The liquid ejecting head satisfies at least one of conditions that structures of the first nozzle and the second nozzle are different from each other, that structures of the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber are different from each other, that structures of the first driving element and the second driving element are different from each other, and that structures of the first individual flow channel and the second individual flow channel are different from each other.

A method for operating a liquid droplet dispensation system is provided. The method includes dispensing a first droplet of a first fluid sample from a reservoir at a first pressure, measuring a first velocity of the first droplet, and measuring a first mass of the first droplet. The method further includes dispensing a second droplet of the first fluid sample from the reservoir at a second pressure, measuring a second velocity of the second droplet, and measuring a second mass of the second droplet. The method further includes dispensing a droplet of a second fluid sample from the reservoir at a third pressure, measuring a third velocity of the droplet of the second fluid sample, and determining a mass of the droplet of the second fluid sample based upon the first, second and third velocities, the first, second and third pressures, and the first and second masses.

An inspection module is disclosed for inspecting a droplet from an ink jet head. The inspection module includes a sensor located under the ink jet head and measuring a distance between the droplet and the sensor in real time; a variable lens changing an operating distance based on the measured distance of the sensor; and a camera for capturing an image of the droplet. The inspection module further includes a droplet inspecting part inspecting the droplet image captured by the camera.

The drive waveform determination method includes a first step of setting a condition of the first discharge characteristic, a second step of acquiring the first discharge characteristic and the second discharge characteristic that are measured when a candidate waveform is used as a waveform of the drive pulse, a third step of determining whether the first discharge characteristic meets the condition, and a fourth step of, when it is determined in the third step that the condition is met, evaluating a candidate waveform by performing a superior comparison using the second discharge characteristic. The waveform of the drive pulse is determined by an optimization process in which at least the second step, the third step, and the fourth step are repeated.

In a state where a distance from an ejection port surface of an ejection head to a predetermined position corresponds to a first distance, a period detection unit detects a first period from when ejection of a droplet from an ejection port is started until when a droplet detection unit detects the droplet, and in a state where the distance from the ejection port surface of the ejection head to the predetermined position is changed to a second distance by a change unit, the period detection unit detects a second period from when ejection of a droplet from the ejection port is started until when the droplet detection unit detects the droplet, the second distance being different from the first distance. A calculation unit calculates an ejection speed of the droplet, based on the first distance, the second distance, the first period, and the second period.

A method of inkjet printing includes the steps of: feeding print media past a printhead; printing onto the print media via a stream of inkjet droplets ejected from the printhead; and generating a jet flow in the vicinity of the stream of inkjet droplets, wherein the jet flow is digitally controlled.

In an example implementation, a method of reducing inkjet aerosol in a fluid drop ejection system includes imaging fluid drops from an ejection event as the drops travel from an ejection nozzle toward a substrate, determining the momentum of each fluid drop from the imaging, comparing the momentum of each fluid drop with a threshold momentum, and determining that a fluid drop will become aerosol when its momentum does not exceed the threshold momentum.

An ejection apparatus includes an ejection head configured to eject a droplet from an ejection port on an ejection port surface, a droplet detection unit configured to detect arrival of the droplet ejected from the ejection port at a predetermined position, an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about an ejection speed that is a moving speed of the droplet detected by the droplet detection unit, and a determination unit configured to determine subsequent timings for acquiring an ejection speed by the acquisition unit, based on the ejection speed acquired by the acquisition unit at a preceding timing of the subsequent timings.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a conveying belt, a recording head, and a flushing controller. The conveying belt includes the plurality of openings formed as a plurality of rows of openings, each row composed of openings arranged at predetermined intervals in a widthwise direction of the conveying belt. The openings of each of the plurality of rows of openings include overlapped portions at which the openings are over-lapped with the openings of any other of the plurality of rows of openings along a widthwise direction of the conveying belt. The flushing controller allows the recording head to do flushing by allowing each of all the nozzles inclusive of the nozzles facing the overlapped portions to eject ink a predetermined number of times.

A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus, includes: an ejecting head which ejects liquid droplets; a light source which causes light to be radiated toward a flight space of the liquid droplets with a first output power or a second output power; a detecting element which detects received amount of the light radiated from the light source and passed through the liquid droplets flying in the flight space; and a controller. The controller causes the light to be radiated from the light source with the first or second output power at a timing of the ejecting head being driven to eject the liquid droplets; in a first detecting mode, executes a detection about an ejection failure of the nozzles based on the received amount of the light; and in a second detecting mode, executes a detection about a phenomenon causing the ejection failure based on the received amount of the light.