Liquid discharge device and discharge method

Abstract

To suppress deposition of aggregate that is generated by reaction of liquid used for inspection of a discharge state of a discharge port.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device includes: discharge means for discharging a plurality of types of liquids; storage means for storing liquid discharged from the discharge means for inspection of a discharge state of the discharge means; and control means for controlling the discharge means. The plurality of types of liquids include a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid. The control means controls the discharge means so that reaction between the first liquid and the reaction liquid is suppressed in the inspection of the discharge state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus and an ejection method. [Background technology]

[0002] An inkjet recording device is known as an example of a liquid ejection device. Inkjet recording devices are capable of high-density ink ejection ports (nozzles) and are used for document recording on plain paper and for recording high-quality photographic images such as silver halide photographs. Inkjet recording devices also have the advantages of high-speed, quiet recording and low running costs. However, inkjet recording devices can suffer from ink failure or misalignment in the ejection direction due to dust or ink coating on the ejection ports. When ink failure or misalignment occurs, the image quality desired by the user may not be achieved. Therefore, detection sensors are used to detect the ink ejection status of the ejection ports. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for detecting mis-ejection of ink from multiple heads in a short time, thereby reducing the total printing time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-248021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Depending on the type of recording medium, the ink is thickened by reacting the ink with a reaction liquid and aggregating the coloring material to prevent beading and bleeding of the ink onto the recording medium. In a liquid ejection device that ejects such ink and a reaction liquid, the ink reacts with the reaction liquid in a storage tank that stores waste liquid used to inspect the ejection status of the ejection ports, causing the components in the ink to aggregate and resulting in the accumulation of aggregates. If aggregates accumulate in the storage tank due to repeated inspections of the ejection status, the storage tank will need to be replaced more frequently.

[0005] The present invention provides a technique for suppressing the accumulation of aggregates that occur due to reactions of a liquid used to inspect the ejection state of an ejection port. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection device, comprising: a discharge means for discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a container for containing the liquid discharged from the discharge means in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharge means; a control means for controlling the discharge means; A liquid ejection device comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control means controlling the discharge means so as to suppress a reaction between the first liquid and the reaction liquid in the inspection of the discharge state; A liquid ejection device characterized by the above features is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for suppressing the accumulation of aggregates that occur due to reactions of the liquid used to inspect the ejection state of the ejection ports. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the liquid ejection device. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the periphery of the carriage. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the ejection surface of the ejection head. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a discharge inspection. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the liquid ejection device. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a process relating to a discharge inspection. [Figure 7] 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining carriage movement control during ejection inspection. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the state inside the discharge inspection unit. [Figure 9] 9(A) to 9(C) are diagrams for explaining reactive aggregation between a reaction liquid and color ink. [Figure 10] 10(A) to 10(H) are diagrams for explaining reactive aggregation between a reaction liquid and color ink. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a discharge inspection process. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a process relating to a discharge inspection. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a discharge inspection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] First Embodiment 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal configuration of a device body of a liquid ejection device 1 according to this embodiment. In each drawing, arrows X, Y, and Z indicate directions that intersect with each other, and in this embodiment, arrows X and Y are horizontal directions that are orthogonal to each other and indicate the width and depth directions of the liquid ejection device 1, and arrow Z indicates the up-down direction (height direction).

[0011] The liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment is an inkjet recording device that ejects, for example, ink and reaction liquid as liquids onto a recording medium 2 to record an image on the recording medium 2. That is, in this embodiment, a discharge device that ejects multiple types of liquid will be described below.

[0012] Furthermore, "recording" not only includes the formation of meaningful information such as characters and figures, but also includes the formation of images, patterns, designs, etc. on a recording medium, whether meaningful or insignificant, or the processing of the medium, regardless of whether it is manifested in a way that can be perceived visually by humans. In addition, although sheet-like paper is assumed as the "recording medium" in this embodiment, it may also be cloth, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, etc.

[0013] The liquid ejection device 1 is provided with a carriage 10 and a moving mechanism 13 that moves the carriage 10 back and forth in the X direction. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 13 is a belt transmission mechanism. The moving mechanism 13 includes a carriage (CR) motor 130, a drive belt 131, a guide shaft 132, and the like. Specifically, in the moving mechanism 13, as the drive belt 131 driven by the carriage (CR) motor 130 moves, the carriage 13 carrying the ejection heads 11 and 12 moves back and forth in the X direction while being guided and supported by the guide shaft 132. In the following description, the moving direction of the carriage 10 may be referred to as the main scanning direction.

[0014] In this embodiment, a carriage 10 is equipped with a plurality of ejection heads 11-12. In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 ejects ink and a reaction liquid that reacts with the ink using the respective ejection heads 11-12. In this embodiment, the ejection head 11 is a recording head that ejects a plurality of color inks supplied from a tank unit (not shown) onto the recording medium 2 to record an image. The ejection head 12 is a recording head that ejects a reaction liquid supplied from a tank unit (not shown) onto the recording medium 2 to record an image. The reaction liquid is a liquid that reacts with components contained in the ink. Details of the ink and the reaction liquid will be described later. The respective ejection heads 11-12 are detachably mounted on the carriage 3, for example, and are replaceable.

[0015] In this embodiment, two ejection heads 11-12 are mounted on the carriage 10, but the number of ejection heads may be more than two. For example, the carriage 10 may be provided with an ejection head for each type of ink or reaction liquid.

[0016] The ejection head 11 of this embodiment is a recording head that ejects ink using, for example, thermal energy. An electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy is provided as a recording element inside each ejection port formed in the ejection head 11 that ejects ink. The ink ejection method is not limited to a method that uses thermal energy, and other methods may be used, such as a method that ejects ink using a piezoelectric element. The ejection head 12 may also be a recording head that ejects a reaction liquid using thermal energy, similar to the ejection head 11, or the ejection head 11 and the ejection head 12 may be recording heads that use different methods.

[0017] A guide shaft 132 is inserted through the carriage 10 in the main scanning direction. The guide shaft 132 is, for example, a support member that supports and guides the carriage 10. The liquid ejection device 1 forms an image on the recording medium 2 in stages by alternately repeating the movement of each of the ejection heads 11-12 mounted on the carriage 10 in the main scanning direction and the conveying operation of a pair of conveying rollers 14, which will be described later.

[0018] The carriage 10 is also provided with a cable 101 that electrically connects a control unit (not shown) of the liquid ejection device 1, which will be described later, to each of the ejection heads 11 to 12. The cable 101 is flexible, and is connected to each of the ejection heads 11 to 12 while following the movement of the carriage 10 by the movement mechanism 13.

[0019] Furthermore, a sliding member (not shown) is provided on the carriage 10 so as to come into contact with the guide shaft 132. As a result, the carriage 10 is supported on the guide shaft 132 in a state in which it can be moved by, for example, the movement mechanism 13. The sliding member (not shown) may be, for example, a gear, a bearing, a washer, a ball screw, or the like.

[0020] Furthermore, the carriage 10 and the drive belt 131 may be connected by a connecting member 103 provided between the carriage body 100 and the drive belt 131. This allows the carriage 10 to be moved by the movement mechanism 13 as described above. Furthermore, the connecting member 103 may be, for example, a member that is removably fixed to the carriage body 100. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the carriage 10 and the drive belt 131 are connected by the connecting member 103, but this is not limiting. For example, the carriage body 100 may be removably fixed to the drive belt 131.

[0021] The liquid ejection device 1 is provided with a pair of transport rollers 14. The pair of transport rollers 14 sandwich the recording medium 2 and transport the recording medium 2 in a direction intersecting the main scanning direction as the pair of transport rollers 14 rotate. In the following description, the direction intersecting the main scanning direction (Y direction) may be referred to as the sub-scanning direction.

[0022] The liquid ejection device 1 is provided with a recovery unit 15. The recovery unit 15 is provided, for example, within the movable range of the carriage 10, on the side of the transport path of the recording medium 2. The recovery unit 15 is a unit that maintains and recovers the ejection performance of each of the ejection heads 11-12. The recovery unit 15 includes, for example, caps that cover the ejection surfaces of each of the ejection heads 11-12, and a suction device (pump) that sucks ink and reaction liquid from the ejection surfaces through the caps. By sucking ink and reaction liquid from the ejection surfaces through the caps, foreign matter is removed from the ejection ports and their surroundings, thereby recovering the ejection performance of each of the ejection heads 11-12. The recovery unit 15 may maintain and recover the ejection performance of each of the ejection heads 11-12, for example, before each of the ejection heads 11-12 ejects ink or reaction liquid.

[0023] The liquid ejection device 1 is provided with an inspection unit 16 that inspects the ejection state of liquid from each of the ejection heads 11-12. The inspection unit 16 is provided, for example, on the side of the transport path of the recording medium 2 within the range in which the carriage 10 can move. On the side of the transport path of the recording medium 2 means a position that does not overlap with the transport path of the recording medium 2. By providing the inspection unit 16 in this position where it does not overlap with the recording medium 2, for example, while each of the ejection heads 11-12 is ejecting ink or reaction liquid onto the recording medium 2, it is possible to move each of the ejection heads 11-12 to a position above the inspection unit 16 and inspect the ejection state.

[0024] In this embodiment, the recovery unit 15 and the inspection unit 16 are provided adjacent to each other, but the recovery unit 15 and the inspection unit 16 may also be provided apart from each other. Furthermore, the recovery unit 15 and the inspection unit 16 may be provided so as to face each other across the transport path of the recording medium 2 within the movable range of the carriage 10.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for example, the inspection unit 16 may be provided in the liquid ejection device 1 so as to be replaceable by the provider (vendor) of the liquid ejection device 1. That is, the inspection unit 16 may be provided in the liquid ejection device 1 so as not to be replaceable by the user. For example, the inspection unit 16 may be fixed inside the device body of the liquid ejection device 1. Providing the inspection unit 16 so as not to be replaceable by the user makes it possible to prevent the user from becoming soiled by waste liquid used in the ejection inspection described below when replacing the inspection unit 16, for example.

[0026] Now, reference is made to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing a part of the inside of the device body of the liquid ejection device 1 when viewed from the side (the periphery of the carriage 10), and corresponds to the view in the direction of the arrow D1 in Figure 1.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid ejection device 1 is provided with a position detection unit 102 that detects the position of the carriage 10. The position detection unit 102 includes an encoder sensor 1021 attached to the carriage 10 and a linear scale 1020 that is provided in the main scanning direction, similar to the guide shaft 132. The encoder sensor 1021 is fixed to the carriage 10 so that the linear scale 1020 is sandwiched between a light receiving unit 1021a and a light emitting unit 1021b. The position detection unit 102 detects the movement speed and position of the carriage 10 by having the encoder sensor 1021 read slits printed at regular intervals on the linear scale 1020. In other words, the position detection unit 102 can also be said to be a unit that acquires information such as the movement speed and position of the carriage 10.

[0028] Next, reference is made to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the liquid ejection surfaces of the ejection heads 11 and 12 in this embodiment, and is also a schematic diagram of the ejection heads 11 and 12 as viewed from the recording medium 2 side.

[0029] 3, a plurality of ejection ports 111 for ejecting ink are provided on the ejection surface 11a of the ejection head 11. A plurality of ejection ports 121 for ejecting reaction liquid are provided on the ejection surface 12a of the ejection head 12. In other words, each of the ejection ports 111 to 121 is a nozzle.

[0030] The ejection head 11 has a plurality of ejection opening arrays 111C to 111BK formed for each ink color. Each of the ejection opening arrays 111C to 111BK has 1280 ejection openings 111 formed at a density of 1200 per inch, for example.

[0031] The ejection opening array 111C is an array of multiple ejection openings 111 that eject cyan ink. The ejection opening array 111M is an array of multiple ejection openings 111 that eject magenta ink. The ejection opening array 111Y is an array of multiple ejection openings 111 that eject yellow ink. The ejection opening array 111BK is an array of multiple ejection openings 111 that eject black ink. The ejection opening array 111LC is an array of multiple ejection openings 111 that eject light cyan ink. The ejection opening array 111LM is an array of multiple ejection openings 111 that eject light magenta ink. The ejection opening arrays 111C to 111BK may be formed adjacent to each other. This allows the size of the ejection head 11 to be reduced.

[0032] Each of the ejection opening arrays 111C to 111BK has two arrays of ejection openings 111: an even array and an odd array. In the even array and odd array, the ejection openings 111 are arranged at a density of 600 per inch in the sub-scanning direction, for example. The even array and odd array are arranged with a shift of 1 / 1200 inch in the sub-scanning direction so that the ejection openings 111 are staggered.

[0033] The ejection head 12 has an ejection port array 121OPT of ejection ports 121 that eject the reaction liquid. In addition, the ejection port array 121OPT has, for example, 1280 ejection ports 121 formed at a density of 1200 per inch. The ejection port array is, in other words, a nozzle array.

[0034] Similarly to the ejection head 11, the ejection outlet array 121OPT also has two arrays of ejection outlets 121, an even array and an odd array. The even array and odd array have the ejection outlets 121 arranged at a density of 600 per inch in the sub-scanning direction, for example. The even array and odd array are arranged with a 1 / 1200 inch offset in the sub-scanning direction so that the ejection outlets 121 are staggered.

[0035] That is, each of the ejection heads 11-12 can form 1200 dots per inch on the recording medium 2. Furthermore, the liquid ejection device 1 can form an image at a recording density of 1200 dpi (dots / inch) in the sub-scanning direction using these ejection heads 11-12. The liquid ejection device 1 ejects ink or reaction liquid from each of the ejection ports 111-121 while causing the ejection heads 11 and 12 to scan in the main scanning direction, forming dots at a recording density of 2400 dpi in the main scanning direction and 1200 dpi in the sub-scanning direction.

[0036] The amount of ink ejected (ejection amount) from each of the ejection ports 111 is, for example, approximately 4.5 pl. The ejection amount of black ink may be set to be larger than that of the other color inks in order to achieve high density.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, the ejection head 11 ejects six colors of ink, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), light cyan (LC), light magenta (LM), and black (BK), from each of the ejection opening arrays 111C to 111BK, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may have an ejection head for each of the six colors. In addition, in this embodiment, the ejection head 11 ejects the six colors of ink described above, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the ejection head 11 may eject ink such as red ink, green ink, blue ink, and white ink in addition to the six colors described above. By using ink of other colors in addition to the six colors described above, for example, the color development of the recording medium 2 can be improved.

[0038] In this embodiment, as described above, the liquid ejection device 1 is provided with separate ejection heads 11 for ejecting ink and 12 for ejecting reaction liquid. In other words, it can be said that the liquid ejection device 1 has ejection heads 11-12 for each type of liquid. This makes it possible to suppress reaction between the ink and reaction liquid on the ejection surface or at the ejection openings, compared to when ink and reaction liquid are ejected from the same ejection head.

[0039] 3, the ejection opening arrays 111C-111BK of the ejection head 11 and the ejection opening array 121OPT of the ejection head 12 are spaced apart. This prevents the mist-like ink and reaction liquid from reacting with each other and staining the ejection surfaces 11a-11b, even when the ink and reaction liquid ejected from the ejection heads 11-12 floats in mist form. In the following description, the floating mist-like ink and reaction liquid may be referred to as floating mist.

[0040] In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 is exemplified as having a configuration in which the ejection head 11 and the ejection head 12 are provided separately, but this is not limiting. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may be configured to eject ink and reaction liquid from the same ejection head. Specifically, for example, the same ejection head may be formed with ejection port arrays 111C to 111BK that eject multiple types of ink and an ejection port array 121OPT that ejects reaction liquid. In this case, the ejection port arrays 111C to 111BK and the ejection port array 121OPT that ejects reaction liquid may be formed separately from each other. This makes it possible to prevent the ejection head from being contaminated by floating mist, as described above.

[0041] (Ink composition) Next, the ink formulation of this embodiment will be described in detail. In this specification, "parts" and "%" are based on mass unless otherwise specified.

[0042] (Preparation of dispersion of resin particles) The ink of this embodiment contains water-soluble resin particles that bring the colorant (pigment) into close contact with the recording medium and improve the scratch resistance (fixability) of the recorded image. The resin particles melt when heated, and the heating causes the resin particles to form a film and dries the solvent contained in the ink. In this embodiment, the "resin particles" refer to polymer particles that exist in a dispersed state in water.

[0043] The resin microparticles may be, for example, acrylic resin microparticles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of monomers such as (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters or (meth)acrylic acid alkylamides. Alternatively, the resin microparticles may be, for example, styrene-acrylic resin microparticles synthesized by emulsion polymerization of styrene monomers with (meth)acrylic acid alkyl esters or (meth)acrylic acid alkylamides. Alternatively, the resin microparticles may be, for example, polyethylene resin microparticles, polypropylene resin microparticles, polyurethane resin microparticles, or styrene-butadiene resin microparticles. Alternatively, the resin microparticles may be core-shell type resin microparticles in which the polymer composition of the core and shell portions of the resin microparticles differ. Alternatively, resin microparticles obtained by emulsion polymerization around pre-synthesized acrylic microparticles used as seed particles to control particle size may be used. Furthermore, hybrid type resin microparticles in which different resin microparticles, such as acrylic resin microparticles and urethane resin microparticles, are chemically bonded may be used.

[0044] Furthermore, "polymer microparticles dispersed in water" may refer to, for example, a dispersion of so-called self-dispersing resin microparticles, which are in the form of resin microparticles obtained by homopolymerizing or copolymerizing multiple types of monomers having a dissociative group. Examples of the dissociative group include a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, and a phosphate group, and examples of monomers having this dissociative group include acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. Furthermore, the dispersion may be a so-called emulsion-dispersed resin microparticle dispersion in which resin microparticles are dispersed using an emulsifier. As the emulsifier, a material having an anionic charge can be used, regardless of whether it is low molecular weight or high molecular weight.

[0045] The dispersion of resin microparticles used in this embodiment was prepared by first adding the following three additive liquids dropwise in small amounts while stirring in a nitrogen atmosphere heated to 70°C, and polymerizing for 5 hours. Each additive liquid was a mixture containing a hydrophobic monomer consisting of 28.5 parts methyl methacrylate, a hydrophilic monomer consisting of 4.3 parts sodium p-styrenesulfonate and 30 parts water, and a polymerization initiator consisting of 0.05 parts potassium persulfate and 30 parts water. In this way, a dispersion of 20% by mass of resin microparticles was obtained.

[0046] The methods for preparing each ink and reaction liquid will be described below.

[0047] (Adjustment of black pigment dispersion) First, an anionic polymer P-1 [styrene / butyl acrylate / acrylic acid copolymer (polymerization ratio (weight ratio) = 30 / 40 / 30), acid value 202, weight average molecular weight 6500] was prepared. This was neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 10% by mass polymer aqueous solution.

[0048] 600 g of the polymer solution, 100 g of carbon black, and 300 g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, followed by centrifugal separation to remove undispersed material, including coarse particles, to obtain a black dispersion. The resulting black dispersion had a pigment concentration of 10% by mass.

[0049] (Preparation of Magenta Pigment Dispersion) First, an AB-type block polymer with an acid value of 300 and a number-average molecular weight of 2500 was prepared using benzyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as raw materials by a conventional method. The polymer was then neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 50% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0050] 100 g of the polymer solution, 100 g of CI Pigment Red 122, and 800 g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, followed by centrifugal separation to remove non-dispersed material including coarse particles, to obtain a magenta dispersion. The resulting magenta dispersion had a pigment concentration of 10% by mass.

[0051] (Preparation of Cyan Pigment Dispersion) First, an AB-type block polymer with an acid value of 250 and a number-average molecular weight of 3000 was prepared using benzyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as raw materials by a conventional method. The polymer was then neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 50% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0052] 200 g of the polymer solution, 100 g of CI Pigment Blue 15:3, and 700 g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, followed by centrifugal separation to remove non-dispersed material, including coarse particles, to obtain a cyan dispersion. The resulting cyan dispersion had a pigment concentration of 10% by mass.

[0053] (Preparation of Yellow Pigment Dispersion) First, the anionic polymer P-1 was neutralized with an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution and diluted with ion-exchanged water to prepare a homogeneous 10% by mass aqueous polymer solution.

[0054] 300 g of the polymer solution, 100 g of CI Pigment Yellow 74, and 600 g of ion-exchanged water were mixed and mechanically stirred for a predetermined time, followed by centrifugal separation to remove non-dispersed material including coarse particles, to obtain a yellow dispersion. The resulting yellow dispersion had a pigment concentration of 10% by mass.

[0055] (Ink adjustment) Pigment inks 1 to 6 were prepared by mixing the components (unit: %) shown in the upper row of Table 1 and then filtering under pressure through a membrane filter (HDCII filter; manufactured by Pall) with a pore size of 1.2 μm. The amount of ion-exchanged water used was determined so that the total amount of the components would be 100.0%. Acetylenol E100 is a surfactant manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals. The lower row of Table 1 shows the pigment content (unit: %) in the pigment ink. Each of the inks obtained in this manner was filled into a cartridge.

[0056] [Table 1]

[0057] (Preparation of reaction solution) The reactive liquid used in this embodiment contains a reactive component that reacts with the pigment contained in the ink and causes the pigment to aggregate or gel. Specifically, this reactive component is a component that, when mixed on a recording medium or the like with an ink containing a pigment that is stably dispersed in an aqueous medium by the action of ionic groups, can destroy the dispersion stability of the ink. In this embodiment, magnesium sulfate is used as the reactive component.

[0058] In this embodiment, the reactive component is a polyvalent metal salt, magnesium sulfate, but the reactive component is not limited to this. For example, various water-soluble organic acids or other polyvalent metal salts may be used as reactive components in the reaction solution. The content of the organic acid or polyvalent metal salt is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 90.0% by mass or less, and more preferably 1.0% by mass or more and 70.0% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the composition contained in the reaction solution.

[0059] In this embodiment, as described above, magnesium sulfate (manufactured by Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was used as the reactive component, and the following components were mixed to prepare reaction solution 1.

[0060] Magnesium sulfate 2 parts 2-pyrrolidone 5 parts 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct 0.5 parts Ion-exchanged water (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) Remaining

[0061] (Inspection unit) 4(A) and 4(B) are diagrams for explaining the inspection unit 16. FIG. 4(A) is a schematic diagram of the inspection unit 16 when viewed in the X direction during discharge inspection. FIG. 4(B) is a schematic diagram of the inspection unit 16 when viewed in the Z direction during discharge inspection. Note that, although FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) explain the inspection unit 16 when inspecting the discharge of the discharge head 11 as an example, the configuration is the same when a reaction liquid is discharged as a liquid from the discharge head 12.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the inspection unit 16 in this embodiment has a light-receiving element 160 and a light-emitting element 161. The inspection unit 16 irradiates light 1610 from the light-emitting element 161 when inspecting the ejection state of the ejection head 11 or 12, for example. When the inspection unit 16 performs an ejection inspection, ink 1111 is ejected from the ejection head 11. For example, when the ink 1111 is ejected from the ejection head 11, the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 160 changes. In this way, the inspection unit 16 inspects the ejection state of each ejection port 111 of the ejection head 11 based on the change in the amount of light received by the light-receiving element 160. That is, the inspection unit 16 inspects the ejection state of the ejection heads 11-12 using an optical sensor. In other words, the inspection unit 16 also functions as a detection unit that detects the ejection state of the ejection heads 11-12.

[0063] 4(A) and 4(B), the inspection unit 16 in this embodiment includes an aperture (stop) 162a provided on the light receiving element 160 side and an aperture (stop) 162b provided on the light emitting element 161 side. Each of the apertures 162a to 162b may be provided, for example, on a side surface of a housing section described below. Furthermore, the aperture 162a has an opening 1602a, and the aperture 162b has an opening 1602b. The size (opening diameter) of each of the openings 1602a to 1602b can be adjusted, for example, by each of the apertures 162a to 162b.

[0064] Furthermore, a light beam 1611, which is the entire light 1610 irradiated from the light-emitting element 161 and incident on the light-receiving element 160, is an inspection area 1600 that can be inspected by the inspection unit 16 during ejection inspection. For example, as described above, the size of each of the openings 1602a to 1602b can be changed by adjusting each of the apertures 162a to 162b. Changing the size of each of the openings 1602a to 1602b also means changing the size of the inspection area 1600. For example, the size of the inspection area 1600 may be changed depending on the size of the ink or reaction liquid ejected by the ejection head 11 or the ejection head 12. For example, if the ink ejected from the ejection head 11 or the reaction liquid ejected from the ejection head 12 is very small, the size of the inspection area 1600 may be reduced. This increases the S / N ratio and improves inspection accuracy.

[0065] Details of the discharge inspection will be described below. When performing a discharge inspection, the liquid discharger 1 moves the discharge head 11 to be inspected above the inspection unit 16. Specifically, for example, the liquid discharger 1 moves the discharge port row to be inspected of the discharge head 11 to the inspection position. The inspection position is the position where the inspection unit 16 is provided. Specifically, for example, it is above the detection area 1600. For example, the liquid discharger 1 moves the discharge port row to be inspected to the inspection position by moving the carriage 10 using the above-mentioned movement mechanism 13. Details of the movement of the carriage 10 will be described later. Note that in this embodiment, a configuration in which the carriage 10 is moved during discharge inspection will be described, but for example, the inspection unit 16 may also be moved.

[0066] Furthermore, during discharge testing, the liquid discharger 1 controls the testing unit 16 to a state where discharge testing is possible. For example, the liquid discharger 1 controls the testing unit 16 so that light is emitted from the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160 receives a change in the amount of light.

[0067] The liquid ejection device 1 also controls the ejection of the ejection head 11 during ejection testing. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 sequentially drives the recording elements in each ejection port 111 in the ejection port array being tested one by one at a predetermined cycle, causing a predetermined number of ink droplets 1111 to be ejected within a predetermined time. The ink droplets 1111 fly, for example, along a flight path indicated by arrow A1 in FIG. 4A, and, for example, pass through an inspection area 1600 to block a light beam 1611. When the amount of light received by the light receiving element 160 decreases due to light blocking by the flying ink droplets 1111, the signal value of the inspection signal output from the light receiving element 160 changes. The liquid ejection device 1 determines whether ink droplets from each ejection port 111 have been ejected normally based on the amount of light received by the light receiving element 160 within a predetermined time.

[0068] Furthermore, if the signal value of the detection signal output from the light receiving element 160 during the discharge test is less than a preset threshold, the liquid discharger 1 determines that liquid was discharged normally from the discharge head and stores the discharge port 111 being tested as a discharge port that can discharge normally. On the other hand, if the signal value does not fall below the preset threshold within a predetermined time, the liquid discharger determines that ink droplets were not discharged normally and stores the discharge port being tested as a discharge port with a discharge defect.

[0069] (Example of control configuration of liquid ejection device) Next, a description will be given of the control configuration of the liquid ejection device 1. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the liquid ejection device 1 in this embodiment.

[0070] The liquid ejection device 1 includes a control unit 17 that controls the entire liquid ejection device 1. The control unit 17 includes, for example, a CPU 170, a ROM 171, a RAM 172, an input / output port 173, and the like.

[0071] The CPU 170 is a system control unit including a processor, and controls the entire liquid ejection device 100. The CPU 170 executes various processes by, for example, reading various control programs stored in a storage medium such as a ROM 171 into a RAM 172 serving as a work area and executing the programs. In one example, the processes of the liquid ejection device 1 described below are realized by the CPU 170 executing the programs stored in the ROM 171.

[0072] Furthermore, the CPU 170 may include, for example, a driver unit, a sequence control unit, an image processing unit, a timing control unit, and a head control unit as its functional blocks. The sequence control unit controls overall recording control, and more specifically, starts and stops the image processing unit, the timing control unit, and the head control unit, controls the transportation of the recording medium 2, and controls the movement of the carriage 10. The sequence control unit controls each functional block by reading and executing various programs from the ROM 171. Based on commands from the sequence control unit, the driver unit generates control signals for the ROM 171, drive circuits 181 to 186, and discharge inspection control circuit 187, etc., and transmits input signals from each block to the sequence control unit.

[0073] The image processing unit performs image processing to separate and convert color image data input from the image input device 3 and convert it into print data that can be printed by the ejection heads 11-12. The timing control unit transfers the print data converted and generated by the image processing unit to the head control unit in conjunction with the position of the carriage 10. The timing control unit also controls signals synchronized with the ejection from each nozzle to determine the liquid ejection state. The head control unit converts the print data input from the timing control unit into an ejection signal and outputs it. Furthermore, if correction is required based on instructions from the sequence control unit, it outputs an adjustment control signal for correction and transmits it to the drive circuits 185-186.

[0074] The ROM 171 is, for example, a non-volatile storage, and stores various information and control programs executed by the CPU 170. The various information may include, for example, inspection data and reference values related to the ejection state, inspection results of the ejection state, the thickness of the recording medium 2, and the like.

[0075] The various information may also include, for example, information about the inspection position. The inspection position is, for example, position information about the inspection unit 16. For example, during ejection inspection, the CPU 170 may obtain the information about the inspection position stored in the ROM 171 and control the movement of the carriage 10 so as to inspect each of the ejection heads 11-12 at the inspection position.

[0076] The RAM 172 is, for example, a volatile storage, and is used as a main memory, a work memory, etc. when various programs stored in storage units such as the ROM 171 are executed.

[0077] The input / output port 173 is an interface for inputting and outputting various signals, and is connected to, for example, the circuit unit 18, the position detection unit 102, etc. Various signals from the control unit 17 are output to the circuit unit 18 via the input / output port 173, and various signals from the circuit unit 18 are input to the control unit 17. Furthermore, a detection signal from the position detection unit 102 that detects the position of the carriage 10 is input to the control unit 17 via the input / output port 173. For example, during ejection inspection, the control unit 17 may acquire a detection signal from the position detection unit 102 via the input / output port 173 in order to move the carriage 10 to an inspection position. Note that sensors such as a temperature and humidity sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature and humidity around the liquid ejection device 1 may be connected to the input / output port 173.

[0078] The circuit unit 18 includes, for example, an interface (I / F) circuit 181, drive circuits 182 to 185, a discharge detection control circuit 187, and the like.

[0079] The interface (I / F) circuit 181 is connected to, for example, an external image input device 3 wirelessly or via a wire. The interface (I / F) circuit 181 is a circuit that transfers image information, such as image data, input from the image input device 3 to the control unit 17. The image input device 3 is, for example, a host computer. The image input unit 3 includes, for example, a CPU 30 required for transferring image data, RAM serving as a work area for performing various image processing, and recording elements such as a ROM 31 serving as a recording medium. In this embodiment, the image input device 3 outside the liquid ejection apparatus 1 may be an information processing device such as a PC or an image reader. Furthermore, the image input device 3 is connected to, for example, an image input device 4, such as a scanner or digital camera, and various storage media, such as a hard disk of an external device (not shown). Multi-value image data stored in various storage media of the image input device 4 or the external device (not shown) is input to the image input device 3.

[0080] The drive circuit 182 is, for example, a circuit for driving the CR motor 131, and generates drive pulses to drive the CR motor 131 in accordance with signals input from each control unit such as a sequence control unit and a driver unit.

[0081] The drive circuit 183 is, for example, a circuit for driving the LF motor 140, and generates drive pulses in accordance with signals input from each control unit such as a sequence control unit and a driver unit to drive the LF motor 140.

[0082] The drive circuit 184 is, for example, a circuit for driving the recovery unit 15, and generates drive pulses in accordance with signals input from each control unit such as a sequence control unit and a driver unit to drive the recovery unit 15. Specifically, for example, the drive circuit 184 may drive a recovery operation motor (not shown) provided in the recovery unit 15. The recovery operation motor (not shown) is a motor for performing an operation of suctioning ink from each nozzle of each of the ejection heads 11 to 12.

[0083] The drive circuit 185 is, for example, a circuit for driving the ejection head 11, and generates drive pulses in accordance with ejection signals input from each control unit such as a head control unit, and applies the drive pulses to the ejection head 11. The drive circuit 186 is, for example, a circuit for driving the ejection head 11, and generates drive pulses in accordance with ejection signals input from each control unit such as a head control unit, and applies the drive pulses to the ejection head 12.

[0084] The discharge inspection control circuit 187 is, for example, a circuit for driving the inspection unit 16, and generates a drive pulse in accordance with signals input from each control unit such as a sequence control unit and a driver unit, to drive the inspection unit 16.

[0085] (Recovery operation and discharge inspection) Fig. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating an example of a series of processes related to a discharge inspection executed by the liquid discharger 1 of this embodiment. The processes executed by the liquid discharger 1 of Fig. 6 are realized, for example, by the CPU 170 loading a control program stored in a memory such as the ROM 171 into the RAM 172 and executing the program.

[0086] The liquid ejection device 1 executes the process of FIG. 6 at a predetermined timing, for example. In this embodiment, the predetermined timing is, for example, when the liquid ejection device 1 starts a recovery operation. The recovery operation may be, for example, a suction operation in which a recovery operation motor (not shown) of the recovery unit 15 sucks liquid from the ejection ports 111 of the ejection head 11 or the ejection ports 121 of the ejection head 12, thereby removing bubbles and impurities from inside the head. The recovery operation may also be, for example, a wiping operation by the recovery unit 15 to wipe away droplets from the ejection surface 11a or the ejection surface 12a. The recovery operation may also be, for example, a preliminary ejection operation to adjust the ejection operation prior to each of the ejection heads 11-12 ejecting liquid onto the recording medium 2.

[0087] The liquid ejection device 1 may start the recovery operation, for example, when the power of the liquid ejection device 1 is turned on. The liquid ejection device 1 may also start the recovery operation when ejecting liquid onto the recording medium 2 or when ejection of liquid onto the recording medium 2 is completed. In other words, the liquid ejection device 1 may start the recovery operation before printing or after printing is completed.

[0088] In S601, the liquid ejection device 1 performs a recovery operation on the ejection head 11 and the ejection head 12. In S602, the liquid ejection device 1 performs an ejection test on the ejection head 11 and the ejection head 12. Details of the ejection test will be described later. In S603, the liquid ejection device 1 stores the results of the ejection test in S602. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may store non-ejecting nozzle information as the result of the ejection test. The non-ejecting nozzle information may be, for example, information on the ejection outlet 111 of the ejection head 11 that was determined to have an ejection defect in the processing of S602, or information on the ejection outlet 121 of the ejection head 12.

[0089] In this way, the liquid ejection device 1 performs a discharge inspection after performing a recovery operation. For example, the recovery operation can remove dust and bubbles from inside the ejection heads 11 to 12 (inside the nozzles). In other words, by performing a discharge inspection after a recovery operation, the accuracy of the discharge inspection can be improved.

[0090] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 has been described as ending the processing of FIG. 6 after S603 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, after S603, the liquid ejection device 1 may execute processing to eject liquid onto the recording medium 2. In other words, the liquid ejection device 1 may perform printing after S603. In this case, the liquid ejection device 1 may be controlled so as not to use ejection ports that have been determined to be ejection defective in the ejection test and stored when ejecting liquid onto the recording medium 2, for example.

[0091] In the present embodiment, the process of Fig. 6 is described as being executed at the start of the recovery operation, but this is not limiting. For example, the process of Fig. 6 may be started based on a user operation. Specifically, the liquid ejection device 1 may receive an instruction to start the process of Fig. 6 from a user via an operation unit (not shown), such as a touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard.

[0092] (Carriage movement control) Next, an example of control of movement of each of the ejection heads 11-12 by the liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the carriage 10 is provided with a sliding member (not shown), which allows the carriage 10 to be supported by the guide shaft 132 in a movable state. The liquid ejection device 1 controls the movement of the carriage 10, for example, when ejecting liquid onto the recording medium 2 using each of the ejection heads 11-12, or when performing an ejection inspection process for each of the ejection heads 11-12. In this example, the description will be made assuming control of movement of the carriage 10 when performing an ejection inspection process for the ejection head 11.

[0093] For example, the liquid ejection device 1 uses the CR motor 130 to move the carriage 10, which holds the ejection heads 11-12, to an inspection position. In order to move the carriage 10 from a stopped state, the liquid ejection device 1 needs to apply a force greater than the static friction force between the guide shaft 132 and a sliding member (not shown). The liquid ejection device 1 can move the carriage 10 by using the CR motor 130 to apply a force greater than the static friction force to the carriage 10. For example, an inertial force acts on the carriage 10 that has started to move due to the CR motor 130. As a result, when the carriage 10 is stopped after being moved, it is necessary to move the carriage 10 a predetermined distance. In the following description, the minimum distance at which the liquid ejection device 1 can stop the carriage 10 may be referred to as the minimum movement distance.

[0094] For example, if the static friction force between the sliding member (not shown) and the guide shaft 132 is small, the carriage 10 can be moved with a small force while stationary, and the inertial force is also small. However, this static friction force may become large. For example, the static friction force may become large depending on the weight of the carriage 10 and each of the ejection heads 11-12. Furthermore, for example, floating mist of liquid, such as ink or reaction liquid, ejected from each of the ejection heads 11-12, which does not land on the recording medium 2 or the like, may adhere to the guide shaft 132 or the like. Furthermore, for example, as the liquid ejection device 1 repeatedly ejects liquid from each of the ejection heads 11-12, the amount of floating mist adhering to the guide shaft 132 may increase. For example, if floating mist adheres to the guide shaft 132, the static friction force between the guide shaft 132 and the sliding member (not shown) may increase. For example, if the static friction force becomes large, the liquid ejection device 1 needs to apply a large force to move the carriage 10 while stationary, and the minimum movement distance may increase.

[0095] Furthermore, as described above, the size of the inspection area 1600 may be changed depending on the size of the liquid ejected from each of the ejection heads 11-12 during the ejection inspection. For example, if the amount of liquid ejected from each of the ejection heads 11-12 is very small, the size of the inspection area 1600 may be narrowed to improve inspection accuracy. For example, if the inspection area 1600 is narrowed and the ejection head being inspected moves outside the inspection area 1600, the ejection head being inspected may be erroneously determined to have an ejection defect even though it is ejecting liquid normally. Therefore, high stopping accuracy is required for the movement control of the carriage 10 by the liquid ejection device 1.

[0096] For example, when moving the carriage 10 over the minimum movement distance, the liquid ejection device 1 may not be able to accurately move the carriage 10 to the desired position if floating mist is attached to the guide shaft 132 or if the inspection area 1600 is narrow. Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 moves the carriage 10 from a position that is a distance greater than the minimum movement distance, for example, during ejection inspection. This allows the carriage 10 to stop with high accuracy.

[0097] Reference will now be made to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the movement control of the carriage 10 during a discharge inspection performed by the liquid ejection device 1. FIG. 7 is also a diagram for explaining, for example, the discharge inspection process of S602 in FIG. 6 described above. FIG. 7 explains, as an example, the movement control of the carriage 10 when the liquid ejection device 1 performs a discharge inspection of the discharge head 11. Note that, for example, the movement control of the carriage 10 may also be performed in a similar manner during a discharge inspection of the discharge head 12.

[0098] FIG. 7(1) shows a state in which the liquid ejection device 1 is performing an ejection inspection of the ejection orifice array 111C of the ejection head 11. First, as shown in FIG. 7(1), the ejection head 11 is arranged with two ejection orifice arrays 111Ce to 111BKk for each ink color: an even array and an odd array. Here, the ejection orifice arrays 111C to 111BK for each ink color may be described separately as an even array and an odd array. For example, the even array of the cyan ink ejection orifice array 111C may be referred to as the ejection orifice array 111Ce, and the odd array of the ejection orifice array 111C may be referred to as the ejection orifice array 111Co. The same applies to the ejection orifice arrays 111M to 111BK.

[0099] For example, if the inspection area 1600 of the inspection unit 16 is narrowed or if the spacing between the Even array and the Odd array is narrow, the inspection unit 16 cannot simultaneously inspect the Even array and the Odd array. Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 performs ejection inspection by treating the Even array and the Odd array as separate ejection port arrays. Note that in FIG. 7, ejection port arrays currently being inspected are indicated by black semicircles, and ejection port arrays that have already been inspected are indicated by hatched semicircles. Also in FIG. 7, ejection port arrays that have not yet been inspected are indicated by white semicircles.

[0100] FIG. 7A shows a state in which the liquid ejection device 1 is performing an ejection inspection of the ejection port array 31Ce. The liquid ejection device 1 moves the carriage 10 to move the ejection port array 31Ce of the ejection head 10 to a position (inspection position) facing the inspection unit 16. FIG. 7A also shows a state in which the liquid ejection device 1 is ejecting ink droplets from the ejection port array 111Ce and performing an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111 of the ejection port array 111Ce using the inspection unit 16. The ink droplets are ejected from each ejection port 111 into a storage unit 163 of the inspection unit 16. The storage unit 163 is a box-shaped member that stores, for example, ink or a reaction liquid used in the ejection inspection. In other words, the storage unit 163 is a waste liquid tank. The storage unit 163 has an opening at the top, and can store (store) therein the liquid ejected from each of the ejection heads 11-12. An absorber 164 that absorbs the ink and reaction liquid ejected during the ejection inspection is provided in the storage section 163. The absorber 164 is, for example, a sponge-like or porous member.

[0101] When the liquid ejection device 1 completes ejection inspection of all the ejection ports 111 in the ejection port array 111Ce, it moves the carriage 10 to a position where the next ejection port array 111Co to be inspected faces the ejection inspection unit 16. However, there are cases where the distance between the ejection port array 31Ce and the ejection port array 31Co is narrow and less than the minimum movement distance. In such cases, the liquid ejection device 1 cannot move the carriage 10 in one go from the inspection position for the ejection port array 31Ce to the inspection position for the ejection port array 31Co.

[0102] Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 temporarily moves the carriage 103 in the direction indicated by the arrow 701 to a position that is farther away than the minimum movement distance of the carriage 10. In the following description, the position that is farther away than the minimum movement distance of the carriage 103 may be referred to as the reversal position. The reversal position is the position where the distance between the carriage 10 and the next ejection port array to be inspected is equal to or greater than the minimum movement distance.

[0103] FIG. 7(2) shows a state in which the liquid ejection device 1 has moved the carriage 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow 701 to the reversal position.

[0104] In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 moves the carriage 10 to the reversal position each time an ejection inspection of the ejection port array to be inspected is completed. Then, the liquid ejection device 1 reverses the movement direction of the carriage 10 at the reversal position and moves the carriage 10 to the inspection position.

[0105] Figure 7 (3) shows the state in which the liquid ejection device 1 moves the carriage 10 from the inverted position shown in Figure 7 (2) to a position where the ejection port array 111Co and the ejection inspection unit 11 face each other, and performs an ejection inspection of the ejection port array 111Co.

[0106] FIG. 7(4) shows the state in which the liquid ejection device 1 has moved the carriage 10 to the inverted position after completing all ejection inspections for each ejection port 111 of the ejection port array 111Co in the state shown in FIG. 7(3).

[0107] Figure 7 (5) shows the state in which the liquid ejection device 1 moves the carriage 10 from the inverted position shown in Figure 7 (4) to a position where the ejection port array 31Me and the ejection inspection unit 16 face each other, and is performing an ejection inspection.

[0108] Thereafter, the liquid ejection device 1 repeats the same operation as described above to perform ejection inspections and move the carriage 103 to perform the ejection inspections for each of the ejection port arrays 31Me to 31Bko that have not yet been inspected. In this way, the liquid ejection device 1 can improve inspection accuracy by temporarily moving the carriage 103 to the inverted position between ejection inspections of each ejection port array.

[0109] In the present embodiment, the ejection inspection is performed in the order of adjacent ejection port arrays (for example, the ejection port array 31Ce followed by the ejection port array 31Co), but this is not limiting. For example, when the carriage 103 is moved to the reversal position, the liquid ejection device 1 may perform the ejection inspection of the ejection port array located at the reversal position.

[0110] (Deposition in the discharge inspection unit) The liquid ejection device 1 in this embodiment is capable of ejecting multiple types of liquid. Specifically, for example, as described above, the liquid ejection device 1 is capable of ejecting ink and a reaction liquid that reacts with the ink. By ejecting the ink and the reaction liquid, the liquid ejection device 1 can, for example, increase the viscosity of the ink. By increasing the viscosity of the ink, for example, it is possible to suppress beading and bleeding of the ink on the recording medium 2 that occur depending on the type of recording medium 2.

[0111] Furthermore, as described above, the liquid ejection device 1 performs an ejection inspection to inspect the ejection state of the ejection head 11 and the ejection head 12 during recovery operations, etc. The liquid ejection device 1 inspects the ejection state of the ejection head 11 and the ejection state of the ejection head 12 using the same inspection unit 16. In this way, by inspecting the ejection state of each of the ejection heads 11 to 12 using the same inspection unit 16, it is possible to save space inside the liquid ejection device 1 and reduce the cost of the liquid ejection device 1, compared to, for example, providing an inspection unit 16 for each of the ejection heads 11 to 12.

[0112] Incidentally, the ink and reaction liquid used in the discharge test are stored in the storage section 163 as described above. In the following description, the ink and reaction liquid used in the discharge test may be referred to as waste liquid. For example, the ink stored in the storage section 163 may react with the reaction liquid, causing the coloring material contained in the ink to aggregate. In other words, the coloring material is a pigment. During the discharge test, the liquid discharge device 1 discharges the ink and reaction liquid so that they pass through the inspection area 1600 of the inspection unit 16, so the ink and reaction liquid may accumulate in a predetermined location within the storage section 163. For example, if the ink or reaction liquid accumulates in a predetermined location within the storage section 163, aggregates of the coloring material may accumulate.

[0113] Here, with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the accumulation of aggregates of coloring material used in the ejection inspection in the container 163 will be described.

[0114] First, reference is made to FIG. 8(A). FIG. 8(A) is a diagram illustrating, for example, the internal state of the storage section 163. As shown in FIG. 8(A), ink droplets ejected from a predetermined nozzle row 111X of the ejection head 11 pass between the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160, and then land inside the storage section 163 of the inspection unit 16. The liquid ejection device 1 repeats the ejection inspection for each ejection row and ejection port as described above, and the ejected ink droplets are stored in the storage section 163 as waste liquid. As described above, the storage section 163 is provided with an absorber 164, and the waste liquid is absorbed by the absorber 164.

[0115] In this embodiment, a configuration in which the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160 are integrally provided in the housing portion 163 will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160 may be provided separably from the housing portion 163. In other words, the liquid ejection device 1 may have an inspection unit 16 having the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160, and a housing portion 163 separable from the inspection unit 16.

[0116] For example, if waste liquid accumulates in the ejection container 163, the waste liquid will block the gap between the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160, making it impossible to perform ejection testing. For this reason, the liquid ejection device 1 manages the timing of replacing the inspection unit 16. Specifically, for example, the amount of ink or reaction liquid ejected into the inspection unit 16 is managed as a dot count, and if the amount exceeds a predetermined value, a notification is sent that the inspection unit 16 needs to be replaced. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may display a message on a display unit (not shown) of the liquid ejection device 1 that the inspection unit 16 needs to be replaced. Furthermore, for example, the liquid ejection device 1 may send a notification to the provider (vendor) of the liquid ejection device 1 that the inspection unit 16 needs to be replaced.

[0117] For example, it is desired to reduce the frequency of replacement of the inspection unit 16 in order to improve the convenience of users who use the droplet discharge device 1. The frequency of replacement of the inspection unit 16 can also be said to be the lifespan of the inspection unit 16. In order to extend the lifespan of the inspection unit 16, for example, it is expected that the amount of waste liquid that can be stored in the storage section 163 will be increased. Specifically, for example, it is conceivable to increase the amount of waste liquid that can be stored by increasing the bottom area or height of the storage section 163.

[0118] Here, reference is made to Figure 8(B), which is a diagram illustrating the internal state of the inspection unit 16 when, for example, the liquid ejection device 1 repeatedly performs ejection inspections of the ejection heads 11 and 12.

[0119] When the same inspection unit 16 is used to inspect the ejection of each of the ejection heads 11 to 12, the ejected ink reacts with the reaction liquid inside the container 163, causing aggregation of the coloring material. When inspecting the ejection of only the ink (see FIG. 8(A)), the ejected ink spreads over the entire bottom surface of the container 163 and is absorbed by the absorber 164. However, when inspecting the ejection of each of the ejection heads 11 to 12, the coloring material aggregates 805 that have aggregated as a result of the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid are not absorbed by the absorber 164 and accumulate inside the container 163.

[0120] Therefore, when performing discharge inspections on each of the discharge heads 11-12 using the same discharge inspection unit 16, it is believed that simply increasing the bottom area of the accommodation section 163 will not be enough to extend the life of the inspection unit 16. Furthermore, if the height of the accommodation section 163 is increased and the distance between the absorber 164 and each of the elements 160-161 is extended, there is a greater possibility that ink or reaction liquid discharged during discharge inspection will fail to land on the absorber 164 and will float, creating a floating mist. If the floating mist adheres to each of the elements 160-161, contamination caused by the floating mist may reduce the inspection accuracy.

[0121] As described above with reference to FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), when the ejection heads 11-12 are subjected to ejection inspection using the same inspection unit 16, the coloring material in the ink reacts with the reaction liquid and aggregates, forming aggregates 805. The accumulation of aggregates 805 shortens the life of the inspection unit 16. Therefore, even when the ejection heads 11-12 are subjected to ejection inspection using the same inspection unit 16, there is a need for a method for suppressing aggregation of the coloring material and extending the life of the inspection unit 16.

[0122] In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 controls the ejection of each of the ejection heads 11-12 so as to suppress the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid during the ejection test. Specifically, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 controls the ejection of each of the ejection heads 11-12 so as to eject the reaction liquid before the ink during the ejection test. With this configuration, even when the ejection heads 11-12 are subjected to the ejection test within the same inspection unit 16, it is possible to suppress aggregation of the coloring material and extend the life of the inspection unit 16.

[0123] Below, the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid will be explained, and then the details of the ejection inspection in this embodiment will be explained. First, the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid will be explained. Please refer to Figures 9(A) to 9(C). Figures 9(A) to 9(C) are diagrams for explaining aggregation of coloring material caused by the reaction of the ink with the reaction liquid.

[0124] First, FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of ink before reacting with the reaction liquid. The ink in this embodiment contains, for example, a colorant 901, an emulsion 902, and the like, as described above. In the ink before reacting with the reaction liquid, the colorant 901 and the emulsion 902 are in a dispersed state. Specifically, for example, the colorant 901 and the emulsion 902 are dispersed in the ink in an anionic state. That is, the colorant 901 and the emulsion 902 repel each other due to the repulsive force of their negative charges. The colorant 901 and the emulsion 902 are also dispersed due to the repulsive force 903 (steric hindrance) in their physical structure.

[0125] 9B shows the dispersed state of the reaction liquid before it reacts with the ink. In this embodiment, magnesium ions 904 in a positively charged cation state and sulfate ions 905 in a negatively charged anion state are ionized and dispersed in the reaction liquid.

[0126] For example, when ink and reaction liquid are mixed in the inspection unit 16 due to the liquid ejection device 1 performing an ejection inspection, anions in the ink react with cations in the reaction liquid, resulting in a loss of charge. This destroys the dispersion between the colorant 901 and emulsion 902, causing the colorant 901 to aggregate. Note that the higher the cation concentration in the reaction liquid, the stronger the aggregating force of the reaction liquid, and the higher the anion concentration in the ink, the higher the aggregating viscosity of the mixture of ink and reaction liquid. The aggregating viscosity is, for example, the viscosity of the mixture after mixing the ink and reaction liquid.

[0127] Furthermore, the mere presence of cations in the reaction liquid does not necessarily result in reaction aggregation between the ink and the reaction liquid; for example, a cation concentration necessary to break the steric hindrance 903 is required.

[0128] 9(C) is a schematic diagram for explaining the state after the ink and the reaction liquid are mixed. When the ink and the reaction liquid are mixed, unagglomerated matter 906 and aggregated matter 907 are generated. The unagglomerated matter 906 contains liquid components such as water and solvent of the ink and the reaction liquid. The aggregated matter 907 contains the color material 901 and emulsion 902 that have aggregated due to the reaction.

[0129] 9(A) to 9(C), when the ink and the reaction liquid are mixed, an aggregate 907 is generated. The state of the aggregate 907 may differ depending on, for example, the order in which the ink and the reaction liquid are mixed, the concentration of the color material 901 contained in the ink, etc. In other words, the state of the aggregate 907 may differ depending on the reactivity between the ink and the reaction liquid.

[0130] Here, with reference to Fig. 10(A) to Fig. 10(H), an example will be described in which the state of the aggregate 907 differs depending on the reactivity between the ink and the reaction liquid. Fig. 10(A) to Fig. 10(H) are diagrams for explaining that the accumulation height of the aggregate differs depending on the reactivity between the ink and the reaction liquid inside the inspection unit 16. The box 1001 is, for example, a box-shaped member that is intended to be the inspection unit 16, and the top of the box 1001 is open, similar to the inspection unit 116. In this embodiment, the behavior of reactive aggregation was confirmed when equal amounts of various inks were mixed inside the box 1001 that is intended to be the inspection unit 16.

[0131] FIG. 10A shows the state inside the box 1001 when the reaction liquid and cyan ink are mixed in that order. The deposit 1002 is a schematic representation of the state after the cyan ink reacts with the reaction liquid and aggregates. Each particle of the deposits shown in FIGS. 10A to 10H does not represent a single colorant particle, but rather represents an aggregate of a certain size containing colorant and emulsion. In other words, immediately after the reaction liquid and cyan ink react, liquids such as water and solvent remain in the box 1001. Furthermore, voids exist between the deposits 1002, and water and solvent also exist in these voids. Even after the water and solvent evaporate over time, the voids between the deposits 1002 do not fill and become smooth, and the height of the deposits 1002 is maintained.

[0132] Figure 10(B) shows the state inside box 1001 when light cyan ink is mixed in after the state shown in Figure 10(A). Light cyan ink 1003 spreads inside box 1001 without further depositing on deposit 1002. This is presumably because the reaction between the cyan ink and the reaction liquid in Figure 10(A) reduced the cation concentration in the reaction liquid, and the reaction liquid no longer had a cation concentration sufficient to overcome steric hindrance, as explained in Figures 9(A) to (C).

[0133] 10(C) shows the state inside the box 1001 when evaporation of the water and solvent progresses after the state shown in FIG. 10(B). The coloring materials contained in the reaction liquid and the unreacted cyan ink and light cyan ink spread inside the box 1001, and then settle on the bottom of the box 1001 as the water and solvent evaporate.

[0134] 10(D) shows the state inside the box 1001 when the reaction liquid and light cyan ink are mixed in that order inside the box 1001. Deposit 1004 is a schematic representation of the state after the light cyan ink reacts with the reaction liquid and aggregates. Because the amount of colorant in the light cyan ink is smaller than that in the cyan ink, the height of the deposit 1004 is lower than the deposit 1002 shown in FIG. 10(A), which was formed by aggregation of the cyan ink.

[0135] Figure 10(E) shows the state inside box 1001 when cyan ink is mixed in after the state shown in Figure 10(A). Cyan ink 1006 spreads inside box 1001 without being deposited on the deposit 1004 due to an aggregation reaction. This is presumably because the cation concentration in the reaction solution decreased once the reaction between the light cyan ink and the reaction solution took place, and the cation concentration in the reaction solution was no longer sufficient to overcome steric hindrance.

[0136] Fig. 10(F) shows the state inside the box 1001 when evaporation of the water and solvent progresses after the state shown in Fig. 10(E). The coloring materials contained in the reaction liquid and the unreacted cyan ink and light cyan ink spread inside the box 1001, and then settle on the bottom of the box as the water and solvent evaporate.

[0137] As described above with reference to FIGS. 10(A) to 10(C) and 10(D) to 10(F), both deposits 1002 and 1004 contain unreacted colorant within the aggregates, but they are able to wet and spread to the bottom of box 1001. However, the height of deposit 1004 within box 1001 is lower than that of deposit 1002. This is presumably because, in FIGS. 10(D) to 10(F), light cyan ink was added to box 1001 after the reaction liquid was added, and before the cyan ink. Light cyan ink has a lower concentration of colorant than cyan ink. In other words, because light cyan ink was added to box 1001 before cyan ink, the amount of colorant reacting with the reaction liquid is smaller. Furthermore, the reaction between light cyan ink and the reaction liquid reduces the cation concentration in the reaction liquid, which means that the inside of box 1001 is in a low-reactivity state. This is presumably why deposit 1004 is lower than deposit 1002.

[0138] FIG. 10(G) shows the state inside the box 1001 when cyan ink, light cyan ink, and reaction liquid are mixed in this order. The height of the deposit 1006 formed by the reaction of the cyan ink and light cyan ink with the reaction liquid is larger than the deposit 1002 in FIG. 10(A) and the aggregate 1004 in FIG. 10(D). This is presumably because a larger amount of ink reacts with the reaction liquid compared to when the reaction liquid is first introduced into the box 1001 and then the ink is introduced (FIGS. 10(A) and 10(D)). Specifically, for example, when the colorant aggregates, it aggregates while also containing unreacted colorant, so it is presumed that the height of the deposit 1006 increases as the amount of colorant increases, as shown in FIG. 10(G).

[0139] 10(H) shows the state inside the box 1001 after the evaporation of the water and solvent has progressed after the state of FIG. 10(G). The state of the deposit 1006 after the evaporation of the water and solvent has progressed is shown, but as described above, the height of the deposit 1006 is maintained, so the height of the deposit 1006 is the highest compared to the deposit 1002 and the deposit 1004.

[0140] In view of the above tendency, when mixing ink and reaction liquid, deposition of aggregates can be suppressed by first putting the reaction liquid into the box 1001 and then putting the ink in. That is, in the above-described discharge test, the reaction liquid is discharged from the discharge head 12, and then ink is discharged from the discharge head 11 to perform the discharge test, thereby suppressing the reaction between the reaction liquid and ink within the test unit 16 (i.e., within the storage section 163).

[0141] Furthermore, as described above, the inspection unit 16 is provided with the absorber 164. That is, the liquid ejection device 1 first ejects the reaction liquid and then performs the ejection inspection, thereby allowing the reaction liquid to penetrate into the absorber 164. This makes it possible to prevent the reaction liquid ejected first from coming into contact with the ink ejected after the reaction liquid.

[0142] In this embodiment, for simplicity, the illustrations and explanations have been given of suppressing aggregation by adding light cyan ink or cyan ink after the reaction liquid, but strictly speaking, this does not completely prevent the reaction between the reaction liquid and each ink, and each ink may react with the reaction liquid to some extent and aggregate. However, as explained using Figures 10(A) to 10(H), the relationship between the order in which each liquid (reaction liquid, ink) is added and the height of the deposit remains the same.

[0143] (Discharge inspection process) Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a discharge inspection process executed by the liquid discharger 1 of this embodiment. The process executed by the liquid discharger 1 of Fig. 11 is realized, for example, by the CPU 170 loading a control program stored in a memory such as the ROM 171 into the RAM 172 and executing the program. Also, for example, the process of Fig. 11 corresponds to the process executed in S602 of Fig. 6.

[0144] In S1101, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 performs control to move, for example, the ejection port array OPT-even to be inspected in the ejection head 12 above the inspection unit 16. Specifically, for example, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 controls the movement mechanism 14 to move the ejection port array OPT-even to be inspected above the inspection unit 16. Also, in S1101, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 controls the inspection unit 16 to put it into an inspection-enabled state. For example, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 may perform control to irradiate light from the light-emitting element 161. After S1101, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 ejects reaction liquid from each ejection port 121 of the ejection port array OPT-even to be inspected, and performs ejection inspection of each ejection port 121 in the inspection unit 16.

[0145] In the following description, an example will be described in which the liquid ejection device 1 controls the inspection unit 16 to be in an inspection-ready state in S1101, and then controls the inspection unit 16 to maintain the inspection-ready state until the end of the processing in Fig. 11. Note that the liquid ejection device 1 may also control the inspection unit 16 to maintain the inspection-ready state for each processing (S1101 to S1114), for example.

[0146] Furthermore, in the following explanation, in each process (S1102 to S1114), the control for moving the ejection port row to be inspected above the inspection unit 16 is performed by the liquid ejection device 1 driving the movement mechanism 16 in the same manner as in S1101, so duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[0147] Also, in each process (S1101 to S1114) in Figure 11, the liquid ejection device 1 controls the carriage 10 to move to the inverted position as described above in order to move the ejection port row to be inspected above the inspection unit 16, but the explanation will be omitted here.

[0148] Further, the ejection port array OPT-even is the even array of the ejection port array OPT. Similarly, the following description will be made by dividing each ejection port array into an even array and an odd array.

[0149] In S1102, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array OPT-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 12 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects reaction liquid from each ejection port 121 to perform ejection inspection of each ejection port 121.

[0150] As described above, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 inspects the ejection state of the ejection head 12 before inspecting the ejection state of the ejection head 11. That is, the liquid ejection device 1 controls the ejection head 102 to eject the reaction liquid first during the ejection inspection, thereby preventing the reaction liquid and ink from reacting with each other and accumulating inside the inspection unit 12.

[0151] In S1103, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port row LC-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects light cyan ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0152] In S1104, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array LC-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects light cyan ink from each ejection port 1111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0153] In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 ejects light cyan ink from the ejection head 101 in S1103 and S1104 to perform an ejection test on the ejection port arrays (LC-even, LC-odd). In this embodiment, the light cyan ink is the ink with the lowest concentration of colorant among the multiple color inks, as shown in Table 1. In other words, it is the ink with the least amount of colorant that reacts with the reaction liquid. In this embodiment, after ejecting the reaction liquid in S1101, the liquid ejection device 1 ejects the ink with the lowest concentration of colorant among the multiple types of color ink to perform an ejection test. This makes it possible to prevent the reaction liquid and the ink from reacting with each other in the inspection unit 12 and generating aggregates.

[0154] In S1105, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array LM-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects light magenta ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0155] In S1106, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array LM-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects light magenta ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0156] In this embodiment, in S1105 and S1106, ejection inspection is performed on the ejection port arrays (LM-even, LM-odd) of light magenta ink, which has the second lowest colorant density among the multiple types of color ink.

[0157] In S1107, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port row BK-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects black ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0158] In S1108, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array BK-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects black ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0159] In this embodiment, in S1107 and S1108, ejection inspection is performed on ejection port arrays (BK-even, BK-odd) for black ink, which has the third lowest density of color material among multiple types of color ink.

[0160] In S1109, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port row C-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects cyan ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0161] In S1110, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array C-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects cyan ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0162] In this embodiment, in S1109 and S1110, ejection inspection is performed on the ejection port arrays (C-even, C-odd) of cyan ink, which has the fourth lowest colorant density among the multiple types of color ink.

[0163] In S1111, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port row M-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects magenta ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0164] In S1112, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array M-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects magenta ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0165] In this embodiment, in S1111 and S1112, ejection inspection is performed on the ejection port arrays (M-even, M-odd) of magenta ink, which has the fifth lowest colorant density among the multiple types of color ink.

[0166] In S1113, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port row Y-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects yellow ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0167] In S1114, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array Y-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects yellow ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0168] In this embodiment, in steps S1113 and S1114, ejection inspection is performed on the ejection port arrays (Y-even, Y-odd) of yellow ink, which has the highest colorant density among the multiple types of color ink.

[0169] As described above, according to this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 first ejects the reaction liquid from the ejection head 12 during the ejection test. After the ejection test of the ejection head 12, the liquid ejection device 1 controls the ejection test by ejecting multiple types of color ink from the ejection head 11 in order of decreasing colorant concentration. This makes it possible to prevent the reaction liquid and the ink from reacting with each other and accumulating inside the test unit 16.

[0170] 11, when performing a discharge test, the liquid discharger 1 may discharge one droplet of ink or reaction liquid from the discharge port to be tested, or may discharge several droplets of ink or reaction liquid. When discharging several droplets of ink or reaction liquid, the liquid discharger 1 may discharge them continuously or discontinuously.

[0171] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 is controlled to eject the reaction liquid first, and then eject multiple types of color ink from the ejection head 11 in order of decreasing colorant concentration. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the ejection order of multiple types of color ink may be determined based on the cation concentration in the reaction liquid. For example, if an ejection test is repeated after ejecting the reaction liquid, the cation concentration in the reaction liquid decreases. Therefore, in an ejection test, the reaction liquid is ejected first, and then multiple types of color ink are ejected in order of decreasing colorant concentration. If the cation concentrations of the reaction liquid and ink in the test unit reach a predetermined concentration, the ejection order of the remaining ejection heads 11 to be tested does not need to be in order of decreasing colorant concentration.

[0172] In the present embodiment, the case where multiple types of color inks are adjusted to different colorant concentrations has been described as an example. However, the multiple types of color inks may include inks with the same colorant concentration. When inks with the same colorant concentration are used, the discharge test may be performed, for example, in ascending order of aggregation viscosity. For example, even if the colorant concentrations are the same, the reactivity (degree of aggregation) between the ink and the reaction liquid may vary depending on the type of dispersion and colorant. Therefore, the liquid discharger 1 may perform the discharge test by discharging an ink with low reactivity with the reaction liquid before an ink with high reactivity. Specifically, the discharge test may be performed by discharging an ink with low aggregation viscosity before an ink with high aggregation viscosity. For example, before the discharge test, multiple color inks with the same colorant concentration may be mixed with the reaction liquid using a viscometer or the like, and the aggregation viscosity may be measured. Then, a control program for performing the discharge test based on the measurement results may be stored in a memory such as the ROM 171. The aggregation viscosity is the viscosity of the mixed liquid obtained when the ink and the reaction liquid are mixed. In other words, the aggregation viscosity can also be referred to as the mixed viscosity.

[0173] Furthermore, the ejection head 12 is not limited to ejecting one type of reaction liquid, but may eject multiple types of reaction liquids. The multiple types of reaction liquids may be, for example, reaction liquids with different cation concentrations. The ejection head 12 may have an ejection port array for each of the multiple types of reaction liquids. Even when the ejection head 12 ejects multiple types of reaction liquids, the liquid ejection device 1 can prevent the accumulation of aggregates in the inspection unit 16 by performing an ejection inspection on the ejection head 12 before the ejection head 11. When the multiple types of reaction liquids include a first reaction liquid that reacts with the coloring material of the color ink and a second reaction liquid that aggregates the coloring material more than the first reaction liquid, the liquid ejection device may eject the second reaction liquid before the first reaction liquid to perform the ejection inspection. For example, prior to the ejection inspection, the multiple reaction liquids may be mixed with the color ink, and the degree of aggregation of the coloring material may be observed. A control program for executing the ejection inspection based on the observation results may be stored in a memory such as the ROM 171.

[0174] Second Embodiment The second embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, a configuration was described in which the liquid ejection device 1 ejects the reaction liquid before the ink so as to suppress the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid during the ejection inspection, thereby inspecting the ejection state of each ejection head 11-12. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the liquid ejection device 1 performs a predetermined process between each ejection of the reaction liquid and the ink so as to suppress the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid during the ejection inspection. In this way, in this embodiment, by performing a predetermined process between each ejection of the reaction liquid and the ink, it is possible to suppress the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid in the inspection unit 16.

[0175] Fig. 12 shows a flowchart illustrating an example of a series of processes related to a discharge inspection executed by the liquid discharger 1 of this embodiment. The processes executed by the liquid discharger of Fig. 12 are realized, for example, by a CPU expanding a control program stored in a memory such as a ROM into a RAM and executing the program.

[0176] The liquid ejection device executes the process of Fig. 12 at a predetermined timing, for example. In this embodiment, the predetermined timing is, for example, before or after the liquid ejection device 1 executes ejection onto the recording medium 2. In other words, the process of Fig. 12 is executed before printing starts or after printing is completed. By executing a series of processes related to ejection inspection at such timing, it is possible to improve, for example, the accuracy of ejecting liquid onto the recording medium 2. In other words, it is possible to improve the quality of printed matter.

[0177] In S1201, the liquid ejection device 1 performs a first ejection test. The first ejection test may be, for example, an ejection test of the ejection head 12. Here, the process performed in S1201 may be the same as the processes in S1101 and S1102, for example.

[0178] In S1202, the liquid ejection device 1 stores the results of the ejection test in S1201. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may store non-ejection nozzle information as the result of the ejection test. The non-ejection nozzle information may be, for example, information about ejection ports that were determined to have ejection defects in the process of S1201.

[0179] In S1203, the liquid ejection device 1 executes a predetermined process. For example, as the predetermined process, the liquid ejection device 1 may eject various inks or reaction liquids from the ejection heads 11-12 onto the recording medium 2. That is, in S1203, the liquid ejection device 1 may execute printing.

[0180] In S1204, the liquid ejection device 1 executes a second ejection test. The second ejection test may be, for example, an ejection test of the ejection head 11. Here, the process executed in S1201 may be the same as the processes in S1103 to S1114, for example.

[0181] In S1205, the liquid ejection device 1 stores the results of the ejection test in S1204. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may store non-ejection nozzle information as the result of the ejection test. The non-ejection nozzle information may be, for example, information about ejection ports that were determined to have ejection defects in the process of S1204.

[0182] As described above, in this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 executes printing as a predetermined process between the ejection inspection of the ejection head 12 and the ejection inspection of the ejection head 11. By executing this predetermined process, for example, evaporation of the reaction liquid ejected into the inspection unit 16 by the ejection head 12 during the ejection inspection in S1201 progresses. As described above, the reaction liquid is ionized into cations and anions, and reaction aggregation occurs when the cations in the reaction liquid come into contact with the anions in the ink. On the other hand, as evaporation of the water in the reaction liquid progresses, the anions and cations in the reaction liquid cannot be ionized. In other words, after evaporation of the water in the reaction liquid progresses, the reactivity between the reaction liquid and the ink decreases. Therefore, by executing printing as a predetermined process between the ejection inspections, the reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid in the inspection unit 16 can be suppressed.

[0183] In this embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 performs an ejection test of the ejection head 12 as the first ejection test in S1201, and an ejection test of the ejection head 11 as the second ejection test in S1204, but this is not limited to this. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may perform an ejection test of the ejection head 11 as the first ejection test in S1201, and an ejection test of the ejection head 12 as the second ejection test in S1204. For example, even if ink is ejected from the ejection head 11 first in the first ejection test in this way, a predetermined process is executed before the second ejection test, so that the ink ejected in the first ejection test can be prevented from spreading inside the inspection unit 16 or absorbed by the absorber 164. This makes it possible to suppress a reaction between the ink and the reaction liquid inside the inspection unit 16.

[0184] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the liquid ejection device 1 has been described as executing printing as the predetermined process in S1203, but this is not limiting. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may perform counting of a predetermined time as the predetermined process in S1203. By counting the predetermined time as the predetermined process in this manner, evaporation of the reaction liquid within the inspection unit 16 or wetting and spreading of the ink can be performed. Furthermore, the predetermined time may be determined, for example, depending on the type and amount of liquid ejected into the inspection unit 16 during the first ejection inspection in S1201.

[0185] <Third embodiment> The third embodiment will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first and second embodiments. In the first and second embodiments, an example was described in which six types of color ink, i.e., cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, black ink, light cyan ink, and light magenta ink, were ejected in the ejection test of the ejection head 11. In this embodiment, an ejection test will be described in which the above-mentioned ejection head 11 is capable of ejecting clear ink in addition to the six types of color ink.

[0186] The clear ink is used, for example, to improve the durability and gloss of the recording medium 2. Furthermore, since the clear ink does not contain a coloring material that is a pigment, it has lower reactivity with the reaction liquid compared to the color ink.

[0187] Therefore, in this embodiment, if the ejection head 11 is capable of ejecting clear ink, the ejection test of the ejection head 11 is performed after the test of the ejection head 12. Furthermore, the ejection test of the clear ink ejection port array (not shown) is performed before the ejection test of the color ink ejection port arrays 111C to 111BK. This configuration makes it possible to prevent accumulation of aggregates within the inspection unit 16, compared to when the color ink ejection port arrays 111C to 111BK are ejected before the clear ink ejection port array (not shown).

[0188] As described above, the clear ink does not contain any colorant. Therefore, for example, when a reaction liquid is mixed with clear ink, the concentration of cations in the reaction liquid is less likely to decrease than when a color ink is mixed with the reaction liquid. For example, consider a case where a reaction liquid is mixed with clear ink and then a color ink is mixed with the resulting mixture. In this case, the cation concentration of the mixture of the reaction liquid and clear ink is not necessarily a concentration that can suppress reaction with the color ink. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ejection test of the ejection head 11 is performed on the clear ink ejection port array first, and then on the color ink ejection port arrays 111C to 111BK in order of decreasing colorant concentration. This makes it possible to suppress reaction between multiple types of ink and the reaction liquid in the inspection unit 16.

[0189] (clear ink) Next, the formulation of the clear ink in this embodiment will be described in detail. The clear ink (CL) of this embodiment is prepared by adding the following components to a predetermined concentration. These components are then thoroughly mixed and stirred, and then pressure filtered through a microfilter (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) with a pore size of 2.5 μm to prepare a clear ink with a resin microparticle concentration of 12% by mass.

[0190] 60 parts of the above resin particle dispersion Zonyl FSO-100 (DuPont fluorine-based surfactant) 0.05 parts 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol 15 parts 2-pyrrolidone 5 parts Acetylene glycol EO adduct (Kawaken Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd.) 0.5 parts Ion-exchanged water Remaining

[0191] (Discharge inspection process) Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a discharge inspection process executed by the liquid discharger 1 of this embodiment. The process executed by the liquid discharger 1 of Fig. 13 is realized, for example, by the CPU 170 loading a control program stored in a memory such as the ROM 171 into the RAM 172 and executing the program. Furthermore, for example, the process of Fig. 13 may be the process executed in S602 of Fig. 6.

[0192] The processing in S1301 to S1302 is the same as the processing in S1101 to S1102, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0193] In S1304, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array CL-even to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects clear ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0194] In S1305, the liquid ejection device 1, for example, moves the ejection port array CL-odd to be inspected in the ejection head 11 to the top of the inspection unit 16, and then ejects clear ink from each ejection port 111 to perform an ejection inspection of each ejection port 111.

[0195] The processing in steps S1305 to S1315 is similar to the processing in steps S1103 to S1114, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0196] As described above, in this embodiment, when the ejection head 11 is capable of ejecting clear ink, the liquid ejection device 1 performs an ejection test on the ejection head 11 after an ejection test on the ejection head 12, and performs the ejection test on the clear ink ejection port arrays CL-even and CL-odd (not shown) before the color ink ejection ports 111C-111BK. Furthermore, the liquid ejection device 1 performs the ejection test on the color ink ejection port arrays 111C-111BK in ascending order of colorant concentration. This makes it possible to prevent the reaction liquid from reacting with the multiple types of ink used in the ejection test on each of the ejection heads 11-12 within the inspection unit 16.

[0197] (Other embodiments) In the above-described embodiments, the liquid ejection device 1 performs ejection inspection by dividing the ejection heads 11-12 into even rows and odd rows, but this is not limited to this. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may simultaneously perform ejection inspection on the even rows and odd rows. Specifically, for example, if the distance between the even rows and odd rows is within the inspection area 1600, the inspection unit 1600 may simultaneously inspect these two rows. This allows the liquid ejection device 1 to inspect the even rows and odd rows without moving the carriage 10. In other words, the time required for ejection inspection can be shortened.

[0198] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the inspection unit 16 has been described as having one light-emitting element 161 and one light-receiving element 160 as an example, but this is not limiting. For example, the inspection unit 16 may have one light-emitting element 161 and multiple light-receiving elements 160. Alternatively, the inspection unit 16 may have multiple light-emitting elements 161 and multiple light-receiving elements 160. Alternatively, the inspection unit 16 may have one light-emitting element 161 and multiple light-receiving elements 160.

[0199] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the inspection unit 16 performs the discharge inspection using the light-emitting element 161 and the light-receiving element 160, but this is not limiting. The inspection unit 16 may perform the discharge inspection using, for example, an imaging device such as a camera. Furthermore, for example, the inspection unit 16 may perform the discharge inspection using other sensors, such as a pressure sensor, a vibration sensor, or a weight sensor.

[0200] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the liquid ejection device 1 has been described as an example in which the positions of the ejection port array to be inspected and the inspection unit 16 are fixed while the ejection inspection of the ejection port array to be inspected is being performed, but this is not limiting. For example, the liquid ejection device 1 may continuously move the carriage 10 in the ejection port array direction while the ejection inspection of the ejection port array to be inspected is being performed. The ejection port array direction is, for example, the direction in which the ejection ports in the ejection port array to be inspected are arranged.

[0201] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the ejection head 11 has two ejection orifice arrays, divided into even and odd, for each color of ink, but this is not limiting. For example, the ejection head 11 may have one ejection orifice array for each color of ink, or may have more than two ejection orifice arrays. Similarly, the ejection head 12 may have one ejection orifice array for each type of reaction liquid, or may have more than two ejection orifice arrays.

[0202] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the control unit 17 is provided inside the liquid ejection device 1, but this is not limiting. For example, a printer driver (not shown) provided in a host computer (image input device 3) to which the liquid ejection device 1 is connected may be provided with functions equivalent to those of the control unit 17. In this case, the host computer can function as a control device that controls the entire liquid ejection device 1, and can also function as a data supply device that supplies various data to the liquid ejection device 1.

[0203] Furthermore, in each embodiment, an inkjet recording apparatus has been described as an example of the liquid ejection apparatus 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The liquid ejection apparatus 1 may be, for example, an office machine such as a printer, a copier, or a facsimile, a mass production machine, or an industrial manufacturing device for semiconductor devices. An industrial manufacturing device for semiconductor devices may be, for example, a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects resist or the like using nanoimprint lithography technology. The liquid ejection apparatus 1 may also be a dispenser or the like.

[0204] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0205] <Summary of the embodiment> The above embodiment discloses at least the following inventions. (Item 1) a discharge means for discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a container for containing the liquid discharged from the discharge means in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharge means; a control means for controlling the discharge means; A liquid ejection device comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control means controlling the discharge means so as to suppress a reaction between the first liquid and the reaction liquid in the inspection of the discharge state; A liquid ejection device characterized by: (Item 2) The control means controlling the discharge means so as to discharge the reaction liquid before the first liquid; 2. The liquid ejection device according to item 1, (Item 3) The control means controlling the discharge means so that a predetermined process is performed between each discharge of the first liquid and the reaction liquid; 2. The liquid ejection device according to item 1, (Item 4) The first liquid is a colorant that is aggregated by the reaction liquid; 4. The liquid ejection device according to item 2 or 3, (Item 5) The plurality of types of liquids are When the second liquid contains a colorant having a higher concentration than the first liquid, The control means controlling the ejection means so as to eject the first liquid before the second liquid; 5. The liquid ejection device according to item 4, (Item 6) The plurality of types of liquids are In the case where a third liquid having a higher mixing viscosity with the reaction liquid than the first liquid is included, The control means controlling the ejection means so as to eject the first liquid before the third liquid; 5. The liquid ejection device according to item 4, (Item 7) The reaction solution In the case where a first reaction liquid and a second reaction liquid that aggregates the coloring material more than the first reaction liquid are included, The control means controlling the ejection means so as to eject the second reaction liquid before the first reaction liquid; 5. The liquid ejection device according to item 4, (Item 8) The predetermined processing is A process of counting the predetermined time. 4. The liquid ejection device according to item 3, (Item 9) The predetermined processing is the plurality of types of ejection onto a recording medium by the ejection means; 4. The liquid ejection device according to item 3, (Item 10) Further provided is an inspection means for inspecting the discharge state of the discharge means, The test is based on the inspection results by the inspection means, 10. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that: (Item 11) The inspection means An optical sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. 11. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that: (Item 12) further comprising an acquisition means for acquiring information on a position where the inspection is performed by the inspection means; The control means In the inspection of the ejection state, the ejection means is controlled to eject a plurality of types of liquid at the position where the inspection is performed by the inspection means, based on the information on the position acquired by the acquisition means. 12. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 11, (Item 13) The containing means is Further provided is an absorbent body that absorbs the plurality of types of liquids. 13. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 12. (Item 14) The discharge means is The first liquid and the reaction liquid are ejected from different ejection ports. 14. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 13, (Item 15) The reaction solution is A liquid containing a polyvalent metal salt, 15. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 14, (Item 16) The containing means is The liquid ejection device is provided with a replaceable member by a supplier. 16. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 15, (Item 17) a discharge step of discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a storing step of storing the liquid to be discharged in the discharging step in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharging step; a control step of controlling the ejection step; A liquid ejection method comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control step includes: controlling the ejection step so that the reaction liquid is ejected before the first liquid in the inspection of the ejection state; A liquid ejection method comprising: (Item 18) a discharge step of discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a storing step of storing the liquid to be discharged in the discharging step in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharging step; a control step of controlling the ejection step; A liquid ejection method comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control step includes: controlling the ejection step so that a predetermined process is performed between each ejection of the first liquid and the reaction liquid in the inspection of the ejection state; A liquid ejection method comprising:

[0206] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0207] 1 Liquid ejection device: 10 Carriage: 11 Ejection head: 12 Ejection head: 13 Moving mechanism: 16 Inspection unit: 17 Control unit: 111 Ejection outlet: 121 Ejection outlet: 160 Light receiving element: 161 Light emitting element: 163 Storage section: 164 Absorber: 170 CPU: 171 ROM: 172 RAM:

Claims

1. a discharge means for discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a container for containing the liquid discharged from the discharge means in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharge means; a control means for controlling the discharge means; A liquid ejection device comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control means controlling the discharge means so as to suppress a reaction between the first liquid and the reaction liquid in the inspection of the discharge state; A liquid ejection device characterized by:

2. The control means controlling the discharge means so as to discharge the reaction liquid before the first liquid; The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

3. The control means controlling the ejection means so that a predetermined process is performed between each ejection of the first liquid and the reaction liquid; The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

4. The first liquid is a colorant that is aggregated by the reaction liquid; 4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The plurality of types of liquids are When the second liquid contains a colorant having a higher concentration than the first liquid, The control means controlling the ejection means so as to eject the first liquid before the second liquid; 5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 4.

6. The plurality of types of liquids are In the case where the reaction mixture contains a third liquid having a higher viscosity when mixed with the reaction liquid than the first liquid, The control means controlling the ejection means so as to eject the first liquid before the third liquid; 5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 4.

7. The reaction solution In the case where the ink contains a first reaction liquid and a second reaction liquid that aggregates the coloring material more than the first reaction liquid, The control means controlling the ejection means so as to eject the second reaction liquid before the first reaction liquid; 5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 4.

8. The predetermined processing is A process of counting the predetermined time.

4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 3.

9. The predetermined processing is the plurality of types of ejection onto a recording medium by the ejection means; 4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 3.

10. Further provided is an inspection means for inspecting the discharge state of the discharge means, The test is based on the inspection results by the inspection means, The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

11. The inspection means An optical sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. The liquid ejection device according to claim 10 .

12. further comprising an acquisition means for acquiring information on a position where the inspection is performed by the inspection means; The control means In the inspection of the ejection state, the ejection means is controlled to eject a plurality of types of liquid at the position where the inspection is performed by the inspection means, based on the information on the position acquired by the acquisition means. The liquid ejection device according to claim 10 .

13. The containing means is Further provided is an absorbent body that absorbs the plurality of types of liquids. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

14. The discharge means is The first liquid and the reaction liquid are ejected from different ejection ports. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

15. The reaction solution is A liquid containing a polyvalent metal salt, The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

16. The containing means is The liquid ejection device is provided with a replaceable member by a supplier. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

17. a discharge step of discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a storing step of storing the liquid to be discharged in the discharging step in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharging step; a control step of controlling the ejection step; A liquid ejection method comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control step includes: controlling the ejection step so that the reaction liquid is ejected before the first liquid in the ejection state inspection; A liquid ejection method comprising:

18. a discharge step of discharging a plurality of types of liquid; a storing step of storing the liquid to be discharged in the discharging step in order to inspect the discharge state of the discharging step; a control step of controlling the ejection step; A liquid ejection method comprising: Several types of liquids a first liquid and a reaction liquid that reacts with the first liquid; The control step includes: controlling the ejection process so that a predetermined process is performed between each ejection of the first liquid and the reaction liquid in the inspection of the ejection state; A liquid ejection method comprising:

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