US 11,752,764 B2
Liquid discharge apparatus, image forming apparatus, and drive waveform generation method
Kohta Akiyama, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Kohta Akiyama, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/510,381.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-188172 (JP), filed on Nov. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0143975 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. B41J 29/38 (2006.01); B41J 2/045 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/04588 (2013.01) [B41J 2/04553 (2013.01); B41J 2/04581 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a discharge head configured to drive each of drive units of nozzles based on a drive waveform to discharge a droplet; and
at least two waveform feed units configured to feed a plurality of types of drive waveforms for generating droplets having different sizes to a positive electrode of each of the drive units having negative electrodes commonly grounded, wherein
the waveform feed unit is configured to drive the drive units with drive waveforms with which timing of discharge pulses for discharging droplets fall within a range where a condition |A−C|<|B−D| is satisfied,
where “A” is a discharge velocity of a droplet having a first size when a predetermined number of drive units among the drive units of all the nozzles of the discharge head are driven to discharge a droplet having the first size,
“B” is a discharge velocity of a droplet having a second size larger than the first size when a predetermined number of drive units among the drive units of all the nozzles of the discharge head are driven to discharge a droplet having the second size,
“C” is a discharge velocity of a droplet having the first size when a predetermined number of drive units among the drive units of all the nozzles of the discharge head are driven to discharge a droplet having the first size and a remaining drive unit is driven to discharge a droplet having the second size, and
“D” is a discharge velocity of a droplet having the second size when a predetermined number of drive units among the drive units of all the nozzles of the discharge head are driven to discharge a droplet having the second size and a remaining drive unit is driven to discharge a droplet having the first size.