Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge apparatus, image forming apparatus, drive circuit, and drive method

A drive circuit comprising:

• circuitry configured to:
• apply, to a piezoelectric element of a liquid discharge head, multiple drive pulses including a specific drive pulse within one printing cycle to drive the piezoelectric element;
• measure a first residual vibration generated in the piezoelectric element by the multiple drive pulses;
• compare:
• the first residual vibration measured from the piezoelectric element;
• and
• comparison data of a second residual vibration measured in advance by applying, to the piezoelectric element, the specific drive pulse among the multiple drive pulses;
• and
• determine a state of a nozzle of the liquid discharge head based on a comparison between the first residual vibration and the comparison data.

A drive method comprising:

• applying, to a piezoelectric element of a liquid discharge head, multiple drive pulses including a specific drive pulse within one printing cycle to drive the piezoelectric element;
• measuring a first residual vibration generated in the piezoelectric element by the multiple drive pulses;
• comparing:
• the first residual vibration measured from the piezoelectric element;
• and
• comparison data of a second residual vibration measured in advance by applying, to the piezoelectric element, the specific drive pulse among the multiple drive pulses;
• and
• determining a state of a nozzle of the liquid discharge head based on a comparison between the first residual vibration and the comparison data.