Patent ID: 7950761

Claim:
A liquid discharging apparatus comprising: a discharging device that is able to discharge liquid from a nozzle; a liquid receiving device that receives liquid discharged from the nozzle; a voltage applying device that applies a predetermined voltage between the discharging device and the liquid receiving device; an electrical change detection device that detects at least one of an electrical change in the discharging device and an electrical change in the liquid receiving device; a driving signal generating device that generates a predetermined discharge data driving signal to drive the discharging device at the time of printing and a test driving signal to drive the discharging device at a time of nozzle testing in which it is tested whether the liquid is able to be discharged from the nozzle; wherein the discharging device discharges liquid from the nozzle to a target on the basis of discharge data at the time of the printing; wherein the discharging device discharges liquid from the nozzle to the liquid receiving device at the time of the nozzle testing, so that the liquid immediately before being discharged from the nozzle protrudes from the nozzle while maintaining electrical continuity with the discharging device; wherein the test driving signal causes the liquid to protrude from the nozzle a distance that is greater than a distance that the discharge data driving signal causes the liquid to protrude from the nozzle; wherein the test driving signal is not generated at the time of printing; and a control device that, at the time of printing controls the discharging device so as to perform discharging on the basis of the discharge data using the generated discharge data driving signal and that, at the time of the nozzle testing, controls the voltage applying device so as to apply the predetermined voltage between the discharging device and the liquid receiving device and that controls the discharging device using the generated test driving signal to determine on the basis of an electrical change detected by the electrical change detection device whether the liquid is discharged to thereby perform the nozzle testing.