Patent ID: 7883165

Claim:
A droplet discharge apparatus comprising: a discharge head that discharges a droplet; a droplet information measuring apparatus that measures information of the discharged droplet; and a control device that controls the discharge head, wherein: the droplet information measuring apparatus includes: an oscillator that has a surface receiving the discharged droplet; a detection section that detects a frequency of the oscillator; and a calculation section that calculates a mass of the discharged droplet, the control device controls the discharge head based on a first frequency and a second frequency, the first frequency being a first oscillating frequency of the oscillator when the surface does not receive the discharged droplet, and the second frequency being a second oscillating frequency of the oscillator when the discharged droplet has dried on the surface, the discharged droplet includes a solid component and a liquid component, and the solid component in the discharged droplet remains on the surface when the discharged droplet has dried on the surface, the calculation section calculates a mass of the solid component in the discharged droplet and further calculates a concentration of the solid component in the discharged droplet, liquid material is provided to the discharge head as a source of the discharged droplet, an initial concentration of the solid component of the liquid material is input to the control device, the control device compares the solid component in the discharged droplet and a standard value of the solid component of the liquid material, the standard value is based on the initial concentration of the solid component of the liquid material, and the control device controls the discharge head based on the comparison result so as to prevent blocking of a nozzle.