Patent ID: 8944560
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording head including, a driving-waveform generating unit configured to generate a driving waveform to be applied to the at least one piezoelectric element of the recording head; a first switching device between the driving-waveform generating unit and the at least one corresponding piezoelectric element; a second switching device between a voltage and the at least one corresponding piezoelectric element; and a slight-vibration control unit configured to control the at least one corresponding piezoelectric element to generate slight vibrations that vibrate a meniscus of the liquid in the at least one nozzle to an extent at which no droplet is ejected from the at least one nozzle, wherein when the at least one nozzle is a non-ejection nozzle from which a droplet is not to be ejected, the slight-vibration control unit is configured to control the at least one corresponding piezoelectric element by, when a droplet is ejected from the at least one nozzle in a first drive period and the at least one corresponding piezoelectric element generates the slight vibrations in a second drive period that is immediately after the first drive period, timing for state transition of the first switching device and the second switching device in the second drive period is shifted depending on a size of the droplet ejected from the at least one nozzle in the first drive period.