Ink jet head and ink jet printer

An ink jet head for ejecting ink droplets from ink jet nozzles to a recording medium, comprising:

• a first drive element which is provided in correspondence with each of the ink jet nozzles and which has a thin film resistor for ejecting said ink droplets from each of said ink jet nozzles by expansion of bubbles generated by boiling part of the ink and a thin film conductive electrode for feeding electricity to said thin film resistor, said thin film resistor and said thin film conductive electrode being formed on a substrate;
• a second drive element which is formed in a vicinity of said first drive element and which has a second thin film resistor that vibrates the ink in a said ink jet nozzle corresponding to said first drive element for changing a meniscus position in said ink jet nozzle and a thin film conductive electrode for feeding the electricity to said second thin film resistor;
• and
• a drive signal control means which controls at least one of a drive signal given to said first drive element and a drive signal given to said second drive element so that said ink droplets can be ejected at a desired meniscus position of said ink in each of said ink jet nozzles,
• wherein said thin film resistor of said second drive element changes said meniscus position in said ink jet nozzle by vibration with bubbles generated by heating part of said ink, and
• wherein a lateral width of said thin film resistor of said second drive element in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which said second drive element gets closer to said first drive element is increased or decreased stepwise or continuously as said second drive element gets closer to said first drive element.

An ink jet printer comprising an ink jet head for ejecting ink droplets from ink jet nozzles to a recording medium, comprising:

• a first drive element which is provided in correspondence with each of the ink jet nozzles and which has a thin film resistor for ejecting said ink droplets from each of said ink jet nozzles by expansion of bubbles generated by boiling part of the ink and a thin film conductive electrode for feeding electricity to said thin film resistor, said thin film resistor and said thin film conductive electrode being formed on a substrate;
• a second drive element which is formed in a vicinity of said first drive element and which has a second thin film resistor spaced laterally from an axis passing through said first thin film resistor and a nozzle opening in said ink jet nozzles that vibrates the ink in a said ink jet nozzle corresponding to said first drive element for changing a meniscus position in said ink jet nozzle, and a thin film conductive electrode for feeding the electricity to said thin film resistor;
• and
• a drive signal control means which controls at least one of a drive signal given to said first drive element and a drive signal given to said second drive element so that said ink droplets can be ejected at a desired meniscus position during vibration of said ink in each of said ink jet nozzles,
• wherein said drive signal control means provides said drive signal given to said second drive element prior to providing said drive signal given to said first drive element and
• wherein said drive signal control means controls at least one of a timing between the drive signal given to said first drive element and the drive signal given to said second drive element, and a strength and a width that each of said drive signals has.