Information processor

Abstract

To effectively utilize a drive waveform candidate used when a drive waveform is determined in the past.SOLUTION: An information processor used for determining a drive waveform applied to a liquid discharge head includes: an acquisition part for acquiring a plurality of pieces of different information in each of a plurality of drive waveform candidates; a second reception part for receiving input of a user for first condition information out of the plurality of pieces of information; and a first display part for associating first evaluation information out of the plurality of pieces of information with a first axis, associating second evaluation information out of the plurality of pieces of information with a second axis crossing the first axis, and performing display corresponding to the candidate of the drive waveform satisfying the condition indicated by the first condition information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a liquid ejection device such as an inkjet printer, a liquid such as ink is generally ejected from a nozzle by applying a drive pulse to a drive element such as a piezoelectric element. Here, the waveform of the drive pulse is determined so that the ink ejection characteristics from the nozzle are the desired characteristics.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of searching for a drive waveform by performing multi-objective optimization using a plurality of parameters of drive waveform candidates as variables. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-152241 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to Patent Document 1, preferable drive waveform candidates can be obtained, but it is not possible to know what characteristic data was obtained for each drive waveform candidate during the search process, which could be a useful resource. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the information processing device disclosed herein is an information processing device used to determine a drive waveform to be applied to a liquid ejection head, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of mutually different information for each of multiple drive waveform candidates, a second receiving unit that receives user input regarding first condition information from the multiple pieces of information, and a first display unit that maps first evaluation information from the multiple pieces of information to a first axis and maps second evaluation information from the multiple pieces of information to a second axis that intersects the first axis, and then displays corresponding to the drive waveform candidates that satisfy the conditions indicated by the first condition information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system including an information processing device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a driving waveform. [Diagram 3] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining measurement of ink ejection characteristics. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example on the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing an example of displaying first evaluation information and second evaluation information. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an example of displaying first evaluation information and third evaluation information. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example in which the objective of the Pareto optimal solution is changed. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display when input of first condition information is accepted. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram for explaining a user's specification of a condition for the first condition information. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display when input of second condition information is accepted. [Figure 12] 13 is a diagram for explaining input of association of information with respect to a first axis and a second axis by a first receiving unit. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of detailed display of information. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram showing a display example in which other information is associated with each of the first axis and the second axis. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the interchange of information associated with a first axis and a second axis. [Figure 16] 13 is a diagram for explaining a user's specification of a condition for the first condition information. FIG. [Figure 17] 13 is a diagram for explaining a user's specification of a condition for the first condition information. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining switching of the display of Pareto optimal solution information following a user's input regarding the first condition information. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining switching of the display of Pareto optimal solution information following a user's input regarding the first condition information. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a system including an information processing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of fourth evaluation information and fifth evaluation information in the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of fourth evaluation information and fifth evaluation information in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the dimensions and scale of each part in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions, and some parts are shown diagrammatically to facilitate understanding. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these forms unless otherwise specified in the following description to the effect that the present disclosure is limited.

[0009] 1. First embodiment 1-1. Overview of the system including the information processing device 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 100 including an information processing device 400 according to the first embodiment. The system 100 determines or evaluates a driving waveform PD used when ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid.

[0010] 1, the system 100 includes a liquid ejection device 200, a measurement device 300, and an information processing device 400. These will be described below in order with reference to FIG.

[0011] 1-1a.Liquid discharge device The liquid ejection device 200 is a printer that prints on a print medium by an inkjet method. The print medium is not particularly limited as long as it is a medium on which the liquid ejection device 200 can print, and may be, for example, various types of paper, various types of cloth, or various types of film. The liquid ejection device 200 may be a serial type printer or a line type printer.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejection device 200 includes a liquid ejection head 210, a moving mechanism 220, a power supply circuit 230, a drive signal generating circuit 240, a drive circuit 250, a memory circuit 260, and a processing circuit 270.

[0013] The liquid ejection head 210 ejects ink toward a print medium. In FIG. 1, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 211 are illustrated as components of the liquid ejection head 210. Although not illustrated, the liquid ejection head 210 has, in addition to the piezoelectric elements 211, cavities that accommodate ink and nozzles that communicate with the cavities. Here, a piezoelectric element 211 is provided for each cavity, and ink is ejected from the nozzles that correspond to the cavities by changing the pressure of the cavities. Note that instead of the piezoelectric elements 211, heaters that heat the ink in the cavities may be used as driving elements.

[0014] 1, the liquid ejection device 200 has one liquid ejection head 210, but the number may be two or more. In this case, for example, two or more liquid ejection heads 210 are unitized. When the liquid ejection device 200 is a serial type, the liquid ejection head 210 or a unit including two or more of them is used so that a plurality of nozzles are distributed over a portion of the width of the printing medium. When the liquid ejection device 200 is a line type, a unit including two or more liquid ejection heads 210 is used so that a plurality of nozzles are distributed over the entire area in the width of the printing medium.

[0015] The movement mechanism 220 changes the relative positions of the liquid ejection head 210 and the print medium. More specifically, when the liquid ejection device 200 is a serial type, the movement mechanism 220 has a transport mechanism that transports the print medium in a predetermined direction, and a transport mechanism that repeatedly moves the liquid ejection head 210 along an axis perpendicular to the transport direction of the print medium. When the liquid ejection device 200 is a line type, the movement mechanism 220 has a transport mechanism that transports the print medium in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of a unit including two or more liquid ejection heads 210.

[0016] The power supply circuit 230 receives power from a commercial power supply (not shown) and generates various predetermined potentials. The generated various potentials are appropriately supplied to each section of the liquid ejection device 200. For example, the power supply circuit 230 generates a power supply potential VHV and an offset potential VBS. The offset potential VBS is supplied to the liquid ejection head 210 and the like. Furthermore, the power supply potential VHV is supplied to the drive signal generation circuit 240 and the like.

[0017] The drive signal generating circuit 240 is a circuit that generates a drive signal Com for driving each piezoelectric element 211 of the liquid ejection head 210. Specifically, the drive signal generating circuit 240 has, for example, a DA conversion circuit and an amplifier circuit. In the drive signal generating circuit 240, the DA conversion circuit converts a waveform designation signal dCom (described later) from the processing circuit 270 from a digital signal to an analog signal, and the amplifier circuit amplifies the analog signal using a power supply potential VHV from the power supply circuit 230 to generate the drive signal Com. The drive signal Com includes a drive waveform PD that is a voltage waveform. The drive waveform PD will be described in detail later.

[0018] The drive circuit 250 is a circuit including a group of switches that switches whether or not to supply the drive waveform PD included in the drive signal Com to each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 211 based on a control signal SI described below.

[0019] The storage circuitry 260 stores various programs executed by the processing circuitry 270 and various data such as print data processed by the processing circuitry 270. The storage circuitry 260 includes one or both of semiconductor memories, for example, a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) and a non-volatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a programmable ROM (PROM). The print data is supplied from, for example, the information processing device 400. The storage circuitry 260 may be configured as a part of the processing circuitry 270.

[0020] The processing circuit 270 has a function of controlling the operation of each part of the liquid ejection device 200 and a function of processing various data. The processing circuit 270 includes, for example, a processor such as one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units). Note that the processing circuit 270 may include a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) instead of or in addition to a CPU.

[0021] The processing circuit 270 executes the programs stored in the memory circuit 260 to control the operation of each part of the liquid ejection device 200. Here, the processing circuit 270 generates signals such as control signals Sk, SI, and a waveform designation signal dCom as signals for controlling the operation of each part of the liquid ejection device 200.

[0022] The control signal Sk is a signal for controlling the driving of the movement mechanism 220. The control signal SI is a signal for controlling the driving of the drive circuit 250. Specifically, the control signal SI specifies for each predetermined unit period whether the drive circuit 250 supplies the drive signal Com from the drive signal generation circuit 240 to the liquid ejection head 210 as a drive waveform PD. This specification specifies the amount of ink ejected from the liquid ejection head 210, etc. The waveform specification signal dCom is a digital signal for defining the waveform of the drive signal Com generated by the drive signal generation circuit 240.

[0023] 1-1b.Measuring device 300 The measuring device 300 is a device for measuring the ejection characteristics of ink from the liquid ejection head 210 when the driving waveform PD is actually used. Examples of the ejection characteristics include the ejection speed, the ejection angle, the ejection amount, the number and stability of satellites, etc. In the following, the ejection characteristics of ink from the liquid ejection head 210 may be simply referred to as the "ejection characteristics".

[0024] The measuring device 300 of this embodiment is an imaging device that captures an image of the state of ink ejected from the liquid ejection head 210 during flight. Specifically, the measuring device 300 has, for example, an imaging optical system and an imaging element. The imaging optical system is an optical system including at least one imaging lens, and may include various optical elements such as a prism, or may include a zoom lens or a focus lens. The imaging element is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) image sensor. Measurement of ejection characteristics using an image captured by the measuring device 300 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0025] In this embodiment, the measuring device 300 captures an image of the ink in flight, but it is also possible to measure the ejection characteristics, such as the amount of ink ejected from the liquid ejection head 210, based on the image of the ink that has landed on a print medium or the like. The measuring device 300 is not limited to an imaging device as long as it can obtain a measurement result corresponding to the ejection characteristics of the ink from the liquid ejection head 210, and may be, for example, an electronic balance that measures the mass of the ink ejected from the liquid ejection head 210. Furthermore, as an information source for measuring the ejection characteristics of the ink from the liquid ejection head 210, in addition to the information from the measuring device 300, the result of detecting the waveform of the residual vibration generated in the liquid ejection head 210 may be used. The residual vibration is a vibration that remains in the ink flow path in the liquid ejection head 210 after the piezoelectric element 211 is driven, and is detected as, for example, a voltage signal from the piezoelectric element 211. The ejection characteristics may be characteristics related to the ejection state of the ink from the liquid ejection head 210, and is a concept that includes the driving frequency of the liquid ejection head 210 in addition to the above-mentioned characteristics.

[0026] 1-1c. Information processing equipment The information processing device 400 is a computer that controls the operations of the liquid ejection device 200 and the measurement device 300. Here, the information processing device 400 is connected to each of the liquid ejection device 200 and the measurement device 300 wirelessly or via a wire so that they can communicate with each other. This connection may involve a communication network including the Internet.

[0027] The information processing device 400 is used to determine the driving waveform PD to be applied to the liquid ejection head 210. The driving waveform PD is determined, for example, by driving the liquid ejection head 210 using a plurality of driving waveform PD candidates in sequence, measuring the ejection characteristics at each driving time with the measuring device 300, and selecting a candidate whose measurement result falls within a desired range. A plurality of pieces of information DC are obtained when determining such a driving waveform PD. Such a plurality of pieces of information DC includes information on waveforms other than the finally determined driving waveform PD, but can be a useful asset when obtaining a driving waveform PD with different ejection characteristics. Note that, in this example, the liquid ejection head 210 is driven using a candidate for the driving waveform PD obtained by optimizing the driving waveform PD, and the ejection characteristics are measured by the measuring device 300, but a driving waveform obtained by another method may also be used.

[0028] Therefore, the information processing device 400 has a function of selectively displaying a plurality of pieces of information DC relating to the drive waveform PD in response to an input from a user. The information processing device 400 may have a function of determining the drive waveform PD.

[0029] 1, the information processing device 400 includes a display device 410, an input device 420, a storage circuitry 430, and a processing circuitry 440. These are communicatively connected to each other.

[0030] The display device 410 displays various images under the control of the processing circuit 440. Here, the display device 410 has various display panels, such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (electro-luminescence) display panel. The display device 410 may be provided outside the information processing device 400. The display device 410 may be a component of the liquid ejection device 200.

[0031] The input device 420 is a device that accepts operations from a user. For example, the input device 420 has a pointing device such as a touch pad, a touch panel, or a mouse. Here, when the input device 420 has a touch panel, it may also function as the display device 410. Note that the input device 420 may be provided outside the information processing device 400. Also, the input device 420 may be a component of the liquid ejection device 200.

[0032] The storage circuitry 430 is a device that stores various programs executed by the processing circuitry 440 and various data processed by the processing circuitry 440. The storage circuitry 430 has, for example, a hard disk drive or a semiconductor memory. Note that a part or the whole of the storage circuitry 430 may be provided in an external storage device or server of the information processing device 400.

[0033] In this embodiment, the storage circuitry 430 stores a program PR and a plurality of pieces of information DC. Note that some or all of the program PR and the plurality of pieces of information DC may be stored in an external storage device, server, or the like of the information processing device 400.

[0034] The program PR causes the processing circuit 440 to execute various processes for appropriately and selectively displaying a plurality of pieces of information DC in response to an input from the user.

[0035] The plurality of pieces of information DC are different pieces of information for each of the plurality of candidates for the driving waveform PD. That is, the plurality of pieces of information DC are pieces of information about the candidates for the driving waveform PD used in the waveform search when the driving waveform PD is determined.

[0036] The plurality of pieces of information DC include waveform information DC1, ejection characteristic information DC2, and search order information DC3.

[0037] The waveform information DC1 includes information indicating waveform components of candidates of the driving waveform PD as information DC. Here, the waveform information DC1 indicates waveform components for each of the multiple candidates of the driving waveform PD. Examples of the waveform components include, for example, an intermediate potential Vc, a maximum potential Vh, a first contraction time Pwd1, a second contraction time Pwd2, a first hold time Pwh1, a second hold time Pwh2, and a first expansion time Pwc1, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the multiple pieces of information DC include, for each candidate of the driving waveform PD, information indicating the intermediate potential Vc, information indicating the maximum potential Vh, information indicating the first contraction time Pwd1, information indicating the second contraction time Pwd2, information indicating the first hold time Pwh1, information indicating the second hold time Pwh2, and information indicating the first expansion time Pwc1 as information DC. Details of these waveform components will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0038] The ejection characteristic information DC2 includes, as information DC, information indicating the ejection characteristics when the candidates for the driving waveform PD are applied to the liquid ejection head 210. Here, the ejection characteristic information DC2 indicates the ejection characteristics for each of the multiple candidates for the driving waveform PD. Examples of the ejection characteristics include the ejection amount Iw and the ejection speed Vm described below. In this embodiment, the multiple pieces of information DC include, as information DC, information indicating the ejection amount Iw and information indicating the ejection speed Vm for each candidate for the driving waveform PD. Details of these ejection characteristics will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0039] The search order information DC3 includes information DC indicating the order in which multiple candidates for the drive waveform PD were applied. Here, the search order information DC3 indicates the order for each of the multiple candidates for the drive waveform PD. This order is a trial order Iter, which will be described later, that is the order in which the candidates were applied to the liquid ejection head 210 in a series of waveform searches when determining the drive waveform PD. In this embodiment, the multiple pieces of information DC include information DC indicating the trial order Iter for each candidate for the drive waveform PD.

[0040] The processing circuit 440 is a device having a function of controlling each part of the information processing device 400, the liquid ejection device 200, and the measurement device 300, and a function of processing various data. The processing circuit 440 has a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing circuit 440 may be composed of a single processor or may be composed of multiple processors. In addition, some or all of the functions of the processing circuit 440 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0041] The processing circuitry 440 reads and executes the program PR from the storage circuitry 430. Through this execution, the processing circuitry 440 functions as an acquisition unit 441, a first reception unit 442, a second reception unit 443, a third reception unit 444, and a first display unit 445. In this manner, the information processing device 400 has the acquisition unit 441, the first reception unit 442, the second reception unit 443, the third reception unit 444, and the first display unit 445.

[0042] The acquisition unit 441 acquires a plurality of pieces of information DC. More specifically, the acquisition unit 441 receives a plurality of pieces of information DC from an external device such as a server (not shown), and stores the received plurality of pieces of information DC in the storage circuitry 430.

[0043] The first reception unit 442 accepts a user's input to associate any one of the pieces of information DC with a first axis AX1 described later, and to associate any one of the pieces of information DC with a second axis AX2 described later that intersects with the first axis AX1. Here, the information DC associated with the first axis AX1 is an example of "first evaluation information", and the information DC associated with the second axis AX2 is an example of "second evaluation information". That is, the first reception unit 442 accepts a user's input to associate the first evaluation information of the pieces of information DC with the first axis AX1 described later, and to associate the second evaluation information of the pieces of information DC with the second axis AX2 described later. The first evaluation information and the second evaluation information may be the same information DC, but are typically different information DC.

[0044] The first reception unit 442 can also receive a user's input to change the associated information DC to other information DC for each of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. Here, when the information DC associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information is changed to other information DC and associated with the first axis AX1, the other information DC is an example of "third evaluation information". That is, in this case, the first reception unit 442 further receives a user's input to switch from the information DC as the first evaluation information to information DC as the third evaluation information among the multiple information DC and associate the information DC with the first axis AX1. The third evaluation information is information DC different from the first evaluation information, and is any one of the multiple information DC.

[0045] Furthermore, the first reception unit 442 can receive a user's input regarding exchanging the relationship of the information DC associated with the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. Here, when exchanging the relationship of the information DC associated with the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2, the information DC associated with the first axis AX1 before the exchange is an example of "first evaluation information", and the information DC associated with the second axis AX2 before the exchange is an example of "second evaluation information". That is, in this case, the first reception unit 442 further receives a user's input regarding switching from the first evaluation information to the second evaluation information and associating it with the first axis AX1, and switching from the second evaluation information to the first evaluation information and associating it with the second axis AX2.

[0046] The second reception unit 443 receives a user input for setting a condition for at least one information DC among the multiple information DCs. Here, one information DC among the at least one information DC is an example of "first condition information". That is, the second reception unit 443 receives a user input for the first condition information among the multiple information DCs. In addition, when setting conditions for two information DCs among the multiple information DCs, one information DC among the two information DCs is an example of "first condition information", and the other information DC is an example of "second condition information". That is, in this case, the second reception unit 443 further receives a user input for second condition information different from the first condition information among the multiple information DCs.

[0047] Specifically, the second reception unit 443 receives a user's specification of an upper limit value and a lower limit value for the first condition information. Here, the upper limit value is the upper limit value of the information DC corresponding to the first condition information, and the lower limit value is the lower limit value of the information DC corresponding to the first condition information. For example, if the first condition information is a discharge amount Iw, the upper limit value is the upper limit value of the discharge amount Iw, and the lower limit value is the lower limit value of the discharge amount Iw.

[0048] Such designation of the upper limit value and the lower limit value for the first condition information is performed using a slider displayed in an image GU described later. That is, the second reception unit 443 accepts the user's designation of the conditions for the first condition information by the slider. Here, as described later, the second reception unit 443 accepts the user's designation of the conditions for the first condition information by fixing the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value for the first condition information, while changing both the upper limit value and the lower limit value in conjunction with each other.

[0049] The third receiving unit 444 receives a user's selection as to whether or not to display the Pareto optimal solution information on the first display unit 445. In addition, the third receiving unit 444 receives a user's selection as to whether the objective in obtaining the Pareto optimal solution is to have the value indicated by the first evaluation information be large or small.

[0050] The first display unit 445 controls the operation of the display device 410 based on the reception results of the first reception unit 442 and the second reception unit 443. Specifically, the first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to candidates for the drive waveform PD in a state in which any one piece of information DC out of the plurality of pieces of information DC is associated with a first axis AX1 described later, and any one piece of information DC out of the plurality of pieces of information DC is associated with a second axis AX2 described later that intersects with the first axis AX1. Therefore, for example, the first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to candidates for the drive waveform PD by associating the first evaluation information with the first axis AX1 and the second evaluation information with the second axis AX2.

[0051] Here, when the first condition information is set, the first display unit 445 associates the first evaluation information among the multiple pieces of information DC with the first axis AX1, and the second evaluation information among the multiple pieces of information DC with the second axis AX2 intersecting the first axis AX1, and then displays candidates for drive waveforms PD that satisfy the conditions indicated by the first condition information.

[0052] Furthermore, first display unit 445 switches between the displayed first evaluation information and the second evaluation information in response to a user's input regarding the first condition information to second reception unit 443. That is, first display unit 445 changes the display of the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information in response to a user's input regarding the first condition information to second reception unit 443.

[0053] Furthermore, when the first condition information and the second condition information are set, the first display section 445 performs display corresponding to the drive waveform PD that satisfies both the condition indicated by the first condition information and the condition indicated by the second condition information.

[0054] Furthermore, the first display unit 445 can additionally display Pareto optimal solution information related to the Pareto optimal solutions of the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information. That is, the first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to candidates of the drive waveform PD by associating the first evaluation information of the plurality of pieces of information DC with the first axis AX1 and the second evaluation information of the plurality of pieces of information DC with the second axis AX2 intersecting with the first axis AX1, and further displays Pareto optimal solution information related to the Pareto optimal solutions of the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information.

[0055] Here, the first display section 445 displays, as the Pareto optimal solution information, plots that are Pareto optimal solutions among the plots showing the candidates for the driving waveform PD in a manner that makes them distinguishable from other plots.

[0056] Furthermore, the first display section 445 displays, as the Pareto optimal solution information, a line corresponding to the Pareto optimal solution among the plots showing the candidates for the drive waveform PD.

[0057] Furthermore, the first display unit 445 switches the Pareto optimal solution information displayed by the second reception unit 443 in response to a user's input regarding the first condition information. That is, the first display unit 445 changes the display of the Pareto optimal solution information displayed by the second reception unit 443 in response to a user's input regarding the first condition information.

[0058] 1-2. Drive waveform Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the driving waveform PD. Fig. 2 shows the change over time in the potential of the driving waveform PD, that is, the voltage waveform of the driving waveform PD. Note that the driving waveform PD is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 2, and may be any waveform.

[0059] 2, the driving waveform PD is included in the driving signal Com for each unit period Tu. The driving waveform PD includes a first expansion element S1, a first hold element S2, a contraction element S3, a second hold element S4, and a second expansion element S5, in this order.

[0060] The first expansion element S1 is an element that increases the potential from the intermediate potential Vc to the highest potential Vh. The first hold element S2 is an element that holds the potential at the highest potential Vh. The contraction element S3 is an element that decreases the potential from the highest potential Vh to the lowest potential Vl. The second hold element S4 is an element that holds the potential at the lowest potential Vl. The second expansion element S5 is an element that increases the potential from the lowest potential Vl to the intermediate potential Vc.

[0061] When a first expansion element S1 is applied to the piezoelectric element 211 from a state in which an intermediate potential Vc is applied to the piezoelectric element 211, the volume of the pressure chamber of the liquid ejection head 210 increases from the reference state. Then, when a first hold element S2 is applied to the piezoelectric element 211, the increased state of the volume of the pressure chamber is maintained. Next, when a contraction element S3 is applied to the piezoelectric element 211, the volume of the pressure chamber is rapidly contracted. As a result, the ink pressure in the pressure chamber increases, and an ink droplet is ejected from a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber. Thereafter, when a second hold element S4 is applied to the piezoelectric element 211, the contracted state of the volume of the pressure chamber is maintained. Next, when a second expansion element S5 is applied to the piezoelectric element 211, the volume of the pressure chamber returns to the reference state.

[0062] Here, the time length of the first expansion element S1 is the first expansion time Pwc1. The time length of the first hold element S2 is the first hold time Pwh1. The time length of the contraction element S3 is the first contraction time Pwd1. The time length of the second hold element S4 is the second hold time Pwh2. The time length of the second expansion element S5 is the second expansion time Pwc2. If there is another contraction element that drops the potential after the contraction element S3 within the unit period Tu, the time length of that contraction element is the second contraction time Pwd2 described below.

[0063] The first expansion time Pwc1, the first hold time Pwh1, the first contraction time Pwd1, the second hold time Pwh2, and the second expansion time Pwc2 are parameters that define the shape of the drive waveform PD. Therefore, by changing these parameters, the drive waveform PD can be adjusted to obtain the desired ejection characteristics.

[0064] 1-3. Measurement of ink ejection characteristics 3 is a diagram for explaining the measurement of the ink ejection characteristics. As shown in Fig. 3, the measuring device 300 of this embodiment captures images of the flying state of ink droplets DR1, DR2, DR3, and DR4 ejected from the nozzle N of the liquid ejection head 210 from a direction perpendicular or intersecting the ejection direction.

[0065] The droplet DR1 is the main droplet. In contrast, the droplets DR2, DR3, and DR4 are droplets called satellites that are smaller in diameter than the droplet DR1 and are generated following the droplet DR1. The presence or absence, number, size, etc. of the droplets DR2, DR3, and DR4 vary depending on the drive waveform PD described above.

[0066] The discharge amount Iw, which is the amount of ink per discharge from the liquid discharge head 210 and will be described later, is calculated based on the diameter LB of the main droplet DR1, for example, using an image captured by the measurement device 300. Also, the discharge speed Vm, which is the discharge speed of the ink from the liquid discharge head 210 and will be described later, is calculated based on the movement distance LC of the droplet DR1 after a predetermined time and the predetermined time, for example, by continuously capturing images of the droplet DR1. In FIG. 3, the droplet DR1 after the predetermined time is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Also, the aspect ratio (LA / LB) of the ink from the liquid discharge head 210 can be calculated as the discharge characteristic of the ink. The discharge angle of the ink from the liquid discharge head 210 can also be obtained based on the positional relationship of the droplet DR1 before and after the predetermined time.

[0067] 1-4. Operation of information processing device Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device 400 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, first, the processing circuit 440 of the information processing device 400 executes a program PR to cause the display device 410 to display an image GU (described later) for a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

[0068] Next, in step S101, the acquisition unit 441 acquires a plurality of pieces of information DC. This acquisition is performed, for example, based on an input to an image GU displayed on the display device 410, which will be described later.

[0069] Next, in step S102, the first receiving unit 442 determines whether or not information DC corresponding to a first axis AX1 described later has been input. This determination is made based on whether or not there has been an input for an image GU displayed on the display device 410 described later.

[0070] When information DC associated with the first axis AX1 is input (step S102: YES), in step S103, the first display unit 445 displays the input information DC associated with the first axis AX1. This display is performed within an image GU, which will be described later, displayed on the display device 410.

[0071] After step S103, or if there is no input of information DC associated with the first axis AX1 (step S102: NO), in step S104, the first reception unit 442 determines whether or not there is input of information DC associated with a second axis AX2 (described later). This determination is made based on whether or not there is input for an image GU (described later) displayed on the display device 410.

[0072] When information DC associated with the second axis AX2 is input (step S104: YES), in step S105, the first display unit 445 displays the input information DC associated with the second axis AX2. This display is performed within an image GU, which will be described later, displayed on the display device 410.

[0073] After step S105, or if there is no input of information DC associated with the second axis AX2 (step S104: NO), in step S106, the second reception unit 443 determines whether or not a condition of the information DC has been input. This determination is made based on whether or not there has been an input for an image GU (described later) displayed on the display device 410.

[0074] If the condition of the information DC has been input (step S106: YES), in step S107, the first display unit 445 changes the display corresponding to the candidates for the drive waveform PD so as to satisfy the input condition.

[0075] After step S107, or if there is no input of conditions for the information DC (step S106: NO), in step S108, the third reception unit 444 judges whether or not there is an instruction to display the Pareto optimal solutions for the information DC to be displayed. This judgment is made based on whether or not there is an input for an image GU to be displayed on the display device 410, which will be described later.

[0076] If there is an instruction to display the Pareto optimal solutions (step S108: YES), the first display unit 445 calculates the Pareto optimal solutions for the information DC to be displayed in step S109, and then displays the calculated Pareto optimal solutions in step S110.

[0077] On the other hand, if there is no instruction to display the Pareto optimal solutions (step S108: NO), the first display unit 445 does not display the Pareto optimal solutions in step S111.

[0078] After step S119 or after step S111, in step S112, the first display unit 445 determines whether or not an end instruction has been issued. This determination is made based on, for example, whether or not an input has been made to an image GU displayed on the display device 410, which will be described later.

[0079] If there is no end instruction (step S112: NO), the first display unit 445 returns to the above-mentioned step S102. On the other hand, if there is an end instruction (step S112: YES), the first display unit 445 ends the display of the image GU described below.

[0080] 1-5. Display examples Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display on the information processing device 400 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 5 shows an image GU displayed on the display device 410 during execution of the above-mentioned steps S100 to S112.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 5, an image GU includes regions R1 to R9. Below, the regions R1 to R9 will be briefly described in order with reference to Fig. 5.

[0082] Area R1 is an area for accepting input of multiple pieces of information DC. In the example shown in FIG. 5, area R1 includes a drop-down list G1a and a button G1b. The drop-down list G1a is an element for selecting multiple pieces of information DC stored in an external device such as a server. The button G1b is an element for accepting that the multiple pieces of information DC selected in the drop-down list G1a are to be read into the information processing device 400. In the above-mentioned step S101, the acquisition unit 441 acquires the multiple pieces of information DC thus read into the information processing device 400.

[0083] The area R2 is an area for selecting information DC to be associated with each of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the area R2 includes drop-down lists G2a and G2b. The drop-down list G2a is an element for selecting any one piece of information DC to be associated with the first axis AX1 from the multiple pieces of information DC that have been read. In the above-mentioned step S102, the first reception unit 442 determines whether or not information DC to be associated with the first axis AX1 has been input based on the selection result in the drop-down list G2a, and if the input has been input (step S102: YES), the first reception unit 442 accepts the input of information DC to be associated with the first axis AX1. The drop-down list G2b is an element for selecting any one piece of information DC to be associated with the second axis AX2 from the multiple pieces of information DC that have been read. In the aforementioned step S104, the first receiving unit 442 determines whether or not information DC to be associated with the second axis AX2 has been input based on the selection result in the drop-down list G2b, and if such input has been input (step S104: YES), it accepts the input of information DC to be associated with the second axis AX2.

[0084] The region R3 is a region for displaying candidates for the drive waveform PD in a state where information DC is associated with each of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. A graph with the first axis AX1 as the vertical axis and the second axis AX2 as the horizontal axis is displayed in the region R3. Here, in the region R3, a plurality of dots Dt indicating candidates for the drive waveform PD are displayed based on the association with the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. In the above-mentioned steps S103 and S105, the first display unit 445 displays a plurality of dots Dt based on the input results in the regions R2, R4, R5, R6, and R7. Here, when each dot Dt displayed in the region R3 is selected (the cursor is placed on the dot), each evaluation information of the drive waveform PD corresponding to the dot Dt, which will be described later, is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 5, among the plurality of dots Dt displayed in the region R3, a dot Dta that is a Pareto optimal solution of the plurality of drive waveform PD candidates is displayed in a manner different from other dots Dt. Moreover, in the region R3, a line LN that is a polygonal line connecting a plurality of dots Dta is displayed. The line LN indicates the Pareto front of a plurality of candidates for the driving waveform PD.

[0085] The region R4 is an area for selecting the display mode of the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the region R4 includes check boxes G4a, G4b, and G4c. The check box G4a is an element for selecting whether or not to display the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3 in a scatter diagram, and when selected, the above-mentioned dot Dt is displayed. The check box G4b is an element for selecting whether or not to display the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3 in a line diagram. The check box G4c is an element for selecting whether or not to display all the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3, and when selected, all the candidates are displayed even if they include candidates that do not satisfy the conditions set in the region R8 described later. However, in this case, the candidates that do not satisfy the conditions set in the region R8 are displayed in a manner different from the other candidates so as to be distinguishable from each other.

[0086] The region R5 is an area for setting the display of the Pareto optimal solutions of the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3. The third reception unit 444 determines whether or not there is an instruction to display the Pareto optimal solutions in the above-mentioned step S108 based on the input result in the region R5, and if there is the instruction to display (step S108: YES), calculates the Pareto optimal solutions in step S109. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the region R5 includes check boxes G5a and G5b. The check box G5a is an element for selecting whether or not to display the Pareto optimal solutions of the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3, and when selected, causes the above-mentioned dot Dta to be displayed. The check box G5b is an element for selecting whether or not to display the Pareto front of the multiple drive waveform PD candidates in the region R3, and when selected, causes the above-mentioned line LN to be displayed.

[0087] The region R6 is an area for setting conditions when displaying the Pareto optimal solutions in the region R3. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the region R6 includes a drop-down list G6a, a button G6b, a drop-down list G6c, and a button G6d. The drop-down list G6a is an element for setting information DC associated with the first axis AX1 as a variable of the Pareto optimal solution. The button G6b is an element for selecting whether to maximize or minimize the objective function of the Pareto optimization for the variable set in the drop-down list G6a. The drop-down list G6c is an element for setting information DC associated with the second axis AX2 as a variable of the Pareto optimal solution. The button G6d is an element for selecting whether to maximize or minimize the objective function of the Pareto optimization for the variable set in the drop-down list G6c.

[0088] The region R7 is an area for setting the conditions of candidates for the driving waveform PD to be displayed in the region R3. The second reception unit 443 determines whether or not the conditions of the information DC have been input based on the input result to the region R7 in the above-mentioned step S106. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the region R6 includes a drop-down list G7a and a plurality of sliders G7b. The drop-down list G7a is an element for selecting the information DC for which the conditions are to be set. Each of the plurality of sliders G7b is an element for setting an upper limit value and a lower limit value as the conditions of the information DC selected by the drop-down list G7a. In this embodiment, the slider G7b appears for each selection of the information DC by the drop-down list G7a. In the example shown in FIG. 5, three pieces of information DC, the discharge amount Iw, the first contraction time Pwd1, and the first hold time Pwh1, are displayed as the slider G7b, which means that the above three pieces of information DC were selected via the drop-down list G7a before the example shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the slider G7b includes a pair of sliders. Of the pair of sliders, one is a slider for setting an upper limit value and the other is a slider for setting a lower limit value. Here, if the upper limit value is not the maximum value and the lower limit value is not the minimum value, it is possible to move the pair of sliders while maintaining the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value by operating the portion between the pair of sliders.

[0089] Region R8 is an area for displaying the contents of any one or more pieces of information DC for a plurality of candidates for driving waveforms PD. In the example shown in FIG. 5, region R8 includes a selection section G8a and a display section G8b. Selection section G8a is an element for selecting any one or more pieces of information DC from the plurality of pieces of information DC. Display section G8b is an area for displaying the one or more pieces of information DC selected in selection section G8a in a line for each candidate for driving waveforms PD. An example of use of region R8 will be described later with reference to FIG. 13.

[0090] Region R9 is an area for displaying the contents of information DC for any one or more pieces of information DC for a plurality of candidates for driving waveforms PD, when the information DC is image data, text data, waveform data, or the like that cannot be displayed in a table and a plot. In the example shown in FIG. 5, region R9 includes a selection section G9a and a display section G9b. Selection section G9a is an element for selecting any one or more pieces of information DC from the plurality of pieces of information DC. Display section G9b is an area for displaying an image, text, waveform, or the like indicating the one or more pieces of information DC selected in selection section G9a.

[0091] The image GU as described above displays a plurality of candidates for the driving waveforms PD in a state where information DC according to user input is associated with each of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. Below, examples of using the image GU will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 19.

[0092] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information. Fig. 6 shows a case where information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information.

[0093] Here, the information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is selected using the drop-down list G2a in the region R2, and the information DC indicating the maximum electric potential Vh is selected using the drop-down list G2b in the region R2. As a result, the first receiving unit 442 receives a user's input for associating the information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information of the plurality of pieces of information DC, and for associating the information DC indicating the maximum electric potential Vh with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information of the plurality of pieces of information DC.

[0094] In the example shown in Figure 6, a graph showing the correspondence between multiple candidates for driving waveforms PD is displayed in region R3, with information DC indicating the ejection speed Vm corresponding to the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh corresponding to the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information.

[0095] 6, in the region R4, only the check box G4a is selected among the check boxes G4a, G4b, and G4c. Therefore, in the region R3, as an indication corresponding to the multiple drive waveform PD candidates, dots Dt indicating the relationship between the ejection speed Vm and the maximum potential Vh of each candidate are displayed.

[0096] 6, both of the check boxes G5a and G5b are selected in the region R5. This causes the third reception unit 444 to receive a user's selection as to whether or not to display the Pareto optimal solution information on the first display unit 445. Then, the first display unit 445 displays the Pareto optimal solution information related to the Pareto optimal solutions of the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information. Here, in the region R3, a plurality of dots Dta indicating the Pareto optimal solutions of the plurality of driving waveform PD candidates are displayed in a manner distinguishable from the other dots Dt, and a line LN indicating the Pareto front of the plurality of driving waveform PD candidates is displayed.

[0097] In this way, the first display unit 445 displays the plots showing the candidates of the drive waveform PD as the Pareto optimal solution information in such a manner that the plots that are the Pareto optimal solutions can be distinguished from the other plots. Also, the first display unit 445 displays the line LN as the line corresponding to the Pareto optimal solution among the plots showing the candidates of the drive waveform PD as the Pareto optimal solution information. Note that in FIG. 6, for convenience of drawing, the dots Dt are shown as open dots and the dots Dta are shown as filled dots.

[0098] 6, in the region R6, the highest electric potential Vh is input to the drop-down list G6a, minimize is selected in the button G6b, the discharge speed Vm is input to the drop-down list G6c, and maximize is selected in the button G6b. This allows the third reception unit 444 to receive the user's selection as to whether the objective of obtaining a Pareto optimal solution is to obtain a large or small value indicated by the first evaluation information. Here, the multiple dots Dta displayed in the region R3 indicate a Pareto optimal solution in which the highest electric potential Vh is minimized and the discharge speed Vm is maximized for an objective function with the discharge speed Vm and the highest electric potential Vh as variables.

[0099] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the drop-down list G2a and the drop-down list G6c are input with the same evaluation information, the discharge speed Vm, and the drop-down list G2b and the drop-down list G6a are input with the same evaluation information, the maximum potential Vh. In other words, the combination of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2 matches the combination of two variables of the Pareto optimal solution information. Therefore, the relationship that the upper left dot Dt is selected is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner between the dot Dt displayed in the region R3 and the dot Dta and the line LN corresponding to the Pareto optimal solution. However, different evaluation information may be input into the drop-down list G2a and the drop-down list G6c, or different evaluation information may be input into the drop-down list G2b and the drop-down list G6a. In these cases, the information input into the drop-down list G6a and the drop-down list G6c is also referred to as the first Pareto variable information and the second Pareto variable information. In this case, the dots Dt displayed in region R3 and the dots Dta and lines LN corresponding to the Pareto optimal solutions may be displayed in such a way that their correlation is not immediately apparent, but some users may prefer this display format.

[0100] In the example shown in Fig. 6, no input is made to regions R7, R8, and R9. Therefore, since no input is made to region R7, dots Dt corresponding to all of the multiple driving waveform PD candidates are displayed in region R3. Furthermore, since no input is made to region R8, no data is displayed in the display section G8b of region R8. Since no input is made to region R9, no data is displayed in the display section G9b of region R9.

[0101] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of the first evaluation information and the third evaluation information. Fig. 7 illustrates a case where the input state of the drop-down list G2b of the region R2 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 6 described above is changed from the maximum potential Vh to the first contraction time Pwd1. That is, Fig. 7 illustrates a case where information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the first contraction time Pwd1 is associated with the second axis AX2 as the third evaluation information.

[0102] Here, the information DC indicating the discharge velocity Vm is selected using the drop-down list G2a in the region R2, and the information DC indicating the first contraction time Pwd1 is selected using the drop-down list G2b in the region R2. As a result, the first reception unit 442 further receives a user's input regarding switching from the information DC as the second evaluation information to the information DC as the third evaluation information among the multiple pieces of information DC and associating it with the second axis AX2.

[0103] In the example shown in FIG. 7, in region R3, a graph showing the correspondence between multiple candidates for driving waveforms PD is displayed, with information DC indicating the ejection speed Vm corresponding to the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the first contraction time Pwd1 corresponding to the second axis AX2 as the third evaluation information.

[0104] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the input states for the regions R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9 are the same as those in the example shown in FIG.

[0105] As described above, the information DC associated with the second axis AX2 can be changed. Note that, although Fig. 7 illustrates an example of changing the information DC associated with the second axis AX2, when the input state is changed in the drop-down list G2a of the area R2 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 6, the changed information DC is associated with the first axis AX1 as the third evaluation information.

[0106] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a display example when the purpose of the Pareto optimal solutions is changed. Fig. 8 shows an example in which the input state of the button G6b in the region R6 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 6 described above is changed from minimize to maximize.

[0107] In the example shown in Fig. 8, the input states for the regions R2, R4, R5, R7, R8, and R9 are the same as those in the example shown in Fig. 6. Therefore, in Fig. 8, similarly to Fig. 6, information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information.

[0108] 8, in the region R6, maximize is selected in the button G6b, the highest electric potential Vh is input in the drop-down list G6a, the discharge speed Vm is input in the drop-down list G6c, and maximize is selected in the button G6b. Therefore, the dots Dta displayed in the region R3 indicate the Pareto optimal solutions in which the highest electric potential Vh and the discharge speed Vm are both maximized for the objective function with the discharge speed Vm and the highest electric potential Vh as variables. Also, the line LN indicates the Pareto front of the Pareto optimal solutions.

[0109] As described above, the conditions of the Pareto optimal solutions can be changed and displayed instantly.

[0110] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a display example when input of the first condition information is accepted. Fig. 9 illustrates a case where the discharge amount Iw is input into the drop-down list G6c of the region R7 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 6 described above, and information DC indicating the discharge amount Iw is selected as the first condition information.

[0111] In the example shown in Fig. 9, the input states for the regions R2, R4, R5, R6, R8, and R9 are the same as those in the example shown in Fig. 6. Therefore, in Fig. 9, similar to Fig. 6, information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information.

[0112] In the example shown in Fig. 9, when the discharge amount Iw is input into the drop-down list G6c in the region R7, a slider G7b appears for setting the upper and lower limit conditions of the discharge amount Iw. Here, the upper limit of the discharge amount Iw is set to the maximum value, and the lower limit of the discharge amount Iw is set to the minimum value. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 9, the display contents of the region R3 are the same as those in the example shown in Fig. 6 described above.

[0113] As described above, when the first condition information is set, the first display unit 445 associates the first evaluation information among the multiple pieces of information DC with the first axis AX1, and the second evaluation information among the multiple pieces of information DC with the second axis AX2 that intersects with the first axis AX1, and then displays candidates for drive waveforms PD that satisfy the conditions indicated by the first condition information.

[0114] Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining a user's specification of conditions for the first condition information. Fig. 10 illustrates a case where the condition of information DC indicating the discharge amount Iw is specified as the first condition information by operating the slider G7b in the region R7 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 9 described above.

[0115] In the example shown in Fig. 10, the input states for the regions R2, R4, R5, R7, R8, and R9 are the same as those in the example shown in Fig. 9. Therefore, in Fig. 10, similar to Fig. 6, information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information.

[0116] Here, in the example shown in Fig. 10, in the region R7, the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the slider G7b is smaller than that in the example shown in Fig. 9. As a result, the second reception unit 443 receives the user's input for the first condition information among the multiple pieces of information DC by receiving the upper limit value and the lower limit value specified by the user for the first condition information. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 10, among the multiple dots Dt shown in Fig. 9, the dots Dt that do not satisfy the condition set by the slider G7b are not displayed, and the dots Dt that satisfy the condition set by the slider G7b are displayed.

[0117] As described above, the second reception unit 443 receives the user's designation of conditions for the first condition information through the slider. This allows the user to designate conditions for the first condition information and change the display of the region R3 based on the designation result. In addition, the first display unit 445 switches between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information to be displayed in accordance with the user's input to the second reception unit 443 regarding the first condition information.

[0118] As can be seen from FIGS. 9 and 10, according to this embodiment, when the slider G7b is operated to change the display of the dots Dt, the display of the line LN also changes in real time in conjunction with the change.

[0119] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a display example when input of the second condition information is accepted. Fig. 11 illustrates a case where the first contraction time Pwd1 and the first hold time Pwh1 are additionally input into the drop-down list G6c of the region R7 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 10 described above, so that the information DC indicating the first contraction time Pwd1 is selected as the second condition information and the information DC indicating the first hold time Pwh1 is selected as the third condition information.

[0120] In the example shown in Fig. 11, the input states for the regions R2, R4, R5, R6, R8, and R9 are the same as those in the example shown in Fig. 6. Therefore, in Fig. 11, similar to Fig. 6, information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information.

[0121] Here, in the example shown in Fig. 11, by additionally inputting the first contraction time Pwd1 and the first hold time Pwh1 into the drop-down list G6c in the region R7, a slider G7b for setting the condition of the discharge amount Iw, a slider G7b for setting the condition of the first contraction time Pwd1, and a slider G7b for setting the condition of the first hold time Pwh1 appear. Here, the difference between the upper limit and the lower limit of each slider G7b is smaller than the maximum range. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 11, among the multiple dots Dt shown in Fig. 9, dots Dt that do not satisfy the conditions set by these sliders G7b are not displayed, and dots Dt that satisfy the conditions set by these sliders G7b are displayed.

[0122] As described above, the user can specify the conditions of the first condition information, the second condition information, and the third condition information, and change the display of the region R3 based on the result of the specification. In this way, when the first condition information and the second condition information are set, the first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to the drive waveform PD that satisfies both the conditions indicated by the first condition information and the conditions indicated by the second condition information.

[0123] Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining input of association of information DC with the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2 by the first receiving unit 442. Fig. 12 illustrates an input state in the drop-down list G2a of the area R2.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 12, when an operation such as clicking is performed on the drop-down list G2a, a list of information DC that can be associated with the first axis AX1 is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the list includes the following items: identifier ID, trial order Iter, intermediate potential Vc, maximum potential Vh, first contraction time Pwd1, first hold time Pwh1, first expansion time Pwc1, second hold time Pwh2, second contraction time Pwd2, discharge amount Iw, discharge speed Vm, and objective function f(x). One of these items is selected by an operation such as clicking. Based on this input result, the first receiving unit 442 performs an input to associate any one of the multiple pieces of information DC with the first axis AX1.

[0125] The identifier ID is information for identifying a plurality of pieces of information DC from one another, and corresponds to each piece of information DC. The objective function f(x) is an objective function of Pareto optimization based on the input to the region R6.

[0126] As described above, the drop-down list G2a can be used to input data to associate any one of the multiple pieces of information DC with the first axis AX1. Although not shown, when an operation such as clicking is performed on the drop-down list G2b, a list similar to the above-mentioned list is displayed. Then, the first receiving unit 442 inputs data to associate any one of the multiple pieces of information DC with the second axis AX2 based on the input result on the drop-down list G2b.

[0127] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of detailed display of the information DC. Fig. 13 illustrates a case where the discharge amount Iw is input to the selection section G8a of the region R8.

[0128] As shown in FIG. 13, when the ejection amount Iw is input to the selection section G8a, the display section G8b displays information on the ejection amount Iw for each candidate of the driving waveform PD as information DC selected by the selection section G8a.

[0129] Although not shown, when a plurality of pieces of information DC are input to the selection section G8a, the plurality of pieces of information DC selected by the selection section G8a are displayed on the display section G8b in a line for each candidate of the driving waveform PD.

[0130] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a display example in which other information DC is associated with each of the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. Fig. 14 illustrates a case in which information DC indicating the discharge amount Iw is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the trial order Iter is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information. Here, the drop-down list G2a in the region R2 indicates that the information DC indicating the discharge amount Iw has been selected. The drop-down list G2b in the region R2 indicates that the information DC indicating the trial order Iter has been selected.

[0131] In the example shown in FIG. 14, in region R3, information DC indicating the discharge volume Iw is associated with the first axis AX1 as the first evaluation information, and information DC indicating the trial order Iter is associated with the second axis AX2 as the second evaluation information, and a graph showing the correspondence between multiple candidates for drive waveforms PD is displayed.

[0132] In the process of searching for the drive waveform PD, multiple candidates for the drive waveform PD are obtained according to the trial order Iter. In the process of searching for the drive waveform PD, the multiple candidates for the drive waveform PD are generally selectively applied to the liquid ejection head 210 in sequence so that the ejection characteristics approach the target value. For this reason, the greater the trial order Iter, the higher the reliability of the information DC corresponding to the candidates for the drive waveform PD.

[0133] Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 14, in the region R3, as the trial order Iter increases, the ejection amount Iw converges, and it is understood that the drive waveform PD is searched for as described above.

[0134] Here, in the example shown in FIG. 14, among the check boxes G4a, G4b, and G4c, the check boxes G4a and G4c are selected in the region R4. Therefore, by selecting the check box G4a, the region R3 displays dots Dt indicating the relationship between the discharge amount Iw of each candidate and the trial order Iter as a display corresponding to the candidates of the driving waveform PD. Also, by selecting the check box G4c, the region R3 displays dots Dt corresponding to all the candidates of the driving waveform PD, regardless of the presence or absence of input in the region R7. However, the dots Dt that satisfy the conditions set in the region R7 and the dots Dt that do not satisfy the conditions are displayed in a distinguishable manner. Note that in FIG. 14, for convenience of drawing, the dots Dt that do not satisfy the conditions are displayed as white dots, and the dots Dt that satisfy the conditions are displayed as black dots.

[0135] In this way, displays corresponding to candidates for the drive waveform PD that satisfy the condition indicated by the first condition information and displays corresponding to candidates for the drive waveform PD that do not satisfy the condition indicated by the first condition information are displayed in a distinguishable manner.

[0136] Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining the replacement of information DC associated with the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2. Fig. 15 illustrates a case where the input state of the drop-down list G2a of the region R2 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 6 described above is changed from the discharge speed Vm to the maximum electric potential Vh, and the input state of the drop-down list G2b is changed from the maximum electric potential Vh to the discharge speed Vm. That is, Fig. 15 illustrates a case where information DC indicating the maximum electric potential Vh is associated with the first axis AX1 as the second evaluation information, and information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is associated with the second axis AX2 as the first evaluation information.

[0137] Here, the information DC indicating the maximum electric potential Vh is selected using the drop-down list G2a of the region R2, and the information DC indicating the discharge speed Vm is selected using the drop-down list G2b of the region R2. As a result, the first reception unit 442 receives a user's input regarding switching from the first evaluation information to the second evaluation information and associating it with the first axis AX1, and switching from the second evaluation information to the first evaluation information and associating it with the second axis AX2.

[0138] In the example shown in Figure 15, in region R3, information DC indicating the maximum potential Vh is associated with the first axis AX1 as the second evaluation information, and information DC indicating the ejection speed Vm is associated with the second axis AX2 as the first evaluation information, and a graph showing the correspondence between multiple candidates for driving waveforms PD is displayed.

[0139] Here, in the example shown in FIG. 15, among the check boxes G4a, G4b, and G4c, the check boxes G4a and G4c are selected in the region R4. Therefore, by selecting the check box G4a, the region R3 displays dots Dt indicating the relationship between the maximum potential Vh and the discharge speed Vm of each candidate as a display corresponding to the candidates of the driving waveform PD. In addition, by selecting the check box G4c, the region R3 displays dots Dt corresponding to all the candidates of the driving waveform PD, regardless of the presence or absence of input in the region R7. However, the dots Dt that satisfy the conditions set in the region R7 and the dots Dt that do not satisfy the conditions are displayed in a distinguishable manner. In addition, in FIG. 15, for convenience of drawing, the dots Dt that do not satisfy the conditions are displayed as white dots, and the dots Dt that satisfy the conditions are displayed as black dots.

[0140] In the example shown in Fig. 15, a plurality of sliders G7b for setting the conditions of the highest potential Vh, the trial order Iter, the discharge amount Iw, and the first expansion time Pwc1 are displayed in the region R7. Here, as shown in Fig. 15, by increasing the lower limit value of the trial order Iter, the highly reliable dots Dt are displayed so as to be distinguishable from other dots Dt.

[0141] Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 are diagrams for explaining the user's specification of conditions for the first condition information. Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 show an example in which the setting of the slider G7b of the region R7 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 15 is changed.

[0142] 16, among the multiple sliders G7b in the region R7, the slider G7b for setting the condition of the highest potential Vh is set to reduce the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, while the other sliders G7b are set to maximize the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value.

[0143] Here, by operating a portion between a pair of sliders included in slider G7b for setting the condition of the highest potential Vh, the pair of sliders can be moved while maintaining the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, as shown in Fig. 17. In conjunction with such an operation, the dots Dt in region R3, which indicate that the condition set in region R7 is satisfied, change.

[0144] As described above, the second receiving unit 443 receives a user's specification to change both the upper limit value and the lower limit value in conjunction with each other while fixing the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value for the first condition information.

[0145] Fig. 18 and Fig. 19 are diagrams for explaining switching of display of Pareto optimal solution information following user input for the first condition information. Fig. 18 and Fig. 19 show an example in which both check boxes G5a and G5b in the region R5 of the image GU in the state shown in Fig. 15 are selected.

[0146] 18, in the region R6, the discharge speed Vm is input to the drop-down list G6a, the minimize button G6b is selected, the maximum electric potential Vh is input to the drop-down list G6c, and the maximize button G6b is selected. Therefore, the dots Dta displayed in the region R3 indicate the Pareto optimal solutions in which the discharge speed Vm is minimized and the maximum electric potential Vh is maximized for the objective function with the discharge speed Vm and the maximum electric potential Vh as variables. The line LN indicates the Pareto front of the Pareto optimal solutions.

[0147] Here, in the example shown in Fig. 18, all sliders G7b in the region R7 are set to the maximum range. From this state, for example, as shown in Fig. 19, when the difference between the upper limit and the lower limit of the discharge amount Iw is reduced by operating the slider G7b for setting the condition of the discharge amount Iw, the dots Dta and the lines LN change in the region R3 in conjunction with this so as to satisfy the condition set in the region R7.

[0148] In this way, the first display unit 445 switches the Pareto optimal solution information displayed by the second reception unit 443 in response to the user's input regarding the first condition information.

[0149] In the above information processing device 400, the acquisition unit 441 acquires multiple pieces of information DC that are different from each other for multiple candidates of the drive waveform PD, so that it is possible to use the candidates of each drive waveform PD in the past search process that can be useful assets. Then, the first reception unit 442 accepts the user's input regarding the association of the first evaluation information with the first axis AX1 and the association of the second evaluation information with the second axis AX2, so that it is possible to extract two pieces of information according to the user's desire from the multiple pieces of information DC as the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information. Also, based on these associations, the first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to the candidates of the drive waveform PD, so that it is possible to display the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information as characteristics obtained from the candidates of the drive waveform PD in an easy-to-understand manner for the user.

[0150] In this embodiment, as described above, the first reception unit 442 further receives a user's input regarding switching from the first evaluation information to the third evaluation information among the multiple pieces of information DC and associating it with the first axis AX1. This makes it possible to display the relationship between the second evaluation information and the third evaluation information according to the user's desire.

[0151] As described above, the first reception unit 442 further receives a user's input regarding switching from the first evaluation information to the second evaluation information and switching from the second evaluation information to the first evaluation information and associating the first axis AX1 with the second evaluation information and associating the second axis AX2 with the first evaluation information. This makes it possible to display the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information in a state in which the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2 are interchanged according to the user's desire.

[0152] Furthermore, as described above, the first evaluation information is associated with the first axis AX1 and the second evaluation information is associated with the second axis AX2, and the first display unit 445 displays corresponding candidates for drive waveforms PD that satisfy the conditions indicated by the first condition information, so that the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information can be displayed in a manner that is easy for the user to understand as characteristics obtained from the candidates for drive waveforms PD under the conditions indicated by the first condition information.

[0153] As described above, no display is performed for candidates for the drive waveform PD that do not satisfy the conditions indicated by the first condition information. This makes it possible to display the first condition information in a way that is easier for the user to understand, compared to a mode in which a display is performed for candidates for the drive waveform PD that do not satisfy the conditions indicated by the first condition information.

[0154] Furthermore, as described above, the display corresponding to the candidates for the drive waveform PD that satisfy the condition indicated by the first condition information and the display corresponding to the candidates for the drive waveform PD that do not satisfy the condition indicated by the first condition information are displayed in a distinguishable manner. This makes it possible to display the first condition information in a manner that is easier for the user to understand, compared to a mode in which these displays are not distinguishable.

[0155] As described above, first display unit 445 switches between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information to be displayed in response to a user's input regarding the first condition information to second reception unit 443. This allows the display on first display unit 445 to be changed in real time in response to the user's input.

[0156] Furthermore, as described above, the second reception unit 443 receives the upper limit and lower limit for the first condition information specified by the user, which allows the range of information indicated by the first condition information to be specified according to the user's wishes.

[0157] As described above, the second reception unit 443 receives a user's specification to change both the upper limit value and the lower limit value in conjunction with each other while fixing the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value for the first condition information. This makes it easier to specify the range when the difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the information indicated by the first condition information is fixed, compared to a mode in which the upper limit value and the lower limit value are specified individually.

[0158] Furthermore, as described above, the second receiving unit 443 receives the user's designation of the condition for the first condition information by a slider. This allows the user to designate the condition for the first condition information with a simple operation.

[0159] As described above, the second reception unit 443 further receives user input regarding second condition information different from the first condition information among the plurality of pieces of information DC. The first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to the drive waveform PD that satisfies both the condition indicated by the first condition information and the condition indicated by the second condition information. This makes it possible to provide the user with a display that allows easy determination of the drive waveform PD that satisfies both the conditions indicated by the first condition information and the second condition information.

[0160] Furthermore, as described above, regarding associating the first evaluation information with the first axis AX1 and associating the second evaluation information with the second axis AX2, the first display unit 445 performs display corresponding to the candidates for the drive waveform PD, and then displays Pareto optimal solution information related to the Pareto optimal solution of the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information. Therefore, it is possible to display the optimal solution of the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information as the characteristic obtained with the candidates for the drive waveform PD in a manner that is easy for the user to understand.

[0161] As described above, the first display unit 445 displays the plots showing the candidates for the drive waveform PD that are the Pareto optimal solutions as the Pareto optimal solution information in a manner that makes them distinguishable from other plots. This makes it possible to display the plots showing the candidates for the drive waveform PD that are the Pareto optimal solutions in a manner that is easy for the user to understand.

[0162] Furthermore, as described above, the first display unit 445 displays lines corresponding to the Pareto optimal solutions among the plots showing the candidates for the drive waveform PD as the Pareto optimal solution information. This makes it possible to display the plots that are the Pareto optimal solutions among the plots showing the candidates for the drive waveform PD in a manner that is easy for the user to understand.

[0163] As described above, the display device further includes a third reception unit 444 that receives a user's selection as to whether or not to display the Pareto optimal solution information on the first display unit 445. This makes it possible to display the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information in an easily understandable manner according to the user's desire.

[0164] Furthermore, as described above, the third reception unit 444 further receives a user's selection as to whether the objective is for the value indicated by the first evaluation information to be large or small when obtaining a Pareto optimal solution. This makes it possible to display the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information in an easily understandable manner according to the user's desire.

[0165] As described above, the second reception unit 443 receives a user's input regarding the first condition information among the multiple pieces of information DC. The first display unit 445 switches the Pareto optimal solution information displayed by the second reception unit 443 in accordance with the user's input regarding the first condition information. This makes it possible to extract the first condition information according to the user's desire and display the first condition information.

[0166] Furthermore, as described above, the plurality of pieces of information DC include waveform information DC1 which is information indicating candidate waveform components of the driving waveform PD, thereby making it possible to display the waveform components of the driving waveform PD.

[0167] As described above, the plurality of pieces of information DC include the ejection characteristics information DC2, which is information indicating the ejection characteristics when the candidates for the driving waveform PD are applied to the liquid ejection head 210. This makes it possible to display the ejection characteristics.

[0168] Furthermore, as described above, the plurality of pieces of information DC includes search order information DC3 which is information indicating the order in which the plurality of candidates for the driving waveforms PD are applied, thereby making it possible to display the order.

[0169] 2. Second embodiment A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the following exemplary embodiment, the elements having the same actions and functions as those in the first embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals used in the description of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0170] 20 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a system 100A including an information processing device 400A according to the second embodiment. The system 100A is configured similarly to the system 100 of the first embodiment, except that the system 100A includes an information processing device 400A instead of the information processing device 400 of the first embodiment. The information processing device 400A is configured similarly to the information processing device 400 of the first embodiment, except that the information processing device 400A uses a program PRA instead of the program PR of the first embodiment.

[0171] In the information processing device 400A, the processing circuit 440 executes the program PRA. Through this execution, the processing circuit 440 functions as a fourth reception unit 446 and a second display unit 447 in addition to the acquisition unit 441, the first reception unit 442, the second reception unit 443, and the first display unit 445. In this manner, the information processing device 400A has the acquisition unit 441, the first reception unit 442, the second reception unit 443, the first display unit 445, the fourth reception unit 446, and the second display unit 447.

[0172] The fourth reception unit 446 accepts a user's input to associate any one of the pieces of information DC with a third axis AX3 described later, and to associate any one of the pieces of information DC with a fourth axis AX4 described later that intersects with the third axis AX3. Here, the information DC associated with the third axis AX3 is an example of "fourth evaluation information", and the information DC associated with the fourth axis AX4 is an example of "fifth evaluation information". That is, the fourth reception unit 446 accepts a user's input to associate the fourth evaluation information of the pieces of information DC with the third axis AX3 described later, and to associate the fifth evaluation information of the pieces of information DC with the fourth axis AX4 described later. The fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information may be the same information DC, but are typically different information DC.

[0173] The second display unit 447 controls the operation of the display device 410 based on the reception result of the fourth reception unit 446. Specifically, the second display unit 447 performs display corresponding to candidates for the drive waveform PD in a state in which any one piece of information DC out of the plurality of pieces of information DC is associated with a third axis AX3 described later, and any one piece of information DC out of the plurality of pieces of information DC is associated with a fourth axis AX4 described later. Therefore, for example, the second display unit 447 performs display corresponding to candidates for the drive waveform PD by associating the fourth evaluation information with the third axis AX3 and the fifth evaluation information with the fourth axis AX4.

[0174] In this embodiment, the display by the second display unit 447 is performed alongside the display by the first display unit 445 described above.

[0175] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing a display example of the fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the processing circuit 440 of the information processing device 400A executes the program PRA to cause the display device 410 to display an image GU-A for the GUI, which will be described later, as shown in Fig. 21.

[0176] Image GU-A includes regions R2-1, R2-2, R3-1, and R3-2. Although not shown, image GU-A includes regions R1, R8, and R9 of the first embodiment, and also includes regions equivalent to regions R4, R5, R6, and R7 of the first embodiment, which correspond to regions R3-1 and R3-2, respectively.

[0177] The region R2-1 corresponds to the region R2 in the first embodiment, and includes drop-down lists G2a-1 and G2b-1 which correspond to the drop-down lists G2a and G2b, respectively. The region R3-1 corresponds to the region R3 in the first embodiment.

[0178] On the other hand, the area R2-2 is an area for selecting information DC to be associated with each of the third axis AX3 and the fourth axis AX4. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the area R2 includes drop-down lists G2a-2 and G2b-2. The drop-down list G2a-2 is an element for selecting any one of the information DC to be associated with the third axis AX3 from the multiple pieces of information DC that have been read. The fourth reception unit 446 determines whether or not information DC to be associated with the third axis AX3 has been input based on the selection result in the drop-down list G2a-2, and if the input has been input, accepts the input of the information DC to be associated with the third axis AX3. The drop-down list G2b-2 is an element for selecting any one of the information DC to be associated with the fourth axis AX4 from the multiple pieces of information DC that have been read. The fourth reception unit 446 determines whether or not information DC to be associated with the fourth axis AX4 has been input based on the selection result in the drop-down list G2b-2, and if the input has been input, accepts the input of the information DC to be associated with the fourth axis AX4.

[0179] The region R3-2 is a region for displaying candidates for the drive waveform PD in a state where information DC is associated with each of the third axis AX3 and the fourth axis AX4. In this embodiment, the region R3-2 is arranged side by side with the region R3-1 to the right. A graph with the third axis AX3 as the vertical axis and the fourth axis AX4 as the horizontal axis is displayed in the region R3-2. Here, in the region R3-2, a plurality of dots indicating candidates for the drive waveform PD are displayed in association with the third axis AX3 and the fourth axis AX4. The second display unit 447 displays a plurality of dots based on the input results for the regions R2, R4, R5, R6, and R7 corresponding to the region R3-2.

[0180] The second embodiment described above also makes it possible to effectively use a plurality of candidates for the drive waveform PD that were used in the past when determining the drive waveform PD. In this embodiment, as described above, two pieces of information DC according to the user's desire are extracted as the fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information from the plurality of pieces of information DC, and the relationship between the fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner for the user as the characteristics obtained from the candidates for the drive waveform PD.

[0181] In this embodiment, as described above, the display by the first display unit 445 and the display by the second display unit 447 are displayed side by side, making it easy to compare the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information and the relationship between the fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information.

[0182] 3. Third embodiment The third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the following exemplary embodiment, the elements having the same actions and functions as those in the first embodiment will be referred to by the same reference numerals used in the description of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0183] This embodiment is similar to the second embodiment described above, except that the display modes of the display by the first display unit 445 and the display by the second display unit 447 are different.

[0184] Fig. 22 is a diagram showing a display example of the fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the image GU-B shown in Fig. 22 is displayed on the display device 410. The image GU-B is similar to the image GU-A in the second embodiment described above, except that the arrangement and display mode of the regions R3-1 and R3-2 are different.

[0185] In this embodiment, the regions R3-1 and R3-2 overlap each other. In the overlapping region, a graph is displayed in which the first axis AX1 and the third axis AX3 are arranged on the left and right as vertical axes, and the second axis AX2 and the fourth axis AX4 are arranged on the top and bottom as horizontal axes.

[0186] Here, the dots corresponding to the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2 and the dots corresponding to the third axis AX3 and the fourth axis AX4 are displayed in different ways. In Fig. 22, for convenience of drawing, the dots corresponding to the first axis AX1 and the second axis AX2 are shown as filled dots, and the dots corresponding to the third axis AX3 and the fourth axis AX4 are shown as open dots.

[0187] According to the third embodiment, it is also possible to effectively use a plurality of candidates for the driving waveform PD that were previously used when determining the driving waveform PD. In this embodiment, as described above, the display by the first display unit 445 and the display by the second display unit 447 are superimposed, so that it is possible to easily compare the relationship between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information and the relationship between the fourth evaluation information and the fifth evaluation information.

[0188] 4. Variations Although the information processing device of the present disclosure has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the configuration of each part of the present disclosure can be replaced with any configuration that exhibits the same function as the above-mentioned embodiment, and any configuration can be added.

[0189] 3-1. Variation 1 In the above-described embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which the programs PR and PRA are executed by a processing circuit provided in the same device as the memory circuit in which they are installed, but this configuration is not limited to this, and the programs PR and PRA may be executed by a processing circuit provided in a device other than the memory circuit in which they are installed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0190] 100...system, 100A...system, 200...liquid ejection device, 210...liquid ejection head, 211...piezoelectric element, 220...movement mechanism, 230...power supply circuit, 240...drive signal generation circuit, 250...drive circuit, 260...storage circuit, 270...processing circuit, 300...measuring device, 400...information processing device, 400A...information processing device, 410...display device, 420...input device, 430...storage circuit, 440...processing circuit, 441...acquisition unit, 442...first reception unit, 443...second reception unit, 444...third reception unit, 445...first display unit, 446...fourth reception unit, 447...second display unit, AX1 ...1st axis, AX2...2nd axis, AX3...3rd axis, AX4...4th axis, Com...driving signal, DC...information, DC1...waveform information, DC2...ejection characteristic information, DC3...search order information, DR1...droplet, DR2...droplet, DR3...droplet, Dt...dot, Dta...dot, G1a...drop-down list, G1b...button, G2a...drop-down list, G2a-1...drop-down list, G2a-2...drop-down list, G2b...drop-down list, G2b-2...drop-down list, G4a...checkbox, G4b...checkbox, G4c...checkbox box, G5a...checkbox, G5b...checkbox, G6a...drop-down list, G6b...button, G6c...drop-down list, G6d...button, G7a...drop-down list, G7b...slider, G8a...selection section, G8b...display section, G9a...selection section, G9b...display section, GU...image, GU-A...image, GU-B...image, Iter...trial order, Iw...discharge amount, LB...diameter, LC...travel distance, LN...line, N...nozzle, PD...driving waveform, PR...program, PRA...program, Pwc1...first expansion time, Pwc2...second expansion time, P wd1...first contraction time, Pwd2...second contraction time, Pwh1...first hold time, Pwh2...second hold time, R1...area, R2...area, R2-1...area, R2-2...area, R3...area, R3-1...area, R3-2...area, R4...area, R5...area, R6...area, R7...area, R8...area, R9...area, S1...first expansion element, S2...first hold element, S3...contraction element, S4...second hold element, S5...second expansion element, S100...step, S101...step, S102...step, S103...step, S104...step, S105...step,S106...step, S107...step, S108...step, S109...step, S110...step, S111...step, S112...step, S119...step, SI...control signal, Sk...control signal, Tu...unit period, VBS...offset potential, VHV...power supply potential, Vc...intermediate potential, Vh...maximum potential, Vl...minimum potential, Vm...ejection speed, dCom...waveform designation signal, f(x)...objective function.

Claims

1. An information processing device used to determine a drive waveform to be applied to a liquid ejection head, an acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of information different from each other for each of a plurality of candidates for the driving waveform; a second receiving unit that receives a user's input regarding first condition information among the plurality of pieces of information; a first display unit that associates first evaluation information among the plurality of pieces of information with a first axis and second evaluation information among the plurality of pieces of information with a second axis intersecting the first axis, and performs display corresponding to candidates of the drive waveform that satisfy a condition indicated by the first condition information, 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. A display corresponding to the drive waveform candidate that does not satisfy the condition indicated by the first condition information is not performed.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. a display corresponding to the drive waveform candidate that satisfies the condition indicated by the first condition information and a display corresponding to the drive waveform candidate that does not satisfy the condition indicated by the first condition information are displayed in a distinguishable manner.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

4. the first display unit switches between the first evaluation information and the second evaluation information to be displayed in response to a user's input regarding the first condition information to the second reception unit; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

5. The second reception unit receives a user's specification of an upper limit value and a lower limit value for the first condition information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

6. the second reception unit receives a user's instruction to change both the upper limit value and the lower limit value in conjunction with each other while fixing a difference between the upper limit value and the lower limit value for the first condition information; 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

7. The second reception unit receives a user's designation of a condition for the first condition information by a slider.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

8. The second reception unit further receives an input from a user regarding second condition information among the plurality of pieces of information that is different from the first condition information; the first display unit performs a display corresponding to the driving waveform that satisfies both the condition indicated by the first condition information and the condition indicated by the second condition information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

9. The plurality of pieces of information include information indicating waveform components of the drive waveform candidates.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

10. the plurality of pieces of information include information indicating ejection characteristics when the candidates for the driving waveform are applied to the liquid ejection head; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

11. The plurality of pieces of information include information indicating an order in which the plurality of drive waveform candidates are applied.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

Images