Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus and control method using a plurality of parts of a printing unit, ink ejection can be immediately started. First and second heating units heat first and second parts of the printing unit. Each of the first and second heating units performs heating when the temperature of each of the first and second parts of the printing unit is lower than a reference temperature, and stops heating when the temperature of each of the first and second parts of the printing unit is at least equal to the reference temperature. A control unit controls ejecting of ink from the printing unit such that the printing unit starts ejecting ink according to both first and second information, the first and second information indicating that the temperature of the first and second parts of the printing unit once reached the reference temperature under certain circumstances.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a liquid ejection head and ejection openings; a tank; an air communication device; a supply channel; a return channel; a supply device; an adjusting device; and a controller, wherein the controller performs a liquid circulation control by controlling: the adjusting device such that a channel resistance value of the return channel is less than a predetermined maximum value; and the supply device to supply the liquid into the inside channel, wherein, when the liquid is circulated by the liquid circulation control, the controller starts a liquid discharge control for discharging the liquid by making the channel resistance value larger than that in the liquid circulation control, and wherein the controller controls the air communication device such that an inside of the tank is interrupted from the ambient air in at least a part of a period of the liquid circulation control.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus performs printing on a print medium, and includes a print head having a plurality of ejection openings, a head temperature acquisition unit that acquires a temperature of the print head, and a heating unit configured to heat the print head. In addition, a control unit is configured to control the heating unit so as to cause a temperature of the print head to be a target temperature, at start of a print scan by the print head, and a setting unit is configured to set the target temperature. If a completion temperature acquired by the acquisition unit at a time when a previous print scan is completed is lower than a threshold temperature, the setting unit sets a temperature higher than the completion temperature as the target temperature, and if the completion temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature, the setting unit sets a temperature lower than the completion temperature as the target temperature.

Abstract: When the head temperature Tfinish, which is the head temperature at the time of completion of a preceding scan, is higher than the stable ejection temperature Tstable, the target temperature is made a temperature that is only a temperature value ?T lower than the head temperature Tfinish. On the other hand, when Tfinish, the head temperature at the time of print completion, is lower than the stable ejection temperature Tstable, the target temperature is made a temperature that is only a temperature value ?T higher than the head temperature Tfinish. Because of this it is possible to inhibit head temperature rise in the case where an image with a high print density is printed.

Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus and control method using a plurality of parts of a printing unit, ink ejection can be immediately started. First and second heating units heat first and second parts of the printing unit. Each of the first and second heating units performs heating when the temperature of each of the first and second parts of the printing unit is lower than a reference temperature, and stops heating when the temperature of each of the first and second parts of the printing unit is at least equal to the reference temperature. A control unit controls ejecting of ink from the printing unit such that the printing unit starts ejecting ink according to both first and second information, the first and second information indicating that the temperature of the first and second parts of the printing unit once reached the reference temperature under certain circumstances.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, energy management system manages energy of customer, including water heater uses renewable energy as heat source. Energy management system includes acquisition unit, estimator, creator and controller. Acquisition unit acquires data concerning energy associated apparatuses including water heater, power generator, battery and energy consuming device from customer. Estimator estimates energy demand and supply of customer based on the data. Creator creates operation schedules based on the estimated demand and supply so as to minimize energy cost of customer under a condition that surplus power to be discarded when the battery is fully charged is minimized. Controller controls energy associated apparatuses based on the operation schedules.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, energy management system manages energy of customer, having vehicle with battery, and a power generator. Energy management system includes estimator, creator, and controller. Estimator estimates demand of customer to obtain demand estimated value, and estimates power production amount of power generator to obtain production amount estimated value. Creator creates discharge strategy capable of maximizing differential between electricity purchase loss and electricity selling profit using push up effect of sold electricity amount by discharging battery under constraint for use of battery. Controller controls discharge of the battery based on actual values of demand, production amount, and discharge strategy.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, energy management system manages energy of customer, including a power generation device configured to generate power derived from renewable energy and a battery capable of being charged and discharged. System includes estimator, creator and controller. Estimator estimates energy demand of customer to obtain an estimated demand, and estimates the power generation amount of the power generation device to obtain an estimated power generation amount. Creator creates operation schedule of the battery, which can minimize electricity purchase cost using push up effect of electricity selling profit by discharging the battery, based on estimated demand and power generation amount. Controller controls battery based on operation schedule.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a drug for analysis of a water transport function of a membrane protein in a biological tissue, wherein the abundance of one or both of 17O water molecules or 18O water molecules in the drug is greater than their abundance in natural water. Furthermore, the present invention is to provide a method of analysis of a water transport function of a membrane protein in a biological tissue, a usage of the drug for analysis of a water transport function, and a method of diagnosis diagnosing pathologies caused by abnormalities of the water transport function.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus is provided that is capable of suppressing an increase in discarded ink by a restore operation of a restore unit. The apparatus is an inkjet printing apparatus that prints an image using a print head having a plurality of ejecting ports for ejecting ink and includes a restore unit that restores the ink ejection function of the print head, and a control unit that controls the restore unit so as to perform a restore operation depending on a parameter involving a growth rate of air bubbles existing inside the print head that is filled with ink.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, an energy management system includes estimator, calculator, creator and controller. Estimator estimates energy demand of customer to obtain estimated demand, and estimates power generation amount of renewable power generator to obtain estimated power generation amount. Calculator calculates operation schedule of nonrenewable power generator based on estimated demand and estimated power generation amount. Creator creates strategy maximizes difference between electricity cost loss and profit using push up effect by discharge of battery based on estimated demand and power generation amount, and schedule. Controller controls discharge of battery based on actual value of demand and power generation amount, schedule and strategy.

Abstract: In an ink jet printing apparatus including a plurality of print heads and a method for controlling the ink jet printing apparatus, ink ejection can be immediately started. If temperatures of both a first print head and a second print head have become equal to or higher than a reference temperature at least once, a printing operation or a preliminary ejection operation using the first print head and the second print head is started even when one of the temperature of the first print head and the temperature of the second print head is lower than the reference temperature.

Abstract: The amount of ink wastage is reduced, even in a case wherein a predetermined amount of air bubbles has grown in a print head at a specific internal temperature and the growth has been settled, and thereafter the temperature in the print head is increased. A suction-based recovery control method, for an ink jet printing apparatus that includes a print head, a temperature detection unit, and a suction-based recovery unit, comprising: a temperature detection step; a temperature judgment step for judging whether the internal temperature of the print head is higher than a reference temperature that is determined based on internal temperatures of the print head that were previously employed; and a suction-based recovery step for permitting the suction-based recovery unit when it is determined at the temperature judgment step that the internal temperature of the print head is higher by the predetermined number of degrees or greater.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, energy management system includes client and server. Server includes acquisition unit, estimation unit, calculator and controller. Acquisition unit acquires data concerning electrical equipment in a building including a storage battery from client. Estimation unit estimates energy demand and energy generation amount in building based on the data. Calculator calculates, based on the energy demand and the energy generation amount, operation schedule of the electrical equipment to optimize energy balance in building under a constraint that minimizes dump power to be discarded after storage battery is fully charged. Controller creates control information to control electrical equipment based on operation schedule.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, energy management system includes estimating module, preparing module and controller. Estimating module estimates energy demand of a home, and obtains estimated value of energy demand of home. Estimating module estimates energy generation amount and obtains estimated value of the generation amount. Preparing module prepares discharge strategy, based on the estimated energy demand and generation amount. Discharge strategy maximizes balance obtained by subtracting power purchase profit and loss from power selling profit, by using a push-up effect. The controller controls discharge of the energy storage, based on actual values of the energy demand and the generation amount, and the discharge strategy.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus, including: a head having ejection openings and configured to eject liquid through the ejection openings; a sealing mechanism configured to selectively establish a sealing state in which the sealing mechanism seals an ejection space in which the ejection openings are open, from an outside and an unsealing state in which the sealing mechanism does not seal the ejection space from the outside; and a humid-air supply mechanism configured to supply a humid air into the ejection space when the sealing mechanism is in the sealing state; wherein a controller is configured to control the humid-air supply mechanism such that an amount of the humid air to be supplied into the ejection space from the humid-air supply mechanism when the sealing mechanism is in the sealing state increases with a longer length of time of the unsealing state just before the current sealing state.

Abstract: According to this invention, an inkjet printing apparatus having an arrangement for detecting an amount of remaining ink in an ink tank starts a printing operation in a short time immediately after power-on. If an operation in preceding use is ended without any error at the time of power-off, and no error has occurred even at the time of power-on, the inkjet printing apparatus of this invention starts the printing operation without executing the operation of detecting the amount of remaining ink in the ink tank after power-on.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a liquid ejection head that ejects ink through liquid ejection openings in a liquid ejection surface of the head, a cap device that establishes a sealing state, such that an ejection space opposed to the liquid ejection surface is sealed from an exterior space by the cap device, an air introduction opening and an air discharge opening that are located in the cap device, and a humidifier that supplies an humidified air into the ejection space through the air introduction opening and that discharges an air from the ejection space through the air discharge opening. The air discharge opening opens in an area other than a liquid discharge area onto which the ejected liquid is to be discharged. The apparatus further includes a flow restrainer that restrains the liquid discharged onto the liquid discharge area, from flowing to the air discharge opening.

Abstract: Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus that, when performing multi-pass printing using pigmented ink and image enhancing liquid for adjusting the glossiness, is capable of outputting a high-quality image in which gloss unevenness due to displacement of the printing position cannot be noticed. In order to accomplish this, dot arrangement data is generated based on input image data so that the dot arrangement of image enhancing liquid includes a greater low-frequency component in the spatial frequency than the dot arrangement of colored ink on a print medium. As a result, it is possible to suppress gloss unevenness even when printing position displacement occurs, while at the same time suitably suppressing a feeling of graininess in colored ink.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method which are based on the multi-pass printing method using a print head having a plurality of nozzle rows and which enables a reduction in the number of nozzles to be simultaneously driven, allowing ink to be stably ejected. On the basis of the multi-pass printing method of dividing print data into a plurality of pieces by using mask patterns, the mask patterns are offset according to the positional relationship between the plurality of nozzle rows in the print head.