JP2007007961A - Liquid delivering apparatus, computer program, and displaying method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display the result when an inspection for delivering liquid is carried out. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid delivering apparatus has nozzles for delivering the liquid, a liquid delivering detecting part for detecting whether or not the liquid is delivered from the nozzles, a displaying part for displaying information based on the detected result by the liquid delivering detecting part, and a controller for making the displaying part display a screen according to the information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus having a nozzle for ejecting liquid, a computer program, and a display method.

As a liquid ejecting apparatus having a function of detecting whether or not a liquid is ejected from a nozzle, for example, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) that ejects ink as a liquid from the nozzle is known. The printer forms an image by ejecting ink toward a medium to form dots on the medium. When ink is not ejected due to nozzle clogging or the like, white streaks appear in the image or an image with a color different from the actual color is formed. For this reason, a predetermined pattern is printed using all the nozzles, and the user looks at the printed image to determine whether or not there is a nozzle that does not eject ink (for example, see Patent Document 1). If the user determines that it is necessary, the nozzle is cleaned.
JP 2002-361988 A

  However, in the printer as described above, for example, the number of nozzles that did not eject ink or the number of nozzles ejected from the nozzles is determined so that the user can determine whether the ink is ejected from the nozzles. The user cannot know detailed information such as the color of the ink to be printed and what kind of image is printed when printing with nozzles that do not eject ink. There was a problem that it was difficult to judge.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to realize a liquid ejection apparatus, a computer program, and a display method for displaying a result when a liquid ejection inspection is performed. It is in.

  The main invention is: (a) a nozzle for discharging liquid, (b) a liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from the nozzle, and (c) detection by the liquid discharge detection unit. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a display unit for displaying information based on a result; (d) a controller for causing the display unit to display a screen corresponding to the information; and (e).

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  At least the following will be made clear by the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

(A) a nozzle for discharging liquid, (b) a liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from the nozzle, and (c) information based on a detection result by the liquid discharge detection unit. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: (d) a display unit for displaying the image; (d) a controller for causing the display unit to display a screen corresponding to the information; and (e).
According to such a liquid ejection device, the liquid ejection detection unit detects whether or not liquid is ejected from the nozzle, and a screen corresponding to information based on the result is displayed on the display unit. It is possible to recognize the detection result of whether or not the liquid is discharged from the nozzle by looking at the screen.

In such a liquid ejecting apparatus, a plurality of the nozzles are provided, the information is the number of the nozzles detected that no liquid was ejected, and the number of the nozzles detected that the liquid was not ejected on the screen. It is a screen for showing.
According to such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the user can recognize the number of nozzles detected that the liquid has not been ejected by looking at the screen of the display unit.

In such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the liquid is ink of a plurality of colors, a plurality of nozzles are provided for each color of the ink, and the information is the number of nozzles detected that the liquid has not been ejected. And the color of the ink to be ejected from the nozzle, and the screen is a screen for associating the number of the nozzles detected that the liquid has not been ejected with the color of the ink to be ejected. It is good also as being.
According to such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the user can recognize the number of nozzles detected that the liquid has not been ejected and the color of the ink to be ejected in association with each other by looking at the screen of the display unit. Is possible.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, a plurality of the nozzles are provided, the information is a position of the nozzle detected that the liquid is not ejected, and the nozzle detects that the liquid is not ejected. It is good also as a screen for showing the position of.
According to such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the user can recognize the position of the nozzle detected that the liquid has not been ejected by looking at the screen of the display unit.

In such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the controller can form an image on a medium by ejecting liquid from the nozzles in a plurality of modes, and the information is detected for the nozzles from which no liquid is ejected. Information indicating a state of the image formed on the medium in a state where the screen is formed, and the screen is formed by the mode in a state where the type of the mode and the nozzle from which liquid is not discharged are detected. It may be a screen for associating and showing the state of an image.
According to such a liquid ejecting apparatus, a user can look at the screen of the display unit, and eject a liquid from the nozzle to form an image on a medium. It is possible to acquire information that associates the state of an image formed in each mode with the state detected. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the state of an image formed in a desired mode before actually forming an image on a medium by ejecting liquid.

In such a liquid ejection device, it is desirable that the screen displayed on the display unit differs depending on the detection timing of the liquid ejection detection unit.
The information that the user wants to know and the information that can be notified to the user may differ depending on the detection timing by the liquid discharge detection unit, but according to the liquid discharge device, appropriate information is displayed on the screen according to the detection timing. Can be displayed and appropriate information can be acquired.

In such a liquid ejection apparatus, the image is formed based on image formation data for forming an image, and when the detection timing is after acquiring the image formation data of the image to be formed, It is desirable to display information corresponding to the image formation data on the display unit.
According to such a liquid ejecting apparatus, what is displayed on the screen is information corresponding to the acquired image formation data for forming an image, and therefore, information corresponding to the image that is to be formed is acquired. Is possible.

In such a liquid ejection apparatus, it is preferable that the information corresponding to the image formation data is an image of the image formed on the medium in a state where the nozzle that does not eject liquid is detected.
According to such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the image of the image formed on the medium in a state where the user does not actually form the image and the nozzle that does not eject the liquid is detected by looking at the screen of the display unit. Can be recognized. For this reason, it is possible to clearly and easily determine whether or not an image should be formed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject liquid is detected.

Further, (a) a nozzle for discharging liquid, (b) a liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from the nozzle, and (c) a detection result by the liquid discharge detection unit. A display unit for displaying information based thereon, and (d) a controller for displaying a screen corresponding to the information on the display unit, and (e) according to the timing of detection by the liquid ejection detection unit. (F) The image is formed based on image forming data for forming an image, and the detection timing is the image of the image to be formed. In the case after the formation data is acquired, information corresponding to the image formation data is displayed on the display unit, and (g) the information corresponding to the image data is a state in which the nozzle from which no liquid is ejected is detected. At A liquid discharge apparatus characterized in that an image of the image to be formed on the serial medium.
According to such a liquid ejection apparatus, it is possible to display the result when the liquid ejection inspection is performed on the display unit.

  Also, a nozzle for discharging the liquid, a liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not the liquid is discharged from the nozzle, and a display unit for displaying information based on the detection result by the liquid discharge detection unit It is also possible to realize a computer program for causing a liquid ejection apparatus having a function to display a screen corresponding to the information on the display unit.

  A step of detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from a nozzle for discharging liquid; and a step of displaying a screen corresponding to the information on a display unit for displaying information based on the detection result. It is also possible to realize a display method characterized by having.

=== Overview of Liquid Discharge Device ===
As an example of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention, an outline of a printing system having an inkjet printer 1 and a computer 110 connected to the inkjet printer 1 will be described as an example. Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus is a printing system, but the liquid ejecting apparatus may be configured by a single inkjet printer.

<Printing system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the printing system 100. The printing system is a system including at least a printer and a print control device that controls the operation of the printer. A printing system 100 according to the present embodiment includes an inkjet printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) 1 that prints by ejecting ink as a liquid to form an image on a medium, a computer 110, and a display device 120 as a notification unit. , An input device 130 and a recording / reproducing device 140. The printer 1 prints an image on a medium such as paper, cloth, film, or OHP paper. The computer 110 is communicably connected to the printer 1. In order to cause the printer 1 to print an image, the computer 110 outputs print data corresponding to the image to the printer 1. Computer programs such as application programs and printer drivers are installed in the computer 110.

<Printer driver>
FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of basic processing performed by the printer driver.
In the computer 110, computer programs such as the video driver 102, the application program 104, and the printer driver 111 are operating under an operating system installed in the computer 110. The video driver 102 has a function of displaying, for example, a user interface on the display device 120 in accordance with a display command from the application program 104 or the printer driver 111. The application program 104 has a function of performing image editing, for example, and creates data related to an image (image data). The user can give an instruction to print an image edited by the application program 104 via the user interface of the application program 104. When the application program 104 receives a print instruction, the application program 104 outputs image data to the printer driver 111.

  The printer driver 111 receives image data from the application program 104, converts the image data into print data, and outputs the print data to the inkjet printer 1. Here, the print data is data in a format that can be interpreted by the ink jet printer 1 and is data having various command data and pixel data. The command data is data for instructing the inkjet printer 1 to execute a specific operation. The pixel data is data relating to pixels constituting an image to be printed (printed image). For example, data relating to dots (color and size of dots) formed at positions on the medium S corresponding to a certain pixel. Etc.).

  The printer driver 111 includes a resolution conversion processing unit 112, a color conversion processing unit 114, a halftone processing unit 116, and a rasterization processing unit 118 in order to convert the image data output from the application program 104 into print data. I have.

  The resolution conversion processing unit 112 performs resolution conversion processing for converting image data (text data, image data, etc.) output from the application program 104 into a resolution for printing on the paper S as a medium. With the resolution conversion process, for example, when the resolution when printing an image on paper is specified as 720 × 720 dpi, the image data received from the application program 104 is converted into image data with a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi. Note that the image data after the resolution conversion process is multi-gradation (for example, 256 gradations) RGB data represented by an RGB color space. Hereinafter, RGB data obtained by performing resolution conversion processing on image data is referred to as RGB image data.

  The color conversion processing unit 114 performs color conversion processing for converting RGB data into CMYK data represented by a CMYK color space. The color conversion process is performed by the printer driver referring to a table (color conversion lookup table LUT) in which the gradation values of RGB data and the gradation values of CMYK data are associated with each other. The CMYK data is data corresponding to the ink color of the inkjet printer 1. Through this color conversion process, RGB data for each pixel is converted into CMYK data corresponding to the ink color. Hereinafter, CMYK data obtained by performing color conversion processing on RGB image data is referred to as CMYK image data.

  The halftone processing unit 116 performs a halftone process for converting high gradation number data into gradation number data that can be formed by the inkjet printer 1. The halftone processing is, for example, processing for converting data indicating 256 gradations into 1-bit data indicating 2 gradations or 2-bit data indicating 4 gradations.

  The rasterization processing unit 118 performs rasterization processing that changes the matrix-like image data in the order of data to be transferred to the inkjet printer 1. Thereby, the rasterized data is output to the ink jet printer 1.

<Setting by printer driver>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the user interface of the printer driver 111. The user interface of the printer driver 111 is displayed on the display device via the video driver 102. The user can make various settings of the printer driver 111 using the input device 130.

  From this screen, the user can select various printing conditions such as the printing resolution (dot interval when printing), the type and size of the medium to be printed, and the printing mode. The printer driver 111 performs the data conversion process described above according to the selected printing condition, and converts the image data into print data.

<Printer>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view of the overall configuration of the printer 1. Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the printer of this embodiment will be described.

  The printer 1 includes a transport unit 20, a carriage unit 30, a head unit 40, a detector group 50, and a control unit 60. The printer 1 that has received print data from the computer 110 that is an external device controls each unit (conveyance unit 20, carriage unit 30, and head unit 40) by the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls each unit based on the print data received from the computer 110 and prints an image on a sheet. The situation in the printer 1 is monitored by the detector group 50, and the detector group 50 outputs the detection result to the control unit 60. The control unit 60 controls each unit based on the detection result output from the detector group 50.

  The transport unit 20 transports a medium such as paper in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a transport direction). The transport unit 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport motor 22 (also referred to as a PF motor), a transport roller 23, a platen 24, and a paper discharge roller 25. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for feeding the paper inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer. The transport roller 23 is a roller that transports the paper S fed by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area. The platen 24 supports the paper S being printed. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller for discharging the paper S to the outside of the printer 1 and is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the printable area. The paper discharge roller 25 rotates in synchronization with the transport roller 23.

  The carriage unit 30 is for moving the head 41 in a predetermined movement direction. The carriage unit 30 includes a carriage 31 and a carriage motor 32 (also referred to as a CR motor). The carriage 31 can reciprocate along a guide portion 46 provided in the movement direction. Further, the carriage 31 detachably holds an ink cartridge that stores ink. The carriage motor 32 is a motor for moving the carriage 31 in the movement direction.

  The head unit 40 is for ejecting ink onto paper. The head unit 40 has a head 41. The head 41 has a plurality of nozzles, and ejects ink intermittently from each nozzle. The head 41 is provided on the carriage 31. Therefore, when the carriage 31 moves in the movement direction, the head 41 also moves in the movement direction. Then, when the head 41 is moved in the moving direction, droplets of ink (hereinafter referred to as ink droplets) are intermittently ejected, whereby dot rows (raster lines) along the moving direction are formed on a sheet as an example of the medium. It is formed.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of nozzles on the lower surface of the head 41. On the lower surface of the head 41, a black ink nozzle row 411 (K), a cyan ink nozzle row 411 (C), a magenta ink nozzle row 411 (M), and a yellow ink nozzle row 411 (Y) are formed. . Each nozzle row includes a plurality of nozzles that are ejection ports for ejecting ink of each color. The plurality of nozzles in each nozzle row are aligned at a constant interval (nozzle pitch: k · D) along the transport direction. Here, D is a minimum dot pitch in the transport direction (that is, an interval at the highest resolution of dots formed on the paper S). K is an integer of 1 or more. For example, when the nozzle pitch is 180 dpi (1/180 inch) and the dot pitch in the transport direction is 720 dpi (1/720 inch), k = 4. The nozzles in each nozzle row are assigned a smaller number as the nozzles on the downstream side (# 1 to # 180). Each nozzle is provided with an ink chamber (not shown) and a piezo element (not shown). The ink chamber is expanded and contracted by driving the piezo element, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle.

  The detector group 50 includes a linear encoder 51, a rotary encoder 52, a paper detection sensor 53, an optical sensor 54, and a liquid discharge for detecting whether ink is discharged from each nozzle provided in the head 41. An ink discharge detection unit 70 as a detection unit is included. The linear encoder 51 is for detecting the position of the carriage 31 in the moving direction. The rotary encoder 52 is for detecting the rotation amount of the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 is for detecting the position of the leading edge of the paper to be printed. The optical sensor 54 is attached to the carriage 31. The optical sensor 54 detects the presence or absence of a sheet by the light receiving unit detecting reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting unit to the sheet. The ink discharge detection unit 70 will be described later.

  The control unit 60 is a control unit for controlling the printer. The control unit 60 includes an interface unit 61, a CPU 62, a memory 63, and a unit control circuit 64. The interface unit 61 is for transmitting and receiving data between the computer 110 which is an external device and the printer 1. The CPU 62 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer. The memory 63 is for securing an area for storing a program of the CPU 62, a work area, and the like, and includes storage elements such as a RAM and an EEPROM. The CPU 62 controls each unit via the unit control circuit 64 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63.

=== Printing method ===
<About printing operation>
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of processing during printing. Each process described below is executed by the control unit 60 controlling each unit in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63. This program has a code for executing each process.

  Print Command Reception (S001): First, the control unit 60 receives a print command from the computer 110 via the interface unit 61. This print command is included in the header of print data transmitted from the computer 110 together with information such as print conditions. Then, the control unit 60 analyzes the contents of various commands included in the received print data, and performs the following paper feeding process / conveying process / dot forming process using each unit.

  Paper Feed Process (S002): The paper feed process is a process for supplying paper to be printed into the printer and positioning the paper at a print start position (also referred to as a cue position). The controller 60 rotates the paper feed roller 21 and the transport roller 23 to position the paper at the print start position.

  Dot Formation Process (S003): The dot formation process is a process for forming dots on the paper by intermittently ejecting ink from the head 41 that moves along the movement direction. The control unit 60 drives the carriage motor 32 to move the carriage 31 in the moving direction, and the head based on data for each unit area (hereinafter referred to as unit area data) included in the print data while the carriage 31 is moving. Ink is ejected from 41. When ink droplets ejected from the head 41 land on the paper, dots are formed on the paper. Since ink is intermittently ejected from the moving head 41, a dot row (raster line) composed of a plurality of dots along the moving direction is formed on the paper. Here, the “unit area” refers to a rectangular area virtually defined on a medium such as paper, and the size and shape are determined according to the print resolution. For example, when the printing resolution is 720 dpi (moving direction) × 720 dpi (conveying direction), the unit area has a square shape with a size of about 35.28 μm × 35.28 μm (≈ 1/720 inch × 1/720 inch). Become an area. When an ink droplet is ideally ejected, the ink droplet lands on the center position of the unit area, and then spreads to form dots in the unit area.

  Transport Process (S004): The transport process is a process of moving the paper relative to the head 41 along the transport direction. The controller 60 rotates the transport roller 23 to transport the paper in the transport direction. By this carrying process, the head 41 can form dots in the next dot forming process at a position different from the position of the dots formed by the previous dot forming process.

  Paper discharge determination (S005): The control unit 60 determines whether paper being printed is being discharged (discharged). If data to be printed remains on the paper being printed, no paper is discharged. Then, the controller 60 alternately repeats the dot formation process and the conveyance process until there is no more data to be printed, and gradually prints an image composed of dots on the paper.

  Paper Discharge Process (S006): When there is no more data to be printed on the paper being printed, the control unit 60 discharges the paper by rotating the paper discharge roller. The determination of whether or not to discharge paper may be based on a paper discharge command included in the print data.

  Determination of printing end (S007): Next, the control unit 60 determines whether or not to continue printing. If printing is to be performed on the next sheet, the printing is continued and the sheet feeding process for the next sheet is started. If printing is not performed on the next sheet, the printing operation is terminated.

=== Liquid discharge detection unit ===
<Overview of liquid discharge detection unit>
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the liquid ejection detection unit, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the detection principle of the liquid ejection detection unit.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ink discharge detection unit 70 as a liquid discharge detection unit is connected to a sensing unit 71 that can be opposed to the moving head 41 at a predetermined position, and is connected to the detection unit 71. And a detection circuit 80. The sensing unit 71 includes a foam member 71a that is conductive and rich in water absorption, and has a mat shape, and a wire rod 71b that is provided in a tension state in the foam member 71a and has conductivity such as metal. In addition, the sensing unit 71 is disposed such that the foam member 71 a faces a portion where the nozzles of the head 41 are provided, and the wire 71 b is parallel to the nozzle row of the head 41. When the carriage 31 moves, the sensing unit 71 is disposed so as to face the head 41 in a non-contact state with a gap D between the head 41 and the sensing unit 71. The distance D between the head 41 and the sensing unit 71 is set to about 1 mm, for example.

  A power source (not shown) is connected to the wire 71b of the sensing unit 71 via a protective resistor R1, and a high voltage such as 100 V (volt) is applied from the power source.

  On the other hand, the detection circuit 80 is configured to detect a current generated in the sensing unit 71. In the present embodiment, the detection circuit 80 includes a detection circuit including a capacitor C, an input resistor R2, a feedback resistor R3, and an operational amplifier Amp. The capacitor C serves to input the current fluctuation as an electric signal to the operational amplifier Amp via the input resistor R2 when the current fluctuation occurs in the sensing unit 71. The operational amplifier Amp serves as an amplifier circuit that amplifies and outputs a signal input through the capacitor C. The output signal from the operational amplifier Amp is A / D converted from an analog signal to a digital signal by an A / D converter, for example, and output to the controller 60 in an appropriate form such as digital data.

  When detecting the ink ejection status, that is, whether or not ink is ejected, a very high voltage such as 100 V (volts) is applied to the sensing unit 71 by the supply voltage from the power source. As a result, a very strong electric field is formed between the head 41 and the sensing unit 71.

  The control unit 60 causes the nozzles # 1 to # 180 of the head 41 to individually perform the operation of ejecting ink toward the sensing unit 71. FIG. 9 illustrates how ink is ejected from a certain nozzle of the head 41 toward the sensing unit 71. Here, one ink droplet Ip is ejected from each nozzle # 1 to # 180 of the head 41. At this time, in the strong electric field between the head 41 and the sensing unit 71, the ink droplets Ip ejected from the nozzles # 1 to # 180 are charged.

  When the charged ink droplet Ip discharged from the nozzles # 1 to # 180 contacts the sensing unit 71, the potential of the sensing unit 71 varies. When the potential of the sensing unit 71 varies, the current input to the detection circuit 80 varies, and this current variation is input as an electric signal to the operational amplifier Amp via the input resistor R2. The signal input to the operational amplifier Amp is amplified and output toward the control unit 60 and the like.

  On the other hand, when the ink droplet Ip is not normally ejected from the nozzles # 1 to # 180, the charged ink droplet Ip does not contact the sensing unit 71 at a predetermined timing. Variations in are not detected. For this reason, since no signal is output toward the control unit 60 or the like, it is detected that the ink has not been normally ejected from the nozzle in which the operation of ejecting ink has been executed.

  That is, the control unit 60 determines whether ink has been ejected based on the output timing of the signal from the detection circuit 80 and the presence or absence of a signal output from the detection circuit 80. Such processing for detecting the ink discharge status is hereinafter referred to as “ink discharge inspection”.

<Sensor location>
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the installation position of the sensing unit 71 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the sensing unit 71 of this embodiment is installed in an area An (hereinafter referred to as a non-printing area) that is out of a printing area Ap where printing is performed by ejecting ink from nozzles # 1 to # 180. Is done. In this non-printing area An, in addition to the sensing unit 71, the ink adhered to the nozzles # 1 to # 180 is used as a cleaning mechanism for the nozzles # 1 to # 180 to eliminate nozzle clogging and the like. A wiping device 36 for wiping off and a pump device 35 for sucking ink from the nozzles # 1 to # 180 are provided. The pump device 35 has a cap portion that covers the lower surface 41a of the head 41 provided with the nozzles when the ink is sucked by the pump mechanism, and the cap portion of the head 41 is not printed. It also has a function of covering the lower surface 41a and suppressing drying of ink in the nozzle.

  In the present embodiment, the sensing unit 71 is provided at a position close to the printing area Ap in the non-printing area An, that is, between the printing area Ap and the wiping device 36 and the pump device 35 as shown in FIG. . Thus, when the carriage 31 moves from the printing area Ap to the non-printing area An, it always passes above the sensing unit 71. In other words, the ink ejection inspection can be executed anytime during non-printing when the carriage 31 moves to the non-printing area An.

<Sensing part>
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the sensing unit 71 of this embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the ink recovery unit.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the sensing unit 71 of the present embodiment is provided on a substrate 72 formed in a rectangular shape. The substrate 72 is a printed wiring board. The wire 71b of the sensing unit 71 is stretched over the opening 74 formed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate 72 in a tension state along the length direction of the substrate 72, that is, here the transport direction, and the foam member 71a. Is provided so as to include the wire 71 b and cover the entire area of the opening 74. Both ends of the wire 71b are fixed to the edge of the opening 74 by fixing members 76, respectively.

  The ink droplets Ip ejected from the nozzles # 1 to # 180 of the head 41 come into contact with the foaming member 71a of the sensing unit 71 and then penetrate downward into the foaming member 71a. As shown in FIG. After passing through 71, the ink is recovered by the absorber 92 in the ink recovery unit 90 provided below. For example, the ink collection unit 90 may be provided as a groove formed in the platen 24 or the like so as to have a concave cross section.

  In this embodiment, circuit elements 82, 83, and 84 that constitute a protective resistor R 1, a capacitor C, an input resistor R 2, a feedback resistor R 3, an operational amplifier Amp, and the like that constitute the detection circuit 80 are integrally mounted on the substrate 72. ing.

<Ink ejection inspection timing>
The timing at which the ink ejection inspection is executed includes the following timing.

(1) During printing process Ink ejection inspection is executed at an appropriate timing during the printing process. For example, in the case of “bidirectional printing”, when the movement direction is changed, the carriage 31 moves onto the sensing unit 71 and performs the ink ejection inspection of the nozzles # 1 to # 180. As a result, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a problem in the printed image due to a situation in which ink is not ejected from the nozzles during the printing process.

(2) When power is turned on When the power is turned on, an ink ejection test is executed. When the power is turned on, there is a possibility that ink has not been ejected from the nozzles for a while. In such a case, ink in the nozzles may dry and ink may not be ejected from the nozzles. In addition, since the printer 1 may be turned on to perform printing from now on, an ink discharge inspection of the nozzles # 1 to # 180 is executed as one of the processes at the initialization process of the printer 1. By performing the ink ejection inspection at such timing, it is possible to eject a good image by ejecting ink from the nozzles # 1 to # 180.

(3) At the time of paper feeding An operation for feeding the paper S to a predetermined position for printing, that is, an ink ejection test is performed at the time of paper feeding. At this timing, it is possible to detect whether or not ink is normally ejected when the paper S is fed to print an image, and an ink ejection test is performed each time the paper S is fed. Alternatively, the ink ejection test may be executed every time a predetermined number of sheets are printed at an appropriate interval.

(4) At the time of acquiring print data The printer 1 executes an ink ejection test at a timing when the printer 1 receives print data from a computer 110 connected thereto such as a personal computer. That is, when printing data is received from the computer 110 and printing is to be executed from now on, it is checked whether or not ink is normally ejected. By performing the ink ejection inspection at such timing, it is possible to eject a good image by ejecting ink from the nozzles # 1 to # 180.

  The ink ejection inspection in the present invention is not necessarily performed at the timings (1) to (4) described above, and the ink ejection inspection is performed at a timing other than (1) to (4). May be executed.

<Ink ejection inspection>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the ink ejection inspection.
When executing the ink ejection test, the control unit 60 first clears a counter assigned to a predetermined area in the memory and sets “N = 0” (S202). Next, after adding “1” to the value N of the counter (S204), an operation of ejecting one ink droplet from the first nozzle is executed (S206). At this time, the control unit 60 monitors the output of the detection circuit 80, and determines whether or not a signal indicating that ink has been ejected from the detection circuit 80 is detected within a predetermined time (S208).

  If a signal indicating that ink has been ejected is detected, it is determined whether or not the counter value N has reached 180 (S210). If the counter value N is less than 180, the counter After adding “1” to the value (S204), an operation of ejecting one ink droplet from the next nozzle (here, the second nozzle) is executed (S206), and ink is ejected from the detection circuit 80. It is determined whether or not a signal indicating this is detected (S208). In this manner, the process of monitoring the output from the detection circuit 80 is repeated while sequentially changing the nozzles that perform the operation of ejecting ink.

  On the other hand, if a signal indicating that ink has been ejected from the detection circuit 80 within a predetermined time is not detected, the counter value N at this time is stored in the area set as the non-ejection nozzle storage area of the memory 63. Stored for each ink color (S212). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the counter value N has reached 180 (S210). If the counter value N is less than 180, after adding "1" to the counter value (S204), the next The operation of ejecting one ink droplet from the nozzle is executed (S206), and the process of determining whether or not a signal indicating that ink has been ejected is detected from the detection circuit 80 (S208) is repeated.

  That is, the operation for ejecting ink droplets is periodically executed while sequentially changing the nozzles, and the ink droplets are ejected at the next nozzle after the operation of ejecting the ink droplets at a certain nozzle is performed. Whether or not ink is ejected from the certain nozzle is determined based on whether or not the control unit 60 detects a signal from the detection circuit 80 within the time before the operation (the predetermined time). . In this manner, the ink ejection inspection is sequentially performed on the black ink nozzle row 411 (K), the cyan ink nozzle row 411 (C), the magenta ink nozzle row 411 (M), and the yellow ink nozzle row 411 (Y).

  And the control part 60 acquires the information memorize | stored in the non-ejection nozzle storage area, The number of the nozzle detected that ink was not ejected, the color of ink, and the total number of the nozzles which ink was not ejected It is possible to acquire such information.

  The result of the ink ejection inspection is passed between the control unit 60 and the computer 110, and a screen corresponding to information based on the detection result is displayed on the display device 120 by the processing of the computer 110. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing for displaying a screen according to information based on the detection result on the display device. The control unit 60 performs the above-described ink ejection inspection (S302). When the ink ejection inspection is completed, the computer 110 acquires information on the nozzles that have not ejected ink stored in the memory 63 (S304), and based on the detection result of the ink ejection inspection based on the acquired information. Information is displayed on the display device 120 (S306). In the present embodiment, a controller for displaying a screen corresponding to information on the display unit includes a control unit 60 and a computer 110.

=== Example of detection result display screen ===
Information based on the detection result of the ink ejection inspection can be displayed on various screens according to the user's request, the timing of the ink ejection inspection, and the like. Hereinafter, examples of various screens for displaying information based on the detection result by the ink ejection inspection will be described.

<First display example>
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a first display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result. In the first display example, as the information based on the detection result, the total number of nozzles (hereinafter referred to as non-ejection nozzles) detected as not discharging ink is displayed. Further, on the screen 153 of the first display example, a “cleaning” button 151 for executing the cleaning of the nozzle and an “end” button 152 for deleting this screen display are arranged. Then, the user who has confirmed the total number of detected nozzles displayed on the screen 153 of the first display example clicks the “cleaning” button 151 as necessary to perform nozzle cleaning. It is configured.

<Second display example>
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a second display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result. In the second display example, the number of non-ejection nozzles is displayed for each ink color as information based on the detection result. A “cleaning” button 151 and an “end” button 152 are also arranged on the screen 154 of the second display example. Then, the user who has confirmed the number of nozzles detected for each ink color displayed on the screen of the second display example clicks the “cleaning” button 151 as necessary, thereby cleaning the nozzles. It is configured to be executed. In this case, unlike the screen 153 of the first display example, the user can check the number of nozzles for which ink has not been ejected for each ink color, so the nozzles can be cleaned according to the image to be printed. Is possible. For example, when text printing is to be performed using only black ink, there is no need to perform cleaning unless there is a non-ejection nozzle in the black ink nozzle row. For this reason, useless cleaning is not performed, so that waste of ink and time can be prevented. Here, the color of the ink displayed as the detection result is not limited to four colors of black, magenta, cyan, and yellow. In FIG. 16, the number of non-ejection nozzles for each color of ink is displayed. However, the number of non-ejection nozzles is not necessarily limited to each color. May be displayed. Further, although not used in the present embodiment, the number of non-ejection nozzles may be displayed separately for light color ink, dark color ink, and black, such as light magenta and light cyan.

<Third display example>
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a third display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result. In the third display example, as information based on the detection result, the color of ink to be ejected from the non-ejection nozzle, the number of non-ejection nozzles, and the position of the non-ejection nozzle are displayed. A “cleaning” button 151 and an “end” button 152 are also arranged on the screen 155 of the third display example. The user confirming the color of the ink to be ejected from the non-ejection nozzle, the number of non-ejection nozzles, and the position of the non-ejection nozzle displayed on the screen 155 of the third display example may The nozzle cleaning is executed by clicking the “button 151. In this case, unlike the first display example and the second display example, the user can confirm at which position a plurality of non-ejection nozzles are present. For example, it is possible to confirm whether a plurality of non-ejection nozzles that are detected exist at positions apart from or adjacent to the nozzle row. In this case, since the total number of non-ejection nozzles is small, it seems that the influence on the image is small in the draft printing mode and the text printing mode. For example, if there are three adjacent, there is a possibility of affecting the image even in the draft print mode or the text print mode. Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately determine whether or not to perform nozzle cleaning by checking the position of the non-ejection nozzle on the screen 155 of the third display example. Here, the draft print mode is a lower resolution than actual printing and the use of ink in order to confirm whether the layout of printed matter such as a document created by a computer and the character size are appropriate. It refers to a print mode that prints on a trial basis at a high speed with a small amount.

<Fourth display example>
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a fourth display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result. In the fourth display example, as information based on the detection result, an evaluation of an image printed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject ink is detected is displayed by a symbol for each print mode. The screen 156 of the fourth display example shown in FIG. 18 shows a case where the number of nozzles detected as non-ejection nozzles is small as an example. In other words, since it is printed almost unaffected by the image corresponding to the printing in the draft printing mode, “◯” indicating that a good image is printed is displayed, and it is inconspicuous to correspond to the text printing mode. “Δ” indicating that the streak of the image appears is indicated, and “x” indicating that the image is not printed neatly corresponding to the photo print mode is indicated. On the screen 156 of the fourth display example, for example, a message “Cleaning the nozzles is recommended when printing in a printing mode with an X mark of the image” or “× ”May be displayed instead of“ It is recommended to clean the nozzle. ” A “cleaning” button 151 and an “end” button 152 are also arranged on the screen 156 of the fourth display example. Then, the user who has checked the evaluation of the image displayed on the screen 156 of the fourth display example and has detected the nozzle that does not eject ink, clicks the “cleaning” button 151 as necessary. By doing so, cleaning of the nozzle is executed. In the case of the fourth display example, the user can know not only the presence / absence of a non-ejection nozzle but also the degree of influence on an image to be printed. That is, the evaluation of the displayed image serves as a guideline for determining whether or not to clean the nozzles before printing the image, and the user can easily determine whether or not to clean.

<Fifth display example>
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a fifth display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result. In the fifth display example, as information based on the detection result, an evaluation of an image printed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject ink is detected is displayed as a comment for each print mode. FIG. 19A is a diagram showing a fifth display example of a screen when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 19B is a fifth display example of a screen when about ten or more non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 19C is a diagram illustrating a fifth display example of the screen when about one third of the non-ejection nozzles are detected.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, the screen 157 when several non-ejection nozzles are detected shows streaks that are inconspicuous in correspondence with the text printing mode, but shows that the influence on the image is small. A comment is displayed. In correspondence with the photo print mode, a yellow streak is generated in some places, and a comment prompting cleaning of the nozzle is displayed. As shown in FIG. 19B, the screen 158 when about 10 or more non-ejection nozzles are detected shows comments indicating that yellow streaks occur in some places in correspondence with the text print mode, and the photo print mode In response to this, a comment indicating that a plurality of streaks are generated and a prompt to clean the nozzle are displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 19C, on the screen 159 when the non-ejection nozzle is detected about 1/3 of the whole, a comment indicating that printing is not performed at some places and prompting cleaning of the nozzle is made in correspondence with the text printing mode. In response to the photographic print mode, a comment indicating that the image is not printed clearly and a prompt for cleaning the nozzle are displayed. Here, the case where about 1/3 of the non-ejection nozzles are detected is assumed. However, in this state, for example, ink is ejected from a large number of nozzles such as when the printer receives a large impact due to dropping or the like. It refers to the case of disappearing, and is not limited to about 1/3 of the whole.

  According to the fifth display example, as the information based on the detection result, the evaluation of the image printed in a state where the nozzle that does not eject ink is detected is displayed in the comment for each print mode. It is possible to image an image to be printed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject ink is detected. Therefore, the user can easily determine whether or not to perform cleaning. In addition, when there is a possibility that the non-ejection nozzle may affect the image, a comment prompting the cleaning of the nozzle is displayed, so that a defective image is prevented from being printed, such as ink or paper. It is also possible to reduce waste of printing time and printing time.

  A “cleaning” button 151 and an “end” button 152 are also arranged on the screens 157, 158, and 159 of the fifth display example. Then, the user who has recognized the evaluation of the image displayed on the screen of the fifth display example, which is printed in a state where the nozzle that does not eject ink has been detected, from the comment, clicks the “cleaning” button 151 as necessary. When clicked, the nozzle is cleaned.

  Here, when the first display example to the fifth display example described above display the detection result by the ink ejection inspection executed during the printing process, the “cleaning” button 151 and the “end” button 152 are displayed. In addition, a “print” button may be arranged on the screen, and the user may click the “print” button to continue the printing process.

=== Screen display example based on print data ===
The above-described screens 153 to 159 in the first to fifth display examples are screens that can be displayed regardless of the timing of the ink ejection test. That is, it can be displayed at any timing of executing the above-described ink ejection inspection, (1) during printing processing, (2) when power is turned on, (3) when paper is fed, and (4) when print data is acquired. It is a screen. Hereinafter, a screen that can be displayed after the control unit 60 or the computer 110 acquires print data as image formation data will be described. That is, a display example of a screen that can be displayed at the timing described above (1) during the printing process, (3) at the time of paper feeding, and (4) at the time of acquisition of print data will be described.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating processing for displaying a screen according to information based on the detection result and the print mode on the display device. The control unit 60 performs the above-described ink ejection inspection (S402). When the ink ejection inspection is completed, the computer 110 acquires information on the nozzles that have not been ejected of ink stored in the memory 63 (S404). The computer 110 acquires information indicating the print mode from the print data (S406). Based on the acquired nozzle information on which ink was not ejected and information indicating the print mode, information based on the detection result of the ink ejection inspection is displayed on the display device 120 (S408).

<Sixth display example>
In the sixth display example, as information based on the detection result, an evaluation of an image printed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject ink is detected is displayed as a comment corresponding to the acquired print data.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a screen for displaying information based on a detection result executed after acquiring print data in the draft print mode. FIG. 21A is a diagram showing a screen associated with the draft printing mode when ten or less non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 21B is a diagram when about one-third of the non-ejection nozzles are detected. It is the figure which showed the screen matched with draft printing mode.

  In the screen 160 associated with the draft printing mode when ten or less non-ejection nozzles are detected, the non-ejection nozzles are detected as shown in FIG. 21A, but the effect on the image is small. A comment to be displayed is shown, and a “print” button 150 for executing or continuing printing and an “end” button 152 for dismissing this screen are arranged. For example, as shown in FIG. 21B, a comment indicating that there is a non-printing part is displayed on the screen 161 when non-ejection nozzles are detected about 1/3 of the whole, and a “print” button 150 and “end” In addition to the "" button 152, a "cleaning" button 151 for cleaning the nozzle is arranged.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a screen for displaying information based on a detection result executed after acquiring print data in the text print mode. FIG. 22A is a diagram showing a screen associated with the text printing mode when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 22B corresponds to the text printing mode when about ten or more non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 22C is a diagram showing a screen associated with the text printing mode when about 1/3 of the non-ejection nozzles are detected.

  The screen 162 associated with the text printing mode when several non-ejection nozzles are detected has inconspicuous streaks as shown in FIG. 22A, but the effect on the image is small. A comment is shown, and a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged. In the screen 163 associated with the text print mode when about 10 or more non-ejection nozzles are detected, comments indicating that streaks may appear in the image are shown as shown in FIG. 22B. Then, a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 22C, the screen 164 associated with the text print mode when non-ejection nozzles are detected about 1/3 of the entire nozzle is cleaned with a comment indicating that there is a non-printed portion. A comment for urging is shown, and a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a screen for displaying information based on a detection result executed after acquiring print data in the photo print mode. FIG. 23A is a diagram showing a screen associated with a photographic print mode when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 23B corresponds to a photographic print mode when about ten or more non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 23C is a diagram showing a screen associated with the photo printing mode when about 1/3 of the non-ejection nozzles are detected.

  On the screen 165 associated with the photo printing mode when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, as shown in FIG. 23A, yellow streaks are generated in some places, and comments that prompt the nozzles to be cleaned are included. A “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 23B, the screen 166 associated with the photographic print mode when about 10 or more non-ejection nozzles are detected indicates that a plurality of streaks are generated and a comment that prompts cleaning of the nozzles “Print” button 150, “Cleaning” button 151, and “End” button 152 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 23C, the screen 167 associated with the photo print mode when non-ejection nozzles are detected about 1/3 of the whole indicates that the image is not printed cleanly and the nozzles are cleaned. A comment for urging is shown, and a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged.

  When the screens 165, 166, and 167 of the sixth display example are displayed, since the printer 1 is printing in any printing mode or has already acquired print data for printing, the user can Judgment is made based on the comment displayed on the screen, and when the “print” button 150 is clicked, the printing process is executed. When the “cleaning” button 151 is clicked, the printing process is executed after cleaning the nozzles, and “end” When the button 152 is clicked, a standby state is set.

  According to the screens 165, 166, and 167 of the sixth display example, only the information corresponding to the print mode that is about to be printed is displayed, so that the user performs an erroneous process based on the comment corresponding to the different print mode. I will not let you. For this reason, an image is not accidentally printed or unnecessary nozzle cleaning is not performed while the non-ejection nozzle exists. For this reason, waste of ink and paper can be suppressed. Further, since time is not spent on unnecessary printing and cleaning, the throughput can be improved.

<Seventh display example>
In the sixth display example, as information based on the detection result, an example in which an evaluation of an image printed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject ink is detected is displayed as a comment corresponding to the acquired print data will be described. However, in the seventh display example, an example will be described in which the evaluation of the image to be printed is displayed on the screen as the image of the image to be printed based on the print data.

  FIG. 24A is a diagram showing a seventh display example of a screen for displaying information based on a detection result executed after obtaining print data in the draft print mode, and FIG. 24B is after obtaining print data in the text print mode. FIG. 24C is a diagram illustrating a seventh display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result to be executed, and FIG. 24C is a screen for displaying information based on the detection result executed after acquiring print data in the photo print mode. It is a figure which shows the 7th example of a display.

  On the screen 168 of the seventh display example when the print data for printing in the draft print mode has been acquired, the print data is displayed in a state where a nozzle that does not eject ink is detected as shown in FIG. 24A. An image 186a of an image to be printed in the draft printing mode is shown based on the above, and a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged. On the screen 169 of the seventh display example when the print data for printing in the text print mode has been acquired, as shown in FIG. 24B, the print data is detected in a state where nozzles that do not eject ink are detected. An image 169a of an image to be printed in the text printing mode is shown on the basis of the above, and a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged. On the screen 170 of the seventh display example when the print data for printing in the photo print mode has been acquired, as shown in FIG. 24C, the print data is detected in a state where the nozzles that do not eject ink are detected. An image 170a of an image to be printed in the photo print mode is shown based on the above, and a “print” button 150, a “cleaning” button 151, and an “end” button 152 are arranged. At this time, the images 168a, 169a, and 170a of the images displayed on the screen of the seventh display example are images obtained by reducing the images printed based on the print data, or images printed based on the print data May be part of

  According to the screens 168, 169, and 170 of the seventh display example, when an image is printed while a non-ejection nozzle is detected in the ink ejection inspection, the influence on the printed image is exactly about to be printed. Since the images 168a, 169a, and 170a are displayed, the user can recognize the influence of the non-ejection nozzles on the image that is clearly printed. For this reason, it is possible to determine whether or not to execute cleaning more appropriately, and to determine whether or not to execute or continue the printing process. For this reason, it is possible to more reliably suppress waste of ink and paper. Furthermore, more appropriately, it is possible to eliminate the time spent for unnecessary printing and cleaning, and to finish the printing process in a short time.

  According to such a printing system 100, the ink ejection detection unit 70 detects whether or not ink is ejected from the nozzle, and a screen corresponding to information based on the result is displayed on the display device 120. The user can recognize the detection result of whether or not ink is ejected from the nozzles by looking at the screen.

  In addition, since a screen corresponding to the timing of the ink ejection inspection by the ink ejection detection unit 70 can be displayed on the display device 120, it is possible to display information appropriate for the user on the screen. In particular, when performing an ink ejection inspection immediately after acquiring print data, information based on the print data is displayed on the display device 120, so that the user can acquire more appropriate information.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above embodiment mainly describes a printing system, but it goes without saying that the disclosure includes the printer 1, the liquid ejection device, the display method, and the like. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus has been described as a printing system including the ink jet printer 1, but the ink jet printer 1 detects, for example, an informing unit capable of informing a detection result and whether ink is ejected. If it has an information input unit or the like that can input information such as conditions when performing the operation, it can be realized even with a single printer. For example, the notification unit is a liquid crystal display provided in the printer, the information input unit is an input button or a touch panel provided in the printer, and the controller corresponds to the control unit of the printer 1.

  In the present embodiment, part or all of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced by software, and conversely, part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware.

  In addition, a part of the processing performed on the liquid ejection apparatus (inkjet printer 1) side may be performed on the host computer 110 side, and a dedicated process is performed between the liquid ejection apparatus (inkjet printer 1) and the host computer 110. A part of the processing may be performed by this processing apparatus via an apparatus.

  Moreover, although the printing system etc. as one embodiment were demonstrated, said embodiment is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and is not for limiting and interpreting this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About the printer>
In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 has been described as an apparatus for ejecting liquid. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, color filter manufacturing apparatus, dyeing apparatus, fine processing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, surface processing apparatus, three-dimensional modeling machine, liquid vaporizer, organic EL manufacturing apparatus (particularly polymer EL manufacturing apparatus), display manufacturing apparatus, film formation The same technique as that of the present embodiment may be applied to various recording apparatuses to which an ink jet technique is applied such as an apparatus and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus. These methods and manufacturing methods are also within the scope of application.

<About liquid>
In the above embodiment, the case where ink is used as the liquid has been described as an example. However, the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to ink, but other liquids such as metal materials and organic materials. Various liquids such as a polymer material (for example, a polymer material), a magnetic material, a conductive material, a wiring material, a film forming material, electronic ink, various processing liquids, and a gene solution may be used instead of the ink.

<About nozzle>
In the above embodiment, ink is ejected using a piezoelectric element. However, the method of ejecting ink is not limited to this. For example, other methods such as a method of generating bubbles in the nozzle by heat may be used.

<About ink>
In the above embodiment, dye ink or pigment ink is ejected from the nozzles of the printer 1 from the nozzles. However, the ink ejected from the nozzle is not limited to such ink.

<Ink colors used for printing>
In the above-described embodiment, multicolor printing in which dots are formed by ejecting four colors of ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) onto the paper S has been described as an example. However, the ink color is not limited to this. For example, in addition to these ink colors, ink such as light cyan (light cyan, LC) and light magenta (light magenta, LM) may be used.
Conversely, monochrome printing may be performed using only one of the four ink colors. <About the carriage moving direction for ejecting ink>
In the above-described embodiment, the unidirectional printing in which ink is ejected only when the carriage 31 moves in the forward direction has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Bidirectional printing may be performed.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of a printing system. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of basic processing performed by a printer driver. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a user interface of a printer driver. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an overall configuration of a printer. FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the printer. FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view of the overall configuration of the printer. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of the nozzle in the lower surface of a head. It is a flowchart of the process at the time of printing. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of a liquid discharge detection part. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the detection principle of a liquid discharge detection part. It is a figure for demonstrating the installation position of the sensing part of this embodiment. It is a top view of the sensing part of this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating an ink collection | recovery part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an ink discharge test | inspection. It is a flowchart which shows the process which displays the screen according to the information based on a detection result on a display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the 1st display example of the screen for displaying the information based on a detection result. It is a figure which shows the 2nd display example of the screen for displaying the information based on a detection result. It is a figure which shows the 3rd display example of the screen for displaying the information based on a detection result. It is a figure which shows the 4th example of a display for displaying the information based on a detection result. FIG. 19A is a diagram showing a fifth display example of a screen when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 19B is a fifth display example of a screen when about ten or more non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 19C is a diagram illustrating a fifth display example of the screen when about one third of the non-ejection nozzles are detected. It is a flowchart which shows the process which displays the screen according to the information based on a detection result and printing mode on a display apparatus. FIG. 21A is a diagram showing a screen associated with the draft printing mode when ten or fewer non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 21B is a diagram when about one-third of the non-ejection nozzles are detected. It is the figure which showed the screen matched with draft printing mode. FIG. 22A is a diagram showing a screen associated with the text printing mode when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 22B corresponds to the text printing mode when about ten or more non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 22C is a diagram showing a screen associated with the text printing mode when about 1/3 of the non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 23A is a diagram showing a screen associated with a photographic print mode when several non-ejection nozzles are detected, and FIG. 23B corresponds to a photographic print mode when about ten or more non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 23C is a diagram showing a screen associated with the photo print mode when about one third of the non-ejection nozzles are detected. FIG. 24A is a diagram showing a seventh display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result executed after acquiring the print data in the draft print mode, and FIG. 24B is after the print data in the text print mode is acquired. FIG. 24C is a diagram showing a seventh display example of a screen for displaying information based on the detection result to be executed. FIG. 24C is a screen for displaying information based on the detection result executed after acquiring print data in the photo print mode. It is a figure which shows the 7th example of a display.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer (inkjet printer), 20 transport unit, 21 paper feed roller,
22 transport motor, 23 transport roller, 24 platen, 25 discharge roller,
30 Carriage unit, 31 Carriage, 32 Carriage motor,
40 head units, 41 heads, 41a lower surface of the head, 50 detector groups,
51 Linear encoder, 52 Rotary encoder, 53 Paper detection sensor,
54 optical sensor, 60 control unit, 61 interface unit,
62 CPU, 63 memory, 64 unit control circuit, 70 ink ejection detection unit,
71 sensing part, 71a foam member, 71b wire, 72 substrate, 74 opening,
76 fixing member, 80 detection circuit, 82, 83, 84 circuit element,
90 ink collection unit, 92 absorber, 100 printing system, 110 computer,
111 printer driver, 112 resolution conversion processing unit, 114 color conversion processing unit,
116 halftone processing unit, 118 rasterization processing unit, 120 display device,
130 input device, 140 recording / reproducing device, 150 “print” button,
151 “Clean” button, 152 “Exit” button,
153 Screen of the first display example, 154 Screen of the second display example,
155 Screen of third display example, 156 Screen of fourth display example,
157 Screen of fifth display example (when several non-ejection nozzles are detected)
158 Screen of fifth display example (when about 10 or more non-ejection nozzles are detected),
159 Screen of fifth display example (when non-ejection nozzle is detected about 1/3 of the whole),
160 Screen of sixth display example (draft printing mode, when ten or less non-ejection nozzles are detected),
161 Screen of sixth display example (draft printing mode, when non-ejection nozzle is detected about 1/3 of the whole),
162 screen of sixth display example (text print mode, when several non-ejection nozzles are detected),
163 Screen of sixth display example (text print mode, when about 10 or more non-ejection nozzles are detected),
164 screen of the sixth display example (text printing mode, when non-ejection nozzles are detected about 1/3 of the whole),
165 screen of sixth display example (photo printing mode, when several non-ejection nozzles are detected),
166 screen of sixth display example (photo printing mode, when about 10 or more non-ejection nozzles are detected),
167 Screen of sixth display example (photo printing mode, when non-ejection nozzle is detected about 1/3 of the whole),
168 Seventh display example screen (draft printing mode), 168a Image image,
169 Seventh display example screen (text print mode), 169a Image image,
170 Screen of seventh display example (draft photo mode), 170a Image image,
411 nozzle row, 411 (K) black ink nozzle row,
411 (M) magenta ink nozzle row, 411 (C) cyan ink nozzle row,
411 (Y) Yellow ink nozzle row, Ap print area,
An non-printing area, Ip ink drop, R1 protection resistance, R2 input resistance,
R3 feedback resistor, Amp operational amplifier, S paper

Claims (11)

(A) a nozzle for discharging liquid;
(B) a liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from the nozzle;
(C) a display unit for displaying information based on a detection result by the liquid discharge detection unit;
(D) a controller for causing the display unit to display a screen corresponding to the information;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising (e). The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
A plurality of the nozzles are provided,
The information is a number of the nozzles detected that the liquid was not discharged, and the screen is a screen for indicating the number of the nozzles detected that the liquid was not discharged. . The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The liquid is a multi-color ink,
A plurality of the nozzles are provided for each color of the ink,
The information is the number of the nozzles detected that the liquid was not ejected and the color of the ink to be ejected from the nozzle,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen is a screen for associating and indicating the number of the nozzles detected that the liquid has not been ejected and the color of the ink to be ejected. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
A plurality of the nozzles are provided,
The information is the position of the nozzle where it was detected that no liquid was ejected, and the screen is a screen for indicating the position of the nozzle where it was detected that no liquid was ejected. Discharge device. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
The controller is capable of forming an image on a medium by ejecting liquid from the nozzles in a plurality of modes.
The information is information indicating a state of the image formed on the medium in a state where the nozzle from which liquid is not discharged is detected,
The screen is a screen for associating and showing the type of the mode and the state of the image formed by the mode in a state where the nozzle that does not eject the liquid is detected. Discharge device. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen displayed on the display unit is different according to a detection timing of the liquid ejection detecting unit. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
The image is formed based on image formation data for forming an image,
In a case where the detection timing is after the image formation data of an image to be formed is acquired, information corresponding to the image formation data is displayed on the display unit. The liquid ejection device according to claim 7, wherein
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information corresponding to the image formation data is an image of the image formed on the medium in a state where the nozzle that does not eject liquid is detected. (A) a nozzle for discharging liquid;
(B) a liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from the nozzle;
(C) a display unit for displaying information based on a detection result by the liquid discharge detection unit;
(D) a controller for causing the display unit to display a screen corresponding to the information,
(E) The screen displayed on the display unit differs according to the detection timing by the liquid discharge detection unit,
(F) The image is formed based on image formation data for forming an image,
When the detection timing is after the image formation data of the image to be formed is acquired, information corresponding to the image formation data is displayed on the display unit,
(G) The liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the information corresponding to the image formation data is an image of the image formed on the medium in a state where the nozzle that does not eject liquid is detected. A nozzle for discharging liquid;
A liquid discharge detection unit for detecting whether or not liquid is discharged from the nozzle;
A liquid ejection apparatus having a display unit for displaying information based on a detection result by the liquid ejection detection unit,
The computer program for implement | achieving the function to display the screen according to the said information on the said display part. Detecting whether or not liquid has been discharged from a nozzle for discharging liquid;
Displaying a screen according to the information on a display unit for displaying information based on the detection result;
A display method characterized by comprising: