Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shotaro Takeuchi

Tadashi Hayakawa

Ikoh Soh

Akiko Bannai

Tomomi Katoh

Masahiro Kuwata

Toshiroh Tokuno

Masanori Kusunoki

Shingo Masaoka

Masahiko Hisada

Masashi Ohnishi

Kyohei Matsumura

Takahiko Sugiura

Daiki Marumo

Takayuki Ito

Yosuke Saito

Kenta Takahashi

Masanori Hirano

Hiroyuki Yamashita

Yuta Moriwaki

Shohei Saito

Yoichi Kawabata

Kimito Abe

Yuta Kashiwagi

Takahiro Kikuchi

Atsushi Miwa

Kyohei Hamada

Yasunobu Kawajiri

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a conveyance roller, a liquid discharge head, and a control device. The control device controls the head to discharge liquid onto a medium X times in the main scanning direction and Y times in the sub-scanning direction and controls the roller such that a position of a droplet on the medium discharged by an m-th discharge and a position of another droplet on the medium discharged by an (m+Y)-th discharge are same in the sub-scanning direction, where m is an integer not smaller than one and not greater than ((X&#x2212;1)&#xd7;Y). Where P is a circumferential length of the roller and L is a difference in a conveyance distance in the sub-scanning direction when the m-th discharge is compared with the (m+Y)-th discharge, the following relation is satisfied:=(+(&#x394;&#x3b8;/2&#x3c0;))&#xd7;

Liquid discharge apparatus and image forming method

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a color component divided data generation unit, a dot data generation processing unit, and a dot data segmentation processing unit. The color component divided data generation unit generates color component divided data from image data. The dot data generation processing unit applies a dot data generation mask to the color component divided data to generate dot data. The dot data segmentation processing unit applies a segmentation mask to the dot data to generate scan data. A width of the segmentation mask in a main scanning direction is different from a width of the dot data generation mask in the main scanning direction.

Liquid discharge apparatus and liquid discharge method

A liquid discharge apparatus is provided including a liquid discharge head, a cap, and a wiper. The liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate having thereon a nozzle for discharging a liquid. The cap caps a surface of the nozzle plate. The wiper moves relative to the nozzle plate to wipe the surface of the nozzle plate. The surface of the nozzle plate has a cap contact region that is contactable with the cap. The wiper starts wiping from a wiping start position that is disposed between both end parts of the cap contact region in a direction of wiping. The wiper comes into contact with the surface of the nozzle plate at the wiping start position and moves in a first direction to wipe the surface of the nozzle plate, and thereafter moves in a second direction opposite the first direction to wipe the surface of the nozzle plate.

Liquid discharge apparatus including wiper to wipe surface of nozzle plate both in forward direction and in opposite direction

A liquid ejector includes a head having a plurality of nozzles arranged along a first direction of a nozzle surface of the head to eject a droplet from the nozzles, and an ejection detector to detect whether or not a droplet is ejected from the plurality of nozzles of the head by detecting an electrical change generated when the droplet lands onto the ejection detector. The ejection detector includes a droplet landing surface arranged opposed to the nozzle surface, a wiper to wipe the droplet off the droplet landing surface along the first direction, and a cleaner having a contact surface to remove the droplet adhered to the wiper after the wiper wipes the droplet landing surface. The contact surface has a curvature such that side ends of the wiper contacts with the contact surface at first, and then a center part of the wiper contacts the contact surface.

Liquid ejector and liquid ejecting detector

An apparatus for ejecting liquids includes a liquid ejection head including a nozzle, the nozzle ejecting the liquids; and an ejection detector to detect whether the liquids are ejected from the nozzle of the liquid ejection head, the ejection detector including an insulated receiver having an adhering face to receive and adhere the liquids ejected from the nozzle and an electrode disposed on an opposite side of the adhering face of the receiver. The ejection detector detects electrical change generated when the liquids adhere to the adhering face of the receiver while generating a potential difference between the liquid ejection head and the electrode.

Apparatus for ejecting liquids, ejection detection apparatus, and ejection detector

An image forming apparatus is provided, that includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzles to discharge droplets; and a droplet discharge sensor unit to detect whether a droplet has been discharged from the plurality of nozzles of the recording head or not. The droplet discharge sensor unit includes a resistor, on which the droplets discharged from the nozzles of the recording head lands, the resistor disposed opposite the recording head; and a sensor to detect a change in electrical resistance of the resistor when the droplets discharged from the plurality of nozzles of the recording head landed on the resistor.

Image forming apparatus and droplet discharge detector

A liquid cartridge detachably attached to an image forming apparatus to supply liquid to image forming apparatus. The liquid cartridge includes a cartridge case composed of first and second sub cases. At least one of the first and second sub cases includes an open space to accommodate an information storage device in the open space. The first and second sub cases are combined to close the open space and hold the information storage device so as to prevent removal of the information storage device accommodated in the open space therefrom.

Liquid cartridge and image forming apparatus with same

A liquid cartridge is detachably attachable to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus. The liquid cartridge includes a cartridge case, an information memory element, and a holding unit. The cartridge case includes at least two dividable case parts. The at least two dividable case parts form a front face of the cartridge case to face the apparatus body when the liquid cartridge is attached to the apparatus body. An information memory element is held at the front face of the cartridge case. The holding unit is provided in one of the at least two dividable case parts to hold the information memory element with only the one of the at least two dividable case parts. The holding unit includes a groove to receive the information memory element and a displaceable claw to hold the information memory element between the groove and the claw.

Liquid cartridge and image forming apparatus incorporation same

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, an ejection detector, a cleaner and cleaning ejection controller. The ejection detector has a droplet landing member disposed in an area in which the droplet landing member faces the head. The ejection detector detects ejection or non-ejection by detecting electric change caused by landing of the droplets on the droplet landing member. The cleaner cleans a droplet landing surface of the droplet landing member. The cleaning ejection controller controls the recording head to eject droplets on the droplet landing surface for cleaning the droplet landing surface before cleaning the droplet landing surface by the cleaner. A quantity of the droplets for cleaning the droplet landing surface is greater than a quantity of the droplets for detecting ejection or non-ejection.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, an ejection detection unit, a cleaner, and a holder member. The ejection detection unit has an electrode member disposed in an area in which the electrode member is opposable to the head. The cleaner includes a cleaning member to remove droplets adhering to the electrode member. The ejection detection unit detects ejection or non-ejection of droplets by detection of electric changes of the electrode member generated when droplets ejected from nozzles of the head land on the electrode member in a state in which a potential difference is created between a nozzle face of the head and the electrode member and the nozzle face is opposed to the electrode member. The holder member supports the electrode member, and holds the cleaning member movable in parallel to a nozzle array direction in which the nozzles is arrayed in the head.

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, an ejection detector, and a cleaner. The ejection detector detects ejection or non-ejection of droplets from the head and has an electrode member disposed in an area in which the electrode member is opposable to the head. The cleaner cleans the electrode member after ejection or non-ejection of droplets from nozzles of the head is detected by detection of electric changes of the electrode member generated when the droplets ejected from the nozzles land on the electrode member with a potential difference created between a nozzle face of the head and the electrode member and the nozzle face opposed to the electrode member. The cleaner includes a wiping member to wipe droplets adhering to the electrode member. The wiping member and the electrode member are configured to be relatively moved in parallel to a nozzle array direction to clean the electrode member.

An ink cartridge attachable to and detachable from an imaging apparatus, and including an ink accommodating unit; and a cartridge casing having an opening, whereby the ink accommodating unit includes: an ink accommodating body; and an ink supplying portion including a nozzle insertion path and connected to the ink accommodating body, whereby the ink supplying portion is held by the cartridge casing so that the ink supplying portion is rotatable between a position where the nozzle insertion path faces the opening and a position where the nozzle insertion path faces an inner wall surface of the cartridge casing, and when the ink cartridge is attached to the imaging apparatus the ink supplying portion is rotated to direct the nozzle insertion path toward the opening, and when the ink cartridge is detached the ink supplying portion is rotated to direct the nozzle insertion path toward the inner wall surface.

Ink cartridge and an imaging apparatus

An ink cartridge includes a flexible container containing ink; and a restriction mechanism allowing the flexible container to deform only in the direction to decrease the volume of the flexible container. The ink cartridge is used for an image forming apparatus including an inkjet head for jetting ink from nozzles.

Ink cartridge and image forming apparatus including the same

An ink cartridge removably mountable in an image forming apparatus includes a flexible storage member, a pressurization-space formation member, an output port, and an opening-and-closing assembly. The flexible storage member stores ink. The pressurization-space formation member hermetically houses the storage member and forms a pressurization space to which a fluid is supplied between the pressurization-space formation member and the storage member. The output port is connected to the storage member, through which the ink is supplied from the storage member to the image forming apparatus. The opening-and-closing assembly opens and closes between the output port and the storage member by the fluid supplied into the pressurization space.

Ink cartridge and image forming apparatus employing the ink cartridge

A liquid carrying container which is removably mounted to a body of an image forming device is disclosed. The liquid carrying container includes a liquid containing bag which contains liquid; and a supply port section which has an elastically deformable portion through which a hollow nozzle member is pierced from the side of the image forming device, wherein the supply port section is directly held within a recess section formed on the liquid containing bag, and the hollow nozzle member penetrates through the supply port section and the liquid containing bag to face inside the liquid containing bag.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Shotaro Takeuchi