System, Server Program, and Client Program

Abstract

To provide a system, a server program and a client program which can present a liquid discharge head suitable for a user, without putting a burden of man-hours on the user, by a simple method.SOLUTION: The system comprises: a characteristics obtaining part that obtains a plurality of discharge characteristics information concerning discharge characteristics in a plurality of heads 10 which are different from each other; a selecting part 22 that selects a first liquid discharge head out of the plurality of heads 10, on the basis of the plurality of discharge characteristics information; and a notifying part 38 that notifies a user of information concerning the first liquid discharge head.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, a server program, and a client program that can present an appropriate liquid ejection head from among various types of liquid ejection heads depending on the user's usage environment. [Background technology]

[0002] An inkjet recording head, which is an example of a liquid ejection head, has a piezoelectric actuator on one side of a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle is provided, and by driving this piezoelectric actuator, a vibration plate is deformed, causing a pressure change in the ink in the pressure chamber, thereby ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the past, printer manufacturers mainly developed liquid ejection heads and sold them as finished printer products. In contrast, in recent years, a new business model has emerged in which head manufacturers develop liquid ejection heads and sell them to users (printer integrators), who then manufacture and sell printers (external head sales).

[0004] This business model had the following problem: When a user purchased a certain liquid ejection head and actually installed it in a printer, depending on the ink, media, and environmental conditions used by the user, even if the drive waveform applied to the liquid ejection head was changed, the conditions were not favorable, and the printer specifications desired by the user could not be fully met.

[0005] When such a problem occurs, the user can contact the head manufacturer, who will then provide another head. This process may allow the user to find a liquid ejection head that meets the user's desired requirements, but it will result in a significant workload. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-030689 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a system, a server program, and a client program that can present an appropriate liquid ejection head to a user in a simple manner without imposing a burden on the user's work hours. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a system characterized by having a characteristic acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of multiple different liquid ejection heads, a selection unit that selects a first liquid ejection head from the multiple liquid ejection heads based on the multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information, and a notification unit that notifies a user of information regarding the first liquid ejection head.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a server program characterized by causing a server capable of communicating with an external device multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of multiple different liquid ejection heads to function as a selection means for selecting a first liquid ejection head from the multiple liquid ejection heads based on the multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information obtained from the external device.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a client program characterized by causing an external device capable of communicating with an experimental device that can connect to a plurality of different liquid ejection heads and acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of the plurality of liquid ejection heads, and a server that selects a first liquid ejection head from the plurality of liquid ejection heads, to function as a characteristic transmission means that transmits the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the experimental device to the server, and as a notification means that notifies a user of information regarding the first liquid ejection head acquired from the server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a system 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the functions of a system 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a head 10A according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a head 10A according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the piezoelectric actuator PZq. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a head 10B according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a head 10B according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the head 10B taken parallel to the XZ plane so as to pass through the circulation flow path RJ1. [Figure 10] 10B is a cross-sectional view of the head 10B taken along a plane parallel to the XZ plane so as to pass through the circulation flow path RJ2. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a head 10C according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of an experimental device 5 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of an experimental device 5 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the processing flow of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a tablet. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a tablet. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a tablet. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a tablet. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a tablet. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a tablet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described in detail below based on embodiments. However, the following description shows only one aspect of the present invention and can be arbitrarily modified within the scope of the present invention.

[0013] First Embodiment As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a server 2, a tablet 3, an ink supply device 4, an experimental device 5, and an inkjet recording head 10 (hereinafter also referred to as head 10), which is an example of a liquid ejection head and ejects ink as a liquid.

[0014] The server 2 is an information processing device such as a workstation or personal computer that includes a processing unit (not shown), a storage unit (not shown) such as a memory, hard disk, or SSD, an input / output unit (not shown) such as a keyboard or mouse, and a communication unit 21. Note that the server 2 is not limited to such information processing devices, but may be one that is logically realized by cloud computing. The communication unit 21 is a device that exchanges information with other devices via a communication network such as the Internet, and the server 2 can send and receive information to and from the tablet 3 via the Internet using the communication unit 21.

[0015] A server program 20 is installed in the storage unit of the server 2. The server program 20 is a program that causes the server 2 to function as a selection unit 22. A detailed description of the server program 20 including the selection unit 22 will be given later. The selection unit 22 corresponds to a selection means.

[0016] The tablet 3 is an example of an external device, and is a portable information processing device equipped with a processing unit (not shown), a memory unit (not shown), a touch panel 31, a communication unit 32, and a USB 33. The touch panel 31 is an example of a display unit and also an example of an input unit that accepts input operations by a user. The communication unit 32 is a device that exchanges information with other devices via a communication network such as the Internet, and the tablet 3 is capable of sending and receiving information to and from the server 2 via the Internet using the communication unit 32. The USB 33 is a Universal Serial Bus. Information can be sent and received to and from the experimental device 5 via the USB 33. Note that the sending and receiving of information between the tablet 3 and the experimental device 5 is not limited to the USB 33. Furthermore, although a tablet is exemplified as an external device, this is not limiting. For example, a personal computer or a smartphone can be used as the external device.

[0017] A client program 30, a so-called app (application), is installed in the storage unit of the tablet 3. The client program 30 is a program that causes the tablet 3 to function as an input processing unit 35, a command unit 36, a characteristic transmission unit 37, and a notification unit 38. A detailed explanation of the client program 30 including the notification unit 38 will be given later. The input processing unit 35, the command unit 36, the characteristic transmission unit 37, and the notification unit 38 correspond to input processing means, command means, characteristic transmission means, and notification means, respectively.

[0018] The ink supply device 4 includes a first supply pump, a second supply pump, an ink container, a storage container, a supply flow path 41, and a recovery flow path 42, all of which are not shown.

[0019] The first supply pump is a pump that supplies ink stored in an ink container to the storage container. The storage container is a sub-tank that temporarily stores ink supplied from the ink container. Ink stored in the ink container is supplied to the storage container from the first supply pump, and ink discharged from the head 10 is also supplied to the storage container via the recovery flow path 42. The second supply pump is a pump that sends ink stored in the storage container 63 to the head 10.

[0020] The ink supply device 4 configured as described above supplies ink to the head 10 via the supply flow path 41, and recovers ink discharged from the head 10 via the recovery flow path 42 so that it can be resupplied to the head 10.

[0021] The head 10 is a device that ejects ink supplied from an ink supply device 4 as ink droplets from nozzles. In this embodiment, a head 10A, a head 10B, and a head 10C will be described as multiple different heads. When there is no need to distinguish between the head 10A, the head 10B, and the head 10C, they will be referred to as the head 10.

[0022] The head 10A will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the head 10A, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the head 10A viewed from the Z1 direction. For convenience, the following description will use the mutually intersecting X, Y, and Z axes as appropriate. In the following description, one direction along the X axis is the X1 direction, and the direction opposite the X1 direction is the X2 direction. Similarly, the Y1 and Y2 directions are opposite directions along the Y axis. Furthermore, the Z1 and Z2 directions are opposite directions along the Z axis. Viewing in the direction along the Z axis is sometimes referred to as a "planar view."

[0023] Typically, the Z axis is a vertical axis, and the Z2 direction corresponds to the downward direction in the vertical direction. However, the Z axis does not have to be a vertical axis. Furthermore, the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis are typically perpendicular to each other, but are not limited to this. For example, they may intersect at an angle between 80° and 100°.

[0024] As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the head 10A includes a nozzle substrate 160A, compliance sheets 161 and 162, a communication plate 102A, a pressure chamber substrate 103A, a vibration plate 104A, a storage chamber forming substrate 105, and a wiring substrate 200A.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the nozzle substrate 160A is a plate-like member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction and extends substantially parallel to the XY plane, and M nozzles N are formed on the nozzle substrate 160A. Here, the term "substantially parallel" refers to a concept that includes not only complete parallelism but also parallelism that can be considered with tolerances taken into account. The nozzle substrate 160A is manufactured by processing a silicon monocrystalline substrate using semiconductor manufacturing techniques such as etching. However, any known material and manufacturing method may be used to manufacture the nozzle substrate 160A. The nozzles N are through-holes formed in the nozzle substrate 160A. In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that M nozzles N are arranged in the nozzle substrate 160A to form a nozzle row Ln extending in the Y-axis direction.

[0026] 3 and 4, a communication plate 102A is provided on the Z1 side of the nozzle substrate 160A. The communication plate 102A is a plate-shaped member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction and extends substantially parallel to the XY plane, and forms an ink flow path.

[0027] Specifically, one supply flow path RA1 and one discharge flow path RA2 are formed in the communication plate 102A. Of these, the supply flow path RA1 communicates with a supply flow path RB1 (described later) and is provided to extend in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the discharge flow path RA2 communicates with a discharge flow path RB2 (described later) and is provided to extend in the Y-axis direction in the X2 direction as viewed from the supply flow path RA1.

[0028] Furthermore, the communication plate 102A is formed with M nozzle flow paths RN corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N, M communication flow paths RR1 corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N, M communication flow paths RR2 corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N, M communication flow paths RK1 corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N, M communication flow paths RK2 corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N, M communication flow paths RX1 corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N, and M communication flow paths RX2 corresponding one-to-one to the M nozzles N. Note that the communication plate 102A may be formed with one communication flow path RX1 provided in common to the M nozzles N, or may be formed with one communication flow path RX2 provided in common to the M nozzles N.

[0029] 4, in this embodiment, the communication flow path RX1 communicates with the supply flow path RA1 and is provided so as to extend in the X-axis direction in the X2 direction as viewed from the supply flow path RA1. The communication flow path RK1 communicates with the communication flow path RX1 and is provided so as to extend in the Z-axis direction in the X2 direction as viewed from the communication flow path RX1. The communication flow path RR1 is provided so as to extend in the Z-axis direction in the X2 direction as viewed from the communication flow path RK1.

[0030] Furthermore, the communicating flow path RX2 communicates with the discharge flow path RA2 and is provided so as to extend in the X-axis direction in the X1 direction as viewed from the discharge flow path RA2. The communicating flow path RK2 communicates with the communicating flow path RX2 and is provided so as to extend in the Z-axis direction in the X1 direction as viewed from the communicating flow path RX2. The communicating flow path RR2 is provided so as to extend in the X1 direction as viewed from the communicating flow path RK2 and in the Z-axis direction in the X2 direction as viewed from the communicating flow path RR1.

[0031] Further, the nozzle flow channel RN communicates with the communication flow channel RR1 and the communication flow channel RR2, and is provided so as to extend in the X-axis direction, in the X2 direction as seen from the communication flow channel RR1 and in the X1 direction as seen from the communication flow channel RR2. The nozzle flow channel RN communicates with the nozzle N corresponding to the nozzle flow channel RN.

[0032] The communication plate 102A is manufactured by processing a silicon single crystal substrate using semiconductor manufacturing technology, for example, but any known material or manufacturing method can be used to manufacture the communication plate 102A.

[0033] 3 and 4, a pressure chamber substrate 103A is provided on the Z1 side of the communication plate 102A. The pressure chamber substrate 103A is a plate-shaped member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction and extends substantially parallel to the XY plane, and has an ink flow path formed therein.

[0034] Specifically, the pressure chamber substrate 103A is formed with M pressure chambers CB1 in one-to-one correspondence with the M nozzles N, and M pressure chambers CB2 in one-to-one correspondence with the M nozzles N. When distinguishing between the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2, they are referred to as pressure chambers CB. Of these, the pressure chamber CB1 communicates with the communication flow channel RK1 and the communication flow channel RR1, and is provided so as to extend in the X-axis direction, connecting the X1-side end of the communication flow channel RK1 to the X2-side end of the communication flow channel RR1 when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The pressure chamber CB2 communicates with the communication flow channel RK2 and the communication flow channel RR2, and is provided so as to extend in the X-axis direction, connecting the X2-side end of the communication flow channel RK2 to the X1-side end of the communication flow channel RR2 when viewed from the Z-axis direction.

[0035] The pressure chamber substrate 103A is manufactured by processing a silicon single crystal substrate using, for example, semiconductor manufacturing technology, but any known material or manufacturing method may be used to manufacture the pressure chamber substrate 103A.

[0036] In the following description, the ink flow path that connects the supply flow path RA1 and the discharge flow path RA2 is referred to as a circulation flow path RJ.

[0037] 5, the supply flow path RA1 and the discharge flow path RA2 are connected to each other by M circulation flow paths RJ, which correspond one-to-one to the M nozzles N. As described above, each circulation flow path RJ includes a communication flow path RX1 communicating with the supply flow path RA1, a communication flow path RK1 communicating with the communication flow path RX1, a pressure chamber CB1 communicating with the communication flow path RK1, a communication flow path RR1 communicating with the pressure chamber CB1, a nozzle flow path RN communicating with the communication flow path RR1, a communication flow path RR2 communicating with the nozzle flow path RN, a pressure chamber CB2 communicating with the communication flow path RR2, a communication flow path RK2 communicating with the pressure chamber CB2, and a communication flow path RX2 connecting the communication flow path RK2 and the discharge flow path RA2. In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that each circulation flow path RJ extends in the X-axis direction.

[0038] 3 and 4, a diaphragm 104A is provided on the Z1 side of the pressure chamber substrate 103A. The diaphragm 104A is a plate-like member that is elongated in the Y-axis direction and extends substantially parallel to the XY plane, and is a member that can vibrate elastically.

[0039] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, M piezoelectric actuators PZ1 corresponding one-to-one to the M pressure chambers CB1 and M piezoelectric actuators PZ2 corresponding one-to-one to the M pressure chambers CB2 are provided on the Z1 side of the diaphragm 104A. Hereinafter, the piezoelectric actuators PZ1 and PZ2 will be collectively referred to as piezoelectric actuators PZq. The piezoelectric actuators PZq are passive elements that deform in response to changes in the potential of the drive signal COM. In other words, the piezoelectric actuators PZq are an example of energy conversion elements that convert the electrical energy of the drive signal COM into kinetic energy. Note that, below, the suffix "q" may be added to the reference numerals indicating the components corresponding to the piezoelectric actuators PZq.

[0040] Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the piezoelectric actuator PZq. As illustrated in Fig. 6, the piezoelectric actuator PZq is a laminated body in which a piezoelectric body ZMq is interposed between a lower electrode ZDq to which a predetermined reference potential VBS is supplied and an upper electrode ZUq to which a drive signal COM is supplied. When viewed from the Z1 direction, for example, the piezoelectric actuator PZq is the portion where the lower electrode ZDq, the upper electrode ZUq, and the piezoelectric body ZMq overlap. Furthermore, a pressure chamber CBq is provided in the Z2 direction of the piezoelectric actuator PZq.

[0041] As described above, the piezoelectric actuator PZq is driven and deformed in response to changes in the potential of the drive signal COM. The diaphragm 104A vibrates in conjunction with the deformation of the piezoelectric actuator PZq. When the diaphragm 104A vibrates, the pressure inside the pressure chamber CBq fluctuates. As the pressure inside the pressure chamber CBq fluctuates, ink filled inside the pressure chamber CBq passes through the communication channel RRq and the nozzle channel RN and is ejected from the nozzle N.

[0042] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a wiring board 200A is mounted on the Z1-side surface of the diaphragm 104A. The wiring board 200A is a component for electrically connecting the experimental device 5 and the head 10A. A flexible wiring board such as an FPC or FFC is preferably used as the wiring board 200A. Here, FPC is an abbreviation for Flexible Printed Circuit, and FFC is an abbreviation for Flexible Flat Cable. A second drive circuit 201 is mounted on the wiring board 200A. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the second drive circuit 201 supplies a drive signal COM to the upper electrode ZUq of the piezoelectric actuator PZq via a wiring 810.

[0043] In the following, the drive signal COM supplied to the piezoelectric actuator PZ1 may be referred to as the drive signal COM1, and the drive signal COM supplied to the piezoelectric actuator PZ2 may be referred to as the drive signal COM2. In this embodiment, when ink is ejected from a nozzle N, it is assumed that the waveform of the drive signal COM1 supplied by the second drive circuit 201 to the piezoelectric actuator PZ1 corresponding to the nozzle N and the waveform of the drive signal COM2 supplied by the second drive circuit 201 to the piezoelectric actuator PZ2 corresponding to the nozzle N are substantially the same. Here, "substantially the same" is a concept that includes cases where they are completely the same, as well as cases where they can be considered to be the same taking error into consideration.

[0044] 3 and 4, the Z1 side of the communication plate 102A is provided with a storage chamber forming substrate 105. The storage chamber forming substrate 105 is a member that is long in the Y-axis direction, and has an ink flow path formed therein.

[0045] Specifically, one supply flow path RB1 and one discharge flow path RB2 are formed in the reservoir chamber forming substrate 105. Of these, the supply flow path RB1 communicates with the supply flow path RA1 and is provided so as to extend in the Y-axis direction in the Z1 direction as viewed from the supply flow path RA1. The discharge flow path RB2 communicates with the discharge flow path RA2 and is provided so as to extend in the Y-axis direction in the Z1 direction as viewed from the discharge flow path RA2 and in the X2 direction as viewed from the supply flow path RB1.

[0046] The storage chamber forming substrate 105 is also provided with an inlet 151 communicating with the supply flow path RB1 and an outlet 152 communicating with the discharge flow path RB2. Ink is supplied to the supply flow path RB1 from the ink supply device 4 via the inlet 151. Ink stored in the discharge flow path RB2 is collected by the ink supply device 4 via the outlet 152.

[0047] An opening 150 is also provided in the reservoir forming substrate 105. Inside the opening 150, a pressure chamber substrate 103A, a vibration plate 104A, and a wiring substrate 200A are provided.

[0048] The reservoir chamber forming substrate 105 is formed by, for example, injection molding of a resin material. However, any known material or manufacturing method may be used to manufacture the reservoir chamber forming substrate 105.

[0049] In this embodiment, ink supplied from the ink supply device 4 to the inlet 151 flows into the supply channel RA1 via the supply channel RB1. Some of the ink that flows into the supply channel RA1 flows into the pressure chamber CB1 via the communication channel RX1 and the communication channel RK1. Some of the ink that flows into the pressure chamber CB1 flows into the pressure chamber CB2 via the communication channel RR1, the nozzle channel RN, and the communication channel RR2. Some of the ink that flows into the pressure chamber CB2 flows into the communication channel RK2, the communication channel RX2, the discharge channel RA2, and the discharge channel RB2, and is discharged from the discharge port 152.

[0050] When the piezoelectric actuator PZ1 is driven by the drive signal COM1, some of the ink filling the pressure chamber CB1 passes through the communication channel RR1 and the nozzle channel RN and is ejected from the nozzle N. When the piezoelectric actuator PZ2 is driven by the drive signal COM2, some of the ink filling the pressure chamber CB2 passes through the communication channel RR2 and the nozzle channel RN and is ejected from the nozzle N.

[0051] 3 and 4, a compliance sheet 161 is provided on the Z2-side surface of the communicating plate 102A so as to block the supply flow channel RA1, the communicating flow channel RX1, and the communicating flow channel RK1. The compliance sheet 161 is made of an elastic material and absorbs pressure fluctuations of the ink in the supply flow channel RA1, the communicating flow channel RX1, and the communicating flow channel RK1. Furthermore, a compliance sheet 162 is provided on the Z2-side surface of the communicating plate 102A so as to block the discharge flow channel RA2, the communicating flow channel RX2, and the communicating flow channel RK2. The compliance sheet 162 is made of an elastic material and absorbs pressure fluctuations of the ink in the discharge flow channel RA2, the communicating flow channel RX2, and the communicating flow channel RK2.

[0052] As described above, the head 10A circulates ink from the supply flow path RA1 to the discharge flow path RA2 via the circulation flow path RJ. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if there is a period when the ink inside the pressure chamber CB1 and the pressure chamber CB2 is not ejected from the nozzle N, it is possible to prevent ink from remaining stagnant in the pressure chamber CB1, the pressure chamber CB2, the nozzle flow path RN, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if there is a period when the ink inside the pressure chamber CB1, the pressure chamber CB2, and the nozzle flow path RN is not ejected from the nozzle N, it is possible to suppress an increase in viscosity of the ink inside the pressure chamber CB1, the pressure chamber CB2, and the nozzle flow path RN, and it is possible to prevent an ejection abnormality in which ink cannot be ejected from the nozzle N due to an increase in viscosity of the ink.

[0053] Furthermore, the head 10A can eject the ink filled inside the pressure chamber CB1 and the ink filled inside the pressure chamber CB2 from the nozzle N. Therefore, with the head 10A, it is possible to increase the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle N compared to, for example, a mode in which only the ink filled inside one pressure chamber CB1 is ejected from the nozzle N, or a mode in which only the ink filled inside one pressure chamber CB2 is ejected from the nozzle N.

[0054] Next, we will explain head 10B. While head 10A described above was provided with one piezoelectric actuator PZ1 and one piezoelectric actuator PZ2 corresponding to each nozzle N, head 10B is provided with one piezoelectric actuator PZ1 or one piezoelectric actuator PZ2 corresponding to each nozzle N.

[0055] Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of head 10B. As shown in Fig. 7, head 10B differs from head 10A in that it has a nozzle substrate 160B instead of nozzle substrate 160A, a communicating plate 102B instead of communicating plate 102A, a pressure chamber substrate 103B instead of pressure chamber substrate 103A, a vibration plate 104B instead of vibration plate 104A, and a wiring substrate 200B instead of wiring substrate 200A.

[0056] Of these, the nozzle substrate 160B differs from the nozzle substrate 160A of the head 10A in that, instead of being provided with the nozzle row Ln, the nozzle substrate 160B is provided with nozzle rows Ln1 and Ln2. Here, the nozzle row Ln1 is a collection of M1 nozzles N arranged to extend in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the nozzle row Ln2 is a collection of M2 nozzles N arranged to extend in the Y-axis direction on the X2 side of the nozzle row Ln1. Here, M1 and M2 are natural numbers and satisfy the relationship "M1 + M2 = M." Here, it is assumed that M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. Furthermore, hereinafter, the nozzles N constituting the nozzle row Ln1 may be referred to as nozzles N1, and the nozzles N constituting the nozzle row Ln2 may be referred to as nozzles N2.

[0057] Furthermore, the communicating plate 102B differs from the communicating plate 102A of the head 10A in that, instead of M communicating flow paths RX1, M communicating flow paths RX2, M communicating flow paths RK1, M communicating flow paths RK2, M communicating flow paths RR1, and M communicating flow paths RR2, M1 communicating flow paths RX1 in one-to-one correspondence with M1 nozzles N1, M2 communicating flow paths RX2 in one-to-one correspondence with M2 nozzles N2, M1 communicating flow paths RK1 in one-to-one correspondence with M1 nozzles N1, M2 communicating flow paths RK2 in one-to-one correspondence with M2 nozzles N2, M1 communicating flow paths RR1 in one-to-one correspondence with M1 nozzles N1, and M2 communicating flow paths RR2 in one-to-one correspondence with M2 nozzles N2. Similarly to the communicating plate 102A, the communicating plate 102B is formed with a supply flow path RA1 extending in the Y-axis direction and a discharge flow path RA2 extending in the Y-axis direction in the X2 direction as viewed from the supply flow path RA1.

[0058] Furthermore, the pressure chamber substrate 103B differs from the pressure chamber substrate 103A of the head 10A in that, instead of M pressure chambers CB1 and M pressure chambers CB2, M1 pressure chambers CB1 that correspond one-to-one to M1 nozzles N1 and M2 pressure chambers CB2 that correspond one-to-one to M2 nozzles N2 are formed.

[0059] Furthermore, the vibration plate 104B differs from the vibration plate 104A of the head 10A in that, instead of M piezoelectric actuators PZ1 and M piezoelectric actuators PZ1, M1 piezoelectric actuators PZ1 that correspond one-to-one to the M1 nozzles N1 and M2 piezoelectric actuators PZ2 that correspond one-to-one to the M2 nozzles N2 are formed.

[0060] 8 is a plan view of the head 10B as viewed from the Z-axis direction. The head 10B has M circulation channels RJ that correspond one-to-one to the M nozzles N provided on the nozzle substrate 160B. Hereinafter, the circulation channel RJ provided corresponding to the nozzle N1 may be referred to as the circulation channel RJ1, and the circulation channel RJ provided corresponding to the nozzle N2 may be referred to as the circulation channel RJ2. That is, in the head 10B, the supply channel RA1 and the discharge channel RA2 are connected by M1 circulation channels RJ1 and M2 circulation channels RJ2.

[0061] In addition, in the head 10B, the circulation channels RJ1 and the circulation channels RJ2 are arranged alternately in the Y-axis direction. In addition, in the head 10B, M1 circulation channels RJ1 and M2 circulation channels RJ2 are arranged so that the distance in the Y-axis direction between adjacent circulation channels RJ1 and RJ2 is distance dY.

[0062] As described above, circulation channel RJ1 has a pressure chamber CB1, and circulation channel RJ2 has a pressure chamber CB2. In head 10B, as shown in FIG. 8, pressure chamber CB1 is provided on the X1 side of nozzle N1, and pressure chamber CB2 is provided on the X2 side of nozzle N2. As described above, nozzle row Ln1, to which nozzle N1 belongs, is provided on the X1 side of nozzle row Ln2, to which nozzle N2 belongs. Therefore, in head 10B, pressure chamber CB1 is located on the X1 side of pressure chamber CB2.

[0063] Further, in the head 10B, the circulation channel RJ1 is provided such that the width of the pressure chamber CB1 in the Y-axis direction is the width dCY, and the width of the portion other than the pressure chamber CB1 is not more than the width dRY. The circulation channel RJ2 is provided such that the width of the pressure chamber CB2 in the Y-axis direction is the width dCY, and the width of the portion other than the pressure chamber CB2 is not more than the width dRY. And in the head 10B, it is assumed that M1 circulation channels RJ1 and M2 circulation channels RJ2 are provided such that the interval dY and the width dCY satisfy "dY < dCY", and the interval dY and the width dRY satisfy "dRY > dY". In FIG. 8, for simplicity and ease of understanding, an embodiment in which the interval dY and the width dRY satisfy "dY > dRY" is described, but the interval dY and the width dRY may satisfy "dRY > dY", or at least a part of the portion other than the pressure chamber CB1 may be larger than the interval dY, and at least a part of the portion other than the pressure chamber CB2 may be larger than the interval dY.

[0064] As described using FIGS. 9 and 10, in the head 10B, there is almost no overlapping portion in the Z-axis direction at each position in the X-axis direction between the circulation channel RJ1 and the circulation channel RJ2 adjacent in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, structural crosstalk hardly occurs between the circulation channel RJ1 and the circulation channel RJ2, and only the structural crosstalk between two circulation channels RJ1 sandwiching the circulation channel RJ2 and between two circulation channels RJ2 sandwiching the circulation channel RJ1 needs to be considered. Therefore, compared with the embodiment in which the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2 are provided at the same position in the X-axis direction, it is possible to narrow the pitch of the circulation channel RJ. Further, according to the head 10B, it is also possible to reduce the flow path resistance in the circulation channel RJ after narrowing the pitch of the circulation channel RJ. Furthermore, according to the head 10B, it is also possible to secure the volumes of the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2 by narrowing the pitch of the circulation channel RJ and then increasing the width dCY of the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2 in the Y-axis direction.

[0065] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of head 10B taken parallel to the XZ plane so as to pass through circulation flow path RJ1, and Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of head 10B taken parallel to the XZ plane so as to pass through circulation flow path RJ2.

[0066] 9 and 10, in the head 10B, the communicating plate 102B includes a substrate 121 and a substrate 122. Here, the substrates 121 and 122 are manufactured by processing a silicon single crystal substrate using semiconductor manufacturing techniques such as etching. However, known materials and manufacturing methods may be used arbitrarily to manufacture the substrates 121 and 122.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 9, in the head 10B, the circulation flow path RJ1 is made up of a communication flow path RX1 that is communicated with the supply flow path RA1 and is formed in the substrates 121 and 122, a communication flow path RK1 that is communicated with the communication flow path RX1 and is formed in the substrates 121 and 122, a pressure chamber CB1 that is communicated with the communication flow path RK1 and is formed in the pressure chamber substrate 103B, a communication flow path RR1 that is communicated with the pressure chamber CB1 and is formed in the substrates 121 and 122, a nozzle flow path RN1 that is communicated with the communication flow path RR1 and the nozzle N1 and is formed in the substrate 121, and a nozzle a flow path R11 communicating with the flow path RL1 and formed in the substrate 122; a flow path R12 communicating with the flow path R11 and formed in the substrate 121; a flow path R13 communicating with the flow path R12 and formed in the nozzle substrate 160B; a flow path R14 communicating with the flow path R13 and formed in the substrate 121; a flow path R15 communicating with the flow path R14 and formed in the substrate 122; and a flow path R16 communicating with the flow path R15 and the discharge flow path RA2 and formed in the substrates 121 and 122.

[0068] 10, in the head 10B, the circulation flow path RJ2 includes a communication flow path RX2 that is formed in the substrates 121 and 122 and communicates with the discharge flow path RA2, a communication flow path RK2 that is formed in the substrates 121 and 122 and communicates with the communication flow path RX2, a pressure chamber CB2 that is formed in the pressure chamber substrate 103B and communicates with the communication flow path RK2, a communication flow path RR2 that is formed in the substrates 121 and 122 and communicates with the pressure chamber CB2, a nozzle flow path RN2 that is formed in the substrate 121 and communicates with the communication flow path RR2 and the nozzle N2, The nozzle substrate 160B includes a flow path RL2 formed in the substrate 121 and communicating with the nozzle flow path RN2, a flow path R21 formed in the substrate 122 and communicating with the flow path RL2, a flow path R22 formed in the substrate 121 and communicating with the flow path R21, a flow path R23 formed in the nozzle substrate 160B and communicating with the flow path R22, a flow path R24 formed in the substrate 121 and communicating with the flow path R23, a flow path R25 formed in the substrate 122 and communicating with the flow path R24, and a flow path R26 formed in the substrates 121 and 122 and communicating with the flow path R25 and the supply flow path RA1.

[0069] 7, 9, and 10, a wiring board 200B is mounted on the Z1 side surface of the diaphragm 104B. The wiring board 200B is a component for electrically connecting the experimental device 5 and the head 10B. A second drive circuit 201 is mounted on the wiring board 200B. Similar to the second drive circuit 201 of the head 10A, the second drive circuit 201 supplies a drive signal COM to the upper electrode of the piezoelectric actuator PZ of the head B.

[0070] As described above, the head 10B circulates ink from the supply flow path RA1 to the discharge flow path RA2 via the circulation flow paths RJ1 and RJ2. Therefore, even if there is a period during which the ink in the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2 is not ejected from the nozzles N1 and N2, the head 10B can prevent ink from accumulating in the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2, the nozzle flow paths RN1 and RN2, etc. Therefore, even if there is a period during which the ink in the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2, the nozzle flow paths RN1 and RN2 is not ejected from the nozzles N1 and N2, the head 10B can prevent the ink in the pressure chambers CB1 and CB2, the nozzle flow paths RN1 and RN2 from thickening, thereby preventing ejection abnormalities in which ink cannot be ejected from the nozzles N1 and N2 due to thickened ink.

[0071] Next, we will explain head 10C. While head 10A described above was provided with one piezoelectric actuator PZ1 and one piezoelectric actuator PZ2 corresponding to each nozzle N, head 10C is provided with four piezoelectric actuators (not shown) corresponding to each nozzle N.

[0072] 11 is a plan view of the head 10C as viewed from the Z-axis direction. The head 10C has a circulation flow path RJc instead of the circulation flow path RJ, a nozzle flow path RNc instead of the nozzle flow path RN, 2×M communication flow paths RR1 instead of the M communication flow paths RR1 corresponding to the M nozzles N, 2×M communication flow paths RR2 instead of the M communication flow paths RR2 corresponding to the M nozzles N, 2×M communication flow paths RK1 instead of the M communication flow paths RK1 corresponding to the M nozzles N, and 2×M communication flow paths RK2 instead of the M communication flow paths RK2 corresponding to the M nozzles N. It differs from head 10A in that it has 2×M communicating flow paths RK2 instead of the M communicating flow paths RX1 corresponding to the M nozzles N, 2×M communicating flow paths RX1 instead of the M communicating flow paths RX1 corresponding to the M nozzles N, 2×M communicating flow paths RX2 instead of the M communicating flow paths RX2 corresponding to the M nozzles N, 2×M pressure chambers CB1 instead of the M pressure chambers CB1 corresponding to the M nozzles N, and 2×M pressure chambers CB2 instead of the M pressure chambers CB2 corresponding to the M nozzles N.

[0073] The head 10C is equipped with a communication plate (not shown). The communication plate of the head 10C is formed with M nozzle flow paths RNc corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-one relationship, 2×M communication flow paths RR1 corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-two relationship, 2×M communication flow paths RR2 corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-two relationship, 2×M communication flow paths RK1 corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-two relationship, 2×M communication flow paths RK2 corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-two relationship, 2×M communication flow paths RX1 corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-two relationship, and 2×M communication flow paths RX2 corresponding to the M nozzles N in a one-to-two relationship.

[0074] The nozzle flow path RNc is connected to a communication flow path RR1 that is connected to one of two adjacent pressure chambers CB1, and to a communication flow path RR1 that is connected to the other of two adjacent pressure chambers CB1, and is connected to the two adjacent pressure chambers CB1 via these two communication flow paths RR1.

[0075] The nozzle flow path RNc is connected to a communication flow path RR2 that is connected to one of the two adjacent pressure chambers CB2, and to a communication flow path RR2 that is connected to the other of the two adjacent pressure chambers CB2, and is connected to the two adjacent pressure chambers CB2 via these two communication flow paths RR2.

[0076] The nozzle flow channel RNc communicates with the nozzle N corresponding to the nozzle flow channel RNc.

[0077] The head 10C is equipped with a pressure chamber substrate (not shown). The pressure chamber substrate of the head 10C is formed with 2×M pressure chambers CB1 that correspond two-to-one to the M nozzles N, and 2×M pressure chambers CB2 that correspond two-to-one to the M nozzles N.

[0078] In the head 10C, the supply flow path RA1 and the discharge flow path RA2 are connected to each other by M circulation flow paths RJc that correspond one-to-one to the M nozzles N.

[0079] Each circulation flow path RJc communicates with the supply flow path RA1, and includes two adjacent communication flow paths RX1, a communication flow path RK1 communicating with one of the two adjacent communication flow paths RX1 and a communication flow path RK1 communicating with the other of the two adjacent communication flow paths RX1, a pressure chamber CB1 communicating with one of the two adjacent communication flow paths RK1 and a pressure chamber CB1 communicating with the other of the two adjacent communication flow paths RK1, a communication flow path RR1 communicating with one of the two adjacent pressure chambers CB1 and a communication flow path RR1 communicating with the other of the two adjacent pressure chambers CB1, and two adjacent communication flow paths RR1. a pressure chamber CB2 communicating with one of the two adjacent communicating channels RR2 and a pressure chamber CB2 communicating with the other of the two adjacent communicating channels RR2; a communicating channel RK2 communicating with one of the two adjacent pressure chambers CB2 and a communicating channel RK2 communicating with the other of the two adjacent pressure chambers CB2; and a communicating channel RX2 communicating with the discharge channel RA2 and communicating with one of the two adjacent communicating channels RK2 and a communicating channel RX2 communicating with the other of the two adjacent communicating channels RK2.

[0080] Like the head 10A, the head 10C is mounted with a wiring board (not shown). This wiring board is a component for electrically connecting the experimental device 5 and the head 10C. In this embodiment, the wiring board of the head 10C has a shape that allows it to be connected to the connector 51A of the experimental device 5.

[0081] The head 10C has M circulation channels RJc in one-to-one correspondence with the M nozzles N, and each circulation channel RJc has two pressure chambers CB1 and two pressure chambers CB2, for a total of four pressure chambers. Similarly to the head 10A, the head 10C is provided with piezoelectric actuators in one-to-one correspondence with each pressure chamber CB1 and each pressure chamber CB2. Therefore, the head 10C is provided with 4×M pressure chambers and 4×M piezoelectric actuators corresponding to the M nozzles N.

[0082] The head 10C circulates ink from the supply flow path RA1 to the discharge flow path RA2 via the circulation flow path RJ. Therefore, in the head 10C, even if there is a period during which the ink inside the pressure chamber CB1 and the pressure chamber CB2 is not ejected from the nozzle N, it is possible to prevent ink from remaining stagnant in the pressure chamber CB1, the pressure chamber CB2, the nozzle flow path RNc, etc. Therefore, in the head 10C, even if there is a period during which the ink inside the pressure chamber CB1, the pressure chamber CB2, and the nozzle flow path RNc is not ejected from the nozzle N, it is possible to suppress an increase in viscosity of the ink inside the pressure chamber CB1, the pressure chamber CB2, and the nozzle flow path RNc, and it is possible to prevent an ejection abnormality in which ink cannot be ejected from the nozzle N due to an increase in viscosity of the ink.

[0083] The heads 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided with a circulation channel RJ for circulating ink, thereby eliminating thickening of ink near the nozzles N due to evaporation of liquid from the nozzles N.

[0084] The heads 10A, 10B, and 10C have been described above. Hereinafter, the diaphragms 104A, 104B, and the diaphragm (not shown) of head 10C will be collectively referred to as diaphragm 104. The pressure chambers CB1 and CB2 of heads 10A, 10B, and 10C will be collectively referred to as pressure chambers CB. The circulation channels RJ1 and RJ2 of heads 10A, 10B, and 10C will be collectively referred to as circulation channels RJ. The nozzles N, N1, and N2 of heads 10A, 10B, and 10C will be collectively referred to as nozzles N. The piezoelectric actuators PZ1 and PZ2 of heads 10A, 10B, and 10C will be collectively referred to as piezoelectric actuators PZq.

[0085] The heads 10A, 10B, and 10C described above are different from one another. "Different heads" refers to heads with different configurations or heads with different driving forces of the piezoelectric actuators PZq. "Different driving forces" refers to different pressures applied to the ink in the pressure chambers CB when the same driving signal is applied. For example, heads with different areas of the driving elements facing the pressure chambers CB, or different thicknesses or materials of the driving elements are different from one another. A driving element is an element that applies pressure fluctuations to the pressure chambers CB, and in this embodiment, a piezoelectric actuator PZq (also called a piezoelectric element) is used as the driving element.

[0086] For example, the heads 10A, 10B, and 10C described above all eliminate ink viscosity increase, but have different driving forces. That is, in head 10A, one pressure chamber CB1 and one pressure chamber CB2 are provided for each nozzle N. In head 10B, one pressure chamber CB1 is provided for each nozzle N1, and one pressure chamber CB2 is provided for each nozzle N2. In head 10C, two pressure chambers CB1 and two pressure chambers CB2 are provided for each nozzle N. By providing a different number of pressure chambers for each nozzle in this way, head 10C has a higher driving force than head 10A, and head 10A has a higher driving force than head 10B.

[0087] In this way, head 10A, head 10B, and head 10C are multiple heads with different driving forces due to the different numbers of pressure chambers provided for each nozzle. Of course, the multiple different heads are not limited to these three types.

[0088] The heads 10A, 10B, and 10C configured as described above take in ink from the ink supply device 4, fill the circulation flow path RJ with ink, and deflect and deform the vibration plates 104 and piezoelectric actuators PZq corresponding to the pressure chambers CB in accordance with drive signals from a first drive circuit 60 and a second drive circuit 201, which will be described later. This increases the pressure inside each pressure chamber CB, causing ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzles N.

[0089] The head 10 described above is controlled by an experimental device 5. The experimental device 5 will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the experimental device, and Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the functions of the experimental device.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 12 , the experimental apparatus 5 is a device to which the head 10 can be connected. Being connectable to the head 10 means that the experimental apparatus 5 can send a signal to cause the head 10 to eject ink. Therefore, the connection may be wired or wireless. The experimental apparatus 5 of this embodiment includes a connector 51A to which the wiring board 200A is connected and a connector 51B to which the wiring board 200B is connected. In this embodiment, the connector 51A is connected to the wiring board of the head 10C. That is, the connector 51A is a connector common to the head 10 and the head 10C. Furthermore, the experimental apparatus 5 can be connected to the tablet 3 via USB, and includes a USB connector 52 to which a USB cable (not shown) can be connected. Note that the means for transmitting and receiving data between the experimental apparatus 5 and the tablet 3 is not limited to USB. This means may also be a wireless communication means. Note that the connector 51A corresponds to the first connector, and the connector 51B corresponds to the second connector.

[0091] 13, the experimental apparatus 5 includes a first drive circuit 60 as a drive circuit capable of commonly driving multiple heads 10. The first drive circuit 60 has the function of generating drive signals for each of the heads 10A, 10B, and 10C, and transmitting the drive signals to the heads 10A, 10B, and 10C via the wiring board 200. First, the following description will be given assuming that the head 10A is connected to the connector 51A, and the head 10B is connected to the connector 51B.

[0092] Specifically, the first drive circuit 60 includes a USB 61, a RAM 62 that temporarily stores various data, a ROM 63 that stores control programs and the like, and a control processing unit 64 that includes a CPU, etc. The first drive circuit 60 also includes an oscillation circuit 65 that generates a clock signal, and an internal interface 66 (hereinafter referred to as the internal I / F 66) that transmits dot pattern data (bitmap data) developed based on the drive signal to the head 10.

[0093] The USB 61 is a circuit for transmitting and receiving data in a predetermined format and at a predetermined timing between the tablet 3 and the experimental device 5. A command to cause the head 10 to eject ink is sent from the tablet 3 to the experimental device 5 via the USB 61. Such a command may, for example, specify the head 10A or head 10B that will eject ink, or a drive signal to be applied to the head 10A and head 10B. The drive signal for each head 10 is stored in a RAM 62, which will be described later.

[0094] Furthermore, ejection characteristic information of the head 10A and the head 10B is sent from the experimental device 5 to the tablet 3 via the USB 61. The ejection characteristic information will be described later.

[0095] The RAM 62 functions as a receive buffer 62A, an intermediate buffer 62B, an output buffer 62C, and a work memory (not shown). The receive buffer 62A temporarily stores print data received by the USB 61, the intermediate buffer 62B stores intermediate code data converted by the control processing unit 64, and the output buffer 62C stores dot pattern data.

[0096] The ROM 63 stores control programs (control routines) for carrying out various data processing, as well as font data, graphic functions, and the like.

[0097] The control processing unit 64 receives a designation from the tablet 3 of the head 10A or head 10B from which ink is to be ejected, and causes the designated head 10A or head 10B to eject ink.

[0098] Specifically, the control processing unit 64 reads the print data from the receive buffer 62A and converts the print data to obtain intermediate code data, which is then stored in the intermediate buffer 62B. The control processing unit 64 then analyzes the intermediate code data read from the intermediate buffer 62B and expands the intermediate code data into dot pattern data by referencing the font data, graphic functions, and the like stored in the ROM 63. The control processing unit 64 then performs any necessary decoration processing and then stores the expanded dot pattern data in the output buffer 62C.

[0099] Then, once one line of dot pattern data is obtained, this one line of dot pattern data is output to head 10A or head 10B via internal I / F 66. For example, if head 10A is designated, the dot pattern data is sent from internal I / F 66 to second drive circuit 201 of wiring board 200A connected to connector 51A.

[0100] When one line of dot pattern data is output from the output buffer 62C, the expanded intermediate code data is erased from the intermediate buffer 62B, and the expansion process is carried out on the next intermediate code data.

[0101] The second drive circuit 201 provided on the wiring board 200 of the head 10 includes a shift register 70, a latch circuit 71, a level shifter 72, and a switch element 73. The number of shift registers 70, latch circuits 71, level shifters 72, and switch elements 73 provided is equal to the number of piezoelectric actuators PZq of the head 10.

[0102] The second drive circuit 201 is synchronized with the clock signal (CK) from the oscillation circuit 65, and one line of print data (SI) constituting the dot pattern data is serially transmitted from the output buffer 62C to the shift register .

[0103] Once one line's worth of print data (for all nozzles) has been set in the shift register 70, the control processing unit 64 outputs a latch signal (LAT) to the latch circuit 71 at a predetermined timing. This latch signal causes the latch circuit 71 to latch the print data set in the shift register 70. The output of this latch circuit 71 is applied to a level shifter 72, which is a voltage amplifier. When the print data is, for example, "1," the level shifter 72 boosts the print data to a voltage value that can drive the switch element 73, for example, several tens of volts. This boosted print data is then applied to the switch element 73, which then enters a connected state.

[0104] The drive signal (COM) stored in RAM 62 is applied to the switch element 73. Specifically, the drive signal for head 10A stored in RAM 62 is applied from the internal I / F 66 to the switch element 73 of the wiring board 200A connected to the connector 51A. The drive signal for head 10B stored in RAM 62 is applied from the internal I / F 66 to the switch element 73 of the wiring board 200B connected to the connector 51B.

[0105] When the switch element 73 is switched to the connected state, a drive signal is applied to the piezoelectric actuator PZq connected to this switch element 73. In this way, a drive signal is applied to the piezoelectric actuator PZq among the multiple piezoelectric actuators PZq that ejects ink according to the dot pattern, and ink for one line of the dot pattern is ejected. Thereafter, ejection of ink for each line is repeated until the dot pattern data is completed.

[0106] The experimental device 5 executes the control of ink ejection as described above in accordance with commands from the tablet 3. Specifically, the experimental device 5 receives from the tablet 3 information on the target to eject ink, the drive signal to be used, print data to be ejected, etc.

[0107] For example, if the target from which ink is to be ejected is head 10A, dot patterns are formed based on the print data, and the dot patterns and drive signals for head 10A stored in RAM 62 are sent to second drive circuit 201 of wiring substrate 200A, causing head 10A to eject ink. The same applies to head 10B.

[0108] In this way, the experimental apparatus 5 can cause the heads 10A and 10B specified by the tablet 3 to eject ink according to the print data using the drive signals sent from the tablet 3. For head 10C, heads 10A and 10B are removed from the experimental apparatus 5, and a different head 10C is attached to the experimental apparatus 5, after which ink is ejected and ejection characteristic information is acquired. In other words, the experimental apparatus 5 causes the head 10C specified by the tablet 3 to eject ink according to the print data using the drive signals for head 10C sent from the tablet 3. Then, the experimental apparatus 5 acquires the ejection characteristic information from head 10C.

[0109] The drive signal is not limited to being sent from the tablet 3. For example, a plurality of types of drive signals may be stored in advance in the ROM 63, and a drive signal in the ROM 63 specified by the tablet 3 may be used. Furthermore, the print data is not limited to being sent from the tablet 3 to the experimental device 5, and print data stored in the ROM 63 in advance may be used.

[0110] The experimental device 5 is equipped with a characteristic acquisition unit 67. In this embodiment, the characteristic acquisition unit 67 is implemented as part of the first drive circuit 60. The characteristic acquisition unit 67 acquires ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of the head 10. The acquired ejection specification information is then transmitted to the tablet 3.

[0111] The ejection characteristics are the characteristics of the ink droplets ejected from the head 10 and the characteristics related to events that occur in the head 10 as a result of ejecting the ink droplets, and the information representing these is called ejection characteristic information. The characteristics of the ink droplets ejected from the head 10 include the ejection amount, ejection speed, ejection angle, and shape of the ink droplets.

[0112] Characteristics related to events that occur in the head 10 when ink droplets are ejected include various parameters obtained from residual vibrations. These various parameters include raw data on the residual vibrations. When the piezoelectric actuator PZq flexes and deforms the diaphragm 104, the diaphragm 104 vibrates freely at a natural vibration frequency determined by the shape of the ink flow path, flow path resistance due to the viscosity of the ink, inertance due to the weight of ink in the flow path, and the compliance of the diaphragm 104. This free vibration is the residual vibration.

[0113] The residual vibrations deform the piezoelectric actuator PZq, causing the piezoelectric actuator PZq to generate an electrical signal. The characteristic acquisition unit 67 is capable of reading the electrical signal representing the residual vibrations generated by the piezoelectric actuator PZq via the second drive circuit 201. The characteristic acquisition unit 67 stores the raw data of the residual vibrations in the RAM 62 as ejection characteristic information.

[0114] Furthermore, the viscosity of the ink can be cited as one of the various parameters that can be obtained from the residual vibration. High ink viscosity increases flow path resistance, resulting in greater damping of the residual vibration. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the viscosity of the ink based on the damping of the residual vibration. The characteristic acquisition unit 67 calculates various parameters such as the viscosity of the ink, and stores the results in the RAM 62 as ejection characteristic information. Note that the characteristic acquisition unit 67 does not need to calculate the various parameters; for example, the characteristic acquisition unit 67 may acquire only raw data of the residual vibration, and the client program of the tablet 3 or the server program of the server 2 may calculate the various parameters described above based on the raw data of the residual vibration.

[0115] Furthermore, when the ink droplet ejection volume, ejection speed, ink droplet ejection angle, and ink droplet shape are used as the ejection characteristics, these ejection characteristics can be obtained as follows: That is, a camera capable of capturing images of ink droplets ejected from the head 10 is provided in the experimental device 5. The characteristic acquisition unit 67 processes the images obtained from the camera to obtain the ink droplet ejection volume, etc.

[0116] For example, the size of the ink droplets can be obtained from the ink droplets captured in the image, and if the ink density is stored in advance in the memory device of the experimental device 5, the ink droplet ejection volume can be obtained from the ink droplet size and density and used as ejection characteristic information. The ejection speed can be obtained from the time between multiple images and the position of the ink droplets and used as ejection characteristic information. The ejection angle of the ink droplets can be calculated from the angle between the ink droplet trajectory and the vertical direction and used as ejection characteristic information. The shape of the ink droplets can be obtained from the image of the ink droplets and used as ejection characteristic information.

[0117] The characteristic acquisition unit 67 transmits the ejection characteristic information obtained for each head 10 and each driving vibration to the tablet 3. The ejection characteristic information is then transmitted from the tablet 3 to the server 2 and processed.

[0118] The server program 20 and the client program 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The server program 20 is a program that causes the server 2 to function as a selection unit 22. The communication unit 21 of the server 2 acquires, via the tablet 3, the discharge characteristic information acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit 67 of the experimental device 5 (see FIG. 13).

[0119] The selection unit 22 selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of heads 10 based on the ejection characteristic information acquired from the communication unit 21. Furthermore, the selection unit 22 of this embodiment selects a second liquid ejection head and a third liquid ejection head from among the plurality of heads 10 based on the plurality of ejection characteristic information.

[0120] The first liquid ejection head refers to the liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics among the multiple liquid ejection heads. An example of a liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics is a liquid ejection head having ejection characteristics closest to a desired value set by the user of the system 1 (hereinafter referred to as a user setting value), or, if a user setting value is not set, a liquid ejection head having ejection characteristics closest to a value set in advance by the system 1 (hereinafter referred to as a default setting value). The user setting value and the default value are set in the server 2 using an input / output device or the like, or are input to the tablet 3 using the touch panel 31 and transmitted to the server 2 to be stored in the storage device of the server 2. Of course, the first liquid ejection head need not necessarily be the liquid ejection head closest to the user setting value or the default setting value, but may instead be the liquid ejection head with the lowest, highest, or most stable ejection characteristics.

[0121] The second liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head among the plurality of liquid ejection heads whose ejection characteristics are inferior to those of the first liquid ejection head but satisfy the allowable conditions, and the third liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head among the plurality of liquid ejection heads whose ejection characteristics do not satisfy the allowable conditions.

[0122] "Satisfying the tolerance conditions" means that the ejection characteristics are not closest to the user-set value or the default set value, but are within a predetermined range from the user-set value or the default set value. "Not satisfying the tolerance conditions" means that the ejection characteristics are outside a predetermined range from the user-set value or the default set value. The predetermined range is stored in the storage device of the server 2, along with the user-set value and the default set value.

[0123] For example, let us consider a case where the ink viscosity obtained from the raw data of residual vibration is used as the ejection characteristics. As shown in Table 1, let us assume that the ink viscosities of head 10A, head 10B, and head 10C are obtained as "100," "110," and "120," respectively.

[0124] [Table 1]

[0125] When the selection unit 22 adopts a criterion that does not rely on comparison with any reference value (hereinafter, "absolute criterion"), such as "among the plurality of heads 10, the head 10 with the lowest ink viscosity is selected as the first liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics," the selection unit 22 selects the head 10A with the lowest ink viscosity as the first liquid ejection head. The selection unit 22 does not select the heads 10B and 10C as the first liquid ejection heads because they do not have the best ejection characteristics.

[0126] The selection unit 22 is not limited to the above-mentioned absolute criteria, but may use criteria in comparison with a user-set value or a default set value (hereinafter referred to as relative criteria). Examples of relative criteria are shown in the following AC. A. "Among the multiple heads 10, the head 10 whose ink viscosity, which is an ejection characteristic, is closest to the ink viscosity set as a user setting value or a default setting value is determined to be the first liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics." B. "From among the multiple heads 10, the head 10 whose ink viscosity, which is an ejection characteristic, is within a predetermined range (±10%) of the ink viscosity (100) set as a user-set value or a default setting value is determined to be the second liquid ejection head that satisfies the allowable conditions." C. "Among the multiple heads 10, the head 10 whose ink viscosity, which is an ejection characteristic, is outside a predetermined range (±10%) of the ink viscosity (100) set as a user-set value or a default setting value is determined to be the third liquid ejection head that does not satisfy the tolerance conditions."

[0127] As shown in Table 1, when the selection unit 22 employs a relative criterion, it selects the head 10A as the first liquid ejection head, the head 10B as the second liquid ejection head, and the head 10C as the third liquid ejection head.

[0128] In addition to using the ink viscosity obtained from the residual vibration as the ejection characteristics in this way, the residual vibration itself may be used as ejection characteristics information to select the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head. For example, the selection unit 22 may select, from among the multiple heads 10, the head that takes the shortest time for the residual vibration to subside as the first liquid ejection head. Alternatively, the selection unit 22 may select, from among the multiple heads 10, the head that takes the time for the residual vibration to subside closest to a user-set value or a default setting value as the first liquid ejection head, select, from among the multiple heads 10, the head that takes the time for the residual vibration to subside within a predetermined range from the user-set value or the default setting value as the second liquid ejection head, and select, from among the multiple heads 10, the head that takes the time for the residual vibration to subside outside the predetermined range from the user-set value or the default setting value as the third liquid ejection head.

[0129] The selection unit 22 may select the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head using the ejection amount, ejection speed, ejection angle, and stability of the ink droplets as the ejection characteristic information.

[0130] When the ink droplet ejection volume, ejection speed, and ejection angle are used as the ejection characteristic information, the selection unit 22 selects as the first liquid ejection head from among the multiple heads 10 the head whose ejection volume, ejection speed, or ejection angle as the multiple ejection characteristic information is closest to the user-set value or the default set value for the ejection volume, ejection speed, or ejection angle. As in the case of ink viscosity, the selection unit 22 selects the second and third liquid ejection heads based on the ejection volume, ejection speed, or ejection angle.

[0131] Furthermore, when ink droplet stability is used as the ejection characteristic information, the selection unit 22 selects the head 10 from among the plurality of heads 10 whose ink droplets appearing in the image as the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information are the most isotropic as the first liquid ejection head. Note that ink droplets with an isotropic shape are considered to be highly stable ink droplets, and are less likely to distort the dot shape when they land on a medium.

[0132] The selection unit 22 may also select, from the plurality of heads 10, one whose ink droplet shape shown in an image obtained as a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information is closest to the ink droplet shape shown in an image set as user settings or default settings, as the first liquid ejection head. The selection unit 22 may also select, from the plurality of heads 10, one whose ink droplet shape shown in an image obtained as a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information is closest to the ink droplet shape shown in an image set as user settings or default settings, as the second liquid ejection head, and one whose ink droplet shape is outside the predetermined range, as the third liquid ejection head. The comparison of the ink droplet shapes shown in the images can be performed using a known image processing method.

[0133] There are various types of ejection characteristic information, such as the ejection volume of ink droplets. When the selection unit 22 acquires multiple types of ejection characteristic information for each head 10, it selects a first liquid ejection head, a second liquid ejection head, and a third liquid ejection head for each piece of ejection characteristic information. For example, it is possible to select head 10A as the first liquid ejection head for the ejection volume and head 10B as the first liquid ejection head for the ejection speed. Alternatively, the selection unit 22 may calculate one evaluation value for each head 10 from multiple types of ejection characteristic information, and select the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, or the third liquid ejection head based on the evaluation value.

[0134] The server program 20, which includes the selection unit 22 described above, transmits to the tablet 3 (client program 30) via the communication unit 21 which heads from among the multiple heads 10 have been selected as the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, and the third liquid ejection head.

[0135] The client program 30 is a program that causes the tablet 3 to function as an input processing unit 35, a command unit 36, a characteristic transmission unit 37, and a notification unit 38.

[0136] When a user operates a GUI component displayed on the touch panel 31, the input processing unit 35 executes a function corresponding to the operation. Specific operations and functions will be described later.

[0137] The command unit 36 ​​sends a command to the experimental device 5 to cause the head 10 to eject ink. Specifically, the command unit 36 ​​sends to the experimental device 5 either the head 10A or the head 10B to be the target for ejecting ink from among the multiple heads 10 connected to the experimental device 5, a drive signal to be applied to the piezoelectric actuator PZq, and print data. The head 10 and drive signal are specified by the user via the input processing unit 35, as will be described later.

[0138] When a command is given to the experimental device 5 by the command unit 36, the experimental device 5 ejects ink from a designated head 10 in response to a designated drive signal so as to print the print data based on the command.

[0139] The characteristic transmission unit 37 acquires the discharge characteristic information from the experimental device 5 and transmits it to the server 2 (server program 20) using the communication unit 32. In this embodiment, the characteristic transmission unit 37 displays a GUI component on the touch panel 31 to request the user's consent to transmit the discharge characteristic information to the server 2, and transmits the discharge characteristic information to the server 2 when the user operates to consent via the input processing unit 35. Of course, the discharge characteristic information may be transmitted to the server 2 without requesting such consent.

[0140] The notification unit 38 receives information about the first liquid ejection head from the server 2 via the communication unit 32, and notifies the user of the information about the first liquid ejection head. The notification unit 38 also notifies the user of information about the second liquid ejection head and the third liquid ejection head. Hereinafter, the information about the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, and the third liquid ejection head will be referred to as selection result information.

[0141] The selection result information is information indicating at least which of the multiple heads 10 that ejected ink in the experimental device 5 was the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, or the third liquid ejection head.

[0142] In addition, the selection result information may include the ejection characteristic information itself regarding the head 10 selected as the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, or the third liquid ejection head, the drive signal used, information indicating how much the ejection characteristic information deviates from the user setting value or the default setting value, and information comparing the ejection characteristic information with the ejection characteristic information of other heads 10.

[0143] The notification unit 38 notifies the user of such selection result information. Specifically, an image representing the selection result information is formed and displayed on the touch panel 31. The notification unit 38 can notify the user of the selection result information.

[0144] The notification unit 38 is not limited to a configuration in which the selection result information is notified to the user visually by displaying an image as described above. For example, the notification unit 38 may notify the user of the selection result information auditorily by generating audio that reads out the selection result information and outputting it to a speaker provided in the tablet 3. Furthermore, the notification unit 38 may notify the user of the selection result information not only through hardware such as the touch panel 31 or speaker provided in the tablet 3, but also through information transmission means such as email.

[0145] The processing flow in system 1 will be described using Figures 14 to 20. Here, in the first trial, heads 10A1 and 10B1 are connected to connectors 51A and 51B, respectively, and ink is ejected. In the second trial, heads 10A2 and 10B2 are connected to connectors 51A and 51B, respectively, and ink is ejected.

[0146] 15, an image formed by the client program 30 is displayed on the touch panel 31 of the tablet 3. This image displays a menu for calling up functions provided in the client program 30.

[0147] The input processing unit 35 calls the head selection function when the menu "initial condition search sequence" is selected by the user.

[0148] As shown in Fig. 16, a head selection image formed by the head selection function is displayed on touch panel 31. Note that "head A" shown in Fig. 16 refers to head 10A1 connected to connector 51A in the first trial, and to head 10A2 connected to connector 51A in the second trial. Similarly, "head B" refers to head 10B1 connected to connector 51B in the first trial, and to head 10B2 connected to connector 51B in the second trial. The head selection image displays a check box C1 for selecting head A connected to connector 51A, and a check box C2 for selecting head B connected to connector 51B.

[0149] When the user checks both the checkbox C1 and the checkbox C2 and selects the "Next" button, the input processing unit 35 calls the discharge confirmation function.

[0150] 17, a discharge confirmation image formed by the discharge confirmation function is displayed on touch panel 31. The discharge confirmation image displays check box C3, which is checked when it is confirmed that head A connected to connector 51A has been filled with ink, and check box C4, which is checked when it is confirmed that head B connected to connector 51B has been filled with ink.

[0151] When the user checks both checkbox C3 and checkbox C4 and selects the "Start" button (step S1 in Figure 14), the input processing unit 35 causes the command unit 36 ​​to execute processing to eject ink from head A checked in checkbox C3 and head B checked in checkbox C4.

[0152] The command unit 36 ​​issues a command to the experimental device 5 via the input processing unit 35 to eject ink from head A and head B checked by the user (step S2 in FIG. 14). Although not specifically shown, if there are multiple drive signals, a function may be executed that allows the user to select a drive signal. The input processing unit 35 then acquires the drive signal selected by the user using this function, and the command unit 36 ​​may command the experimental device 5 to eject ink with the selected drive signal. If the user is not allowed to select a drive signal, the command unit 36 ​​transmits a predetermined drive signal to the experimental device 5.

[0153] The experimental device 5 performs ink ejection control based on the command from the command unit 36 ​​(step S3 in FIG. 14). As described above, the ink ejection control causes head A and head B to eject ink using a drive signal designated by the user or a predetermined drive signal.

[0154] Head A and head B eject ink based on the drive signal given from experimental device 5 (step S4 in FIG. 14). When ink ejection is completed, residual vibration occurs.

[0155] The experimental device 5 acquires ejection characteristic information from an electrical signal corresponding to the residual vibration after ejecting the ink (step S5 in FIG. 14).

[0156] In this way, the tablet 3 acquires the discharge characteristic information from the experimental device 5, and the first trial is completed. After that, the client program 30 calls the continuation confirmation function. As shown in FIG. 18, a continuation confirmation image formed by the continuation confirmation function is displayed on the touch panel 31. The continuation confirmation image displays a button B1 for the next trial, i.e., the second trial, and a button B2 for ending the trial.

[0157] If the user selects button B1, the user mounts head 10A2 and head 10B2 on the experimental device 5 and performs the process shown in Figures 16 and 17, steps S1 to S5, as a second trial. As a result of performing the two trials, the ejection characteristic information shown in Table 2 is obtained. Both drive signals S10 and S11 are predetermined drive signals. The ejection characteristic information is the viscosity of the ink based on residual vibration.

[0158] [Table 2]

[0159] When multiple different drive signals are applied to each head 10, ejection characteristic information can be obtained for each head and each drive vibration, as shown in Table 3. Drive signals S1-S4 are drive signals selected by the user from multiple drive signals.

[0160] [Table 3]

[0161] After the second attempt, if the user selects button B2, the input processor 35 invokes the result confirmation function.

[0162] 19, a result confirmation image formed by the result confirmation function is displayed on the touch panel 31. The result confirmation image displays a button B3 for displaying the trial results, i.e., the discharge characteristic information, a button B4 for sending the trial results to the server 2, and an end button B5.

[0163] When the user selects button B3, the input processing unit 35 calls a function to display the ejection characteristic information. Although not specifically shown, this function displays the ejection characteristic information obtained from the head 10 on the touch panel 31. If the user checks the ejection characteristic information and wishes to return to the screen of Figure 19 from this function and end, the user can select the end button B5. When the end button B5 is selected, execution of the client program 30 ends.

[0164] When the user selects button B4, the input processing unit 35 executes processing by the characteristic transmission unit 37. That is, the characteristic transmission unit 37 transmits the acquired ejection characteristic information as shown in Table 2 or Table 3 to the server 2 (step S6 in FIG. 14).

[0165] In the server 2, the selection unit 22 selects the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head based on the ejection characteristics information (step S7 in FIG. 14). Table 4 shows an example of the selection result.

[0166] [Table 4]

[0167] When a plurality of different drive signals are applied to each head 10, as shown in Table 5, the drive signals from which the ejection characteristic information was obtained are also included along with the first to third liquid ejection heads.

[0168] [Table 5]

[0169] The server 2 transmits the selection result to the tablet 3, and the notification unit 38 of the tablet 3 notifies the user of the selection result (step S8 in FIG. 14).

[0170] Fig. 20 shows an image formed by the notification unit 38. In Fig. 20, "head 10A1" is displayed as the optimum head (first liquid ejection head), "head 10B1" and "head 10A2" are displayed as usable heads (second liquid ejection heads), and "head 10B2" is displayed as a head not recommended for use (third liquid ejection head).

[0171] In addition, when multiple different drive signals are applied to each head 10, although not specifically shown, the notification unit 38 may display for each of the multiple heads 10 whether it corresponds to the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, or the third liquid ejection head, and may also display which drive signal was used.

[0172] The system 1 of this embodiment described above includes a characteristic acquisition unit 67 that acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of multiple different heads 10, a selection unit 22 that selects a first liquid ejection head from multiple liquid ejection heads based on the multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information, and a notification unit 38 that notifies the user of information regarding the first liquid ejection head.

[0173] With this system 1, the user can obtain multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information for multiple different heads 10, and can easily identify the first liquid ejection head selected from the multiple heads 10 based on the ejection characteristic information. Because the user can identify which of the multiple heads 10 is the first liquid ejection head, the user can avoid having to ask the head manufacturer to re-supply a different head. In this way, system 1 can present the appropriate head to the user in a simple manner without increasing the user's labor costs.

[0174] The user may actually use the head 10A or head 10B selected as the first or second liquid ejection head in a printer or the like. Furthermore, the head manufacturer may provide the user with an identical head 10A or head 10B at the user's request. In other words, the head 10 provided to the experimental device 5 may be a liquid ejection head for experimental use. The user can use the experimental liquid ejection head to determine whether or not it is the desired liquid ejection head. In this way, the experiment does not have to be performed using the liquid ejection head that will actually be used, and the use of the experimental liquid ejection head reduces the overall cost of the experiment.

[0175] The selection unit 22 selects the first, second, and third liquid ejection heads, but is not limited to this. It is sufficient to select at least the first liquid ejection head, and it is not necessary to select the second and third liquid ejection heads. Furthermore, the heads 10A, 10B, and 10C are circulation-type liquid ejection heads that receive ink from the ink supply device 4 and eject ink back to the ink supply device 4. However, the system 1 can be used not only for multiple circulation-type liquid ejection heads, but also for non-circulation-type liquid ejection heads that receive ink from the ink supply device 4. Of course, the system 1 can also be used for multiple liquid ejection heads that are a mixture of circulation-type and non-circulation-type liquid ejection heads.

[0176] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the ejection characteristics include the ejection volume when ink is ejected from the head 10. With this system 1, the user can know the selected first liquid ejection head based on the ejection volume.

[0177] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the ejection characteristics include the ejection speed when ink is ejected from the head 10. With this system 1, the user can know the selected first liquid ejection head based on the ejection speed.

[0178] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the ejection characteristics include parameters obtained from the residual vibration after driving the piezoelectric actuator. This system 1 allows the user to know the selected first liquid ejection head based on various parameters such as raw data of the residual vibration and the viscosity of the ink obtained from the residual vibration.

[0179] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the first liquid ejection head is the liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics among the multiple heads 10. With this system 1, the user can know which head 10 among the multiple heads 10 is the first liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics. The best first liquid ejection head is selected based on the absolute criteria or relative criteria described above. In particular, based on the relative criteria, the user can know which head 10 among the multiple heads 10 is closest to the desired specifications.

[0180] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the selection unit 22 further selects a second liquid ejection head from the multiple heads 10. The second liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head among the multiple heads 10 whose ejection characteristics are inferior to those of the first liquid ejection head but which satisfies the allowable conditions. With this system 1, the user can know which of the multiple heads 10 is not closest to the desired specifications but does satisfy them.

[0181] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the selection unit 22 further selects a third liquid ejection head from the plurality of heads 10. The third liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head that does not satisfy the tolerance conditions among the plurality of heads 10. With this system 1, the user can know which of the plurality of heads 10 does not satisfy the desired specifications.

[0182] In head 10A, one pressure chamber CB1 and one pressure chamber CB2 are provided for each nozzle N, for a total of two pressure chambers. In head 10B, one pressure chamber CB1 is provided for each nozzle N1, and one pressure chamber CB2 is provided for each nozzle N2. In other words, in head 10B, one pressure chamber is provided for each nozzle. In head 10C, two pressure chambers CB1 and two pressure chambers CB2 are provided for each nozzle N, for a total of four pressure chambers. In this way, in the system 1 of this embodiment, the multiple different liquid ejection heads can be heads with different numbers of pressure chambers communicating with one nozzle.

[0183] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the characteristic acquisition unit 67 acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics when ink is ejected by applying a plurality of drive signals to the piezoelectric actuators PZq provided in each of the plurality of heads 10. With this system 1, as shown in Table 5, the user can know which heads correspond to the first liquid ejection head through the third liquid ejection head for each of the plurality of heads 10 and the plurality of drive signals.

[0184] The plurality of drive signals may be stored in advance in the tablet 3, or the user may create the drive signals on the tablet 3. In other words, the client program may function as a means for creating the drive signals on the tablet 3.

[0185] The system 1 of this embodiment comprises a plurality of heads 10, an experimental device 5 to which the plurality of heads 10 can be connected, a tablet 3 capable of communicating with the experimental device 5, and a server 2 capable of communicating with the tablet 3, the tablet 3 comprising a notification unit 38 and a touch panel 31 as a display unit capable of displaying notifications by the notification unit 38, and the server 2 comprising a selection unit 22.

[0186] According to such a system 1, the operator of the system 1 operates the server 2 and provides the head 10, the experimental device 5, and the client program 30 to the user, and when the user operates the experimental device 5 via the tablet 3, the user is notified of the head 10 corresponding to the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head, thereby realizing a service.

[0187] The experimental device 5 of the system 1 of this embodiment has a connector 51A that can connect one head 10A out of the multiple heads 10, and a connector 51B that can connect another head 10B out of the multiple heads 10. This allows the experimental device 5 to connect different heads 10A and 10B to the connector 51A and connector 51B, respectively.

[0188] The experimental device 5 is provided with a connector 51A and a connector 51B, but the number of connectors is not limited to two, and may be one, or two or more.

[0189] In the system 1 of this embodiment, the connectors 51A and 51B have different shapes. This allows the experimental device 5 to connect the different heads 10A and 10B to the connectors 51A and 51B, respectively, even if the connecting members to the experimental device 5, that is, the wiring boards 200A and 200B in the above embodiment, have different shapes.

[0190] Although the connectors 51A and 51B of the experimental device 5 have different shapes, the present invention is not limited to this and they may have the same shape.

[0191] The experimental device 5 of the system 1 of this embodiment has a first drive circuit 60 that can commonly drive multiple heads 10. With such a system 1, there is no need to provide a drive circuit for each of the multiple heads 10, which simplifies the configuration of the experimental device 5 and reduces costs.

[0192] The experimental device 5 includes a first drive circuit 60 that can commonly drive multiple heads 10, but is not limited to this. In other words, the experimental device 5 may include multiple drive circuits that can individually drive multiple heads 10.

[0193] The server 2 of this embodiment is a server capable of receiving multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of multiple different heads 10 from a tablet, and is equipped with a selection unit 22 that selects a first liquid ejection head to a third liquid ejection head from the multiple heads 10 based on the multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the tablet 3.

[0194] Such a server 2 can process multiple sets of tablets 3 and experimental devices 5 owned by the user all at once on the server 2. This eliminates the need to provide a selection unit 22 according to the number of tablets 3 and experimental devices 5.

[0195] Furthermore, the server 2 can store the ejection characteristic information sent from each user. The ejection characteristic information thus stored can be processed to be used as a criterion for the selection unit 22, and the processed data can be provided to the selection unit 22 for the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, or the third liquid ejection head. For example, various statistics such as the average value, variance, and standard deviation are calculated for each head and each drive signal for the ejection characteristic information obtained from each user. Then, the head whose ejection characteristic information sent from the user is closest to these average values ​​can be selected as the first liquid ejection head, the head whose ejection characteristic information sent from the user is within ±2σ (σ is the standard deviation) of the average value can be selected as the second liquid ejection head, and the head whose ejection characteristic information is greater than ±2σ can be selected as the third liquid ejection head.

[0196] The tablet 3 of this embodiment can be connected to a plurality of different heads 10, and can communicate with an experimental device 5 that acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of the plurality of heads 10, and a server that selects the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head from the plurality of heads 10.The tablet 3 is equipped with a characteristic transmission unit 37 that transmits the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the experimental device 5 to the server 2, and a notification unit 38 that notifies the user of information relating to the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head acquired from the server 2.

[0197] With such a tablet 3, a user can operate the general-purpose tablet 3 to cause the head 10 to eject ink via the experimental device 5.

[0198] In the above embodiment, the selection unit 22 is provided in the server 2, but this is not limiting, and the selection unit may be provided in the tablet 3. In other words, the tablet 3 may select the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head based on the ejection characteristic information, without using the server 2.

[0199] The experimental device 5 of this embodiment is capable of connecting multiple different heads 10, is capable of communicating with the tablet 3, and is equipped with a characteristic acquisition unit 67 that ejects liquid from the multiple heads 10 in response to commands from the tablet 3 and acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of the multiple heads 10.

[0200] According to such an experimental device 5, ink can be ejected from a plurality of different heads 10, and ejection characteristic information can be obtained.

[0201] In the above embodiment, the selection unit 22 is provided in the server 2 and the notification unit 38 is provided in the tablet 3, but this is not limiting, and the selection unit 22 and notification unit 38 may be provided in the experimental device 5. In other words, without using the server 2 and the tablet 3, the experimental device 5 may select the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head based on the ejection characteristic information, and notify the user of the result by displaying it on a display or the like.

[0202] The server program 20 of this embodiment causes the server 2, which is capable of receiving multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of multiple different heads 10 from the tablet 3, to function as a selection unit 22, which is an example of a selection means for selecting a first liquid ejection head to a third liquid ejection head from among the multiple heads 10 based on the multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the tablet 3.

[0203] According to such a server program 20, it is possible to have the server 2 process a plurality of sets of tablets 3 and experimental devices 5 owned by the user all at once.

[0204] The client program 30 of this embodiment causes a tablet 3 that can communicate with an experimental device 5 that can connect to multiple different heads 10 and acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of the multiple heads 10, and a server 2 that selects the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head from the multiple heads 10, to function as a characteristic sending unit 37, an example of a characteristic sending means that sends the multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the experimental device 5 to the server 2, and as a notification unit 38, an example of a notification means that notifies the user of information regarding the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head acquired from the server 2.

[0205] According to such a client program 30, it is possible to cause the head 10 to eject ink via the experimental device 5 by operating the general-purpose tablet 3.

[0206] In the above embodiment, the selection unit 22 is provided in the server program 20, but this is not limiting, and a selection means equivalent to the selection unit 22 may be provided in the client program 30. In other words, the client program 30 may select the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head based on the ejection characteristic information, without using the server program 20.

[0207] Second Embodiment The system 1 of the first embodiment has exemplified the head 10A, head 10B, and head 10C as different heads 10, which are different in the number of pressure chambers CB provided for one nozzle N. The different heads 10 are not limited to such differences.

[0208] For example, the plurality of different liquid ejection heads may be heads in which the driving forces of the piezoelectric actuators PZq provided corresponding to one pressure chamber CB are different from each other.

[0209] In addition, the plurality of different liquid ejection heads may be heads in which the diameters of the nozzles N provided corresponding to one pressure chamber CB are different from each other.

[0210] Third Embodiment The characteristic acquisition unit 67 in the first embodiment is realized as part of the first drive circuit 60, but is not limited to this. The characteristic acquisition unit 67 may also be implemented as part of the experimental device program executed by the control processing unit 64.

[0211] In other words, the experimental device program causes the experimental device 5, which can be connected to multiple different heads 10 and can communicate with the tablet 3, to function as a characteristic acquisition unit, which is an example of a characteristic acquisition means that ejects ink from the multiple heads 10 in response to commands from the tablet 3 and acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of the multiple heads 10.

[0212] In the first embodiment, the server program 20 is provided with the selection unit 22 and the client program 30 is provided with the notification unit 38, but this is not limited to this, and the experimental equipment program may be provided with a selection means and notification means corresponding to the selection unit 22 and notification unit 38. In other words, without using the server program 20 and the client program 30, the experimental equipment program may select the first liquid ejection head to the third liquid ejection head based on the ejection characteristic information, and the result may be displayed on a display or the like provided in the experimental equipment to notify the user.

[0213] Fourth Embodiment In the above embodiment, the selection section 22 selects the first liquid ejection head, the second liquid ejection head, and the third liquid ejection head, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0214] That is, the system according to this embodiment includes a characteristics acquisition unit that acquires ejection characteristics information relating to the ejection characteristics of the liquid ejection head, a selection unit that selects a liquid ejection head that satisfies the allowable conditions based on the ejection characteristics information acquired by the characteristics acquisition unit, and a notification unit that notifies the user of the selected liquid ejection head. The liquid ejection head that satisfies the allowable conditions here is the second liquid ejection head described in embodiment 1.

[0215] The system according to this embodiment does not necessarily require multiple liquid ejection heads, but determines whether or not the tolerance conditions are met for each of one or more liquid ejection heads, thereby notifying the user whether or not one or more liquid ejection heads meet the tolerance conditions.

[0216] Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, an inkjet recording head has been described as an example of a liquid ejection head, but the present invention is intended to cover a wide range of liquid ejection heads, and can be applied to liquid ejection heads that eject liquids other than ink. Examples of other liquid ejection heads include various recording heads used in image recording devices such as printers, color material ejection heads used in manufacturing color filters for liquid crystal displays, electrode material ejection heads used in forming electrodes for organic EL displays, FEDs (field emission displays), and bioorganic material ejection heads used in manufacturing biochips, and the present invention can also be applied to liquid ejection devices equipped with such liquid ejection heads.

[0217] In the above embodiment, a piezoelectric actuator is used as the driving element that generates a pressure change in the pressure chamber, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the driving element may be a device in which a heating element is disposed in the pressure chamber and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle by bubbles generated by the heat generated by the heating element, or a so-called electrostatic actuator in which static electricity is generated between a vibration plate and an electrode and the vibration plate is deformed by the electrostatic force, thereby ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0218] 1...system, 2...server, 3...tablet (external device), 4...ink supply device, 5...experimental device, 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10A1, 10A2, 10B1, 10B2...inkjet recording head (liquid ejection head), 20...server program, 22...selection unit (selection means), 30...client program, 31...touch panel (display unit), 35...input processing unit, 36...command unit, 37...characteristic transmission unit, 38...notification unit (notification means), 51A...first connector, 51B...second connector, 60...first drive circuit (drive circuit), 67...characteristic acquisition unit, 200, 200A, 200B...wiring board, 201...second drive circuit, PZq...piezoelectric actuator

Claims

1. a characteristic acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of a plurality of different liquid ejection heads; a selection unit that selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads based on the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information; a notification unit that notifies a user of information related to the first liquid ejection head, The system is characterized in that the first liquid ejection head is the liquid ejection head having the best ejection characteristics among the plurality of liquid ejection heads.

2. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ejection characteristics include an ejection amount when the liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection head.

3. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ejection characteristics include an ejection speed when the liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection head.

4. each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads includes a pressure chamber, a vibration plate, and a piezoelectric element that applies pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber by vibrating the vibration plate; 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ejection characteristics include a parameter obtained from residual vibration after driving the piezoelectric element.

5. the selection unit further selects a second liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads; the notification unit further notifies a user of information relating to the second liquid ejection head; 5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head among the plurality of liquid ejection heads that has ejection characteristics inferior to those of the first liquid ejection head but satisfies acceptable conditions.

6. A characteristic acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics of multiple different liquid ejection heads; a selection unit that selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads based on the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information; a notification unit that notifies a user of information related to the first liquid ejection head, the selection unit further selects a second liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads; the notification unit further notifies a user of information relating to the second liquid ejection head; The second liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head among the plurality of liquid ejection heads that has ejection characteristics inferior to those of the first liquid ejection head but satisfies acceptable conditions.

7. the selection unit further selects a third liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads; the notification unit further notifies a user of information relating to the third liquid ejection head; 7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the third liquid ejection head is a liquid ejection head of the plurality of liquid ejection heads whose ejection characteristics do not satisfy an allowable condition.

8. each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads includes a pressure chamber, a vibration plate, and a drive element that applies pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber by vibrating the vibration plate; 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid ejection heads have different driving forces of the driving elements provided corresponding to one of the pressure chambers.

9. each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads includes a pressure chamber and a nozzle provided corresponding to the pressure chamber; 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid ejection heads have nozzles each provided corresponding to one of the pressure chambers with a different diameter.

10. each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads includes a pressure chamber and a nozzle provided corresponding to the pressure chamber; 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid ejection heads have different numbers of pressure chambers communicating with one nozzle.

11. A characteristics acquisition unit that acquires multiple pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to ejection characteristics of multiple different liquid ejection heads; a selection unit that selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads based on the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information; a notification unit that notifies a user of information related to the first liquid ejection head, each of the plurality of liquid ejection heads includes a pressure chamber and a nozzle provided corresponding to the pressure chamber; The system is characterized in that the plurality of liquid ejection heads have different numbers of pressure chambers communicating with one nozzle.

12. The system described in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the characteristic acquisition unit acquires multiple ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics when liquid is ejected by applying multiple drive signals to drive elements provided in each of the multiple liquid ejection heads.

13. A characteristics acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of a plurality of different liquid ejection heads; a selection unit that selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads based on the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information; a notification unit that notifies a user of information related to the first liquid ejection head, The system is characterized in that the characteristic acquisition unit acquires multiple ejection characteristic information regarding the ejection characteristics when liquid is ejected by applying multiple drive signals to drive elements provided in each of the multiple liquid ejection heads.

14. the plurality of liquid ejection heads; an experimental device to which the plurality of liquid ejection heads can be connected; an external device capable of communicating with the experimental device; a server capable of communicating with the external device; the external device includes the notification unit and a display unit capable of displaying a notification by the notification unit; The system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the server comprises the selection unit.

15. The system described in claim 14, characterized in that the experimental device has a first connector capable of connecting some of the plurality of liquid ejection heads, and a second connector capable of connecting another portion of the plurality of liquid ejection heads.

16. A characteristics acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristics information relating to the ejection characteristics of a plurality of different liquid ejection heads; a selection unit that selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads based on the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information; a notification unit that notifies a user of information related to the first liquid ejection head, the plurality of liquid ejection heads; an experimental device to which the plurality of liquid ejection heads can be connected; an external device capable of communicating with the experimental device; a server capable of communicating with the external device, the external device includes the notification unit and a display unit capable of displaying a notification by the notification unit; the server includes the selection unit, The experimental apparatus is a system characterized by having a first connector capable of connecting some of the plurality of liquid ejection heads, and a second connector capable of connecting another portion of the plurality of liquid ejection heads.

17. 17. The system according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the first connector and the second connector have different shapes.

18. 18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the experimental device includes a drive circuit capable of commonly driving the plurality of liquid ejection heads.

19. a server capable of communicating with an external device a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of a plurality of different liquid ejection heads; A server program characterized by functioning as a selection means for selecting a first liquid ejection head, which is the liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics, from the plurality of liquid ejection heads based on the plurality of ejection characteristic information obtained from the external device.

20. A server capable of communicating with an external device a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of a plurality of different liquid ejection heads, A server program characterized by functioning as a selection means for selecting a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads and a second liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads whose ejection characteristics are inferior to those of the first liquid ejection head but which satisfies tolerance conditions, based on the plurality of ejection characteristic information obtained from the external device.

21. an external device capable of communicating with a server that selects a first liquid ejection head from among the plurality of liquid ejection heads, the first liquid ejection head being the liquid ejection head with the best ejection characteristics; and an experimental device that can connect to a plurality of different liquid ejection heads and acquires a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of the plurality of liquid ejection heads. a characteristic transmission means for transmitting the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the experimental device to the server; a client program that functions as a notification unit that notifies a user of information about the first liquid ejection head acquired from the server;

22. An experimental device capable of connecting a plurality of different liquid ejection heads and acquiring a plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information relating to the ejection characteristics of the plurality of liquid ejection heads, and an external device capable of communicating with a server that selects from the plurality of liquid ejection heads a first liquid ejection head and a second liquid ejection head from the plurality of liquid ejection heads whose ejection characteristics are inferior to the first liquid ejection head but which satisfies an acceptable condition, a characteristic transmission means for transmitting the plurality of pieces of ejection characteristic information acquired from the experimental device to the server; a client program that functions as a notification unit that notifies a user of information about the first liquid ejection head and information about the second liquid ejection head acquired from the server;

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