connected to one extension portion 109e of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction. Among the temperature detection units 108, temperature detection units 108a4, 108b4, and 108c4, which are positioned at approximately the same location in the X direction and spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, are connected to one extension portion 109f of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction. The extension portions 109c to 109f of the drive wiring pattern 109 are connected by the portion of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the X direction. Therefore, among the temperature detection elements D1 each arranged in the multiple temperature detection units 108, temperature detection elements that are positioned at approximately the same location in the X direction and spaced apart in the Y direction (for example, temperature detection elements D1 each arranged in temperature detection units 108a1, 108b1, and 108c1) are connected to one extension portion of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction (for example, extension portion 109c). On the other hand, among the temperature detection elements D1 arranged in each of the multiple temperature detection units 108, the temperature detection elements that are spaced apart from each other in the X direction (for example, the temperature detection elements D1 arranged in temperature detection units 108a1, 108a2, 108a3, and 108a4) are each connected to one extension portion of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in different Y directions (for example, extension portions 109c, 109d, 109e, and 109f).

[0043] Here, the beam 215 provided at the liquid supply port 102 refers to the region between the openings of the liquid supply ports 102 that are densely arranged in the X direction and penetrate the substrate 101. In other words, the space between liquid supply ports 102 that supply liquid to a single liquid discharge element row 103 spaced apart in the Y direction (for example, between liquid supply port 102a1 and liquid supply port 102a2) is not a beam 215. Similarly, the space between liquid supply ports 102 that supply liquid to different liquid discharge element rows 103 (for example, between liquid supply port 102a2 and liquid supply port 102b1) is not a beam 215.

[0044] Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of the wiring pattern in the Y direction in region C enclosed by the dotted line in Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, the substrate 101 is provided with an external connection terminal 306 on the lower side of Figure 9. The power supply wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 for the liquid discharge element 123 are formed to extend in the Y direction through the beam 215 using the wiring layer M2, together with the power supply wiring pattern 117 and the ground wiring pattern 118 for the control circuit 105. The power supply wiring patterns 111, 117 and the ground wiring patterns 112, 118 reach the end of the substrate 101 on the side opposite to the external connection terminal 306 in the Y direction. These wiring patterns are connected at multiple locations within the substrate 101 via conductive members arranged as vias to the wiring layer M1, and are extended in the X direction within the wiring layer M1 to form a mesh-like power plane. In order to avoid increasing the wiring resistance of the power supply wiring pattern 111 and the ground wiring pattern 112 while arranging a large number of temperature detection units 108, it is effective to reduce the wiring area required by the drive wiring pattern 109 of the temperature detection units 108.

[0045] As shown in Figure 9, the temperature detection elements D1 arranged in multiple temperature detection units 108 (temperature detection units 108a2, 108b2, 108c2) aligned in the Y direction share one extended portion (extended portion 109d) of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the Y direction. This reduces the area required by the drive wiring pattern 109 compared to the case where the drive wiring pattern 109 is individually connected to each temperature detection element D1, and as a result, improves the wiring efficiency of the power wiring patterns 111, 117 and the ground wiring patterns 112, 118. In this way, even in the liquid discharge head substrate 800, similar to the liquid discharge head substrates 100, 500, and 700 described above, the wiring area of ​​the wiring pattern connected to the liquid discharge element 123 does not become narrower, and an increase in wiring resistance can be suppressed. As a result, this leads to the suppression of performance degradation of the liquid discharge head using the liquid discharge head substrate 100. Furthermore, by measuring the temperature of the substrate 101 of the liquid discharge head substrate 100 at multiple locations, it becomes possible to perform more precise control over temperature-induced characteristic changes of the liquid discharge element 123.

[0046] In the substrate 800 for the liquid ejection head, the substrate 101 is often configured to be longer in the X direction from the viewpoint of increasing the width that can be printed at one time, in other words, the width of the liquid ejection element row 103. That is, extending the drive wiring pattern 109 for the temperature detection element D1 in the X direction increases the area of ​​the drive wiring pattern 109. Arranging the drive wiring pattern 109 in the Y direction by passing through a plurality of beams 215 provided in the liquid supply port 102, as shown in the configurations of Figures 8 and 9, reduces the portion of the drive wiring pattern 109 that extends in the X direction compared to, for example, the configuration shown in Figure 7. Therefore, the substrate 800 for the liquid ejection head shown in Figures 8 and 9 can reduce the area required by the drive wiring pattern 109 on the substrate 101 as a whole. The monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114 can also be connected to the temperature detection elements D1, which are each arranged in a plurality of temperature detection units 108, using a configuration similar to that of the drive wiring pattern 109. In Figure 9, the monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114 are arranged in parallel with the drive wiring pattern 109.

[0047] Figure 10 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing an example of the connection relationship between the temperature detection unit 108 and the drive wiring pattern 109 on the liquid discharge head substrate 800. In the temperature detection unit 108, the output of the decode unit 322 is input to the switch elements NM1, NM2, and NM3 in common via the wiring pattern 321. The decode unit 322 generates a control signal by taking as input the control wiring pattern 318 for selecting the temperature detection units 108 arranged in the X direction and the control wiring pattern 319 for selecting the temperature detection units 108 arranged in the Y direction. The decode unit 322 can be configured using, for example, a combination circuit such as an AND gate. In the temperature detection unit 108 shown in Figure 10, the configuration other than that related to the decode unit 322 may be the same as the temperature detection unit 108 shown in Figure 4 above, so the explanation of configurations that may be the same will be omitted as appropriate.

[0048] Figure 11 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of the control wiring patterns 318 and 319 of the liquid discharge head substrate 800. The configuration of the liquid supply port 102, the liquid discharge element array 103, the drive wiring pattern 109, etc., is the same as the configuration described using Figures 8 and 9 above.

[0049] In this embodiment, the control circuit 105 has the function of a heater logic circuit that supplies control signals to a driver circuit 104 for driving each liquid discharge element 123 arranged in the liquid discharge element row 103, and the function of a row control circuit for the temperature detection unit 108. The control circuit 105a controls the active / inactive status of the temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4, which are arranged side by side spaced apart in the row direction, via the control wiring pattern 318a, according to a signal input from the external connection terminal 306c. The control circuit 105b controls the active / inactive status of the temperature detection units 108b1 to 108b4, which are arranged side by side spaced apart in the row direction, via the control wiring pattern 318b, according to a signal input from the external connection terminal 306d. The control circuit 105c controls the active / inactive status of the temperature detection units 108c1 to 108c4, which are arranged side by side spaced apart in the row direction, via the control wiring pattern 318c, according to a signal input from the external connection terminal 306e.

[0050] The control circuit 320 is connected to the control wiring patterns 319a to 319d and controls the active / inactive state of the temperature detection units 108, which are arranged spaced apart in the row direction, according to the input from the external connection terminal 306b. In this way, the control circuits 105 and 320 control the multiple temperature detection units 108 (temperature detection elements D1) provided along the multiple liquid discharge element rows 103 by dividing them into rows and columns, and connect the multiple temperature detection elements D1 exclusively to the drive wiring pattern 109.

[0051] In the substrate 800 for the liquid discharge head, beams 215 through which the drive wiring pattern 109 passes and beams 215 through which it does not pass are provided. Therefore, a different beam 215 can be used as the beam 215 through which the control wiring pattern 319 passes from the beams 215 through which the drive wiring pattern 109 and the monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114 pass. This makes it possible to suppress the influence of switching noise on the drive wiring pattern 109 and the monitor wiring patterns 113 and 114, even when the logic signals flowing through the control wiring pattern 319 are frequently switched for measurement. As a result, the output from the temperature detection unit 108 can be monitored with high accuracy.

[0052] By selecting a temperature detection element using a control wiring pattern 318 that extends in the X direction, the number of control wiring patterns 318 extending in the Y direction can be reduced compared to the case where all control wiring patterns 318 extend in the Y direction. More specifically, let's explain using a control circuit 105a that controls a switch element NM1 placed between a temperature detection element D1 and a drive wiring pattern 318a, which are arranged in temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4 spaced apart in the X direction. In this case, the control circuit 105, with the above configuration, turns on or off switch elements NM2 and NM3, which are also placed in the same temperature detection unit 108, at the same timing as switch element NM1. In this case, if a control wiring pattern 318 is placed individually for each temperature detection unit 108a1 to 108a4, the number of control wiring patterns 318 extending in the Y direction will be four. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 11, each switch element NM1, which is positioned between the temperature detection element D1 in the temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4 and the control wiring pattern 318a, is connected to one extension portion 318a1 that extends in the X direction of the control wiring pattern 318a for selecting the respective switch elements NM1 (and switch elements NM2, NM3) in the temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4. Therefore, there is only one extension portion 318a2 in the control wiring pattern 318a that extends in parallel to the liquid discharge element row 103a and the liquid supply ports 102a1 and 102a2, which are composed of multiple liquid discharge elements 123 in the Y direction. Here, the liquid supply ports 102a1 and 102a2, which supply liquid to the liquid discharge element row 103a, are positioned spaced apart in the Y direction from the liquid discharge element row 103a.

[0053] The size of the substrate 101 of the liquid discharge head substrate 800 is constrained in terms of the spacing of the liquid discharge elements 123, resulting in stronger constraints in the Y direction compared to the X direction. Therefore, the configuration shown in Figure 11 makes it possible to reduce the number of control wiring patterns 318 extending in the Y direction. As a result, the wiring efficiency of the power supply wiring patterns 111, 117 and ground wiring patterns 112, 118 extending in the Y direction is improved.

[0054] Furthermore, the temperature detection element D1 arranged in the temperature detection unit 108 is controlled using a control wiring pattern 318 that mainly extends in the X direction and a control wiring pattern 319 that mainly extends in the Y direction. This minimizes the number of control wiring patterns 318 and 319 required to control the temperature detection unit 108. In other words, it is possible to reduce the area required for the control wiring patterns 318 and 319, thereby improving the wiring efficiency of the power wiring patterns 111 and 117 and the ground wiring patterns 112 and 118.

[0055] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, the logic signals flowing through the control wiring pattern 318 are controlled using the control circuit 105. Thus, the control circuit 105 has the function of a heater logic circuit for driving the liquid discharge element 123 via the driver circuit 104, and the function of a column control circuit for the temperature detection unit 108. This configuration allows for the commonization of data input between the heater logic circuit and the column control circuit of the temperature detection unit 108, thereby reducing the number of external connection terminals 306.

[0056] Furthermore, in the substrate 800 for the liquid ejection head, a liquid supply port 102 and a liquid ejection element array 103 are arranged between the temperature detection unit 108 and the driver circuit 104. For example, between the driver circuit 104a, which drives a liquid ejection element array 103a composed of multiple liquid ejection elements 123 according to the control circuit 105a, and the temperature detection units 108a1 to 108a4, which contain a temperature detection element D1 controlled by the control circuit 105a, are the liquid ejection element array 103a and liquid supply ports 102a1 and 102a2. From the viewpoint of reducing parasitic resistance, the driver circuit 104 can be arranged as close to the liquid ejection element array 103 as possible. On the other hand, the temperature detection unit 108 (temperature detection element D1) needs to measure the temperature of the substrate 101 near the liquid ejection element array 103 while avoiding the influence of the driver circuit 104. By using the configuration shown in Figure 11, the temperature detection unit 108 is positioned near the corresponding liquid discharge element array 103 and away from the driver circuit 104 that drives the corresponding liquid discharge element array 103. This makes it possible to detect the temperature of the substrate 101 with higher accuracy, and as a result, the liquid discharge characteristics of the liquid discharge head substrate 800 are improved.

[0057] In the configuration shown in Figure 11, an example is shown in which one control circuit 105 is used to control all temperature detection units 108 corresponding to one liquid discharge element array 103, but this is not the only example. For example, two control circuits 105 may be used to control multiple temperature detection units 108 corresponding to one liquid discharge element array 103.

[0058] Other embodiments Here, a liquid ejection device using the above-mentioned liquid ejection head substrates 100, 500, 700, and 800 will be described using Figures 12(a) to 12(d). Figure 12(a) illustrates the internal configuration of a liquid ejection device 1600, which is representative of inkjet printers, facsimile machines, and copiers. In this example, the liquid ejection device may also be called a recording device. The liquid ejection device 1600 includes a liquid ejection head 1510 that ejects liquid (in this example, ink, recording agent) onto a predetermined medium P (in this example, a recording medium such as paper). In this example, the liquid ejection head may also be called a recording head. The liquid ejection head 1510 is mounted on a carriage 1620, and the carriage 1620 can be attached to a lead screw 1621 having a helical groove 1604. The lead screw 1621 can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of a drive motor 1601 via drive force transmission gears 1602 and 1603. As a result, the liquid dispensing head 1510 can move along the guide 1619 in the direction of arrow a or b together with the carriage 1620.

[0059] The medium P is held down by the paper press plate 1605 along the carriage movement direction and fixed to the platen 1606. The liquid dispensing device 1600 reciprocates the liquid dispensing head 1510 to dispense liquid (recording in this example) onto the medium P that has been transported onto the platen 1606 by the transport unit (not shown).

[0060] Furthermore, the liquid dispensing device 1600 confirms the position of the lever 1609 provided on the carriage 1620 via photocouplers 1607 and 1608, and switches the rotation direction of the drive motor 1601. The support member 1610 supports the cap member 1611 for covering the nozzle (liquid discharge port, or simply discharge port) of the liquid dispensing head 1510. The suction unit 1612 performs a recovery process for the liquid dispensing head 1510 by sucking the inside of the cap member 1611 through the cap opening 1613. The lever 1617 is provided to initiate the recovery process by suction, and moves in conjunction with the movement of the cam 1618 which engages with the carriage 1620, and the driving force from the drive motor 1601 is controlled by a known transmission mechanism such as clutch switching.

[0061] Furthermore, the main support plate 1616 supports the movable member 1615 and the cleaning blade 1614. The movable member 1615 moves the cleaning blade 1614 and performs a recovery process for the liquid discharge head 1510 by wiping. In addition, the liquid discharge device 1600 is provided with a control unit (not shown), which controls the driving of each of the above-mentioned mechanisms.

[0062] Figure 12(b) illustrates the external appearance of the liquid discharge head 1510. The liquid discharge head 1510 may comprise a head section 1511 having a plurality of nozzles 1500 and a tank (liquid reservoir) 1512 for holding liquid to be supplied to the head section 1511. The tank 1512 and the head section 1511 can be separated, for example, by a dashed line K, and the tank 1512 can be replaced. The liquid discharge head 1510 is equipped with electrical contacts (not shown) for receiving electrical signals from the carriage 1620 and discharges liquid according to said electrical signals. The tank 1512 may have, for example, a fibrous or porous liquid retaining material (not shown) that can hold liquid.

[0063] Figure 12(c) illustrates the internal configuration of the liquid discharge head 1510. The liquid discharge head 1510 comprises a base body 1508, a flow path wall member 1501 disposed on the base body 1508 and forming a flow path 1505, and a top plate 1502 having a liquid supply passage 1503. The base body 1508 may be any of the liquid discharge head substrates 100, 500, 700, or 800 described above. In addition, heaters 1506 (which can also be called electric heat conversion elements or heat-generating resistance elements) are arranged on the substrate (liquid discharge head substrate) of the liquid discharge head 1510, corresponding to each nozzle 1500. Each heater 1506 is driven and generates heat when a drive element (switch element such as a transistor) provided in conjunction with the heater 1506 becomes conductive.

[0064] The liquid from the liquid supply passage 1503 is stored in the common liquid chamber 1504 and supplied to each nozzle 1500 via each flow path 1505. The liquid supplied to each nozzle 1500 is discharged from that nozzle 1500 in response to the activation of the heater 1506 corresponding to that nozzle 1500.

[0065] Figure 12(d) illustrates the system configuration of the liquid dispensing device 1600. The liquid dispensing device 1600 includes an interface 1700, an MPU 1701, a ROM 1702, a RAM 1703, and a gate array (GA) 1704. External signals for executing liquid dispensing are input to the interface 1700. The ROM 1702 stores the control program executed by the MPU 1701. The RAM 1703 stores various signals and data, such as the external signals for liquid dispensing and data supplied to the liquid dispensing head 1708. The gate array 1704 controls the supply of data to the liquid dispensing head 1708 and also controls data transfer between the interface 1700, the MPU 1701, and the RAM 1703.

[0066] The liquid dispensing device 1600 further comprises a head driver 1705, motor drivers 1706 and 1707, a transport motor 1709, and a carrier motor 1710. The carrier motor 1710 transports the liquid dispensing head 1708. The transport motor 1709 transports the medium P. The head driver 1705 drives the liquid dispensing head 1708. The motor drivers 1706 and 1707 drive the transport motor 1709 and the carrier motor 1710, respectively.

[0067] When a drive signal is input to interface 1700, this drive signal can be converted into data for liquid discharge between gate array 1704 and MPU 1701. Each mechanism performs the desired operation according to this data, and in this way the liquid discharge head 1708 is driven.

[0068] The disclosures herein include the following liquid dispensing head substrates, liquid dispensing heads, and liquid dispensing devices.

[0069] (Item 1) A substrate for a liquid discharge head, comprising: a substrate; a plurality of liquid discharge elements arranged on the main surface of the substrate along a first direction for discharging liquid; a liquid supply port provided on the substrate spaced apart from the plurality of liquid discharge elements in a second direction intersecting the first direction for supplying liquid to the plurality of liquid discharge elements; a plurality of temperature detection elements arranged on the substrate for detecting the temperature of the substrate; and a drive wiring pattern for driving the plurality of temperature detection elements, A substrate for a liquid discharge head, characterized in that the drive wiring pattern is shared by the plurality of temperature sensing elements.

[0070] (Item 2) The liquid discharge head substrate according to item 1, characterized in that, in each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements, a monitoring wiring pattern is connected to at least one of the two terminals of the temperature sensing element.

[0071] (Item 3) A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to one extension of the drive wiring pattern that extends in the second direction.

[0072] (Item 4) The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 3, characterized in that the plurality of temperature sensing elements are arranged spaced apart from each other in the second direction.

[0073] (Item 5) The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 3, characterized in that the plurality of temperature detection elements include a first temperature detection element and a second temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and a third temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from the first temperature detection element in the second direction.

[0074] (Item 6) The extended portion is referred to as the first extended portion, The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 5, characterized in that the first temperature detection element and the second temperature detection element are connected to the first extension portion via a second extension portion of the drive wiring pattern that extends in the first direction.

[0075] (Item 7) The plurality of temperature detection elements include a first temperature detection element and a second temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and a third temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from the first temperature detection element in the second direction. The first temperature detection element and the third temperature detection element are connected to one first extension portion of the drive wiring pattern that extends in the second direction. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that the second temperature sensing element is connected to a second extension of the drive wiring pattern that is different from the first extension that extends in the second direction.

[0076] (Item 8) A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to any one of items 1 to 7, characterized in that each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to the drive wiring pattern via a switch element.

[0077] (Item 9) Each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to the drive wiring pattern via a switch element. A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to any one of items 5 to 7, characterized in that a first switch element disposed between the first temperature detection element and the drive wiring pattern, and a second switch element disposed between the second temperature detection element and the drive wiring pattern, are connected to one extension portion of the control wiring pattern for selecting the first switch element and the second switch element that extends in the first direction.

[0078] (Item 10) The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 9, characterized in that one portion of the control wiring pattern extends in parallel to the plurality of liquid discharge elements and the liquid supply port in the second direction.

[0079] (Item 11) The substrate for a liquid dispensing head according to item 9 or 10, further comprising a control circuit that controls the switch element and the second switch element via the control wiring pattern.

[0080] (Item 12) The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 11, characterized in that the control circuit controls the driving of the plurality of liquid discharge elements.

[0081] (Item 13) The control circuit further includes a driver circuit that drives the plurality of liquid dispensing elements according to the control of the control circuit, A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to item 11 or 12, characterized in that the plurality of liquid discharge elements and the liquid supply port are arranged between the first temperature detection element and the second temperature detection element and the driver circuit.

[0082] (Item 14) A beam, integrally formed with the substrate, is provided at the liquid supply port. A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to any one of items 1 to 13, characterized in that the drive wiring pattern passes through the beam.

[0083] (Item 15) Multiple beams, formed integrally with the substrate, are arranged at the liquid supply port. A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to any one of items 1 to 13, characterized in that the drive wiring pattern passes through some of the beams among the plurality of beams.

[0084] (Item 16) Multiple beams, formed integrally with the substrate, are arranged at the liquid supply port. A substrate for a liquid discharge head according to any one of items 8 to 13, characterized in that, among the plurality of beams, the beam through which the drive wiring pattern passes and the beam through which the wiring pattern for controlling the switch element passes are different beams from each other.

[0085] (Item 17) A liquid dispensing head comprising a substrate for a liquid dispensing head described in any one of items 1 to 16, and a dispensing port from which the dispensing of liquid is controlled by the substrate for the liquid dispensing head.

[0086] (Item 18) A liquid dispensing device characterized by comprising a liquid dispensing head as described in item 17, and means for supplying a drive signal to the liquid dispensing head.

[0087] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 100, 500, 700, 800: Substrate for liquid discharge head, 101: Substrate, 123: Liquid discharge element

Claims

1. A substrate for a liquid discharge head, comprising: a substrate; a plurality of liquid discharge elements arranged on the main surface of the substrate along a first direction for discharging liquid; a liquid supply port provided on the substrate spaced apart from the plurality of liquid discharge elements in a second direction intersecting the first direction for supplying the liquid to the plurality of liquid discharge elements; a plurality of temperature detection elements arranged on the substrate for detecting the temperature of the substrate; and a drive wiring pattern extending in the second direction for driving the plurality of temperature detection elements, wherein The drive wiring pattern extends to the end of the substrate in the second direction and is connected to an external connection terminal, and is shared by the plurality of temperature sensing elements. A substrate for a liquid discharge head, characterized in that each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to the drive wiring pattern via a switch element.

2. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that in each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements, a monitoring wiring pattern is connected to at least one of the two terminals of the temperature sensing element.

3. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to one extension portion of the drive wiring pattern that extends in the second direction.

4. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 3, characterized in that the plurality of temperature sensing elements are arranged spaced apart from each other in the second direction.

5. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 3, characterized in that the plurality of temperature detection elements include a first temperature detection element and a second temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and a third temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from the first temperature detection element in the second direction.

6. The extended portion is referred to as the first extended portion, The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 5, characterized in that the first temperature detection element and the second temperature detection element are connected to the first extension portion via a second extension portion of the drive wiring pattern that extends in the first direction.

7. Each of the plurality of temperature sensing elements is connected to the drive wiring pattern via a switch element. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 5, characterized in that a first switch element disposed between the first temperature detection element and the drive wiring pattern, and a second switch element disposed between the second temperature detection element and the drive wiring pattern, are connected to one extension portion of the control wiring pattern for selecting the first switch element and the second switch element that extends in the first direction.

8. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 7, characterized in that one portion of the control wiring pattern extends in parallel to the plurality of liquid discharge elements and the liquid supply port in the second direction.

9. The substrate for a liquid dispensing head according to claim 7, further comprising a control circuit for controlling the first switch element and the second switch element via the control wiring pattern.

10. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 9, characterized in that the control circuit controls the driving of the plurality of liquid discharge elements.

11. The control circuit further includes a driver circuit that drives the plurality of liquid dispensing elements according to the control of the control circuit, The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 9, characterized in that the plurality of liquid discharge elements and the liquid supply port are arranged between the first temperature detection element and the second temperature detection element and the driver circuit.

12. The plurality of temperature detection elements include a first temperature detection element and a second temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from each other in the first direction, and a third temperature detection element arranged spaced apart from the first temperature detection element in the second direction. The first temperature detection element and the third temperature detection element are connected to a first extension portion of the drive wiring pattern that extends in the second direction. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that the second temperature sensing element is connected to a second extension of the drive wiring pattern that is different from the first extension that extends in the second direction.

13. Multiple beams, formed integrally with the substrate, are arranged at the liquid supply port. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that, among the plurality of beams, the beam through which the drive wiring pattern passes and the beam through which the wiring pattern for controlling the switch element passes are different beams from each other.

14. A beam, integrally formed with the substrate, is provided at the liquid supply port. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive wiring pattern passes through the beam.

15. Multiple beams, formed integrally with the substrate, are arranged at the liquid supply port. The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive wiring pattern passes through some of the beams among the plurality of beams.

16. A liquid dispensing head comprising a substrate for a liquid dispensing head according to any one of claims 1 to 15, and a dispensing port whose liquid dispensing is controlled by the substrate for the liquid dispensing head.

17. A liquid dispensing device comprising: a substrate for a liquid dispensing head according to any one of claims 1 to 15; a liquid dispensing head having a discharge port from which the dispensing of liquid is controlled by the substrate for the liquid dispensing head; and means for supplying a drive signal to the liquid dispensing head for dispensing liquid.

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