| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To detect the clogging without trying printing by a method wherein charged in drops are spouted out and the variation of an electric field intensity between an ink-jet head, which is the 1st electrode, and the 2nd electrode of a capping member is detected. CONSTITUTION:While a nozzle part 8 is covered by a nozzle covering cavity 9 of a capping member 6, a switch 16 is closed to apply a voltage between the 1st and the 2nd electrodes 12, 10. When the printing shaft direction S1 for nozzle clogging detection is transmitted from a printing controller 15 to an ink-jet head 3, a row of ink drops 17 from, for instance, an ink nozzle 8c are spouted out from a nozzle plate 12, which is the 1st electrode, against the 2nd electrode 10. When these charged ink drops 17 reach the 2nd electrode 10, an electric field intensity between two electrodes 12, 10 is varied and this variation is detected by an electric field detector 14. If the detection signal S2 from the detector 14 is put into the controller 15, the judgement that there is no clogging is made and if the signal S2 is not put into the controller 15, the judgement that there is clogging is made. Thus, the clogging can be accurately detected without trying printing. |
