Patent · US Expired

Droplet discharge device, device for maintaining discharge performance of head, method for maintaining discharge performance of head, method for manufacturing electro-optical device, electro-optical device and electronic apparatus

US7370935B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
9References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 8, 2005
Grant dateMay 13, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 9, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB41J2002/1657
  • WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A droplet discharge device is provided in which for a head having a plurality of nozzles, nozzle rows having clogged nozzles are detected in advance and suction is performed on the nozzle rows having clogged nozzles independently, thereby recovering the nozzles, while measures against the thickening of a liquid in nozzles can be carried out. A droplet discharge device includes: a head having a plurality of nozzle rows including a plurality of nozzles on a nozzle surface in order to discharge droplets of a supplied liquid; a non-discharge nozzle detector that detects which nozzle row of the plural nozzle rows has nozzles that are clogged so as to be a non-discharge nozzle; a suction device to seal a nozzle row including detected non-discharge nozzles on the nozzle surface and performing suction to eliminate the clogging of the non-discharging nozzles; and a moisture retaining device to seal the plural nozzle rows on the nozzle surface to retain the moisture of the nozzle surface.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.