Seiko Epson Corporation

Zexel Gmbh

Epson Corporation

Osamu Shinkawa

Toshio Kumagai

Toshiyuki Suzuki

Yusuke Sakagami

Kunio Tabata

Tomoki Hatano

Atsushi Oshima

Masashi Kamiyanagi

Akihito Uetake

Kunio Koike

Masahiko Yoshida

Yasuhiro Hosokawa

Osamu Takahashi

Noriaki Saito

Teruhiko Fujisawa

Eisaku Shimizu

Koji Higuchi

Koki Tajima

Yoshio Nakazawa

Akihiko Ikegami

Nobukazu Takagi

Kazuhito Fujisawa

Atsushi Akiyama

Toru Takahashi

Kunihiko Takagi

Shinichi Miyazaki

Toru Miyamoto

Kenji Otokita

Hitoshi Yamakado

Hiroshi Yabe

Hidenori Nakamura

Tsuneo Kasai

Tomio Ikegami

Seiji Izuo

Keiji Hara

Tadao Kadowaki

Yu Gu

Shigeyuki Fujimori

Akiyoshi Ishiguro

Kiyohiro Harada

Michio Sato

Takeshi Fujihisa

Sakae Mashio

A liquid ejecting apparatus including: a plurality of ejection sections including a first ejection section including a first piezoelectric element that is driven by a drive signal, and a second ejection section including a second piezoelectric element that is driven by the drive signal; a detection section detecting a potential of the first piezoelectric element; and a determination section determining an ejection state of the first ejection section according to a detection result of the detection section using a determination mode selected from among a plurality of determination modes, in which the determination section determines the ejection state of the first ejection section using a first determination mode when the second piezoelectric element is driven, and determines the ejection state of the first ejection section using a second determination mode when the second piezoelectric element is not driven.

Liquid ejecting apparatus and print head

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a supply section configured to selectively supply a first driving signal that drives a piezoelectric element to form an image or a second driving signal that drives the piezoelectric element to determine whether a foreign matter adheres to an inner wall of a nozzle opening, and a determination section that determines whether a foreign matter adheres to the inner wall. The second driving signal includes a first partial signal having its potential changed from a first potential to a second potential, and a second partial signal having its potential changed from the second potential to the first potential. The determination section determines, after the first partial signal is supplied to the piezoelectric element, based on vibration generated in the piezoelectric element due to supply of the second partial signal, whether a foreign matter adheres to the inner wall.

Liquid ejecting apparatus and head unit for determining presence of foreign matter

A liquid ejecting apparatus including an ejector configured to eject a liquid with displacement of a piezoelectric element, a generator configured to generate a driving signal, which has a first waveform, for displacing the piezoelectric element in a first direction, and a second waveform, for displacing the piezoelectric element in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a detector configured to detect a vibration remaining in the ejector in a detection time period starting after completion of the second time period. The difference between a duration from the first time point to the second time point and a duration that is a natural number times the period of a vibration produced in the ejector is shorter than one quarter times the period of the vibration produced in the ejector.

Liquid ejecting apparatus

A storage amount detection device includes a storage section that includes a first surface and a second surface separated from the first surface in a first direction, and is configured to store an object between the first surface and the second surface, a transmission electrode provided on the first surface, a first reception electrode provided on the second surface, a second reception electrode provided on the second surface, an output terminal, a selector circuit that switches whether or not to electrically couple the output terminal to at least one of the first reception electrode and the second reception electrode, and a detection circuit that detects a storage amount of the object in the storage section based on an output from the output terminal.

Storage amount detection device and liquid discharge device

A liquid discharge device includes a discharge section that discharges a liquid, a storage section that includes a first surface and a second surface separated from the first surface in a first direction, and is configured to store the liquid between the first surface and the second surface, a transmission electrode that is provided on the first surface, a reception electrode that is provided on the second surface, a filter circuit that removes a predetermined frequency component from an electric signal supplied from the reception electrode, and a detection circuit that detects a storage amount of the liquid stored in the storage section based on an output from the filter circuit.

Liquid discharge device

There is provided a storage amount detection device, which detects a storage amount of an object stored in a storage section that includes a first surface and a second surface, the device including a transmission electrode that is provided on the first surface, a plurality of reception electrodes that are provided on the second surface, a constant voltage terminal, a coupling circuit that is configured to electrically a reception electrode to an output terminal, and a detection circuit that detects the storage amount of the object stored in the storage section, in which the coupling circuit couples the reception electrode, which is not electrically coupled to the output terminal, among the plurality of reception electrodes to the constant voltage terminal, and does not couple a reception electrode, which is electrically coupled to the output terminal, among the plurality of reception electrodes to the constant voltage terminal.

A liquid ejection device includes a first head unit that includes a plurality of first ejection portions, a second head unit that includes a plurality of second ejection portions, a head controller that controls the first head unit and the second head unit, and a signal path via which determination information indicating whether or not a liquid ejection state of one first ejection portion among the plurality of first ejection portions is abnormal is transmitted from the first head unit to the second head unit without passing through the head controller.

Liquid ejection device

A head unit includes a plurality of ejection portions that include a first ejection portion and a second ejection portion, a determination portion that determines a liquid ejection state of the first ejection portion and determines a liquid ejection state of the second ejection portion, and a storage portion that includes a first storage region storing first determination information indicating a determination result for the first ejection portion from the determination portion, and a second storage region storing second determination information indicating a determination result for the second ejection portion from the determination portion.

Head unit

A head unit control device that controls a head unit including a plurality of ejection portions that includes a first ejection portion and a second ejection portion and a determination portion that determines a liquid ejection state of the first and second ejection portion, and includes a reception portion that receives, as one data set, determination result information including first determination information indicating a determination result of the liquid ejection state of the first ejection portion from the determination portion and second determination information indicating a determination result of the liquid ejection state of the second ejection portion from the determination portion, and ejection portion information including information indicating the number of the plurality of ejection portions included in the head unit, from the head unit, and an ejection control portion that controls the plurality of ejection portions based on the one data set received by the reception portion.

Head unit control device, head unit, and liquid ejection device

A liquid discharging apparatus has: a discharging section that discharges a liquid by being driven by a driving signal; a detecting section that detects vibration caused in the discharging section; and an inspecting section that inspects the discharging state of the liquid in the discharging section according to the result of detection by the detecting section. In a first period, the potential of the driving signal is changed from a first reference potential to another potential and back to the first reference potential. In a second period, the potential of the driving signal is changed from the first reference potential to a second reference potential. In a third period, the detecting section detects vibration caused in the discharging section. In a fourth period, the potential of the driving signal is changed from the second reference potential to another potential and back to the second reference potential.

Liquid discharging apparatus

A head unit comprising: a first line through which a driving signal is supplied; a first discharging section that has a first piezoelectric element having a first electrode, the first discharging section discharging liquid according to the displacement of the first piezoelectric element, the displacement being caused when the driving signal is supplied to the first electrode; a detection circuit that detects the potential of a second line; a first switch that makes a switchover as to whether to electrically couple the first electrode and first line together; a second switch that makes a switchover as to whether to electrically couple the first electrode and second line together; a third switch that makes a switchover as to whether to electrically couple the first line and second line together; and a first resistor provided in series with the third switch between the first line and the second line.

Head unit and liquid discharging apparatus

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a generation unit that generates a driving signal, a discharge portion including a piezoelectric element that is driven by the driving signal, and a detection unit that detects residual vibration occurring in the discharge portion, in a detection period after a driving period during which the piezoelectric element is driven by the driving signal, in which the generation unit maintains a potential of the driving signal at a first potential in a first period, maintains the potential of the driving signal at a second potential in a second period, maintains the potential of the driving signal at a third potential in a third period, and maintains the potential of the driving signal at a detection potential in the detection period, the first potential is a potential between the second potential and the third potential, and the detection potential is a potential between the first potential and the second potential.

A liquid discharging apparatus includes a nozzle, a drive signal generation unit that generates a drive signal for driving a piezoelectric element, and a discharge abnormality detection unit that detects a change of an electromotive force of the piezoelectric element, which is caused by residual vibration in a cavity after the drive signal is supplied. The drive signal generation unit generates a first drive signal for checking whether or not a first discharge abnormality caused by a foreign substance adhering to a surface on which the nozzle opens occurs and a second drive signal for checking whether or not a second discharge abnormality caused by a cause other than the foreign substance occurs. A potential of the first drive signal when the discharge abnormality detection unit performs checking is different from a potential of the second drive signal when the discharge abnormality detection unit performs checking.

Liquid discharging apparatus including drive signal generation unit that generates first and second drive signals for checking discharge abnormalities

A printer as an example of a liquid discharging apparatus includes a nozzle, a drive signal generation unit that generates a drive signal for driving a piezoelectric element, and a discharge abnormality detection unit that detects a change of an electromotive force of the piezoelectric element, which is caused by residual vibration in a cavity after the drive signal is supplied. The drive signal generation unit generates a first drive signal for checking whether or not a first discharge abnormality caused by a foreign substance adhering to a surface on which the nozzle opens occurs and a second drive signal for checking whether or not a second discharge abnormality caused by a cause other than the foreign substance occurs. The potential change for detecting the first drive signal is greater than the potential change for detecting the second drive signal.

A liquid ejecting device includes: an ejector including: a piezoelectric element displacing corresponding to a drive signal potential; a pressure chamber changing volume corresponding to the piezoelectric element displacement; and a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber, and ejecting liquid from the pressure chamber; and a detector detecting residual vibrations produced by the ejector after piezoelectric element displacement. The detector detects the residual vibrations in a third period when the drive signal having a drive waveform is supplied to the piezoelectric element. The drive waveform being set to a first potential in a first period, a second potential in a second period, and a third potential in the third period. The volume of the pressure chamber in the second period is smaller than the volume in the first period. The volume of the pressure chamber in the third period is larger than in the second period.

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Chino, Japan

Osamu Shinkawa