JP2011156813A - Maintenance method for fluid ejection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maintenance method for a fluid ejection device capable of easily coping with environmental fluctuations on a wiping operation as well. <P>SOLUTION: The maintenance method for the fluid ejection device including a fluid ejection head 3 in which a nozzle 18 ejecting a fluid is formed on a nozzle surface 3A, to wipe the nozzle surface, includes a first process for performing wiping with a plurality of processing conditions, a second process for measuring at least one of information on the ejection characteristics of the fluid and information on the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface with respect to the fluid, in each processing condition in the first process and a third process for selecting one of the plurality of processing conditions based on the measurement result in the second process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus.

  In an ink jet recording head (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording head) as a fluid ejecting apparatus, a maintenance process for maintaining or recovering a good ejection state of droplets ejected from a nozzle is periodically performed. As a specific maintenance operation, for example, there is a wiping operation that removes adhering matter adhering to the nozzle surface by wiping ink (fluid) etc. adhering to the nozzle surface by jetting with a wipe blade (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  However, in the above recording head, the liquid repellent layer is coated on the nozzle surface, but the liquid repellent layer is worn by repeating the wiping operation. Therefore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for switching the contact pressure of the wipe blade with respect to the nozzle surface.

JP 2009-196243 A JP 2008-201102 A

However, the following problems exist in the conventional technology as described above.
Since the above wiping is performed under certain conditions, it cannot cope with fluctuations in droplet ejection characteristics when the droplets are continuously ejected, changes in the state of the nozzle surface of the recording head, etc. It cannot be said that wiping is performed under certain conditions, and in some cases, the recording accuracy may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus that can easily cope with environmental fluctuations related to a wiping operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.
A maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention is a maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus that includes a fluid ejecting head in which a nozzle for ejecting a fluid is formed on a nozzle surface, and performs wiping on the nozzle surface, and includes a plurality of processing conditions. And a second step of measuring at least one of information relating to the ejection characteristics of the fluid and information relating to the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface with respect to the fluid for each of the processing conditions in the first step. And a third step of selecting one processing condition from the plurality of processing conditions based on a measurement result in the second step.

  Therefore, in the maintenance method of the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, even when the environment related to the wiping operation changes, the information regarding the fluid ejection characteristics of the plurality of processing conditions performed in the first step and the fluid with respect to the fluid It is possible to select at least one of the information on the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface and select an optimum processing condition from the result. By updating the processing condition, it is possible to always perform the optimum wiping according to the environmental change.

  In the first step in the maintenance method of the fluid ejecting apparatus, at least one of a pressing force of the wipe member with respect to the nozzle surface and a sliding speed of the wipe member with respect to the nozzle surface is set under a plurality of processing conditions. It is preferable to perform wiping. Further, in the first step in the maintenance method of the fluid ejecting apparatus, at least one of an angle at which the wipe member is brought into contact with the nozzle surface, a material of the wipe member, and a vibration condition of the wipe member. It is preferable to perform the wiping under a plurality of processing conditions.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, at least one processing condition of the pressing force of the wipe member with respect to the optimum nozzle surface and the sliding speed of the wipe member with respect to the nozzle surface is selected according to the result measured in the second step. Can be updated. Further, according to the present invention, at least one of an angle at which the wipe member is brought into contact with the nozzle surface, a material of the wipe member, and a vibration condition of the wipe member, which is optimal according to the result measured in the second step. Processing conditions can be selected and updated.

  Further, as information regarding the ejection characteristics of the fluid in the maintenance method of the fluid ejection device, the presence / absence of ejection of the fluid from the nozzle, the landing accuracy of the fluid ejected from the nozzle, and the time of landing It preferably includes at least one of the fluid shapes.

  Therefore, in the present invention, when fluctuation occurs in at least one of the presence / absence of the ejection of the fluid from the nozzle, the landing accuracy of the fluid ejected from the nozzle, and the shape of the fluid upon landing. Furthermore, it is possible to detect environmental fluctuations related to fluid ejection, and to select and update appropriate wiping processing conditions according to the environmental fluctuations.

  Further, as information regarding the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface with respect to the fluid in the maintenance method of the fluid ejecting apparatus, the surface area of the fluid adhering to the nozzle surface and the nozzle surface of the fluid adhering to the nozzle surface It is preferable to include at least one of the protrusion heights.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, when at least one of the surface area of the fluid adhering to the nozzle surface and the protrusion height of the fluid adhering to the nozzle surface from the nozzle surface fluctuates, Can detect environmental fluctuations, and can select and update appropriate wiping processing conditions according to environmental fluctuations.

1 is a partially exploded view showing a schematic configuration of a printer according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wiping mechanism which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wiping mechanism which concerns on this embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the wiping operation | movement which concerns on this embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the wiping operation | movement which concerns on this embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the wiping operation | movement which concerns on this embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the wiping operation | movement which concerns on this embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The following embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each configuration easy to understand, the actual structure is different from the scale and number of each structure.

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer 1 (fluid ejecting apparatus) according to the first embodiment.
The ink jet printer 1 includes a printer body 5. The printer main body 5 includes a carriage moving mechanism 16 that reciprocates the carriage 4, an ink cartridge 6 that stores ink (fluid) supplied to the recording head (fluid ejection head) 3 via the ink supply tube 14, and the recording head 3. A maintenance device 7 used for a cleaning operation or the like for maintaining the ejection characteristics is provided.

  The printer main body 5 is provided with a recording paper transport mechanism (not shown) for transporting the recording paper. The recording paper transport mechanism includes a paper feed motor and a paper feed roller (rotation driven by the paper feed motor). The recording paper is sequentially fed onto the platen 13 in conjunction with a recording (printing / printing) operation. The printer body 5 has a control device (see FIG. 4) that controls the entire apparatus.

  Hereinafter, for ease of understanding, directions in the figure will be described using an XYZ coordinate system. Specifically, the reciprocating direction of the carriage 4 is expressed as an X direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X direction in plan view is expressed as a Y direction. A direction perpendicular to the plane including the X direction axis and the Y direction axis is referred to as a Z direction. In each of the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, the arrow direction in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow direction is the-direction.

  The carriage moving mechanism 16 includes a guide shaft 8 installed in the width direction of the printer main body 5, a pulse motor 9, a drive pulley 10 connected to a rotation shaft of the pulse motor 9 and driven to rotate by the pulse motor 9, A driving pulley 10 includes an idler pulley 11 provided on the opposite side of the printer body 5 in the width direction, and a timing belt 12 that is stretched between the drive pulley 10 and the idler pulley 11 and connected to the carriage 4. It is configured.

  Then, by driving the pulse motor 9, the carriage 4 reciprocates in the main scanning direction (X direction in the figure) along the guide shaft 8.

  The maintenance device 7 includes a capping mechanism 15 that is used for a suction operation for sucking the thickened ink from each nozzle of the recording head 3, and a wiping mechanism that is used for a wiping operation for wiping ink adhering to the nozzle surface 3 </ b> A of the recording head 3. 17 or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the maintenance device 7 is provided with an ink droplet sensor 41 and a dot measuring device 42.

  The capping mechanism 15 includes a cap member 15A, a suction pump 34 (see FIG. 4), and the like. The cap member 15A is configured by a member obtained by molding an elastic material such as rubber into a tray shape, and is disposed at the home position. This home position is set in an end area within the movement range of the carriage 4 and outside the recording area, and the carriage 4 is arranged when the power is turned off or when recording is not performed for a long time. Is a place.

When the carriage 4 is located at the home position, the cap member 15A contacts and seals the surface of the recording head 3 on the −Z side (nozzle surface 3A: see FIGS. 5 and 6).
When the suction pump 34 (see FIG. 4) is operated in this sealed state, the inside of the cap member 15A is depressurized, and the ink in the recording head 3 is forcibly discharged from the nozzles 18 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Is done.

  Further, the cap member 15A receives ink droplets in a flushing process in which ink droplets are ejected to discharge thickened ink, bubbles, or the like before or during a recording operation by the recording head 3.

  The wiping mechanism 17 is disposed at the home position integrally with the capping mechanism 15, for example. The wiping mechanism 17 is provided closer to the platen 13 than the capping mechanism 15 in the moving direction of the carriage 4.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the wiping mechanism 17.
As shown in FIG. 2, the wiping mechanism 17 includes a wipe member 17A and a wipe support portion 17B. The wipe member 17 </ b> A is a plate-like member formed using an elastic material such as rubber, and wipes the nozzle surface 3 </ b> A of the recording head 3.

  The wipe support portion 17B supports the wipe member 17A. The wipe support portion 17B is formed so as to hold at least the + X side plate surface 17p and the −X side plate surface 17q of the wipe member 17A. In the wipe support portion 17B, a portion that holds the plate surface 17q is a movable portion 17C. The movable portion 17C is provided to be movable independently from the other portions of the wipe support portion 17B, and is provided to be movable in the Z direction, for example. The movable portion 17C is connected to a drive unit AC having, for example, a motor mechanism and is moved by the operation of the drive unit AC. The amount of movement and the timing of movement of the movable part 17C by the drive part AC are controlled by the control device 58, for example.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state when the movable portion 17C moves in the −Z direction from the state of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, when the movable portion 17C moves, the support position of the wipe member 17A by the movable portion 17C moves from the support position Sa to the support position Sb. Due to the movement of the support position, the dimension in the Z direction of the protruding portion 17f of the wipe member 17A protruding from the movable portion 17C is increased.

  Therefore, in the case where a force in the -X direction is applied to the wipe member 17A in the state shown in FIG. 3, compared to the case where a force in the -X direction is applied to the wipe member 17A in the state shown in FIG. The size of the portion of the wiping member 17A that undergoes bending deformation increases, and the elastic force generated by the bending deformation of the wiping member 17A decreases accordingly.

  The ink droplet sensor 41 applies an electric field between, for example, the nozzle surface 3A and the electrode provided on the cap member 15A, and based on a voltage change based on electrostatic induction detected when ink is ejected from the nozzle 18, The presence or absence of ink ejection from the nozzle 18 (dot missing) is measured.

  The dot measuring device 42 measures a dot shape such as a positional deviation from the designed landing position (landing accuracy) and roundness by performing predetermined processing on an image obtained by imaging the ejected ink on the measurement sheet. It is.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the inkjet printer 1.
The ink jet printer 1 in this embodiment includes a control device 58 that controls the overall operation. The control device 58 includes an input device 59 for inputting various information regarding the operation of the ink jet printer 1, a storage device 60 storing various information regarding the operation of the ink jet printer 1, a recording paper transport mechanism 35 for transporting recording paper, and the recording head 3. Are connected to the maintenance device 7 for executing the maintenance process, the ink droplet sensor 41, the dot measuring device 42, and the like. The inkjet printer 1 also includes a drive signal generator 62 that generates a drive signal to be input to a drive unit including the piezoelectric element 25. The drive signal generator 62 is connected to the control device 58.

  The drive signal generator 62 receives data indicating the amount of change in the voltage value of the ejection pulse input to the piezoelectric element 25 of the recording head 3 and a timing signal that defines the timing for changing the voltage of the ejection pulse. The drive signal generator 62 generates a drive signal such as an ejection pulse based on the input data and timing signal.

  The storage device 60 stores a plurality of processing condition candidates related to wiping by the wiping mechanism 17. Specifically, as the wiping process conditions, the pressing force of the wiping member 17A with respect to the nozzle surface 3A and the sliding speed of the wiping member 17A with respect to the nozzle surface 3A (relative movement speed along the surface direction with respect to the nozzle surface 3A) are plural. Each condition (for example, four) is stored. Further, the storage device 60 separately stores processing conditions for performing wiping selected from the above-described condition candidates.

Next, the wiping operation of the inkjet printer 1 described above will be described.
5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating the wiping operation.
First, when the wiping process is started, the control device 58 places the carriage 4 at the home position. Since the wiping operation is performed after the flushing operation or the suction operation, the wiping operation is started from a state where the recording head 3 (carriage 4) is already disposed at the home position.

  The control device 58 moves the carriage 4 arranged at the home position in the −X direction. As the carriage 4 moves, the wipe member 17 </ b> A comes into contact with the side of the recording head 3. When the carriage 4 further moves from this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the wipe member 17A is pressed and deformed by the side of the recording head 3 toward the -X side, gets over the side of the recording head 3, and moves over the nozzle surface 3A. To touch. As shown in FIG. 5, the wipe member 17A contacts with a predetermined pressing force according to the degree of deformation.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the wipe member 17A that has been elastically deformed slides on the nozzle surface 3A due to further movement of the carriage 4 (recording head 3), and the upper end (+ Z side end portion) of the wiper member 17A contacts the nozzle surface 3A. Wiping is performed by scraping off the adhered ink (first step). The scraped ink is transmitted to the −Z side through the outer surface of the elastically deformed wipe member 17A, and is collected by, for example, an ink collection unit (not shown).

  The pressing force of the wiping member 17A against the nozzle surface 3A in the above wiping is set by the position of the movable portion 17C in the Z direction, and the control device 58 uses a plurality of wiping members 17A held by the storage device 60 to the nozzle surface 3A. One (for example, four) pressing force is selected (referred to as pressing force P1), and the movable portion 17C is positioned at a position where the selected pressing force P1 is obtained.

  Similarly, the moving speed of the carriage 4 (recording head 3) in the wiping, that is, the sliding speed of the wiping member 17A with respect to the nozzle surface 3A is also a plurality of (for example, four) slides held in the storage device 60. One is selected from the moving speeds (referred to as sliding speed S1), and the carriage 4 is moved to achieve the selected sliding speed S1.

After wiping is performed at the pressing force P1 and the sliding speed S1, ink is ejected and information relating to ejection characteristics is measured (second step). Specifically, the piezoelectric element 25 is driven so as to sequentially eject ink from a plurality of nozzles 18, and ink ejection from each nozzle 18 is measured using the ink droplet sensor 41 to detect a so-called dot dropout. .
Further, after detecting the missing dots, the control device 58 ejects ink from each nozzle 18 onto the measurement sheet, and uses the image obtained by imaging the ink that has landed on the sheet to determine the landing position and the design value. Obtain dot shapes such as difference (landing accuracy) and roundness.
Then, the control device 58 stores the detected dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape information in the storage device 60 in association with the pressing force P1 and the sliding speed S1.

Subsequently, the control device 58 causes the wiping to be performed at the sliding speed S2 selected from the sliding speeds stored in the storage device 60 while holding the pressing force P1, and then the information on the injection characteristics. (Dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape information) are measured and stored in the storage device 60 in association with the pressing force P1 and the sliding speed S2.
Thereafter, the control device 58 repeats the same procedure to perform the above wiping at the sliding speeds S3 to S4 selected from the sliding speeds stored in the storage device 60 while holding the pressing force P1. After that, information (dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape information) related to the ejection characteristics is measured and stored in the storage device 60 in association with the pressing force P1 and the sliding speeds S3 to S4.

  Thus, when the wiping using the sliding conditions S1 to S4 is completed, the control device 58 performs wiping again under the condition where the pressing force is changed. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 58 operates the drive unit AC of the wiping mechanism 17 to move the movable unit 17C of the wipe support unit 17B to the −Z side. By this operation, the dimension in the Z direction of the protrusion 17f of the wipe member 17A is increased, so that the size of the portion of the wipe member 17A to be bent and deformed is increased and the elastic force is decreased. That is, the pressing force against the nozzle surface 3A (referred to as pressing force P2) can be reduced (referred to as pressing force P2). Then, as shown in FIG. 8, after the carriage 4 (recording head 3) is moved at the sliding speed S1 to perform wiping, information on the ejection characteristics (dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape) Information) is measured and stored in the storage device 60 in association with the pressing force P2 and the sliding speed S1.

  Then, the same procedure is repeated, and after the wiping is performed at the sliding speeds S2 to S4 selected from the sliding speeds stored in the storage device 60 while the pressing force P2 is maintained, the above-described injection is performed. Information related to characteristics (dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape information) is measured and stored in the storage device 60 in association with the pressing force P2 and the sliding speeds S2 to S4. Thereafter, similarly, after the wiping is performed at the sliding speeds S1 to S4 at the pressing forces P3 and P4 selected from the pressing forces stored in the storage device 60 with respect to the pressing force, the above-described injection characteristics are related. Information (dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape information) is measured and stored in the storage device 60 in association with the pressing forces P3 and P4 and the sliding speeds S1 to S4.

  Thus, when information (dot missing information, landing accuracy information, and dot shape information) regarding the ejection characteristics under 16 types of wiping processing conditions is obtained by a combination of the pressing forces P1 to P4 and the sliding speeds S1 to S4, The control device 58 selects a processing condition that provides the best injection characteristics, and updates the processing condition scheduled to be executed (third step).

  Here, there is no problem when the optimum combination of the pressing forces P1 to P4 and the sliding speeds S1 to S4 can be selected for all the information relating to the injection characteristics, but the optimum combination may differ depending on the information relating to the injection characteristics. . In such a case, a priority order may be set in advance, and a combination of the pressing forces P1 to P4 and the sliding speeds S1 to S4 may be selected based on information with a high priority order. For example, if the priority is set as (1) missing dot information, (2) landing accuracy information, (3) dot shape information, and the optimum combination is different for each piece of information regarding the ejection characteristics, the priority is the highest. A combination of the pressing forces P1 to P4 and the sliding speeds S1 to S4 obtained with high dot missing information may be selected and updated as processing conditions scheduled to be executed.

  It should be noted that the optimal combination selection of the wiping processing conditions and the update of the processing conditions scheduled to be performed are performed when the recording time is set to the threshold when the idle time during the recording process or the number of recording processes exceeds a preset threshold. What is necessary is just to select suitably, such as carrying out when exceeding.

  As described above, in this embodiment, wiping is performed under a plurality of processing conditions, information on ink ejection characteristics is measured for each processing condition, and a wiping processing condition is selected and executed according to the measurement result. Since the scheduled processing conditions are updated, it is possible to easily cope with an environmental change related to the wiping operation. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to perform the recording process by always ejecting ink with a stable ejection characteristic (discharge amount), which can contribute to the improvement of the recording accuracy.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, when the uniform correspondence is not seen in the information regarding the injection characteristics for the combinations of the pressing forces P1 to P4 and the sliding speeds S1 to S4, the injection characteristics having a high priority set in advance. Since the wiping processing conditions are selected based on the information on the above, it is possible to smoothly select more appropriate processing conditions.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which four pressing force and sliding speed conditions for the ink surface 3A are used is illustrated as an example, but this is an example, and a configuration using another number of processing conditions may be used. Good.
In the above embodiment, both the pressing force and the sliding speed with respect to the ink surface 3A are used as items for setting the processing conditions related to wiping. However, depending on the required ink ejection characteristics, etc. It is good also as a structure using only one.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing force and the sliding speed with respect to the ink surface 3A are exemplified as items for setting the processing conditions related to wiping. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When wiping is performed while applying slight vibration to the wipe member 17A, the angle of contact with the wipe member 17A, and the material of the wipe member 17A, at least one of vibration conditions may be added.

On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the information regarding the ink ejection characteristics is measured as a measurement item for selecting the processing condition regarding wiping. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the nozzle surface 3A for ink is measured. It is good also as a structure which measures the information regarding a surface characteristic, or measures both the information regarding the ejection characteristic of these inks, and the information regarding the surface characteristic of 3 A of nozzle surfaces.
As information regarding the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface 3A with respect to the ink, for example, the surface area of the ink attached to the nozzle surface 3A and the protruding height of the ink attached to the nozzle surface 3A from the nozzle surface 3A can be used. The surface area of the ink can be measured using an image captured by an imaging device provided below the recording head 3, and the protrusion height of the ink from the nozzle surface 3 </ b> A is provided on the side of the recording head 3. It is possible to measure using an image picked up by the image pickup apparatus, or to measure using a laser light projector and light receiver provided on the side of the recording head 3. Thus, by measuring the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface 3A, the remaining state of ink after wiping and the remaining state of ink repellency can be detected, and as a result, the influence on the ink ejection characteristics is estimated. Therefore, an optimum wiping process condition may be selected according to the detected state.

In order to improve the accuracy of ink ejection characteristics after wiping, it is necessary to execute all of the plurality of items for setting the processing conditions for wiping and the plurality of measurement items for selecting the processing conditions for wiping. Although it is preferable, when there is a limit on the executable free time, a priority order may be set for each item in advance, and items that can be executed in the free time may be performed based on this priority order.
Conversely, the time required for the implementation of each of the above items is measured and stored in the storage device 60. When a free time occurs, a combination of items that can be implemented to the maximum with the free time is selected. Also good.
By adopting such a procedure, it becomes possible to select the most appropriate wiping process condition within the range of the free time.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (fluid ejecting apparatus), 3 ... Recording head (fluid ejecting head), 3A ... Nozzle surface, 17 ... Wiping mechanism, 17A ... Wipe member, 18 ... Nozzle

Claims (5)

A fluid ejecting apparatus maintenance method comprising a fluid ejecting head in which a nozzle for ejecting fluid is formed on a nozzle surface, and wiping the nozzle surface,
A first step of performing the wiping under a plurality of processing conditions;
A second step of measuring at least one of information relating to the ejection characteristics of the fluid and information relating to the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface with respect to the fluid, for each processing condition in the first step;
And a third step of selecting one processing condition from the plurality of processing conditions based on a measurement result in the second step. In the maintenance method of the fluid ejection device according to claim 1,
In the first step, the wiping is performed under a plurality of processing conditions for at least one of a pressing force of the wiping member with respect to the nozzle surface and a sliding speed of the wiping member with respect to the nozzle surface. Maintenance method of the injection device. In the maintenance method of the fluid ejection device according to claim 2,
In the first step, the wiping is further performed under a plurality of processing conditions for at least one of an angle at which the wipe member is brought into contact with the nozzle surface, a material of the wipe member, and a vibration condition of the wipe member. A maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus. In the maintenance method of the fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The information relating to the ejection characteristics of the fluid includes at least one of the presence / absence of ejection of the fluid from the nozzle, the landing accuracy of the fluid ejected from the nozzle, and the shape of the fluid upon landing. A maintenance method for a fluid ejecting apparatus. In the maintenance method of the fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The information regarding the surface characteristics of the nozzle surface with respect to the fluid includes at least one of a surface area of the fluid adhering to the nozzle surface and a protruding height of the fluid adhering to the nozzle surface from the nozzle surface. A maintenance method of a fluid ejecting apparatus.

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