Abstract: An observation apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires positional information indicating a position of a bottom surface of a support for supporting an observation target, an imaging optical system that forms an optical image showing the observation target supported by the support on an image plane, a focus adjustment unit that adjusts a focal position of the imaging optical system based on the positional information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a control unit that performs control for matching an inclination of the image plane on which the optical image is formed to an inclination of an imaging surface of an imaging element based on the positional information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: An observation apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires positional information indicating a position of a bottom surface of a support for supporting an observation target, an imaging optical system that forms an optical image showing the observation target supported by the support on an image plane, a focus adjustment unit that adjusts a focal position of the imaging optical system based on the positional information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a control unit that performs control for matching an inclination of the image plane on which the optical image is formed to an inclination of an imaging surface of an imaging element based on the positional information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: Provided are an image recording apparatus that efficiently detects defective recording elements causing image defects in a plurality of recording heads and a method of detecting the defective recording elements. An image recording apparatus including: a plurality of recording heads; an indicator acquisition unit for acquiring an indicator which relatively indicates how easily image defects are visually perceived for each color, an appearance ratio setting unit for setting an appearance ratio of a test pattern as a higher value as the indicator of each color becomes higher; a recording unit for recording the test pattern of each color on a recording medium at the appearance ratio; an imaging unit for capturing an image of the test pattern which is recorded on the recording medium; and an analysis unit for analyzing the captured test pattern and detecting a defect of a recording element in the recording head.

Abstract: A black ink composition includes: carbon black and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the carbon black; a cyan pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the cyan pigment; a magenta pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the magenta pigment; water-insoluble resin particle; and water, wherein a content ratio of the carbon black is from 1.0 to 2.0% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition, and a total amount of pigments is from 1.8 to 3.5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition. The black ink composition can be used in an ink set and an image forming method.

Abstract: A plurality of recording elements included in a printed head are grouped into a plurality of groups, a test order is set in units of groups, and a test of the recording elements is periodically performed in units of groups in the set test order. In a case where an abnormality is detected in the recording element as a result of the test, the recording element in which an abnormality is detected is recognized as a retest target, an order of tests is changed through interruption, and a retest of a group including the recording element recognized as a retest target is performed. In a case where an abnormality is detected again in the recording element that is a retest target as a result of the retest, the recording element that is a retest target is recognized as an abnormal recording element.

Abstract: Provided are an image recording apparatus that efficiently detects defective recording elements causing image defects in a plurality of recording heads and a method of detecting the defective recording elements. An image recording apparatus including: a plurality of recording heads; an indicator acquisition unit for acquiring an indicator which relatively indicates how easily image defects are visually perceived for each color, an appearance ratio setting unit for setting an appearance ratio of a test pattern as a higher value as the indicator of each color becomes higher; a recording unit for recording the test pattern of each color on a recording medium at the appearance ratio; an imaging unit for capturing an image of the test pattern which is recorded on the recording medium; and an analysis unit for analyzing the captured test pattern and detecting a defect of a recording element in the recording head.

Abstract: Provided are an ink jet recording apparatus and an abnormality detection method of an ejector which are capable of performing high-accuracy abnormality detection and suppressing the generation of excessive abnormality detection with respect to a required image quality. An ink jet recording apparatus (10) includes an ink jet head (20C, 20M, 20Y, 20K) having a plurality of ejectors, a medium transport unit (22), a calculation unit (34) that calculates an index value relevant to a droplet ejection amount for each ejector on the basis of printing data, a threshold determination unit (40) that determines a threshold for ejection abnormality determination for each ejector in accordance with the index value, a threshold storage unit (44) that stores the threshold determined for each ejector, and an abnormality determination unit (54) that determines the presence or absence of ejection abnormality by comparing the threshold with a measurement amount for each ejector.

Abstract: A plurality of recording elements included in a printed head are grouped into a plurality of groups, a test order is set in units of groups, and a test of the recording elements is periodically performed in units of groups in the set test order. In a case where an abnormality is detected in the recording element as a result of the test, the recording element in which an abnormality is detected is recognized as a retest target, an order of tests is changed through interruption, and a retest of a group including the recording element recognized as a retest target is performed. In a case where an abnormality is detected again in the recording element that is a retest target as a result of the retest, the recording element that is a retest target is recognized as an abnormal recording element.

Abstract: Disclosed are an image defect detection device, method and an imaging unit capable of reliably detecting image defect, such as stripe unevenness or scratches, even if a comparatively inexpensive and low resolution imaging unit is used. An image reading unit has a plurality of read pixels arranged in a second direction intersecting a first direction and reads an image recorded on a recording medium by a single-pass recording head, which is relatively moved in the first direction. A birefringent plate shifts and duplexes the image at least in the second direction by performing birefringence of image light of the image. The birefringent plate makes the width of image defect in the second direction on the read pixels greater than the pitch of the read pixels. A detection unit which detects image defect included in the image and extended in the first direction based on the reading result of the image.

Abstract: Disclosed are an image defect detection device, method and an imaging unit capable of reliably detecting image defect, such as stripe unevenness or scratches, even if a comparatively inexpensive and low resolution imaging unit is used. An image reading unit has a plurality of read pixels arranged in a second direction intersecting a first direction and reads an image recorded on a recording medium by a single-pass recording head, which is relatively moved in the first direction. A birefringent plate shifts and duplexes the image at least in the second direction by performing birefringence of image light of the image. The birefringent plate makes the width of image defect in the second direction on the read pixels greater than the pitch of the read pixels. A detection unit which detects image defect included in the image and extended in the first direction based on the reading result of the image.

Abstract: Provided are an ink jet recording apparatus and an abnormality detection method of an ejector which are capable of performing high-accuracy abnormality detection and suppressing the generation of excessive abnormality detection with respect to a required image quality. An ink jet recording apparatus (10) includes an ink jet head (20C, 20M, 20Y, 20K) having a plurality of ejectors, a medium transport unit (22), a calculation unit (34) that calculates an index value relevant to a droplet ejection amount for each ejector on the basis of printing data, a threshold determination unit (40) that determines a threshold for ejection abnormality determination for each ejector in accordance with the index value, a threshold storage unit (44) that stores the threshold determined for each ejector, and an abnormality determination unit (54) that determines the presence or absence of ejection abnormality by comparing the threshold with a measurement amount for each ejector.

Abstract: A black ink composition includes: carbon black and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the carbon black; a cyan pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the cyan pigment; a magenta pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the magenta pigment; water-insoluble resin particle; and water, wherein a content ratio of the carbon black is from 1.0 to 2.0% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition, and a total amount of pigments is from 1.8 to 3.5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition. The black ink composition can be used in an ink set and an image forming method.

Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged two-dimensionally; a scanning device which conveys at least one of the liquid ejection head and an image formation receiving medium on which liquid ejected from the plurality of nozzles is deposited, to cause relative movement between the image formation receiving medium and the liquid ejection head in a first direction; a motor which is a driving source for driving the scanning device; and a drive force transmission mechanism which transmits drive force generated by the motor to the scanning device, wherein: in a case where rotational non-uniformity can occur Nm times for each revolution of the motor (where Nm is a natural number), and when Pv represents a spatial period representing an amount of the relative movement in the first direction on the image formation receiving medium corresponding to 1/Nm revolution of the motor, and when OSy represents an offset distance in

Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged two-dimensionally; a scanning device which conveys at least one of the liquid ejection head and an image formation receiving medium on which liquid ejected from the plurality of nozzles is deposited, to cause relative movement between the image formation receiving medium and the liquid ejection head in a first direction; and a member which vibrates at a fixed frequency that is independent of a speed of the relative movement caused by the scanning device in such a manner that relative vibration is caused between the image formation receiving medium and the plurality of nozzles, wherein when vp represents a relative scanning speed produced by the scanning device in forming an image on the image formation receiving medium by the relative movement and droplet ejection from the liquid ejection head, fv represents the fixed frequency, and OSy represents an offset distance in the

Abstract: An inkjet image forming apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged two-dimensionally; a scanning device which conveys at least one of the liquid ejection head and an image formation receiving medium on which liquid ejected from the plurality of nozzles is deposited, to cause relative movement between the image formation receiving medium and the liquid ejection head in a first direction; a drive force generating device which generates drive force for driving the scanning device; and a meshing transmission mechanism which transmits the drive force generated by the drive force generating device to the scanning device by a meshing mechanism, wherein: when Pv represents a spatial period obtained by converting a pitch of meshing teeth of the meshing transmission mechanism to an amount of the relative movement in the first direction on the image formation receiving medium, and when OSy represents an offset distance in the first direction of a pa

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a recording head having plural sub-heads, the sub-heads each including plural nozzles, each of the plural nozzles within a sub-head ejecting liquid droplets at the same time with respect to a medium on which an image is drawn, and the sub-heads being arranged in a width direction of the medium; a setting unit; and a rotation unit. The setting unit uses a timing when a predetermined sub-head of the plural sub-heads ejects liquid droplets as a reference to set timings when sub-heads other than the predetermined sub-head eject liquid droplets. The rotation unit uses a predetermined axis as a spindle to rotate and position the recording head in a plane parallel to a plane of the medium.

Abstract: The droplet ejection apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles in a row connected to the same liquid supply flow channel are divided into M nozzle group blocks, and the ejection timings are shifted for blocks so that the number of nozzles ejecting simultaneously within the same nozzle row can be reduced and the effect of crosstalk can be reduced, whereby reduction of power source capacity in a drive circuit system can be achieved. Furthermore, shifting of the deposition position caused by the difference in the ejection timing is resolved by the nozzle arrangement, whereby good recording can be performed without shifting dot positions.

Abstract: It is possible to set an optical magnification capable of making a recording position shift amount with respect to Y direction of the plotting point formed by a micro mirror within an allowance range from the relationship between a Y-direction distance between mirror images obtained by projecting micro mirrors constituting a DMD onto a substrate, an inclination angle of the DMD, an image pattern recording pitch, and an optical magnification.

Abstract: A black ink composition includes: carbon black and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the carbon black; a cyan pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the cyan pigment; a magenta pigment and a water-insoluble resin that covers at least a part of the surface of the magenta pigment; water-insoluble resin particle; and water, wherein a content ratio of the carbon black is from 1.0 to 2.0% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition, and a total amount of pigments is from 1.8 to 3.5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the composition. The black ink composition can be used in an ink set and an image forming method.

Abstract: The array pitch between image recording element dots, the swath tilt angle, the image recording pitch between image recording dots in a direction y, or the phase difference between image recording positions in the direction y of adjacent image recording dots that are formed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction y is adjusted according to an image pattern, so that a jaggy pitch or a jaggy amplitude of jaggies may be of a predetermined value or less to produce a good image.