Liquid ejection device and image forming apparatus

A liquid ejection device, comprising:

• an ejection head including a plurality of nozzles which eject droplets of electrostatically charged liquid onto an ejection receiving medium;
• a liquid flow speed change determining device which determines a change in a flow speed of the charged liquid inside each of the nozzles from an electrical signal generated according to the change in the flow speed of the charged liquid inside each of the nozzles, the liquid flow speed change determining device being arranged in each of the nozzles;
• an ejection abnormality detecting device which detects an ejection abnormality in each of the nozzles according to the electrical signal obtained from the liquid flow speed change determining device;
• an ejection direction deflecting device which deflects a direction of ejection of a droplet of the liquid ejected from each of the nozzles, the ejection direction deflecting device being arranged in each of the nozzles;
• and
• an ejection compensation control device which performs control in such a manner that, when an abnormal one of the nozzles having an ejection abnormality is detected by the ejection abnormality detecting device, a compensatory ejection is performed by deflecting a direction of ejection of a droplet of the charged liquid ejected from one of the nozzles adjacent to the abnormal nozzle, by means of the ejection direction deflecting device.

A liquid ejection device, comprising:

• an ejection head including a plurality of nozzles which eject droplets of liquid onto an ejection receiving medium;
• a temperature altering device which produces a temperature gradient in a circumferential direction of each of the nozzles to the liquid inside each of the nozzles by selectively applying heat to the liquid, the temperature altering device being arranged in each of the nozzles around a perimeter of each of the nozzles and being divided in the circumferential direction of each of the nozzles;
• a temperature determining device which determines temperature of the liquid inside each of the nozzles, the temperature determining device being arranged in each of the nozzles on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the temperature altering device in a direction of flow of the liquid;
• an ejection abnormality detecting device which detects an ejection abnormality in each of the nozzles according to the temperature of the liquid determined by the temperature determining device;
• an ejection compensation control device which performs control in such a manner that, when an abnormal one of the nozzles having an ejection abnormality is detected by the ejection abnormality detecting device, a compensatory ejection is performed by deflecting a direction of ejection of a droplet of the liquid ejected from one of the nozzles adjacent to the abnormal nozzle, by means of the temperature altering device.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a recording head having a plurality of nozzles which eject droplets of ink onto an ejection receiving medium;
• an ink flow speed determining device which determines a flow speed of the ink in each of the nozzles, the ink flow speed determining device being arranged in each of the nozzles;
• an ejection abnormality detecting device which detects an ejection abnormality in each of the nozzles according to the flow speed of the ink determined by the ink flow speed determining device;
• an ejection direction deflecting device which deflects a direction of ejection of a droplet of the ink ejected from each of the nozzles, the ejection direction deflecting device being arranged in each of the nozzles;
• and
• an ejection compensation control device which performs control in such a manner that, when an abnormal one of the nozzles having an ejection abnormality is detected by the ejection abnormality detecting device, a compensatory ejection is performed by deflecting a direction of ejection of a droplet of the ink ejected from one of the nozzles adjacent to the abnormal nozzle, by means of the ejection direction deflecting device.