Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP5551097B2/en
Timestamp: 2020-02-21 07:25:02
Document Index: 653397465

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 101', 'art 101', 'art 104', 'art 105', 'art 101', 'art 105', 'art 101', 'art 105', 'art 106', 'art 5', 'art 101', 'art 2', 'art, 3', 'art, 4', 'art, 5', 'art, 6', 'art, 100', 'art, 102']

JP5551097B2 - Foreign object detection device, foreign object detection method, and droplet discharge method - Google Patents
Foreign object detection device, foreign object detection method, and droplet discharge method Download PDF
JP5551097B2
JP5551097B2 JP2011039540A JP2011039540A JP5551097B2 JP 5551097 B2 JP5551097 B2 JP 5551097B2 JP 2011039540 A JP2011039540 A JP 2011039540A JP 2011039540 A JP2011039540 A JP 2011039540A JP 5551097 B2 JP5551097 B2 JP 5551097B2
JP2011039540A
JP2012137468A (en
強 佐藤
2010-12-09 Priority to JP2010275033 priority Critical
2010-12-09 Priority to JP2010275033 priority
2011-02-25 Application filed by 株式会社東芝 filed Critical 株式会社東芝
2011-02-25 Priority to JP2011039540A priority patent/JP5551097B2/en
2012-07-19 Publication of JP2012137468A publication Critical patent/JP2012137468A/en
2014-07-16 Publication of JP5551097B2 publication Critical patent/JP5551097B2/en
Embodiments described below generally relate to a foreign matter detection device, a foreign matter detection method, a droplet discharge device, and a droplet discharge method.
A technique for detecting a foreign substance in a liquid is known.
For example, in a droplet discharge device, a technique for detecting whether or not there is a foreign substance such as a bubble in the liquid to be discharged has been proposed.
In such a technique, for example, the presence or absence of bubbles is determined from the attenuation of the vibration level due to the presence of bubbles or the residual vibration waveform.
However, in such a technique, it has been difficult to detect foreign matters such as bubbles in a small area such as in a thin pipe. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a technique that can accurately detect foreign matters such as bubbles in a small area such as in a thin pipe.
JP 2009-72696 A
Embodiments of the present invention provide a foreign matter detection device, a foreign matter detection method, a droplet discharge device, and a droplet discharge method that can detect a foreign matter with high accuracy.
The foreign object detection device according to the embodiment includes a signal generation unit that generates an electrical signal, a transmission unit that converts the electrical signal to generate a pressure wave in the liquid, and an electrical signal that receives a reflected wave from the liquid A difference between a receiving unit that converts the information into a signal, a storage unit that stores information about a state in which the liquid does not contain foreign matter, an electric signal obtained by converting the reflected wave, and an electric signal based on the stored information. And a detection unit that detects at least one of the presence / absence of the foreign matter and the size of the foreign matter, and the signal generation unit generates the electrical signal having a frequency satisfying the following expression .
Here, f is the frequency, Ro is the maximum bubble size, Po is the equilibrium pressure of the liquid, ρ is the density of the liquid, and γ is the specific heat ratio.
It is a mimetic diagram for illustrating a foreign substance detection device and a droplet discharge device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a schematic graph for demonstrating the timing of a detection. 4 is a schematic graph for illustrating extraction of information related to a bubble B. FIG. (A) is a schematic graph for illustrating an electric signal S1 based on a reflected wave when there is a bubble B and an electric signal S2 when there is no bubble B, and (b) includes information about the bubble B. It is a schematic graph for demonstrating an electrical signal. 6 is a graph for illustrating the relationship between the diameter dimension of a bubble B and the scattering cross section. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the foreign material detection apparatus and droplet discharge apparatus which concern on 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for illustrating a foreign object detection method according to a third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for illustrating a droplet discharge method according to a fourth embodiment.
In the following, as an example, a case where the foreign matter detection device is provided in the droplet discharge device and a case where the foreign matter detection method is applied to the droplet discharge method will be exemplified. However, the application target of the foreign object detection device and the foreign object detection method is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to detection of foreign objects such as bubbles contained in the liquid.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view for illustrating the foreign object detection device and the droplet discharge device according to the first embodiment.
The droplet discharge device is driven by a thermal type that generates bubbles by heating and discharges liquid using the film boiling phenomenon, and a piezoelectric type that discharges liquid using bending displacement of piezoelectric elements. As an example, a piezoelectric type will be described here as an example.
The droplet discharge device 100 includes a piezoelectric unit 101, a nozzle body 102, a flexible film 103, a nozzle unit 104, an attenuation unit 105, a cover 106, and the foreign object detection device 1.
The piezoelectric part 101 can be obtained by, for example, sequentially laminating a drive electrode 101a, a member 101b, a drive electrode 101c, a member 101d, and a drive electrode 101e, and then firing them integrally. The integrally fired piezoelectric part 101 has high strength and is easy to handle.
The member 101b and the member 101d can be made of a piezoelectric material. Examples of the piezoelectric material include piezoelectric ceramics (for example, lead zirconate titanate). The drive electrode 101a, the drive electrode 101c, and the drive electrode 101e can be formed from a copper alloy or the like.
As will be described later, the piezoelectric unit 101 serves as a pressurizing source for discharging liquid, but also has a function as a transmission unit and a reception unit of the foreign object detection device 1. The signal generation unit 2 provided in the foreign object detection device 1 also has a function of outputting an electrical signal for driving the piezoelectric unit 101 as a pressure source.
The nozzle body 102 is provided with a liquid chamber 102a for storing the liquid to be discharged. The liquid chamber 102 a is provided so as to penetrate between both end portions of the nozzle body 102. The liquid chamber 102a can have, for example, a cross section whose equivalent diameter is d.
Here, the equivalent diameter dimension d is the diameter dimension when the cross-sectional shape of the liquid chamber 102a is circular, for example, a circular cross section having the same cross-sectional area when the cross-sectional shape of the liquid chamber 102a is a polygon or the like. This is the diameter dimension when converted to.
Details regarding the equivalent diameter dimension d will be described later.
Further, a flow path (not shown) communicates with the liquid chamber 102a, and the liquid is supplied into the liquid chamber 102a via the flow path (not shown).
The nozzle body 102 can be made of, for example, stainless steel or nickel alloy.
The flexible film 103 is provided at one end of the nozzle body 102. The flexible film 103 is provided so as to cover the opening of the liquid chamber 102a.
In addition, a piezoelectric portion 101 is provided on the surface of the flexible film 103 opposite to the side provided on the nozzle body 102. In this case, the piezoelectric portion 101 can be provided so as to face the opening of the liquid chamber 102a so that the pressure wave due to the bending displacement of the piezoelectric portion 101 is easily transmitted to the liquid in the liquid chamber 102a. In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric unit 101 serves as a pressurizing unit that applies pressure to the liquid in the liquid chamber 102 a provided on one end side of the nozzle body 102.
The flexible film 103 can be made of, for example, stainless steel.
The nozzle unit 104 is provided at the other end of the nozzle body 102. The nozzle portion 104 has a plate shape and is provided with a nozzle hole 104a penetrating in the thickness direction. One end of the nozzle hole 104 a opens into the liquid chamber 102 a, and the other end opens outside the droplet discharge device 100.
The nozzle part 104 can be made of, for example, stainless steel or nickel alloy.
The attenuation part 105 is provided on the flexible film 103 so as to surround the periphery of the piezoelectric part 101. In the piezoelectric portion 101, so-called main vibration is generated, but at the same time, unnecessary vibration such as spurious vibration is also generated. Therefore, by providing the damping unit 105, spurious vibrations and the like are attenuated, and adverse effects of the spurious vibrations and the like on the main vibration are reduced.
The attenuation part 105 can be made of, for example, silicone rubber.
The cover 106 includes a storage portion 106a that is open at one end. And it is provided in the flexible film | membrane 103 so that the piezoelectric part 101 and the attenuation | damping part 105 may be accommodated in the inside of the accommodating part 106a. Further, the cover 106 is appropriately provided with a hole (not shown) through which the wiring of the piezoelectric portion 101 passes.
The cover 106 can be made of, for example, resin or metal.
The foreign object detection device 1 is provided with a signal generation unit 2, a switching unit 3, a storage unit 4, and a detection unit 5.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the piezoelectric unit 101 converts an electric signal to generate a pressure wave in the liquid, and a receiving unit to receive a reflected wave and convert it into an electric signal. Fulfills the function.
The reflected waves include those based on mechanical vibrations described later, “pressure waves due to bubbles”, and pressure waves generated by hitting the wall surface of the liquid chamber 102a or the nozzle portion 104. Details will be described later.
The signal generator 2 generates an electrical signal for detecting foreign matters such as the bubbles B. That is, an electrical signal for generating a pressure wave having a predetermined frequency by the piezoelectric unit 101 is generated. In this case, the signal generator 2 can generate an electric signal having a frequency f that satisfies the expressions (3) and (4) described later.
A plurality of signal generation units and a frequency range switching unit may be provided according to the frequency range.
As described above, the signal generation unit 2 also has a function of outputting an electrical signal for driving the piezoelectric unit 101 as a pressure source.
The switching unit 3 switches electrical signals. For example, when an electrical signal from the signal generation unit 2 is sent to the piezoelectric unit 101, the electrical signal is prevented from being sent to the detection unit 5 side. On the other hand, when an electrical signal from the piezoelectric unit 101 is sent to the detection unit 5 side, the electrical signal is prevented from being sent to the signal generation unit 2 side.
The storage unit 4 stores reference information. For example, it is possible to store information related to a state in which a foreign substance such as a bubble B is not included in the liquid. Information regarding a state in which no foreign matter such as the bubble B is included can be stored in advance. In addition, it is possible to sequentially store information estimated from the discharge state or the like and inferred that there is no foreign matter such as the bubble B.
The detection unit 5 is based on information collected by the piezoelectric unit 101, that is, information on a reflected wave to be described later and information from the storage unit 4, and the presence / absence of a foreign matter such as the bubble B and the size of the foreign matter such as the bubble B. Detect at least one of In other words, the detection unit 5 has at least one of the presence / absence of a foreign matter such as the bubble B and the size of the foreign matter such as the bubble B based on the difference between the electrical signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electrical signal based on the stored information. To detect.
In this case, as will be described later, the detection unit 5 detects the size of the foreign matter based on the square of the difference between the electrical signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electrical signal based on the information stored in the storage unit 4. To be able to.
Further, the detection unit 5 obtains the scattering cross section σsc based on the difference between the electric signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electric signal based on the information stored in the storage unit 4, and the bubble B or the like obtained in advance is obtained. The size of the foreign matter such as the bubble B can be detected from the relationship between the size of the foreign matter and the scattering cross section σsc.
Further, the detection unit 5 can output a detection result regarding the presence or absence of a foreign substance such as the bubble B and a detection result of the size of the foreign substance such as the bubble B to an external device or the like. Details regarding the detection of the presence or absence of a foreign substance such as the bubble B and the size of the bubble B will be described later.
Next, the operation of the foreign object detection device 1 will be illustrated.
Here, as an example, a case where the foreign substance is a bubble B will be described as an example.
FIG. 2 is a schematic graph for illustrating the detection timing.
As shown in FIG. 2, when a predetermined electrical signal A is applied to the piezoelectric portion 101, a pressure wave is generated in the liquid.
After the application of the electric signal A, mechanical vibrations due to the flexible film 103 and the like, “pressure waves due to bubbles” to be described later, pressure waves generated by hitting the wall surface of the liquid chamber 102a, the nozzle portion 104, etc. 2, an electrical signal as indicated by S in FIG. 2 is detected by the piezoelectric unit 101 which is also a receiving unit.
Therefore, the presence / absence of the bubble B and the size of the bubble B are detected based on the electric signal S.
The electrical signal S includes information other than “pressure wave due to bubbles”, but the detection unit 5 obtains the “pressure due to bubbles” by obtaining a difference from the electrical signal when the bubbles B are not included. Information other than "Wave" can be excluded.
First, in order to detect the bubble B, the signal generator 2 generates an electrical signal having a predetermined frequency f. This electrical signal is for generating a pressure wave having a predetermined frequency by the piezoelectric portion 101.
In addition, when a plurality of signal generators and a frequency range switching unit are provided according to the frequency range, the frequency range can be switched so that an electric signal having an appropriate frequency can be generated. Done.
Details regarding the frequency f will be described later.
The electrical signal output from the signal generating unit 2 is input to the piezoelectric unit 101 via the switching unit 3. The piezoelectric unit 101 which is also a transmission unit of the foreign object detection device 1 generates a pressure wave by converting the input electric signal into a bending displacement.
The generated pressure wave propagates in the liquid in the liquid chamber 102a through the flexible film 103 and hits the wall surface of the liquid chamber 102a, the nozzle portion 104, and the like, thereby generating a pressure wave due to scattering (reflection). Further, when there is a bubble B, a pressure wave due to scattering (reflection) is generated by the pressure wave hitting the bubble B. Furthermore, when the pressure wave hits the bubble B, a volume change occurs in the bubble B, and a pressure wave resulting from the volume change occurs. Note that the pressure wave caused by the volume change has an order of magnitude greater pressure than the pressure wave caused by the scattering associated with the bubble B and the pressure wave caused by the volume change.
In the present specification, a combination of a pressure wave due to scattering caused by hitting the bubble B and a pressure wave resulting from a volume change of the bubble B is referred to as a “pressure wave due to the bubble”.
Also, “a pressure wave due to bubbles”, a pressure wave generated by hitting the wall surface of the liquid chamber 102a, the nozzle portion 104, and the like, and a thing related to mechanical vibrations such as the flexible film 103 described above are combined. This will be referred to as “reflected wave”.
Therefore, the reflected wave includes information related to the bubble B such as the presence or absence and size of the bubble B.
The generated reflected wave is incident on the piezoelectric unit 101 that is also the receiving unit of the foreign object detection device 1 and is converted into an electric signal corresponding to the bending displacement of the piezoelectric unit 101.
An electric signal based on the reflected wave is input to the detection unit 5 via the switching unit 3. On the other hand, the storage unit 4 provides information regarding the state in which the bubbles B are not included, converted into an electrical signal. And the information regarding the bubble B is extracted by calculating | requiring the difference between the electrical signal based on a reflected wave in the detection part 5, and the electrical signal in case the bubble B is not contained.
The detection unit 5 detects the presence or absence of the bubble B based on the extracted information about the bubble B. The presence / absence of the bubble B can be detected based on a predetermined threshold value, for example. The detection unit 5 can also detect the size of the bubble B based on the extracted information about the bubble B.
Next, the detection of the presence or absence of the bubble B and the detection of the size of the bubble B will be further illustrated.
FIG. 3 is a schematic graph for illustrating the extraction of information related to the bubble B.
FIG. 3A is a schematic graph for illustrating the electric signal S1 based on the reflected wave when the bubble B is present and the electric signal S2 based on the reflected wave when the bubble B is not present, and FIG. 4 is a schematic graph for illustrating an electrical signal including information related to a bubble B. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the waveform of the electrical signal S1 based on the reflected wave when the bubble B is present is different from that of the electrical signal S2 when the bubble B is not included.
Therefore, by obtaining the difference between the electric signal S1 based on the reflected wave when the bubble B is present and the electric signal S2 when the bubble B is not included, information about the bubble B is obtained as shown in FIG. The included electrical signal can be extracted. Note that the waveform of the electric signal based on the reflected wave when the bubble B is not included and the electric signal S2 when the bubble B is not included are the same. (Zero).
The presence / absence of the bubble B can be detected by using information regarding the bubble B extracted in this way and a predetermined threshold value.
FIG. 4 is a graph for illustrating the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section.
The horizontal axis represents the radial dimension of the bubble B, the vertical axis represents the scattering cross section σsc, and d1 to d5 in the figure represent the equivalent diameter dimension of the liquid chamber 102a. Here, d1 is 10 mm, d2 is 4 mm, d3 is 3 mm, d4 is 2 mm, and d5 is 1 mm.
Here, in the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc, there may be a plurality of radial dimensions of the bubble B corresponding to the scattering cross section σsc even if the scattering cross section σsc is constant. .
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the scattering cross-sectional area σsc is “α” when the equivalent diameter dimension is d1, there are three corresponding radial dimensions of the bubble B.
Therefore, in such a case, it is difficult to specify the size of the bubble B.
In this case, since the size of the bubble B cannot be known, before the bubble B grows to such a size that an ejection abnormality (occurrence of non-ejection, deterioration of liquid volume uniformity, deterioration of landing accuracy, etc.) occurs. , Could not take action such as causing the discharge operation. Therefore, it has not been possible to prevent the occurrence of abnormal discharge.
However, as shown in FIG. 4, in a portion where the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc is linear, the radial dimension of the bubble B can be obtained from the scattering cross section σsc. Here, the scattering cross section σsc can be obtained by the following equation (1).
Wsc is the scattering power and Iinc is the incident intensity.
Further, the scattering power Wsc can be obtained by the following equation (2).
Here, ρ is the density of the liquid, c is the speed of sound, r is the distance to the bubble B, and Ps (r, t) is the pressure radiated from the bubble B. In this case, Ps (r, t) includes space dependence and time dependence. In addition, <> t represents a time average. Note that, in a small region, r can be the dimension in the pressure propagation direction of the element that stores the liquid. For example, in the liquid chamber 102a, r can be the axial dimension (dimension in the discharge direction) of the liquid chamber 102a.
Since Ps (r, t) is a pressure radiated from the bubble B, the waveform illustrated in FIG. 3B is Ps (r, t).
That is, by extracting an electrical signal including information on the bubble B as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the scattering cross section σsc can be obtained to detect the size of the bubble B. .
Note that the detector 5 calculates the scattering cross-sectional area σsc from the electrical signal including information related to the bubble B and calculates the radial dimension of the bubble B from the calculated scattering cross-sectional area σsc. it can.
Here, the case where the radial dimension of the bubble B is calculated from the scattering cross section σsc is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this.
If Ps (r, t) including information related to the bubble B can be known, the radial dimension of the bubble B can be calculated without performing the calculation up to the scattering cross section σsc.
That is, in the equation (2), the part including the information about the bubble B is Ps (r, t), so that the radius of the bubble B is similar to the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc. The relationship between the dimension and Ps (r, t) 2 can be determined.
Therefore, it is possible to detect the size of the bubble B based on the square of the difference between the electrical signal that includes information related to the bubble B and the electrical signal that is based on information related to the state where the bubble B is not included. Become.
Here, as shown in FIG. 4, there are a portion where the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc is linear and a portion where the relationship is nonlinear.
It can also be seen that the influence of the equivalent diameter dimensions d1 to d5 of the liquid chamber 102a is small in the portion where the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc is linear.
Therefore, it is preferable to drive the piezoelectric portion 101 so that the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc is linear.
In this case, if the driving frequency of the piezoelectric part 101, that is, the frequency f of the electric signal generated in the signal generating part 2 is expressed by the following equation (3), the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc. Can be made linear.
Here, Ro is the maximum bubble size, Po is the equilibrium pressure of the liquid in the liquid chamber 102a, ρ is the density of the liquid, and γ is the specific heat ratio.
The maximum bubble size Ro is a radius dimension of a bubble having the largest size among bubbles to be detected. For example, the radius dimension of the bubble corresponding to a threshold value used for determination of ejection abnormality described later.
In this case, the equilibrium pressure Po and the maximum bubble size Ro can be appropriately set according to the object on which the foreign object detection device 1 is provided.
Then, for example, the frequency f of the electric signal generated in the signal generating unit 2 is obtained using the equilibrium pressure Po and the maximum bubble size Ro obtained in advance through experiments and simulations. If the piezoelectric unit 101 is driven at the obtained frequency f, the relationship between the radial dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross section σsc can be made linear. Therefore, it becomes easy to obtain the radial dimension of the bubble B from the scattering cross section σsc calculated using the above-described equations (1) and (2).
That is, if the piezoelectric portion 101 is driven by the frequency f thus obtained, the radial dimension of the bubble B having a size equal to or smaller than the maximum bubble size Ro can be obtained.
If the equivalent diameter dimension d of the liquid chamber 102a is taken into consideration, it is possible to prevent a plurality of radial dimensions of the bubbles B corresponding to the scattering cross section σsc.
That is, since the radius dimension of the bubble B corresponding to the scattering cross section σsc can be made one, erroneous detection can be eliminated.
In this case, according to the knowledge obtained by the present inventor, if an electric signal having a frequency f satisfying the following expression (4) is generated in the signal generator 2, the occurrence of false detection is eliminated. be able to.
Here, d is an equivalent diameter dimension of the liquid chamber 102a.
It is also possible to provide a liquid chamber 102a having an equivalent diameter dimension d that satisfies the following expression (5).
In this case, the liquid chamber 102 a corresponds to an example of a storage unit that stores the liquid provided in the abnormality detection device 1.
Information on the frequency f shown in the equations (3) and (4) is input to the signal generator 2, and the signal generator 2 generates an electrical signal based on the input information on the frequency f.
Note that the information about the frequency f is calculated based on the inputted maximum bubble size Ro, the equilibrium pressure Po of the liquid in the liquid chamber 102a, the density ρ of the liquid, the specific heat ratio γ, the equivalent diameter dimension d of the liquid chamber 102a, etc. It is also possible to provide an operation unit that does not perform the operation so that the signal generation unit 2 is provided with information about the calculated frequency f from an operation unit that is not shown.
According to the foreign substance detection device 1 according to the present embodiment, not only the presence or absence of foreign substances such as bubbles B but also the size of foreign substances such as bubbles B can be detected with high accuracy.
Therefore, it is possible to realize the prevention of defects and the improvement of productivity with higher accuracy.
The case where the presence or absence of the bubble B is detected has been described above, but the presence or absence of a solid foreign matter such as dust can also be detected. Moreover, although the case where the magnitude | size of the bubble B was detected was illustrated, the magnitude | size of the foreign material which a volume change produces by a pressure change is detectable.
Next, the operation of the droplet discharge device 100 will be illustrated.
In the signal generation unit 2, an electric signal for generating a pressure wave is generated by the piezoelectric unit 101. In this case, if the voltage applied to the piezoelectric portion 101 is controlled, the bending displacement of the piezoelectric portion 101, and hence the discharge amount can be controlled. For this reason, the electric signal generated in the signal generator 2 has a voltage change corresponding to the ejection amount.
The electrical signal output from the signal generating unit 2 is input to the piezoelectric unit 101 via the switching unit 3. The piezoelectric unit 101 generates a pressure wave by converting the input electric signal into a bending displacement. The generated pressure wave is transmitted to the liquid in the liquid chamber 102a through the flexible film 103, and the liquid in the liquid chamber 102a is pressurized toward the nozzle hole 104a. The liquid pressurized toward the nozzle hole 104a is ejected as droplets from the nozzle hole 104a. The liquid reduced by the discharge is replenished into the liquid chamber 102a through a flow path (not shown).
Then, for example, the presence / absence of the bubble B and the size thereof are detected sequentially or periodically.
Further, based on the detected size of the bubble B, a determination is made regarding the occurrence of ejection abnormality.
In this case, when there is a bubble B larger than a predetermined threshold, the discharge operation can be interrupted and a maintenance operation for discharging the bubble B from the liquid chamber 102a can be performed.
Further, for example, when the size of the bubble B is less than a predetermined threshold, the discharge operation is continued, and when the size of the bubble B is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the discharge operation is interrupted and the bubble B is discharged from the liquid chamber 102a. It is possible to perform maintenance work for discharging the wastewater.
According to the droplet discharge device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems and improve the productivity.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for illustrating the foreign matter detection device and the droplet discharge device according to the second embodiment.
The droplet discharge device 100a illustrated in FIG. 5 is also a piezoelectric droplet discharge device.
The droplet discharge device 100a includes a piezoelectric unit 101, a nozzle body 102, a flexible film 103, a nozzle unit 104, an attenuation unit 105, a cover 106, and a foreign object detection device 1a.
In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric unit 101 serves as a pressure source for discharging liquid, but also has a function as a transmission unit of the foreign object detection device 1a. However, unlike the droplet discharge device 100 described above, it does not have a function as a receiving unit of the foreign object detection device 1a.
The foreign object detection device 1a includes a signal generation unit 2, a storage unit 4, a detection unit 5, and a reception unit 6.
In the case of the foreign object detection device 1 described above, the piezoelectric unit 101 is used as a transmission unit and a reception unit of the foreign object detection device 1, and an electric signal is switched by the switching unit 3.
On the other hand, in the case of the foreign object detection device 1a, since the receiving unit 6 is provided separately, the switching unit 3 is not necessary.
The receiving unit 6 can include, for example, a member formed from a piezoelectric material and a drive electrode, like the piezoelectric unit 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an apparatus that can generate an electrical signal corresponding to a mechanical displacement can be appropriately selected.
In the foreign object detection device 1a, the generated reflected wave is received by the receiving unit 6 and converted into an electric signal by the receiving unit 6.
An electric signal based on the reflected wave is input to the detection unit 5 and the presence or absence of the bubble B and the size of the bubble B are detected in the same manner as described above.
The detection of the presence / absence of the bubble B and the detection of the size of the bubble B can be the same as those described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
According to the foreign object detection device 1a according to the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the foreign object detection device 1 described above can be enjoyed. Further, the configuration can be simplified in that the switching unit 3 can be omitted.
The operation of the droplet discharge device 100a can be the same as that of the droplet discharge device 100 described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
What has been illustrated above is a case where the piezoelectric unit 101 and the transmitter and receiver of the foreign object detector 1 are combined, and a case where the piezoelectric unit 101 and the transmitter of the foreign object detector 1a are combined. It is not limited to. For example, the piezoelectric unit 101 and the receiving unit of the foreign object detection device can be combined. Also, the piezoelectric unit 101 and the transmitter and receiver of the foreign object detection device can be provided separately. In the case of a thermal type droplet discharge device, it is only necessary to provide a receiving unit of the foreign object detection device. In this case, the receiving unit is preferably a piezoelectric unit such as that described above.
Next, a foreign object detection method according to the third embodiment will be exemplified.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating the foreign object detection method according to the third embodiment. Here, as an example, a case where the foreign substance is a bubble B will be described as an example.
First, a pressure wave having a predetermined frequency f is introduced into the liquid (step S1).
In this case, the frequency f can satisfy the expression (3). Furthermore, the expression (4) can also be satisfied.
Further, when a plurality of signal generators and a frequency range switching unit are provided according to the frequency range, the frequency range is switched so that an electric signal having an appropriate frequency f can be generated. Is done.
Next, the reflected wave from the liquid is converted into an electric signal (step S2).
Next, information about the bubble B is extracted by obtaining a difference between the electric signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electric signal when the bubble B is not included (step S3).
Next, at least one of the presence / absence of the bubble B and the size of the bubble B is obtained based on the extracted information about the bubble B (step S4).
At this time, the size of the bubble B can be obtained in the same manner as described above. For example, the size of the foreign matter can be detected based on the square of the difference between the electrical signal including information related to the bubble B and the information regarding the state where the bubble B is not included.
Further, for example, the scattering cross-sectional area σsc is obtained by the equations (1) and (2), and the radius of the bubble B is calculated from the relationship between the radius dimension of the bubble B and the scattering cross-sectional area σsc obtained in advance (see, for example, FIG. 4). Dimensions can be determined.
The contents in each step can be the same as those described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Moreover, although the case where the presence or absence of the bubble B was calculated | required was illustrated, the presence or absence of solid foreign materials, such as dust, can also be calculated | required.
Moreover, although the case where the magnitude | size of the bubble B was calculated | required was illustrated, the magnitude | size of the foreign material which a volume change produces by a pressure change can be calculated | required.
According to the foreign matter detection method according to the present embodiment, foreign matter such as bubbles B can be accurately detected even in a small region such as the liquid chamber 102a. In addition, since the size of the foreign matter such as the bubble B can be obtained with high accuracy, it is possible to realize prevention of defects and improvement of productivity with higher accuracy.
Next, a droplet discharge method according to the fourth embodiment will be exemplified.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating a droplet discharge method according to the fourth embodiment. Here, as an example, a case where the foreign substance is a bubble B will be described as an example.
First, a predetermined pressure is applied to the liquid, and the liquid is ejected as droplets from the nozzle holes (step S11).
Next, at least one of the presence / absence of the bubble B and the size of the bubble B is obtained using the foreign matter detection method described above (step S12).
In this case, for example, the foreign object detection method can be executed sequentially or periodically.
When there is a bubble B larger than a predetermined threshold, it is possible to perform a maintenance operation for interrupting the discharge operation and discharging the bubble B from the liquid.
In this case, when the size of the bubble B is less than a predetermined threshold, the discharge operation is continued, and when the size of the bubble B is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the discharge operation is interrupted and the bubble B is discharged from the liquid. It is also possible to perform maintenance work.
According to the droplet discharge method according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects and improve the productivity.
According to the embodiments exemplified above, it is possible to realize a foreign matter detection device, a foreign matter detection method, a droplet discharge device, and a droplet discharge method that can detect foreign matters with high accuracy.
For example, the shape, size, material, arrangement, number, and the like of each element included in the foreign matter detection device 1, the foreign matter detection device 1a, the droplet ejection device 100, the droplet ejection device 100a, and the like are limited to those illustrated. Instead, it can be changed as appropriate.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Foreign substance detection apparatus, 1a Foreign substance detection apparatus, 2 Signal generation part, 3 Switching part, 4 Storage part, 5 Detection part, 6 Reception part, 100 Droplet ejection apparatus, 100a Droplet ejection apparatus, 101 Piezoelectric part, 102 Nozzle body , 102a Liquid chamber, 103 Flexible membrane, 104 Nozzle part, B bubble
A signal generator for generating electrical signals;
A transmitter that converts the electrical signal to generate a pressure wave in the liquid;
A receiving unit that receives a reflected wave from the liquid and converts it into an electrical signal;
A storage unit that stores information about a state in which the liquid does not contain foreign matter;
A detection unit that detects at least one of the presence / absence of the foreign matter and the size of the foreign matter based on a difference between the electrical signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electrical signal based on the stored information;
The signal generation unit generates the electric signal having a frequency satisfying the following expression:
The said detection part detects the magnitude | size of the said foreign material based on the square of the difference of the electric signal which converted the said reflected wave, and the electric signal based on the stored information. The foreign matter detection device described.
A storage section for storing the liquid;
The foreign object detection device according to claim 1, wherein an equivalent diameter dimension of the storage portion satisfies the following expression.
Here, f is a frequency, and d is an equivalent diameter dimension of the storage portion.
Introducing a pressure wave having a predetermined frequency into the liquid;
Converting the reflected wave from the liquid into an electrical signal;
Extracting the information about the foreign matter by determining the difference between the electrical signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electrical signal when the foreign matter is not included;
Obtaining at least one of the presence or absence of the foreign matter and the size of the foreign matter based on the information about the extracted foreign matter;
In the step of introducing the pressure wave into the liquid, the foreign object detection method, wherein the pressure wave having a frequency satisfying the following expression is introduced into the liquid.
When obtaining the size of the foreign matter, the size of the foreign matter is obtained based on the square of the difference between the electrical signal obtained by converting the reflected wave and the electrical signal when there is no foreign matter. The foreign matter detection method according to claim 4 .
5. The foreign object detection method according to claim 4 , wherein in the step of introducing the pressure wave into the liquid, the pressure wave having a frequency satisfying the following expression is introduced into the liquid.
Here, f is the frequency, and d is the equivalent diameter of the element containing the liquid.
Applying a predetermined pressure to the liquid and discharging the liquid from the nozzle hole as droplets;
Using the foreign object detection method according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , a step of determining at least one of the presence or absence of a foreign object and the size of the foreign object;
A droplet discharge method comprising:
JP2011039540A 2010-12-09 2011-02-25 Foreign object detection device, foreign object detection method, and droplet discharge method Active JP5551097B2 (en)
JP2010275033 2010-12-09
JP2011039540A JP5551097B2 (en) 2010-12-09 2011-02-25 Foreign object detection device, foreign object detection method, and droplet discharge method
KR1020110130869A KR101353724B1 (en) 2010-12-09 2011-12-08 Foreign material detecting apparatus, foreign material detecting method, liquid droplet discharging apparatus, and liquid droplet discharging method
TW100145369A TWI456192B (en) 2010-12-09 2011-12-08 Foreign matter detecting device, foreign matter detecting method, liquid droplet discharging device, and liquid droplet discharging method
CN201510093143.6A CN104634869B (en) 2010-12-09 2011-12-09 Detection device for foreign matter and droplet ejection apparatus
CN201510092380.0A CN104634868B (en) 2010-12-09 2011-12-09 Foreign matter detecting method and droplet discharge method
CN201110409325.1A CN102539522B (en) 2010-12-09 2011-12-09 Detection device for foreign matter and droplet ejection apparatus
US13/315,803 US8662624B2 (en) 2010-12-09 2011-12-09 Foreign object detection device, foreign object detection method, droplet discharging device, and droplet discharging method
JP2012137468A JP2012137468A (en) 2012-07-19
JP5551097B2 true JP5551097B2 (en) 2014-07-16
ID=46198940
JP2011039540A Active JP5551097B2 (en) 2010-12-09 2011-02-25 Foreign object detection device, foreign object detection method, and droplet discharge method
US (1) US8662624B2 (en)
JP (1) JP5551097B2 (en)
KR (1) KR101353724B1 (en)
CN (3) CN102539522B (en)
TW (1) TWI456192B (en)
EP2814670A4 (en) * 2012-04-19 2015-11-25 Hewlett Packard Development Co Determining an issue in an inkjet nozzle with impedance measurements
WO2016066728A1 (en) * 2014-10-30 2016-05-06 Oce-Technologies B.V. Method for detecting an operating state of an inkjet print head nozzle
JP6540185B2 (en) * 2015-04-16 2019-07-10 日本製鉄株式会社 Defect inspection apparatus, control method therefor, program, and storage medium
CN109414936A (en) * 2016-09-23 2019-03-01 惠普发展公司，有限责任合伙企业 Fluid ejection apparatus and particle detector
WO2019064769A1 (en) * 2017-09-28 2019-04-04 日本電産株式会社 Liquid agent application system
JPH0664016B2 (en) * 1990-10-22 1994-08-22 日機装株式会社 Ultrasonic bubble detector
JPH1090236A (en) * 1996-09-11 1998-04-10 Central Res Inst Of Electric Power Ind Device for detecting bubble in liquid in interior of structure
US6266983B1 (en) * 1998-12-09 2001-07-31 Kawasaki Steel Corporation Method and apparatus for detecting flaws in strip, method of manufacturing cold-rolled steel sheet and pickling equipment for hot-rolled steel strip
JP2000258281A (en) * 1999-03-08 2000-09-22 Hitachi Ltd Acoustic leakage monitoring apparatus
JP2001199061A (en) * 2000-01-20 2001-07-24 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd Acoustic printer and print head for acoustic printer
JP3837491B2 (en) * 2001-02-02 2006-10-25 北陸電力株式会社 Material damage detection method
JP2003014703A (en) * 2001-07-04 2003-01-15 Sanshin Denshi:Kk Ultrasonic air-bubble detector
JP2005211873A (en) 2004-02-02 2005-08-11 Seiko Epson Corp Discharge device, method of coating material, method of manufacturing color filter substrate and inspection method
CN2720441Y (en) * 2004-07-09 2005-08-24 吴忠仪表股份有限公司 Supersonic air detector
JP2007155458A (en) * 2005-12-02 2007-06-21 Hitachi Ltd Filtration film breakage detector, film filtration device, and filtration film breakage detection method
JP2007322139A (en) * 2006-05-30 2007-12-13 Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd Quantitative determination method for bubble flow rate in liquid flowing inside conduit
JP5300235B2 (en) 2007-09-20 2013-09-25 株式会社東芝 Ejection abnormality detection device, droplet ejection device, and display device manufacturing method
CN101653627A (en) * 2009-08-04 2010-02-24 四川南格尔生物医学股份有限公司 Digital medical ultrasonic bubble detector
2011-02-25 JP JP2011039540A patent/JP5551097B2/en active Active
2011-12-08 TW TW100145369A patent/TWI456192B/en active
2011-12-08 KR KR1020110130869A patent/KR101353724B1/en active IP Right Grant
2011-12-09 CN CN201110409325.1A patent/CN102539522B/en active IP Right Grant
2011-12-09 CN CN201510093143.6A patent/CN104634869B/en active IP Right Grant
2011-12-09 CN CN201510092380.0A patent/CN104634868B/en active IP Right Grant
2011-12-09 US US13/315,803 patent/US8662624B2/en active Active
CN104634869B (en) 2017-09-26
KR101353724B1 (en) 2014-01-20
CN104634868B (en) 2017-07-14
KR20120064631A (en) 2012-06-19
US20120147081A1 (en) 2012-06-14
CN102539522A (en) 2012-07-04
TW201237402A (en) 2012-09-16
TWI456192B (en) 2014-10-11
CN104634868A (en) 2015-05-20
CN102539522B (en) 2016-01-20
JP2012137468A (en) 2012-07-19
CN104634869A (en) 2015-05-20
US8662624B2 (en) 2014-03-04
CN101809420B (en) 2013-06-05 Noninvasive fluid density and viscosity measurement
Arora et al. 2007 Effect of nuclei concentration on cavitation cluster dynamics
Curtis et al. 2014 Laser-driven flyer plates for shock compression science: Launch and target impact probed by photon Doppler velocimetry
US3407398A (en) 1968-10-22 Liquid presence detector
EP0063584A1 (en) 1982-11-03 Apparatus for measuring and indicating the fluid level in vessels.
US3402598A (en) 1968-09-24 Nondestructive measurment of material strength
JPWO2009075280A1 (en) 2011-04-28 Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment and ultrasonic probe
US6935263B1 (en) 2005-08-30 Wake absorber
Gaitan et al. 2010 Transient cavitation in high-quality-factor resonators at high static pressures
DE102007035252A1 (en) 2009-02-12 Device for determining the position of a piston in a cylinder
US9341602B2 (en) 2016-05-17 Ultrasound generating apparatus, and methods for generating ultrasound
Werby et al. 2002 The analysis and interpretation of some special properties of higher order symmetric Lamb waves: The case for plates
Hefner et al. 2006 Sound speed and attenuation measurements in unconsolidated glass-bead sediments saturated with viscous pore fluids
WO2010034715A3 (en) 2010-06-17 Method for investigating a structure and structure for receiving and/or conducting a liquid or soft medium
WO2005064283A2 (en) 2005-07-14 Ultrasonic flow sensor comprising staggered transmitting and receiving elements
US20050166672A1 (en) 2005-08-04 Acoustic devices and fluid gauging
CA2614052A1 (en) 2007-01-18 Apparatus for capacitive ascertaining and/or monitoring of fill level
SG178838A1 (en) 2012-04-27 Fill-level measuring device
CN102105778B (en) 2013-09-18 Acoustic cleaning of optical probe window
SG184770A1 (en) 2012-10-30 Ultrasonic inspection apparatus, ultrasonic probe apparatus used for ultrasonic inspection apparatus, and ultrasonic inspection method
2014-05-30 R151 Written notification of patent or utility model registration
Ref document number: 5551097