In an example, a piezoelectric printhead assembly includes a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) die including a plurality of nozzles. An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) die is coupled to the MEMS die by a plurality of wire bonds, wherein each of the wire bonds corresponds to a respective nozzle of the plurality of nozzles. An arbitrary data generator (ADG) on the ASIC is to provide a digital data sequence, and a multiplier is to scale multiple nozzles of the plurality of nozzles.

A method of detecting droplets of printing fluid output from a nozzle array includes, in an example, grouping a number of nozzles into a number of individual groups of nozzles and sequentially detecting, with a printing fluid detector, printing fluid ejected from each group of nozzles using a linear position encoder to synchronize the position of the printing fluid detector wherein the printing fluid detector stops moving while detecting each group of nozzles.

Provided are a fringe information measuring apparatus that measures information on a fringe region using a temperature sensor array and a substrate treating system including the same. The fringe information measuring apparatus comprises: a laser sensor configured to output a first laser light and a second laser light to intersect each other; a thermal sensor array configured to pass through a fringe region formed by the intersection of the first laser light and the second laser light; and a control module configured to measure a position of the fringe region based on information obtained when the thermal sensor array passes through the fringe region.

There is provided a printing apparatus including: a head having a discharge surface in which a nozzle configured to discharge a liquid droplet in a first direction is opened; a light-emitter configured to emit light; a light-receiver configured to receive the light; a gradient adding member configured to add a gradient to a light intensity of an optical path of the light in each of second and third directions, the second and third directions intersecting the first direction, the second and third directions intersecting with each other; and a controller. The optical path intersects a flying area in which the liquid droplet from the nozzle flies at a position between the gradient adding member and the light-receiver. The controller is configured to detect a deviation of a flying direction of the liquid droplet based on an amount of the light received by the light-receiver.

Herein is described a method involving a drop detector. The method may comprise: ejecting ink drops from the nozzles on a printhead toward a drop detector. A drop characteristic may then be determined from the drop detector for each ink-jet nozzle. Drop characteristics for the nozzles across the printhead may be collated into a data set, and compared with a predetermined data set for a printhead having predetermined print behaviour to determine if and how the data sets differ in terms of the pattern of drop characteristics across the printheads. If the data sets differ, a recovery strategy may be selected based how the data sets differ in terms of the pattern of drop characteristics across the printheads. A system and computer readable medium are also described herein.

An image-recording apparatus includes a cartridge including a first storage chamber, a tank including a second storage chamber, a recording portion, a detected portion, a detector, and a wall portion. Liquid supplied from the first storage chamber to the second storage chamber through an inlet port is supplied from the second storage chamber to the recording portion through an outlet port. The wall portion partitions an internal space of the second storage chamber into a first region including the liquid inlet port and a second region including the detected portion. The wall portion extends upward than the liquid inlet port and the detected portion and downward than the liquid inlet port and the detected portion. Communication between the first region and the second region is allowed through upper and lower communication portions. The upper communication portion is positioned upward than the liquid inlet port and the detected portion.

A method for testing at least one nozzle of a multi-jet print head of an inkjet printer including a plurality of nozzles (4), at least one 1.sup.st and one 2.sup.nd deviation electrode (14a, 14b) for each jet, method in which: at least one jet is formed using the nozzle (9), at a drop formation frequency, an estimate is made of:

a cutoff frequency (Fc) of at least this jet, by variation of the jet formation frequency, at a constant jet velocity, or, at constant formation frequency of the drops from at least this jet, by variation of the jet velocity, the velocity at which the cutoff frequency (Fc) is equal to the formation frequency; this cutoff frequency (Fc) or this velocity is compared with a reference value and the functional or non-functional state of at least the nozzle is deduced.

A droplet measurement system (DMS) is used in concern with an industrial printer used to fabricate a thin film layer of a flat panel electronic device. A clear tape serves as a printing substrate to receive droplets from hundreds of nozzles simultaneously, while an optics system photographs the deposited droplets through the tape (i.e., through a side opposite the printhead). This permits immediate image analysis of deposited droplets, for parameters such as per-nozzle volume, landing position and other characteristics, without having to substantially reposition the DMS or printhead. The tape can then be advanced and used for a new measurement. By providing such a high degree of concurrency, the described system permits rapid measurement and update of droplet parameters for printers that use hundreds or thousands of nozzles, to provide a real-time understanding of per-nozzle expected droplet parameters, in a manner that can be factored into print planning.

A droplet detection device includes a light emitting element that emits a detection light for detecting shielding of at least one part by a microdroplet discharged from a nozzle of a head of an ink jet printer in a direction intersecting an advancing direction of the microdroplet; a light receiving element; and a pair of wall portions facing each other and enabling the microdoplet to pass therebetween; where the wall portions have one part of a light path of the detection light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element and allows at least one part of the detection light to be reflected and to reach the light receiving element, and the detection light has a width in a direction equal to a spacing in the direction of the wall portions in a region sandwiched by ends on the light emitting element side of the wall portions.

A continuous ink jet print head (10), including: an ink droplet generator (116) configured to emit an ink droplet (158) along an undeflected droplet flight path (30); a charge electrode (118) configured to impart a charge to the ink droplet; deflector plates (120A, 120B) adjacent the undeflected droplet flight path, downstream from the charge electrode, and configured to deflect the ink droplet to a deflected droplet flight path that lies within a range of deflected flight paths bounded by at least deflected droplet flight path and a most deflected droplet flight path; a gutter (122) configured to receive an ink droplet traveling along the undeflected droplet flight path; and an ink buildup sensor (102) configured to detect an accumulation of ink (140) relative to a droplet flight path disposed within the range of deflected flight paths.