Patent ID: 7322663
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of nozzles arranged in a line fashion or a two-dimensional fashion; a plurality of pressure chambers arranged respectively corresponding to the nozzles; a plurality of piezoelectric elements each of which causes ink to be discharged from a respective nozzle by imparting pressure to an interior of the pressure chamber corresponding to the nozzle during application of a drive signal to the corresponding piezoelectric element; and a controller for controlling a magnitude of the drive signal supplied to the piezoelectric element of the nozzle discharging the ink as well as the magnitude of another drive signal supplied to the piezoelectric element of a non-discharging nozzle neighboring the nozzle discharging the ink, wherein, when one nozzle discharges the ink, the other drive signal is supplied to the piezoelectric element of a non-discharging nozzle neighboring the nozzle discharging the ink, the other drive signal including a drive component for driving the piezoelectric element of the non-discharging nozzle in a direction inverse to the direction that the piezoelectric element of the nozzle discharging the ink is driven, and the controller controls a magnitude of the other drive signal supplied to the piezoelectric element of the non-discharging nozzle is determined in accordance with distance between the non-discharging nozzle and the discharging nozzle such that the further away from the nozzle discharging the ink, the smaller is the magnitude of the other drive signal supplied to the piezoelectric element of the non-discharging nozzle neighboring the nozzle discharging the ink.