Fluid droplet ejection device and ejection inspection method
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorYosuke Hatao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A print unit prints by ejecting fluid droplets from a plurality of nozzles while moving in a primary scanning direction relative to a print medium. An ejection inspection unit inspects fluid droplet ejection by a group of target nozzles, which are part of an ejection nozzle subset obtained by dividing the nozzles according to the number of nozzles required to form the smallest printing width in the secondary scanning direction. A control unit controls the print unit and the ejection inspection unit, and selects the group of target nozzles in the ejection nozzle subset and performs the ejection inspection each time a specific amount of printing is completed.
Claims6
A fluid droplet ejection device for ejecting fluid droplets of a plurality of fluid types, the device comprising:
- a print unit comprising a plurality of nozzle lines, each nozzle line comprising a plurality of nozzles generally aligned in a secondary scanning direction of the print unit, wherein all the nozzles of each nozzle line are configured to eject fluid droplets of a single one of the fluid types, the print unit being configured to eject the fluid droplets from the nozzles while moving in a primary scanning direction relative to a print medium;
- an ejection inspection unit configured to inspect fluid droplet ejection of one subset of the nozzles at a time, wherein each subset comprises at least one nozzle for each of the plurality of fluid types, wherein the nozzles of each subset are substantially aligned in the primary scanning direction;
- and
- a control unit, configured to:
- control the print unit;
- and
- select the subset of nozzles;
- and
- control the ejection inspection unit to inspect the subset each time a specific amount of printing is completed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.