Fujifilm Corporation

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Tadashi Kyoso

Kanji Nagashima

Jun Yamanobe

Katsuto Sumi

Paul A Hoisington

Masakazu Okuda

Yoshikazu Hishinuma

Mats G Ottosson

Yasutoshi Hirabayashi

Satoshi Shimobayashi

Nobuo Matsumoto

Kenichi Kodama

Hiroyuki Shibata

Tsutomu Kusakari

Toshinori Ishiyama

The liquid supply system includes: a buffer tank () in which a liquid to be supplied to a liquid supply target device () is stored; a liquid level varying device () that changes a liquid level height in the buffer tank; a liquid flow passage () through which the liquid supply target device and the buffer tank communicate with each other; a pump (A) provided in the liquid flow passage; and a valve (A) for opening and closing the liquid flow passage, in which in a case in which the liquid supply target device is not in operation, the liquid is discharged from the buffer tank to lower the liquid level height in the buffer tank; and the pump and the valve are controlled to allow the liquid to flow into the buffer tank from the liquid flow passage.

Liquid supply system, liquid circulation method, and printing system

A sequence that includes first processing of generating a positive flow in a first direction in a liquid in a first flow passage including at least a part of a circulation flow passage through which the liquid is supplied from a liquid tank to the liquid jetting head and the liquid is collected from the liquid jetting head to the liquid tank and second processing of generating a negative flow in an opposite direction to the first direction in the liquid in the first flow passage, is executed. In the first flow passage, a filter that removes a foreign substance in the liquid is disposed between the liquid tank and the liquid jetting head in the positive flow. A flow rate of the liquid of the positive flow is higher than a flow rate of the liquid of the negative flow. The negative flow has a steady flow state.

Liquid supply device, control method of liquid supply device, and printing apparatus

An inkjet head ejection performance evaluation method includes: printing a test pattern for examining an ejection condition for each nozzle by an inkjet head and reading the test pattern by an image reading device; measuring a first depositing position for each nozzle from a read image to calculate an angle deviation amount of the inkjet head based on the first depositing position and pattern information; calculating at least one of a second depositing position and second deposit displacement amount in which an influence due to angle deviation caused is eliminated; calculating a moving amount caused by rotation of the angle deviation amount from a reference position of the nozzle at a reference attaching angle up to a current nozzle position; and calculating, by using these calculation results, at least one of a distance between the adjacent pixels and a third deposit displacement amount including the influence.

Inkjet print device and inkjet head ejection performance evaluation method

Provided are an image recording apparatus that efficiently detects defective recording elements causing image defects in a plurality of recording heads and a method of detecting the defective recording elements. An image recording apparatus including: a plurality of recording heads; an indicator acquisition unit for acquiring an indicator which relatively indicates how easily image defects are visually perceived for each color, an appearance ratio setting unit for setting an appearance ratio of a test pattern as a higher value as the indicator of each color becomes higher; a recording unit for recording the test pattern of each color on a recording medium at the appearance ratio; an imaging unit for capturing an image of the test pattern which is recorded on the recording medium; and an analysis unit for analyzing the captured test pattern and detecting a defect of a recording element in the recording head.

Image recording apparatus and method of detecting defective recording element

A liquid ejection device includes a head driving unit that generates a first driving voltage and a second driving voltage in which whether or not there is ejection of liquid from a first ejection element in a case where the first driving voltage alone is applied to the first ejection element that is a detection target of a short circuit between ejection elements is different from whether or not there is ejection of liquid from the first ejection element in a case where the first driving voltage and the second driving voltage are applied to the first ejection element, supplies the first driving voltage to the first ejection element, and supplies the second driving voltage to the second ejection element suspected of a short circuit with the first ejection element.

Liquid ejection device and short-circuit detection method

A pattern formation device, a liquid ejection device, and an electrical fault detection method capable of detecting electrical fault of a liquid ejection head on the basis of an analysis result of an electrical fault detection pattern are provided. An electrical fault detection pattern having an arrangement of dot arrays satisfying an arrangement condition with an arrangement of a plurality of ejection elements in a liquid ejection head is formed by ejecting liquid from a liquid ejection head in which M rows of ejection element groups in which a plurality of ejection elements are arranged in a first direction are arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and M is an integer equal to or greater than 2.

Pattern formation device, liquid ejection device, and electrical fault detection method

The inkjet head ejection performance evaluation method includes: printing a test pattern for examining an ejection condition for each nozzle by an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles arrayed in a matrix and is read by an image reading device; and measuring a depositing position for each nozzle from the read image to calculate a deposit displacement amount based on the depositing position and pattern information, wherein a position of a center of gravity in a Y direction of nozzles used for calculation for calculating the deposit displacement amount of the nozzle number n is equal to a position of a center of gravity in the Y direction of all nozzles existing in the nozzle range of the nozzles used for calculation, where a direction of relative movement between the inkjet head and a recording medium is the Y direction.

The liquid ejection head has a structure in which three or more head modules including a plurality of ejection elements are arranged along a single direction, and the liquid ejection head includes a first head module, a second head module and a third head module which are arranged in ascending order of slope of ejection volume distribution in the single direction or are arranged in descending order of the slope of the ejection volume distribution in the single direction, the slope of the ejection volume distribution in the single direction being evaluated by subtracting an ejection volume at one end part in the single direction from an ejection volume at the other end part in the single direction.

Liquid ejection head, liquid ejection head production method and liquid ejection head production system

The production method for a liquid ejection head is provided, in which a first head module is set, a second candidate head module is selected, a first representative value of the first head module is acquired, a second representative value of the second candidate head module is acquired, an average value of the first representative value and the second representative value is derived, and the second candidate head module by which the derived average value is 0.76-fold or more and 1.24-fold or less of an average ejection volume target value is set as a second head module.

Liquid ejection head production method and liquid ejection head production system

A plurality of recording elements included in a printed head are grouped into a plurality of groups, a test order is set in units of groups, and a test of the recording elements is periodically performed in units of groups in the set test order. In a case where an abnormality is detected in the recording element as a result of the test, the recording element in which an abnormality is detected is recognized as a retest target, an order of tests is changed through interruption, and a retest of a group including the recording element recognized as a retest target is performed. In a case where an abnormality is detected again in the recording element that is a retest target as a result of the retest, the recording element that is a retest target is recognized as an abnormal recording element.

Method of testing print head, printing method, device for testing print head, and printer

Provided are an ink jet recording apparatus and an abnormality detection method of an ejector which are capable of performing high-accuracy abnormality detection and suppressing the generation of excessive abnormality detection with respect to a required image quality. An ink jet recording apparatus () includes an ink jet head (C,M,Y,K) having a plurality of ejectors, a medium transport unit (), a calculation unit () that calculates an index value relevant to a droplet ejection amount for each ejector on the basis of printing data, a threshold determination unit () that determines a threshold for ejection abnormality determination for each ejector in accordance with the index value, a threshold storage unit () that stores the threshold determined for each ejector, and an abnormality determination unit () that determines the presence or absence of ejection abnormality by comparing the threshold with a measurement amount for each ejector.

Ink jet recording apparatus and abnormality detection method of ejector

In an image recording method of an image recording apparatus provided with an inspection unit which inspects the presence/absence of abnormality in each recording element of a print head at regular intervals, the recording element determined to have abnormality by inspection in the inspection unit is disabled during a determination period set in advance. If the disabled recording element is determined to have no abnormality by inspection immediately after the recording element is disabled, recovers the recording element to be enabled. If the disabled recording element is determined to have abnormality again by inspection within a prescribed frequency N from inspection immediately after the recording element is disabled, the recording element is continuously disabled during the determination period. In cases where the recording element is disabled, the use of the disabled recording element is prohibited, image defect due to the use-prohibited recording element is complemented, and an image is recorded.

Image recording apparatus and method

An image forming apparatus that forms an image where occurrence of concentration unevenness caused by occurrence of mechanical crosstalk is suppressed are provided. According to the present invention, the distance from the boundary position of the inkjet head corresponding to the concentration boundary between the first concentration region and the second concentration region to the second concentration region end of the inkjet head is less than the reciprocal of the spatial frequency of the concentration unevenness. Accordingly, the length of the part in the first direction where the inkjet head forms the second concentration region is less than one period of the concentration unevenness. Even if crosstalk due to vibrations of the part where the inkjet head forms the first concentration region occurs, the visibility of the concentration unevenness occurring in the second concentration region can be reduced.

Image forming apparatus

A method for analyzing positional deviation of head modules of an inkjet head having head modules connected and joined with each other includes: dividing a printing pattern and thereby creating division patterns; obtaining conversion factors of the nozzles of each division pattern; changing the number of nozzles used in calculation and thereby obtain a minimum value of a standard error of a positional deviation shift amount; changing the number of divisions of the division patterns and performing the calculation of the conversion factor and the standard error with the changed division patterns; determining the number of divisions and the number of nozzles with which the value of the standard error is minimal; and creating an analysis chart with the determined number of divisions and calculating the positional deviation shift amount based upon an average value of the positional deviation shift amounts of nozzles corresponding to the determined number of nozzles.

Method for analyzing positional deviation of head modules, recording medium, and method for adjusting inkjet head

A method for adjusting a head module of an inkjet head in which a plurality of head modules having nozzles capable of ejecting droplets are connected and linked together is disclosed. The inkjet head has an overlapping region in which an arrangement sequence of the head modules corresponding to the ejected droplets is alternate between adjacent head modules. The method includes the steps of: obtaining, among intervals between the droplet ejected by one of the head modules and the droplet ejected by another one of the head modules in the overlapping region, a largest interval between the droplets in a direction of alignment of the head modules based upon movement of the droplets caused by a landing interference; and adjusting the adjacent head modules in a direction to decrease the largest interval between the droplets.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tadashi Kyoso