Nozzle check pattern and liquid droplet ejection apparatus

Abstract

A nozzle check pattern is formed by ejecting liquid droplets onto a recording medium from a nozzle row formed in a liquid droplet ejection head. The nozzle check pattern includes: a first pattern formed by assigning consecutive numbers in order to the nozzles in the nozzle row, dividing the nozzle row into plural first nozzle groups, and ejecting predetermined dots onto the recording medium in order from the nozzle with the smallest number to the nozzle with the largest number in each of the first nozzle groups; and a second pattern formed by dividing the nozzle row into second nozzle groups whose number is larger than that of the first nozzle groups and ejecting predetermined dots onto the recording medium in order from the nozzle with the smallest number to the nozzle with the largest number in each of the second nozzle groups.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing maintenance in the inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of nozzles in an inkjet recording head in the inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modification of the arrangement of the nozzles in the inkjet recording head in the inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a control system that controls the inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a control flow diagram showing the sequence of recording a nozzle check pattern in the inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first drive pattern pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a second drive pattern pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged view showing part of the second drive pattern pertaining to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a control flow diagram showing the sequence of recording a nozzle check pattern in an inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a case where a defective nozzle is present in the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a conventional nozzle check pattern;

FIGS. 14A and 14B is a control flow diagram showing the sequence of recording a nozzle check pattern in an inkjet recording apparatus pertaining to a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a modification of the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another modification of the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the third embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a case where a defective nozzle is present in the nozzle check pattern pertaining to the third embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A nozzle check pattern formed by relatively moving a recording medium with respect to a liquid droplet ejection head in which a nozzle row is formed and ejecting liquid droplets from the nozzle row onto the recording medium, the nozzle check pattern comprising: a first pattern formed by assigning consecutive numbers in order to the nozzles in the nozzle row, dividing the nozzle row into a plurality of first nozzle groups, and ejecting predetermined dots onto the recording medium in order from the nozzle with the smallest number to the nozzle with the largest number in each of the first nozzle groups; anda second pattern formed by dividing the nozzle row into plural second nozzle groups whose number is larger than that of the first nozzle groups and ejecting predetermined dots onto the recording medium in order from the nozzle with the smallest number to the nozzle with the largest number in each of the second nozzle groups.

2. The nozzle check pattern of claim 1, wherein the first nozzle groups are configured by a number of nozzles that is a multiple of the number of nozzles configuring the second nozzle groups.

3. The nozzle check pattern of claim 2, wherein the first nozzle groups are configured by a number of nozzles obtained by squaring the number of nozzles configuring the second nozzle groups.

4. The nozzle check pattern of claim 3, wherein the first nozzle groups are configured by 100 nozzles each and the second nozzle groups are configured by 10 nozzles each.

5. The nozzle check pattern of claim 1, wherein a pattern partition line is formed which partitions the first pattern and the second pattern in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the liquid droplet ejection head.

6. The nozzle check pattern of claim 1, wherein first partition lines are formed which partition the first pattern at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the liquid droplet ejection head.

7. The nozzle check pattern of claim 6, wherein the first partition lines are formed each time nozzles corresponding to the number of nozzles configuring the second nozzle groups eject the predetermined dots.

8. The nozzle check pattern of claim 7, wherein the first partition lines are formed each time 10 nozzles eject the predetermined dots.

9. The nozzle check pattern of claim 1, wherein second partition lines are formed which partition the second pattern at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the liquid droplet ejection head.

10. The nozzle check pattern of claim 9, wherein the second partition lines are formed each time 1 nozzle ejects the predetermined dots.

11. The nozzle check pattern of claim 1, wherein nozzle numbers with the smallest number in each of the first nozzle groups are recorded along a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the liquid droplet ejection head.

12. The nozzle check pattern of claim 1, wherein the number of the predetermined dots ejected in the first pattern is smaller than the number of the predetermined dots ejected in the second pattern.

13. The nozzle check pattern of claim 6, wherein marks corresponding to the nozzle number of the first nozzle forming the first line in each region are added to each region partitioned by the first partition lines.

14. The nozzle check pattern of claim 9, wherein marks corresponding to the nozzle number of the nozzle forming the line in each region are added to each region partitioned by the second partition lines.

15. The nozzle check pattern of claim 4, wherein first partition lines are formed which partition the first pattern at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the liquid droplet ejection head,second partition lines are formed which partition the second pattern at predetermined intervals in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium relative to the liquid droplet ejection head,marks corresponding to the lower two digits of the nozzle numbers of the first nozzles forming the first line in each region are added to each region partitioned by the first partition lines, andmarks corresponding to the lower one digit of the nozzle numbers of the nozzles forming the lines in each region are added to each region partitioned by the second partition lines.

16. A liquid droplet ejection apparatus that ejects liquid droplets to form a nozzle check pattern, the liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprising: a liquid droplet ejection head in which a nozzle row is formed; anda controller that causes a recording medium to move relative to the liquid droplet ejection head and ejects liquid droplets from the nozzle row onto the recording medium to form the nozzle check pattern,wherein the nozzle check pattern includes a first pattern formed by assigning consecutive numbers in order to the nozzles in the nozzle row, dividing the nozzle row into a plurality of first nozzle groups, and ejecting predetermined dots onto the recording medium in order from the nozzle with the smallest number to the nozzle with the largest number in each of the first nozzle groups, anda second pattern formed by dividing the nozzle row into second nozzle groups whose number is larger than that of the first nozzle groups and ejecting predetermined dots onto the recording medium in order from the nozzle with the smallest number to the nozzle with the largest number in each of the second nozzle groups.