The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 12, 2008
Filed:
Mar. 22, 2004
Koji Higuchi, Shiojiri, JP;
Osamu Shinkawa, Chino, JP;
Yusuke Sakagami, Shiojiri, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, , JP;
Abstract
It is an object of the invention to provide a droplet ejection apparatus that can carry out appropriate recovery processing easily and surely in the recovery processing for droplet ejection heads when the apparatus is powered on. The droplet ejection apparatus of the invention has a driving circuit and a plurality of droplet ejection heads. Each of the droplet ejection heads includes a cavity filled with a liquid, a nozzle communicated with the cavity, an actuator driven by the driving circuit, and a diaphragm displaced by the actuator, and ejects the liquid within the cavity through the nozzle in the form of droplets by driving the actuator with the driving circuit. The droplet ejection apparatus further includes: ejection failure detecting and recovery processing determining means () which detects a residual vibration of the diaphragm at least when the apparatus is powered on, and then detects an ejection failure of the droplet ejection heads on the basis of a vibration pattern of the detected residual vibration of the diaphragm and determines recovery processing for eliminating the ejection failure; and recovery meansfor carrying out the recovery processing determined by the ejection failure detecting and recovery processing determining means.