US 11,787,122 B2
Droplet discharge apparatus, droplet discharge method, and non-transitory storage medium
Yoichi Ito, Tokyo (JP); Tsuyoshi Arao, Kanagawa (JP); Yoichi Sakurai, Kanagawa (JP); and Tomomi Akieda, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to RICOH COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Yoichi Ito, Tokyo (JP); Tsuyoshi Arao, Kanagawa (JP); Yoichi Sakurai, Kanagawa (JP); and Tomomi Akieda, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Mar. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/215,188.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-064434 (JP), filed on Mar. 31, 2020; and application No. 2020-122420 (JP), filed on Jul. 16, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0299966 A1, Sep. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B29C 64/209 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/393 (2017.08) [B29C 64/209 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A droplet discharge apparatus comprising:
a powder supply device configured to supply powder;
a discharge head including a nozzle configured to discharge a droplet onto a discharge receiving medium formed of the powder supplied by the powder supply device, wherein the discharging the droplet causes a splash amount of the powder and/or matter of the droplet to become attached to the nozzle surface as attached matter;
a nozzle surface observation device configured to observe a nozzle surface of the nozzle of the discharge head; and
processing circuitry configured to:
control the powder supply device to supply the powder,
control the discharge head to discharge the droplet,
calculate an adhesion amount of the attached matter on the nozzle surface based on an observation result of the nozzle surface observation device,
determine, based on a calculation result of the adhesion amount of the attached matter, an operation on a control target that controls at least one of a mass and a discharge speed of the droplet, and
control the discharge head to discharge an updated droplet based on the operation, the updated droplet having at least one of a modified mass and a modified discharge speed compared to the droplet.