Liquid Ejection Head Nozzle Failure Diagnosis via Residual Vibration and Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting devices struggle to accurately identify the cause of ejection failures, particularly when foreign substances are attached, leading to inadequate maintenance and potential reduction in printing quality.
Innovation Solution
The liquid ejecting device incorporates a camera to image the nozzle surface, an ejection-failure detecting unit to detect residual vibration, and a control unit that infers the cause of ejection failure based on the imaging results, triggering maintenance or notification accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ejection failure detection is performed based on residual vibration alone, then the detection process is simple, but the accuracy of identifying the cause of ejection failure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The detection process is segmented into two stages: initial detection using residual vibration analysis, and detailed diagnosis using camera imaging. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity for routine monitoring while enabling comprehensive analysis when ejection failures are detected, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy without requiring continuous complex operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection using residual vibration analysis before initiating more complex camera imaging. This preliminary action filters out normal operations and only triggers detailed imaging when ejection failures are suspected, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high diagnostic accuracy for actual problems.
2Measurement precision
If camera imaging is performed for every ejection failure detection, then the cause identification accuracy is improved, but the loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Residual vibration analysis is performed as a preliminary screening step before camera imaging. This preliminary detection identifies only those nozzles with actual ejection failures, allowing camera imaging to be targeted only at problematic areas rather than scanning the entire nozzle surface, thereby reducing time loss while maintaining high identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera imaging is concentrated on specific local areas where ejection failures are detected by the residual vibration analysis, rather than performing comprehensive imaging of the entire nozzle surface. This localized approach reduces the time required for imaging while maintaining accurate cause identification for the detected failures.
3Reliability
If comprehensive maintenance is performed for all detected ejection failures, then the reliability of printing operations is improved, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Maintenance operations are targeted specifically at nozzles identified as having ejection failures through the combined detection system, rather than performing comprehensive maintenance on all nozzles. This localized maintenance approach maintains printing reliability by addressing only problematic areas while preserving productivity by minimizing interruptions to functional nozzles.
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance process is segmented into targeted interventions for detected failures and continued operation for healthy nozzles. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high reliability by addressing specific problems while preserving overall productivity by keeping non-problematic nozzles operational throughout the maintenance process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the accuracy of identifying ejection failure causes, allowing for targeted maintenance and minimizing disruptions in printing operations.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid ejecting head causes a vibrating plate to be displaced to eject the ink from a nozzle. The displaced vibrating plate performs damped oscillation. This damped oscillation is also called residual vibration.
Implementation Method 2
a camera configured to image a nozzle surface at which the plurality of nozzles are provided
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting device includes: a liquid ejecting head configured to eject a liquid from a plurality of nozzles to perform printing; an imaging unit configured to image a nozzle surface at which the plurality of nozzles are provided; an ejection-failure detecting unit configured to detect whether the plurality of nozzles have an ejection failure; a maintenance unit configured to perform maintenance of the liquid ejecting head; a notification unit configured to perform notification; and a control unit, in which, when the ejection-failure detecting unit detects the ejection failure, the control unit causes the imaging unit to image a nozzle for which the ejection failure is detected, infers a cause of the ejection failure based on a result of the imaging, and performs at least one of the maintenance and the notification based on the inferred cause.