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US 7,070,254 B2Granted
Nozzle clogging detection device, droplet ejecting device, electronic optical device, method for producing same, and electronic device
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorNobuaki Kamiyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A head 20, controlled by control unit 10, ejects a droplet 22 through each nozzle in nozzle group 2. Measuring means 33 electronically measures a resonance frequency of crystal oscillator 31 and outputs the measured resonance frequency to control unit 10. Control unit 10 determines whether or not a nozzle is clogged on the basis of the measurement result of a resonance frequency of the crystal oscillator before and after the ejection of droplet 22.
Claims11
A nozzle clogging detection device for detecting clogging of a nozzle which ejects a droplet, comprising:
- a piezoelectric element which is held between two electrodes, and resonates at a certain frequency by being applied a voltage thereto,
- measuring means for measuring a resonance frequency of said piezoelectric element;
- and
- determining means for determining that clogging has occurred in a nozzle, by obtaining a resonance frequency of said piezoelectric element measured by said measuring means before and after the point of time at which a droplet is to be ejected via said nozzle to said piezoelectric element, when the difference between said obtained resonance frequencies is below a predetermined value.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.