Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiji Izuo

Toshio Kumagai

Osamu Shinkawa

Kanechika Kiyose

Chikara Kojima

Koji Ohashi

Toshiyuki Suzuki

Tomohiro Sayama

Yasuhiro Hosokawa

Tsuneo Kasai

Kazutoshi Fujishima

Provided is an ultrasonic device including a substrate and a vibration plate provided on the substrate and having one or more vibrators configured to generate an ultrasonic wave by vibration. The vibration plate has a movable portion provided with the vibrator and configured to vibrate accompanying with the vibration of the vibrator, and a fixed portion fixed to the substrate. A vibration frequency of a reflected wave based on a wave transmitted from the movable portion and received by the movable portion is outside a vibration frequency band region of the vibrator.

Ultrasonic device and ultrasonic sensor

A drive signal adjustment method adjusts a drive signal including a drive pulse to be supplied to a drive element of a liquid ejecting head. The liquid ejecting head includes a nozzle, a pressure generation chamber communicating with the nozzle, and the drive element generating a pressure change in a liquid inside the pressure generation chamber. The drive pulse includes an expansion element, an expansion maintenance element, a contraction element, a contraction maintenance element, and an expansion restoration element. A plurality of test patterns are printed by using adjusting drive pulses including modification values in which either one or both of a time of the contraction maintenance element and a period of the drive pulse are modified. The adjusting drive pulse corresponding to a specific test pattern selected from among the plurality of test patterns set as the drive pulse at the time of printing.

Drive signal adjustment method of liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus

A printer has a print head check unit that performs an ink ejection check to confirm whether or not ink is being ejected normally from nozzles, the printer sets a flag F to 1 so as to start an ink ejection check and starts a paper feed process. When the processes has been terminated, the printer starts printing. Accordingly, ink ejection check takes place concurrently with the paper feed process, the overall time required for the processes can be reduced. In this way, the overall time required for the processes of the ejection check of the print recording liquid and an image forming process can be reduced. Further, the ink ejection check may be performed in parallel with or partly overlapping with a process of receiving print data, a process of conversion into print data, a process of ejecting paper after printing, or a flashing process.

Print head check method and image forming apparatus

A printer includes a control section that is capable of executing a first process for forming an image on a sheet by discharging ink droplets from a liquid ejection head on the basis of image data and a second process for forming, on the sheet, a test pattern for determination of a shift in ink droplet adhesion position by discharging droplets on the basis of test data. The control section executes the second process in a state in which a print gap between the liquid ejection head and a support is longer than the shortest adjustable print gap.

Droplet discharge device and droplet discharge method

A printer has a print head check unit that performs an ink ejection check to confirm whether or not ink is being ejected normally from nozzles, based on induced voltage generated when charged ink droplets are ejected onto a check area. Upon receipt of a print instruction (S), the printer sets a flag F to 1 so as to start an ink ejection check and starts a paper feed process (S). When the processes has been terminated (S, S), the printer starts printing. Accordingly, as an ink ejection check takes place concurrently with the paper feed process, the overall time required for the processes can be reduced, in comparison with any method in which the processes are executed separately. In this way, because of efficient implementation, the overall time required for the processes of the ejection check of the print recording liquid and an image forming process can be reduced. In addition, the ink ejection check may be performed in parallel with or partly overlapping with a process of receiving print data, a process of conversion into print data, a process of ejecting paper after printing, or a flashing process, etc.

Provided is a dot omission inspection method used in a printing apparatus for forming an image constituted by dots of first and second photo-durable inks. In the dot omission inspection method, an arbitrary image is formed by performing liquid droplet discharge of causing a liquid droplet of the first or second ink to be landed on a medium, performing provisional curing of irradiating the landed liquid droplet using light from a first light source so as to be provisionally cured, and performing main curing of irradiating the provisionally cured liquid droplet using light from a second light source to fix the liquid droplet on the medium. An inspection image is formed without performing the provisional curing on the liquid droplet of the first ink landed on the medium by performing the liquid droplet discharge, and by causing the liquid droplet of the second ink to be landed by performing the liquid droplet discharge at the same position as the liquid droplet of the first ink which is not provisionally cured so as to mix the first ink and the second ink with each other.

Dot omission inspection method used in printing apparatus and the printing apparatus

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a head which ejects a liquid from nozzles; a first electrode which charges the liquid with a first potential; a second electrode which is charged with a second potential different from the first potential; and an inspector which inspects whether the liquid is ejected from the nozzles based on a variation in a potential caused in at least one of the first and second electrodes by ejecting the liquid charged with the first potential from the nozzles to the second electrode and which determines whether the inspection of liquid ejection from the nozzles is normally executed based on the variation in the potential during a non-ejection period in which the liquid is not ejected from all of the nozzles.

Liquid ejecting apparatus and ejection inspecting method

Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from nozzle openings by driving of an ejection driving portion; a driving signal generation portion that generates a driving pulse for driving the ejection driving portion; a liquid receiving portion that is disposed so as to oppose a nozzle forming face of the liquid ejecting head and receive ink ejected from the nozzle openings; and an ejection inspecting portion that detects an electrical variation occurring between a conductive portion of the liquid ejecting head and the liquid receiving portion when liquid is ejected toward the liquid receiving portion from the nozzle openings in a state where an electric voltage is applied between the conductive portion and the liquid receiving portion, thereby inspecting whether or not liquid has been ejected from the nozzle openings. The driving signal generation portion generates a normal driving pulse which is used for processes other than an ejection inspection process by the ejection inspecting portion and an ejection inspection driving pulse which is different from the normal driving pulse and is used for the ejection inspection process by the ejection inspecting portion.

When an actually measured voltage Vsu detected by a voltmeteris within an inspection permissible range, a print head inspection apparatusperforms an inspection as whether or not ink has been normally ejected, on the basis of a changes in voltage that occur in an inspection areaas a result of ejected ink droplets. On the one hand, when the actually measured voltage Vsu is less than the inspection range, the apparatus increases a relative distance between a nozzle plateand the inspection areaby separating the capping memberfrom the print head, by then bringing the capping memberand the print headinto contact, and after a suction pumpperforms a separated-suction process, by then gradually separating the capping memberfrom the print headuntil the actually measured voltage Vsu is within the inspection permissible range. Thus, a nozzle inspection as to whether or not the print recording liquid has been normally ejected can be carried out with a stable degree of accuracy.

Print head inspection method, print head inspection apparatus, and printer

A nozzle inspection deviceincludes: an inspection areathat is provided inside a capping memberand is capable of receiving ink; a voltage application circuitthat applies voltage to a print headto generate a predetermined potential difference between the print headand the inspection area; and a switching modulethat is switched between the ground side where a nozzle plate has ground potential and the voltage-application side where the nozzle plate is independent from ground potential and voltage is applied to the print head. During a nozzle inspection to determine whether or not ink can be ejected from nozzleson the basis of voltage variations in the inspection area, a CPUswitches the switchto the voltage-application side. During printing, the CPUswitches the switchto the ground side. In this structure, the print head is free from electrical impact during printing, and the head can be at a predetermined potential during a nozzle inspection.

Print head inspection method, print head inspection device and a printing device

An ink jet printerof the present invention can carry out a head check on whether or not ink is normally ejected from nozzles, by having a voltage detection circuitdetect electrical change resulting from ejecting of charged ink droplets onto an ink receiving area. When instructed to do borderfree printing, the ink jet printerhas a voltage application circuitto charge ink in the print head, and ejects ink onto an area within the ink receiving areawhere a recording sheet S is present and an area where a recording sheet is not present. The ink jet printeralso carries a print headand determines a front edge of the recording sheet S based on a position where a voltage detection circuit no longer detects voltage. Thus, the ink jet printerdetermines a front edge, side edges, and rear edge of the recording sheet S by directly using ink. Determination of a position of the edge of the print medium is thus secured with greater accuracy than with any method in which anything other than print recording liquid is used and in which the position is indirectly determined.

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Nagano-ken, Japan

Seiji Izuo