WE CLAIM:
1. An electrostatic atomization coating apparatus comprising:
a nozzle head including a plurality of coating material ejection ports;
a coating material chamber that is provided inside the nozzle head and to which a coating material is supplied via a coating material supply path,
each of the coating material ejection ports being in communication with the coating material chamber via an individual branch coating material path; and
a voltage application device that pro vides a potential difference between the nozzle head and an object to be coated,
the coating material ejected from each of the coating material ejection ports via the coating material supply path, the coating material chamber, and the branch coating material path being brought into a charged state through application of a voltage by the voltage application device,
wherein an open/close valve device that opens and closes all of the branch coating material paths, or opens and closes a specific subset of a plurality of branch coating material paths out of all of the branch coating material paths is provided.
2. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the coating material ejection ports are disposed on the same
circumference at a distal end face portion of the nozzle head so as to be equidistantly arranged in a row in a circumferential direction.
3. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein, at the distal end face portion of the nozzle head, a plurality
of coating material ejection nozzles each including the coating material ejection port are provided on the same circumference so as to be equidistantly arranged in a row in a circumferential direction in a state in which the coating material ejection nozzles each protrude independently.
4. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein an annular protruding portion is provided at the distal end
face portion of the nozzle head, and

the coating material ejection ports are disposed at the annular protruding portion so as to be equidistantly arranged in a row in a circumferential direction of the annular protruding portion.
5. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the coating material ejection ports are disposed on each of a
plurality of concentric circumferences at the distal end face portion of the nozzle head so as to be equidistantly arranged in a row in a circumferential direction.
6. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to any one
of claims 1 to 5,
wherein the open/close valve device includes one common valve body housed in the coating material chamber, and
the common valve body performs an opening/closing operation between a valve closing position at which respective inlets of the branch coating material paths that are open to the coating material chamber are simultaneously closed, and a valve opening position at which the respective inlets of the branch coating material paths are simultaneously opened.
7. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein a circumferential groove portion is formed on a chamber-wall
portion of the coating material chamber,
the inlets of the branch coating material paths are disposed on a bottom surface of the circumferential groove portion so as to be equidistantly arranged in a circumferential direction of the circumferential groove portion,
the common valve body has an annular shape configured to be fitted to the circumferential groove portion, and
the common valve body moves inside the circumferential groove portion in a piston-like manner in directions away from and toward the bottom surface of the circumferential groove portion, as the opening/closing operation between the valve closing position and the valve opening position.
8. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 7,
wherein a communication groove extending continuously from one
end face side to another end face side of the annular shape of the common

valve body is formed in an inner circumferential surface or an outer circumferential surface of the annular shape of the common valve body.
9. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein a circumferential groove portion is formed on a chamber-wall
portion of the coating material chamber,
the inlets of the branch coating material paths are disposed on a bottom surface of the circumferential groove portion so as to be equidistantly arranged in a circumferential direction of the circumferential groove portion,
the common valve body has an annular shape configured to be fitted to the circumferential groove portion,
the common valve body includes a plurality of communication holes formed extending therethrough from one end face side to another end face side of the annular shape of the common valve body,
the communication holes are disposed so as to be equidistantly arranged in a circumferential direction of the annular shape of the common valve body, at positions in one-to-one correspondence with the respective inlets of the branch coating material paths, and
the common valve body pivots inside the circumferential groove portion in a circumferential direction of the circumferential groove portion, as the opening/closing operation between the valve closing position and the valve opening position.
10. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to claim 1
or 2,
wherein each of the branch coating material paths is provided with an individual open/close valve as the open/close valve device, and
common operation means that simultaneously operates the open/close valves to open or close is provided.
11. The electrostatic atomization coating apparatus according to any one
of claims 1 to 10,
wherein the nozzle head is formed of an electrically insulating material or a slightly conductive material.