JP2000318184A - Ink jet recording apparatus and color filter producing apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent ink from continuously flowing out of a discharge orifice or a supply route when the restoring operation or replacement of an ink jet head is performed in the liquid supply route constituted within the ink jet head so as to always allow ink to flow. SOLUTION: The ink in a sub-tank 401a is supplied to the ink circulating route 121a in an ink jet head 120a through tubes 451, 455, 571, 572, 574, 553, 551 and passed through the ink circulating route 121a to be allowed to flow in a main tank 301 a through tubes 552, 554, 576, 452, 457, 458, 459. Ink continuously flows through the respective flow passages by the head difference between the tip of the tube 458 and the liquid level in the sub-tank 401a. When the restoring operation or replacement of the ink jet head 120a is performed, the continuous flow of ink is stopped by the operation of three-way valves 502, 504, 505.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for discharging ink from an ink jet head while circulating the ink in the ink jet head, and a color filter by coloring a transparent substrate with the ink using the ink jet recording apparatus. The present invention relates to a color filter manufacturing apparatus to be manufactured.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording system has
Output means of the information processing system, for example, a copying machine, a facsimile, an electronic typewriter, a word processor, a printer as an output terminal such as a workstation, or a personal computer, a host computer, an optical disk device, a handy or portable device provided in a video device, etc. It is used as a recording method for printers.

[0003] This ink jet recording system records ink such as characters and figures by discharging ink as fine liquid droplets from nozzles (hereinafter also referred to as discharge ports). It has excellent advantages as a means. A recording apparatus to which the ink jet recording method is applied (hereinafter, also referred to as an ink jet recording apparatus) is a non-impact type recording apparatus. In addition, it has features such as miniaturization of the apparatus body and easy increase in the density of images, and has been rapidly spreading in recent years.

In recent years, with the development of personal computers, especially portable personal computers, the demand for liquid crystal displays, especially color liquid crystal displays, has been increasing. However, for further spread, it is necessary to reduce the cost of the liquid crystal display. In particular, there is an increasing demand for reducing the cost of a color filter having a high specific gravity. Traditionally,
Various methods have been tried to meet the demand for cost reduction while satisfying the required characteristics of the color filter, but no method has yet been established that satisfies all the required characteristics. Hereinafter, several methods for manufacturing a color filter will be described. R, G, B used in the following description
Represents red, green, and blue, respectively.

The first color filter manufacturing method is a dyeing method. In the dyeing method, a water-soluble polymer material as a material for dyeing is applied on a glass substrate, and the water-soluble polymer material is patterned into a desired shape by a photolithography process. By immersing, a colored pattern is obtained on a glass substrate. By repeating this three times, R, G, and B color filter layers can be obtained on the glass substrate.

As a second method for producing a color filter, there is a pigment dispersion method, and the pigment dispersion method is the most frequently used method in recent years. In the pigment dispersion method, a pigment is dispersed on a substrate to form a photosensitive resin layer, and the photosensitive resin layer is patterned to obtain a monochromatic pattern. Further, by repeating this process three times, R, G, and B color filter layers are formed on the substrate.

As a third method of manufacturing a color filter, there is an electrodeposition method. In the electrodeposition method, after a transparent electrode is patterned on a substrate, the substrate is immersed in an electrodeposition coating solution containing a pigment, a resin, an electrolytic solution, and the like, and a desired color is electrodeposited on the substrate. . This process is repeated three times, and R,
After separately applying G and B, the resin is thermally cured to form a color layer on the substrate.

As a fourth method of manufacturing a color filter, there is a printing method. In the printing method, a pigment is dispersed in a thermosetting resin, and the printing is repeated three times using the resin to separately apply R, G, and B on the substrate, and then the resin is thermally cured to be applied on the substrate. To form a colored layer. Also,
In any of the above methods, a protective layer is generally formed on the surface of the colored layer.

What is common to these methods is that R,
The same process must be repeated three times to color the three colors G and B, which increases the cost. In addition, there is a problem that the yield decreases as the number of processes increases. Further, in the electrodeposition method, since the pattern shape that can be formed is limited, the current technology cannot be applied when manufacturing a TFT type color liquid crystal display.
In the printing method, a fine pitch pattern cannot be formed due to poor resolution and smoothness.

To compensate for these drawbacks, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 205, JP-A-63-235901, JP-A-63-294503, or JP-A-1-21
No. 7302 describes a method of manufacturing a color filter using an ink jet recording method.

Among them, as a method of manufacturing a color filter by an ink jet recording method, a light shielding film is provided so as to have an opening having a predetermined regularity on a transparent substrate, and the transparent substrate is exposed to the opening. Discloses a method of discharging ink from an inkjet head to perform coloring.

A color filter using an ink jet recording system can reduce material costs by coloring only necessary portions, and can simultaneously color three colors. Therefore, the manufacturing process is short, and the influence of dust is reduced. Hard to receive.
In addition, low material cost and high yield can be expected because the cost of the manufacturing apparatus can be suppressed, and a color filter can be manufactured at a lower cost than other manufacturing methods.

On the other hand, as a method of stabilizing ink ejection in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, a method of removing dissolved gas in ink supplied to an ink jet head is known. Among the methods, as a method of degassing ink for ink jet recording, a method of removing dissolved gas from ink by passing dissolved gas in the ink through a gas permeable film is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-17712. No., published in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5-17712, the effect of degassing ink in an ink jet recording apparatus using a piezoelectric element is that cavitation occurs even if the ink in the compression chamber is repeatedly subjected to rapid compression. That is, printing defects such as non-ejection of ink caused by cavitation do not occur. Therefore, as an ink deaerator, a gas-permeable membrane is formed into a tube, and the ink is passed through the tube and the outside of the tube is evacuated to remove the dissolved gas in the ink outside the tube. Used for degassing the ink. At that time, the degree of vacuum outside the tube is 0.1 atm.
(76 Torr) or less, and the deaeration level of the ink after passing through the deaerator is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-17712.
No particular mention is made in the publication.

Also, in an ink jet recording system in which ink is ejected using film boiling, the effect of degassing the ink has been confirmed. The effect is
By supplying the degassed ink to the inkjet head, it is possible to prevent bubbles that cause ejection failure from being sent to the inkjet head, and to dissolve the remaining bubbles generated by film boiling and into the inkjet head. It is possible to prevent bubbles that may cause ejection instability, prevent non-ejection of ink, and reduce the size of ink droplets ejected at one time during continuous ejection compared to the case where dissolved gas is not degassed. It has been confirmed to be significantly stable.

In a color filter manufacturing apparatus using an ink jet recording method, even if there is a slight change in the ink discharge amount, the change in the discharge amount becomes streaky due to the difference in the ink amount on the transparent substrate. It will be visible and will be defective. Therefore, a higher level of ejection amount stability than that of a normal inkjet recording apparatus is required. Therefore, in order to prevent defects such as streak unevenness caused by fluctuations in the discharge amount and to stabilize the discharge, in the supply path for supplying ink to the ink jet head of the color filter manufacturing apparatus, a portion where air stays is defined. Attempts have been made to eliminate as much as possible and further incorporate a deaerator in the middle of the supply path to supply the deaerated ink to the ink jet head.

A method of removing air bubbles and contaminants generated in an ink jet head by continuously flowing ink in an ink jet head while performing an operation of discharging ink from the ink jet head has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 10-163,873. JP-A-51-77036, JP-A-55-533.0
570, JP-A-55-121074, and JP-A-61-100461. JP-A-51-77036 and JP-A-55-53.
The method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 570-570 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 55-121074 uses a pump in a single ink tank or between two ink tanks to pressurize or suck ink to thereby form an ink jet head. Is used to circulate the ink. JP-A-61-100
In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 461, one ink tank is disposed at a position higher than the orifice surface of the ink jet head, and the height of the ink tank and the head difference between the orifice surface of the ink jet head cause a difference in the ink jet head. The ink is circulated, and the ink circulated in the ink jet head is guided to the other ink tank through the ink outflow path.

Japanese Patent No. 2678241 discloses an ink supply system for an ink jet head for securing degassed ink near the orifice in the ink jet head without discharging ink from the orifice of the ink jet head. It is shown. The ink supply system for an ink jet head disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2678241 includes a first storage unit and a second storage unit, a deaeration unit for extracting and removing a dissolved gas from the ink, and an ink jet head. And an ink passage means extending from the first storage means via the deaeration means, near the orifice means and extending to the second storage means. The ink passage means enables the ink to flow continuously from the first storage means to the second storage means through the deaeration means and near the orifice means. By supplying ink to the orifice means through the ink passage means and securing the degassed ink in the area of the orifice means, without discharging ink from the orifice of the inkjet head, near the orifice in the inkjet head, Secure the degassed ink.

In the above-described ink supply system for an ink jet head, more specifically, a first storage means, a second storage means, and a deaeration means are provided in the ink jet head.
A difference in ink level between the first storage means and the second storage means is caused. Then, the flow of the ink is continuously generated in the ink supply path by using the difference in the head pressure due to the difference in the liquid level, and the degassed ink is secured near the orifice.

When an ink jet head is used in the color filter manufacturing apparatus, unlike the case where the ink jet head is used in a normal printer, the ink is moved from the ink jet head toward predetermined openings regularly arranged on a transparent substrate. Is colored by discharging
The landing accuracy of ink in the color filter manufacturing equipment is
A value almost one order of magnitude higher than the accuracy of a general printer is required.

Therefore, the structure of the color filter manufacturing apparatus is different from that of a normal ink jet printer. In the case of a normal printer, it is general that an ink jet head ejects ink while reciprocatingly scanning a recording medium to be conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium to record an image. is there.

On the other hand, the color filter manufacturing apparatus fixes an ink jet head from the required accuracy, and scans a transparent substrate placed on a stage below the ink jet head in the X-Y direction. Is discharged.

In the case of a normal printer, paper or the like
When recording is performed on a recording medium that absorbs ink, the recording medium absorbs the ink, causing irregularities on the surface of the recording medium. For this reason, the distance from the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head to the surface of a recording medium such as paper cannot be made closer than a certain value, and the distance from the ejection port surface to the recording medium is generally about 1 mm. there were.

On the other hand, in a color filter manufacturing apparatus, a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate is used as a recording medium. On this transparent substrate, ink droplets adhere to a recording medium such as paper which absorbs ink. No irregularities occur. Therefore, in order to increase the accuracy of the ink landing position by minimizing the influence of the phenomenon called so-called skew in which the ejection direction of the ink droplet is shifted, the ejection port surface of the inkjet head and the surface of the transparent substrate are 30 intervals
The ink is ejected by narrowing it to 0 μm or less.

In order to further increase the productivity in the color filter manufacturing apparatus, a single manufacturing apparatus can use a plurality of types of inks for coloring a transparent substrate, usually R (red),
The three inkjet heads are a set of inkjet head units so that three types of inks of G (green) and B (blue) can be colored simultaneously, and one or a plurality of the inkjet head units can be mounted. Therefore, it is necessary to perform extremely high-precision positioning with respect to each of the inkjet heads so that the relative displacement between the three inkjet heads is on the order of microns in one inkjet head unit. Further, in order to color the transparent substrate by discharging ink from an inkjet head onto the transparent substrate exposed to the openings arranged in a predetermined regularity on the transparent substrate,
The alignment of each inkjet head with respect to the opening on the transparent substrate, that is, the alignment of the inkjet head unit also needs to be performed on the order of microns. Further, in a color filter manufacturing apparatus in which a plurality of ink jet head units are mounted, it is necessary to perform extremely high-precision positioning so that all the ink jet heads are misaligned with respect to the opening of the transparent substrate on the order of microns.

For this purpose, the ink jet head unit is provided with a position adjusting mechanism for automatically or manually adjusting the relative positions of the three ink jet heads. Further, in a color filter manufacturing apparatus having a plurality of inkjet head units, an alignment mechanism capable of aligning the inkjet head with respect to the opening on the transparent substrate is independently provided for each inkjet head unit. .

In recent years, the size of a substrate for a color filter has been increasing, and the size of a substrate for a color filter has been about 360 × 465 mm in the past, but has recently been about 550 × 465 mm.
The size has been increased to about 650 mm or about 600 × 720 mm. In the near future, one side of the color filter substrate is expected to reach 1 m.
Here, an ink jet head is fixed to such a large substrate, coloring is performed over substantially the entire area of the substrate while scanning the substrate in a plane, and the size of the entire ink jet recording apparatus is more than necessary. In order not to increase the size of the XY stage, it is necessary to dispose the inkjet head substantially at the center of the moving range of the XY stage on which the substrate is placed.

In the apparatus for manufacturing a large-sized color filter as described above, if the ink-jet head is fixed at a substantially central portion of the manufacturing apparatus, the ink-jet head is replaced or the position of the ink-jet head is manually adjusted. Is very difficult, and there is a problem that the device may not be able to perform these operations in some cases. In addition, even if the operation of replacing the inkjet head or adjusting the position of the inkjet head is not performed manually, but is performed automatically, a mechanism for automatically replacing the inkjet head, or a mechanism for replacing the inkjet head, It is necessary to mount a mechanism for automatically performing relative positioning on the color filter manufacturing apparatus. As a result, the device itself becomes complicated, and because of the mechanism, the device becomes heavy,
There is a risk that it will be difficult to keep the accuracy of the manufacturing apparatus high. Therefore, when manually replacing the inkjet head or manually adjusting the position of the inkjet head, the entire inkjet head unit is moved from the center of the apparatus to the outside of the scanning area of the XY stage on which the substrate is mounted. It is necessary to adopt a configuration in which the inkjet head unit is moved and the entire inkjet head unit is arranged at a position where the work can be easily performed.

[0028]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the color filter manufacturing apparatus, the present applicant incorporates a deaerator in the supply path for supplying the ink to the inkjet head, and supplies the deaerated ink to the inkjet head. Accordingly, an attempt was made to prevent defects such as stripe unevenness caused by fluctuations in the ejection amount of the inkjet head, and to stably manufacture a color filter. In the color filter manufacturing equipment, it is ideal to use a stainless tube with no gas permeability for the ink supply path. However, in order to perform the alignment and replacement of the inkjet head, the ink supply path must be flexible. Therefore, as a tube for supplying ink, a flexible resin tube, particularly, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) tube having low gas permeability and resistance to ink was used. This PVDF tube has much lower gas permeability than a PTFE tube or the like, but the gas permeates the tube little by little over time, and the dissolved oxygen amount of the degassed ink in the tube also rises little by little. To go.

Therefore, in order to always supply ink having an amount of dissolved oxygen equal to or less than a certain value to the ink jet head, while the amount of dissolved oxygen in the ink is monitored by a dissolved oxygen meter, when the amount of dissolved oxygen exceeds a certain value, By performing a pressure recovery operation for pushing out the ink from the inkjet head, the ink degassed to a higher level and supplied from the deaerator is supplied to the inkjet head. Here, since the ink cannot be pushed out from the inkjet head while coloring the transparent substrate, the ink is pushed out from the inkjet head at times other than the ink coloring operation. In practice, about 10 cc of ink was extruded from the inkjet head each time one substrate was colored. When ink droplets remain on the ejection port surface of the inkjet head after extruding the ink, not only ink cannot be ejected as it is, but also the ink droplet remaining on the ejection port surface hits the orifice In this case, the ink discharge direction deviates from the direction of the center axis of the orifice, which causes a phenomenon called “skewing”. As a result, ink droplets cannot be landed at a desired position, and a phenomenon called color mixing in which ink of different colors is mixed with the adjacent pixels causes a defective product.

Further, when coloring the transparent substrate with the ink jet head, the distance between the discharge port surface of the ink jet head and the transparent substrate is 300 μm as described above.
m or less, the ink remaining on the ejection opening surface adheres to the transparent substrate, resulting in a defect. In order to prevent these problems, it is necessary to completely wipe off the ink droplets remaining on the ejection port surface of the inkjet head after the ink is pushed out from the inkjet head.

Therefore, in such a color filter manufacturing apparatus, an extra amount of ink is required for pushing out the ink from the ink jet head, and only a necessary portion on the substrate is colored to reduce the consumption of the coloring material. It is not possible to take advantage of the color filter manufacturing apparatus using the ink jet recording method which can perform the above. Further, since extra time is required for extruding the ink and wiping the ink droplets remaining on the discharge port surface thereafter, the production time per substrate becomes longer, and the production tact becomes longer. There was a problem that would.

In order to solve the above problem, the ink is circulated in the ink jet head during the operation of discharging the ink as in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus. By circulating the degassed ink through the inkjet head,
By constantly supplying high-level degassed ink to the inkjet head, we have attempted to ensure the stability of inkjet head ejection, reduce wasteful ink consumption, and shorten production tact time. Was.

However, in such a color filter manufacturing apparatus, it is necessary to precisely position the ink jet head or the entire ink jet head unit. You need to move it. At that time, a flexible tube for supplying ink to the inkjet head also moves together with the inkjet head, and the tube is deformed. At this time, as described above, in order to constantly circulate the ink in the inkjet head, the ink is constantly flowing even in the deformed tube, and depending on the way in which the tube is deformed, the pressure in the inkjet head increases,
Ink may be pushed out of the orifice. As described above, even a small amount of ink droplets on the ink ejection port surface of the inkjet head may cause the ink ejection direction to bend, resulting in curling or ink droplets adhering to the substrate, resulting in defective products. Or there is a possibility.

If the ink-jet head discharges ink a certain number of times or more, it may become impossible to discharge ink from the ink-jet head due to a change in the ink-jet head. The head needs to be replaced. When replacing the ink jet head, it is necessary to disconnect the ink supply system and the ink jet head in the middle of the ink supply path.In a conventional color filter manufacturing apparatus, the ink is supplied by a coupler between the ink supply system and the ink jet head. The inkjet head was separated from the supply system. As described above, when the ink jet head is separated by the coupler unit, if the ink continues to flow in the ink supply system so that the ink circulates in the ink jet head, the separated portion, that is, the ink flows out of the coupler unit, and the device In addition to the inside being stained with ink, there is a possibility that the device may be destroyed, for example, when the ink is applied to the electric circuit of the device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to stabilize the discharge amount.
An ink jet recording apparatus configured so that the ink degassed to a certain level is reliably supplied to the ink jet head by circulation, and moves the ink jet head to adjust the mounting position of the ink jet head or replace the ink jet head. When replacing the inkjet head, the ink is prevented from dripping from the discharge port of the inkjet head, and the ink is prevented from flowing away from the inkjet head and the ink path, and the inside of the device is stained with ink, An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which does not damage the apparatus and a color filter manufacturing apparatus having the ink jet recording apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent ink from dripping from an ejection port of an ink-jet head or to allow ink to flow from an ink-jet head or an ink path when the ink-jet head is moved or when the ink-jet head is replaced. By using the ink jet recording apparatus, which is prevented from becoming distorted, in a color filter manufacturing apparatus, a defective product is not generated due to a liquid applied to a substrate for a color filter, and the inside of the apparatus is contaminated, An object of the present invention is to provide a color filter manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing a high-yield and low-cost color filter without damaging the color filter.

[0037]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink jet head having a liquid passage through which a liquid passes and a discharge port for discharging a part of the liquid in the liquid passage. For storing the liquid stored in the tank, a first liquid path for supplying the liquid stored in the tank to the ink jet head, and a second liquid into which the liquid passing through the liquid passage path of the ink jet head flows. An ink jet recording apparatus having a liquid path, wherein the liquid flows continuously from the tank in the order of the first liquid path, the liquid passage path of the ink jet head, and the second liquid path. And a stop means for stopping a continuous flow of the liquid in at least the liquid passage path.

More specifically, the apparatus further includes a liquid return path for returning the liquid flowing out from the tip of the second liquid path on the side opposite to the ink jet head to the tank.

The head of the second liquid path, which is opposite to the ink jet head, and the upper surface of the liquid stored in the tank have a head difference between the tank and the first liquid path. It is preferable that the liquid is configured to flow continuously in the order of the liquid passage path of the head and the second liquid path.

According to the present invention, there is provided a first tank for storing a liquid to be supplied to an ink jet head having a liquid passage through which a liquid passes and a discharge port for discharging a part of the liquid in the liquid passage. A first liquid path for supplying the liquid stored in the first tank to the ink jet head, a second liquid path into which the liquid that has passed through the liquid passage path of the ink jet head flows, A second tank for storing the liquid flowing out from the front end of the second liquid path opposite to the ink jet head side, wherein the first liquid path from the first tank to the liquid of the ink jet head In an ink jet recording apparatus configured so that liquid continuously flows in the order of a passage path, the second liquid path, and the second tank, at least Further comprising a stopping means for stopping the continuous flow of liquid serial in the liquid passing route.

Further, it is preferable to have an inter-tank liquid supply means for supplying the liquid stored in the second tank to the first tank. Further, the first liquid path from the first tank is formed by a head difference between a tip of the second liquid path on the side opposite to the ink jet head side and an upper surface of the liquid stored in the first tank. It is preferable that the liquid is configured to flow continuously in the order of the liquid passage path, the second liquid path, and the second tank of the inkjet head.

Further, it is preferable that a degassing device is provided in the middle of the first liquid path and removes a gas dissolved in the liquid passing through the first liquid path from the liquid.
Further, it is preferable that at least a part of the liquid passage of the ink jet head is disposed near the discharge port of the ink jet head.

Further, the first ink path, the liquid passage path of the ink jet head, and the second ink path.
A support member to which the ink jet head is fixed when the ink is ejected from the ink jet head toward the recording medium while flowing the ink in the liquid path; and It is preferable to further include moving means for moving the recording medium.

Further, the discharge of the ink jet head in a state where the liquid continuously flows from the first tank in the order of the first liquid path, the liquid passage path of the ink jet head, and the second liquid path. A pressurizing unit for forcibly sending the liquid in the first ink path toward the inkjet head in order to forcibly discharge the liquid from the outlet; and the stopping unit includes the pressurizing unit. Thus, the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage is stopped immediately after the liquid is forcibly discharged from the discharge port.

The ink jet head further includes wiping means for wiping the discharge port surface of the ink jet head, and the stopping means removes the liquid in the liquid passage path during the operation of wiping the discharge port surface of the ink jet head by the wiping means. It stops continuous flow. In this case, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a control unit that controls the stop unit so that the liquid continuously flows in the liquid passage after the operation of wiping the ejection port surface of the inkjet head by the wiping unit.

Further, when adjusting the mounting position of the ink jet head, it is preferable to stop the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage path by the stopping means, and replace the ink jet head with another ink jet head. In this case, it is preferable that the stop means stops the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage and the first and second liquid paths.

Further, the inkjet head is disposed above a central portion of a moving range of the recording medium when ejecting a liquid from the inkjet head toward the recording medium while moving the recording medium, When replacing the inkjet head with another inkjet head, or when adjusting the mounting position of the inkjet head, the inkjet head may be disposed above an end of the moving range or above and outside the moving range. preferable. In this case, when the inkjet head is moved from above a central portion of the moving range of the recording medium to above an end portion of the moving range or above and outside the moving range, the stopping unit may be configured to stop the liquid by using the liquid. It is preferable to stop the continuous flow of the liquid in the passage.

In the invention as described above, the liquid flows continuously from the tank storing the liquid or the first tank in the order of the first liquid path, the liquid passage path of the ink jet head, and the second liquid path. Since the configured ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a stopping means for stopping a continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage, for example, the liquid is discharged from the discharge port by the pressurizing means in order to recover the state of the ink jet head. By stopping the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage by the stopping means immediately after forcibly discharging the liquid, it is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing away from the discharge port of the inkjet head. Also,
During the operation of wiping the ejection port surface of the inkjet head by the wiping unit, the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage is stopped by the stopping unit, so that the meniscus formed at the nozzle tip of the inkjet head is destroyed. However, it is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing away from the ejection port of the inkjet head. Further, even when adjusting the mounting position of the inkjet head attached to the inkjet recording apparatus, by stopping the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage path by the stopping means, such as a tube connected to the inkjet head Even if the tube is deformed due to the pressure applied to the ink jet head, it is possible to prevent the liquid from dripping from the discharge port of the inkjet head and prevent the liquid from flowing away from the discharge port. Further, when replacing the ink jet head, by stopping the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage path or the first and second liquid paths by the stopping means,
For example, even if the inkjet head is disconnected from the liquid supply path in the middle of the first and second liquid paths, it is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing away from the first liquid path and the second liquid path. Furthermore, when the inkjet head is replaceable, or when moving the inkjet head to a position where the mounting position of the inkjet head can be adjusted, by stopping the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage path by the stopping means, Even if a tube connected to the inkjet head moves with the inkjet head and deforms, the liquid is prevented from dripping from the ejection port of the inkjet head or flowing out from the ejection port. You. Therefore, the device is prevented from being contaminated by the liquid flowing out from the discharge port of the inkjet head, and the device is prevented from being damaged,
Further, it is possible to minimize the consumption of the liquid in the ink jet recording apparatus.

A color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, and manufactures a color filter by discharging ink from the ink jet head of the ink jet recording apparatus.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, by using the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, it is possible to wipe the discharge port surface of the ink jet head, adjust the mounting position of the ink jet head as described above,
Stopping means prevents liquid such as ink from flowing out of the ink jet head or the supply path or leaving ink flowing out when replacing the ink jet head, etc. As a result, defective products are not generated, and the yield of color filters is increased. In addition, since the inside of the color filter manufacturing apparatus is prevented from being stained or damaged by the ink flowing out of the ink jet head, the cost of the color filter is reduced, and a low-cost color filter is manufactured more reliably. can do.

[0051]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overall Configuration of Color Filter Manufacturing Apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a color filter manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the XY stage shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of an ink jet head and a detection optical system constituting the head unit shown in FIG. The color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment uses an inkjet method,
It has an ink jet recording apparatus for discharging a liquid such as ink from an ink jet head to color a transparent substrate.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a surface plate 601 for mounting the apparatus and a loading / unloading device 618 are arranged inside a thermal chamber 617. A device such as a positioning device 631 is mounted on the upper surface of the surface plate 601 as described later. These surface plate 601, devices on the surface plate 601, and
The carry-in / carry-out device 618 is covered by the thermal chamber 617. The temperature in the thermal chamber 617 is strictly controlled, and a color filter is manufactured inside the thermal chamber 617. The loading / unloading device 618 is connected to the thermal chamber 61 from outside the thermal chamber 617.
7 is carried in, and the glass substrate is carried out from the inside of the thermal chamber 617 to the outside of the thermal chamber 617.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Are supported by an anti-vibration table 602 that blocks vibration from the outside of the surface plate 601 to the surface plate 601. In the surface plate 601, as shown in FIG. 1, one direction parallel to the upper surface of the surface plate 601 is defined as an X direction, and a direction parallel to the upper surface of the surface plate 601 and orthogonal to the X direction is defined as a Y direction. The carry-in / carry-out device 618 and the surface plate 601 are arranged in the Y direction. In addition, surface plate 6
The direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the 01 is defined as the Z direction.

The positioning device 631 on the surface plate 601 includes an XY stage 603 and an XY stage
Tilt stage 604 mounted on stage 603
And a Z-direction detecting optical system 608. On the upper surface of the tilt stage 604, a glass substrate 1 as a recording medium on which a black matrix and a resin composition layer are formed as described later with reference to FIG. 13 is mounted.

The XY stage 603 is moving means for moving the glass substrate 1 in a large stroke in the X and Y directions. The glass substrate 1 is moved by the XY stage 603 on one plane near the ejection port of the ink jet head mounted on the head unit 606, here on one plane parallel to the X direction and the Y direction. The tilt stage 604 is for positioning the glass substrate 1 on the tilt stage 604 in the Z direction and adjusting the inclination θ of the glass substrate 1 with respect to a plane parallel to the X and Y directions. The Z-direction detecting optical system 608 is for detecting the position of the glass substrate 1 in the Z-direction.

A head stage 610 for moving a head unit 606 for discharging a liquid such as ink in the X direction is mounted on the surface plate 601. The head unit 606 includes an inkjet head that discharges ink toward a glass substrate to color the glass substrate. In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, the ink is constantly flowed inside the ink jet head of the head unit 606, and a part of the flowing ink is discharged from the discharge port of the ink jet head to color the glass substrate. The ink jet head of the head unit 606 has a supply port for supplying ink to the inside of the ink jet head, as described later, and a discharge port for discharging ink from the inside of the ink jet head to the outside of the ink jet head, as described later. And an ink circulation path communicating with the supply port and the discharge port.

The head stage 610 is supported on the upper surface of the surface plate 601 by a column 611. On the upper surface of the head stage 610, two support arms 613 supporting the head unit 606 are mounted so as to be movable in the X direction. In the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, two support arms 613 are provided in order to mount two head units 606 in this manner. Each support arm 613 protrudes from the head stage 610 to the carry-in / carry-out device 618 side in parallel with the Y direction. A head unit 606 is attached. Head θ motor 61
Numeral 2 is for rotating the entire head unit 606. A support member to which the head unit 606 is fixed when ink is ejected from the inkjet head mounted on the head unit 606 toward the glass substrate 1 includes a column 611, a head stage 610, and the like.

On the upper surface of each support arm 613,
Valve box 61 incorporating a three-way valve and dissolved oxygen meter
4 are mounted. The support arm 613, the head unit 606, and the valve box 614 are integrally movable by the head stage 610 from the center of the head stage 610 to the end of the head stage 610 along the X direction. Therefore, by moving the support arm 613, the head unit 606, and the valve box 614 to the end of the head stage 610, the work of mounting and exchanging the head unit 606 and the position of the inkjet head provided in the head unit 606 are adjusted. It is possible for the worker to perform the work to be performed. Further, the head stage 610 on which the two head units 606 are mounted has a mechanism in which the relative positions in the X direction of the two head units 606 are positioned on the order of microns.

Further, the recovery system unit 615 and the cleaning system unit 6
16 are arranged. The recovery unit 615 includes a cap for capping the ink jet head of the head unit 606, receiving ink ejected from the ink jet head, and wiping ink droplets attached to the nozzle surface of the ink jet head. A wiping blade as a means is provided. The recovery unit 615 includes the head unit 606
Of the recovery unit 61
5, the operation of recovering the ink jet head of the head unit 606 is performed. Cleaning unit 616
Is for cleaning the cap and the cleaning blade provided in the recovery system unit 615.

The glass substrate carried into the thermal chamber 617 from the outside of the thermal chamber 617 is
It is transported onto the tilt stage 604 by the loading / unloading device 618. The glass substrate colored by the inkjet head of the head unit 606 is carried out of the thermal chamber 617 by the carry-in / carry-out device 618.

On the other hand, the head unit 606 includes the inkjet heads 120a, 120b, 1 shown in FIG.
20c is provided. Inkjet head 120
a is for ejecting red ink, the inkjet head 120b is for ejecting green ink, and the inkjet head 120c is for ejecting blue ink. Inkjet heads 120a,
When the head unit 606 is arranged at a position for discharging ink from each of the heads 120b and 120c,
In the vicinity of the inkjet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c, the Z-direction detection optical elements 608a, 608b, and 608c that constitute the Z-direction detection optical system 608, the alignment detection optical system 607, and the landing position detection optical system 6
The optical element and the optical system are provided so that 09 is arranged.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an ink supply unit 619 for supplying ink to each of the ink jet heads 120a, 120b and 120c is arranged outside the thermal chamber 617. Although only one ink supply unit 619 is shown in FIG. 1, two ink supply units 619 are provided corresponding to the number of head units 606, and one head unit 619 is provided.
One ink supply unit 619 corresponds to 06.

In the ink supply unit 619, main tanks 301a, 301b and 301 as second tanks are provided.
c, a main pump 302, sub tanks 401a, 402b, and 401c as first tanks, and main deaerators 511a, 511b, and 511c.
The main tank 30 is provided in the inkjet head 120a.
1a, sub tank 401a and main deaerator 511
The main tank 301b, the sub tank 401b, and the main deaerator 511b correspond to the inkjet head 120b. The inkjet head 120c has a main tank 301c,
The sub tank 401c and the main deaerator 511c correspond. Sub tanks 401a, 402b, 401c
Each of the main deaerators 511a, 511b, and 511c has a hole 621 formed in the thermal chamber 617.
It is connected to the valve box 614 by a tube bundle 620 passing therethrough. The tube bundle 620 includes a tube that supplies ink from the ink supply unit 619 to the head unit 606, and a tube that returns the ink discharged from the head unit 606 to the head unit 606.

Further, a tube bundle for supplying ink to the head unit 606 extends from a side surface of the valve box 614 on the side of the head unit 606, and a plurality of tubes are provided at the tip of the tube bundle via a coupler 626. Of the ink supply tube 625 is connected. The other end of each ink supply tube 625 is independently connected to an ink jet head corresponding to each ink supply tube 625 among the ink jet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c. Ink supply unit 619, tube bundle 620, valve box 61
4. The head unit 606, the tube between the valve box 614 and the head unit 606, and the X on the surface plate 601.
An ink jet recording apparatus includes the Y stage 603, the tilt stage 604, the head stage 610, and the like.

By connecting the respective components as described above, ink is supplied from the ink supply unit 619 to each of the ink jet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c. Therefore, in this color filter manufacturing apparatus, an ink supply system is configured by the ink supply unit 619, the valve box 614, and a tube constituting an ink supply path from the ink supply unit 619 to the head unit 606. This ink supply system will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The ink jet heads 120a, 1
One end of an electric signal cable (not shown) is independently connected to each of 20b and 120c, and the other end of the electric signal cable is used as control means arranged outside the thermal chamber 617. Is connected to a control unit (not shown). The control unit is composed of a personal computer or the like, and is configured such that the control unit can eject ink independently from each of the inkjet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c. Further, from the valve box 614, a cable (not shown) having one end connected to the three-way valve for driving the three-way valve in the valve box 614;
There is a cable bundle in which a sensor (not shown) having one end connected to the sensor of the dissolved oxygen meter in 14 is bundled. The cable bundle is connected to the control unit outside the thermal chamber 617 through the hole 621 similarly to the tube bundle 620.

<Structure of Head Unit> FIG. 4 is a top view of the head unit 606 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is a front view of the head unit 606, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the head unit 606. The ink jet head 120a is fixed to the arm 51a, and the arm 51a is fixed to the adjustment plate 52a. Inkjet head 1
20b is fixed to the arm 51b, and the arm 51b is fixed to the adjustment plate 52b. Inkjet head 12
0c is fixed to the arm 51c, and the arm 51c is fixed to the adjustment plate 52c. The adjustment plate 52a is fixed to the adjustment plate 52b via the fixed block 53a, and the adjustment plate 52c is fixed to the adjustment plate 52b via the fixed block 53c. The adjustment plates 53a, 53b, 53c are integrated. I have.

Positioning in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the drawing direction (Y direction) of the ink jet head 120a is as follows.
This is performed by the micrometer 55a with reference to the position of the inkjet head 120b in the X direction. Positioning of the inkjet head 120c in the direction (X direction) perpendicular to the drawing direction (Y direction) is performed by using the micrometer 5 based on the position of the inkjet head 120b in the X direction.
5a. In addition, the inkjet head 1
Positioning of the rotating head 20a in a rotation direction in a plane parallel to the drawing surface (XY plane) is performed by the inkjet head 120b.
Is performed by the micrometer 55a based on the rotation angle in a plane parallel to the drawing plane (XY plane). Positioning of the inkjet head 120c in the rotation direction in a plane parallel to the drawing plane (XY plane) is performed by adjusting the rotation angle of the inkjet head 120b in a plane parallel to the drawing plane (XY plane). The measurement is performed by the micrometer 55c as a reference.

After positioning the ink jet head 120a in the X direction by the micrometer 54a,
The position of the inkjet head 120a in the X direction with respect to the inkjet head 120b is fixed by the lock screw 56a. Similarly, after the position of the inkjet head 120c in the X direction is adjusted by the micrometer 54c, the position of the inkjet head 120c in the X direction with respect to the inkjet head 120b is fixed by the lock screw 56c. After the position of the inkjet head 120a in the rotation direction is adjusted by the micrometer 55a, the relative position of the inkjet head 120a in the rotation direction with respect to the inkjet head 120b is fixed by the lock screw 57a. Similarly, after the positioning of the inkjet head 120c in the rotation direction is performed by the micrometer 55c, the relative position of the inkjet head 120c in the rotation direction with respect to the inkjet head 120b is fixed by the lock screw 57c.

The configuration of such a head unit 606 is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-49919. As described above, the ink jet head 120
In relative alignment of the inkjet heads 120a and 120c with respect to the micrometers 54a and 54c,
By using c, 55a, and 55c, adjustment on the order of microns is performed.

The operation for incorporating the ink jet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c into the head unit 606 is as follows.
This is performed not by the color filter manufacturing apparatus but by a dedicated head unit assembly jig. The inkjet heads 120a, 120
After assembling b and 120c, strict relative alignment between the inkjet heads is performed in a state where the head unit 606 is mounted on a color filter manufacturing apparatus or a dedicated alignment apparatus.

With respect to the head unit 606, alignment in the direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the drawing direction of the ink jet heads 120a and 120c, and the drawing surface (XY)
In addition to the alignment in the rotation direction (around the axis in the Z direction) in a plane parallel to the surface, the alignment of the ink jet head is performed with six degrees of freedom. In other words, the positioning in the Z direction and the positioning about the axis in the X direction are performed by adjusting the arms 51a to 51c to which the inkjet heads 120a to 120c are fixed at the time of unit assembly with a dedicated head unit assembling jig. To 52c, the inkjet heads 120a to 120c
Is pressed against a jig having an ultra-flat surface with a high degree of flatness, and the mounting screw is tightened.
Here, the alignment can be performed simultaneously with the alignment in the Y direction using the lock screw 56a. The alignment in the X direction and the alignment around the axis in the Y direction are performed using the lock screw 5.
7a can be performed simultaneously with the positioning around the axis in the Z direction. The alignment in the X direction and the alignment around the axis in the Y direction may be performed by sending electric signals to the respective inkjet heads and electrically adjusting the ejection timing when the inkjet heads eject ink. Good.

The head unit 606 thus assembled and aligned is suspended and fixed to the bottom surface of the head θ motor 612 shown in FIG. 1 using the screw holes 59 and 60 shown in FIG. Have been.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the ink jet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c are mounted on the color filter manufacturing apparatus after being aligned as described above. When adjusting the position of the head unit 606, a dummy substrate (not shown) is mounted on the upper surface of the tilt stage 604. Then, the alignment detection optical system 6
07, the dummy substrate is aligned in the X, Y, and θ directions, and a pattern for evaluation is drawn on the dummy substrate by the inkjet heads 120a to 120c to evaluate the position of the head unit 606. Furthermore, XY
The stage 603 is moved, and the inkjet head 12 is moved.
The landing position of the ink ejected from 0a to 120c is measured by the landing position detecting optical system 609. This makes it possible to accurately measure the coordinates of the dummy substrate on the tilt stage 604 and the coordinates of the landing positions of the ink ejected from the inkjet heads 120a to 120c. These coordinate values of the dummy substrate do not change even when another substrate different from the dummy substrate is mounted on the tilt stage 604 instead of the dummy substrate. When these values change, their coordinate values may be measured using a dummy substrate. Alternatively, the landing position may be measured by another device, and the measured value may be reproduced in the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment.

When manufacturing a color filter,
When the glass substrate 1 is mounted on the tilt stage 604, the alignment detection optical system 607 detects the amount of positional deviation between the glass substrate 1 and each of the inkjet heads 120a to 120c in the X, Y, and θ directions. Based on the detection result by the alignment detection optical system 607, the shift of the θ component is corrected by the tilt stage 604, and the shift in the X direction is corrected by adjusting the position of the XY stage 603 in the X direction. Further, the displacement in the Y direction (print scanning direction) can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the XY stage 603 in the Y direction or by using the inkjet head 120a.
The control is performed by controlling the ejection timing of .about.120c.

Further, the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the entire head unit 606 is replaced when the inkjet head is replaced. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the state where the two support arms 613 are located substantially at the center of the head stage 610 is changed to
Two head units 6 by the head stage 610
06 are moved away from each other, that is, in the X direction, and each head unit 606 is moved to the head stage 610 in the X direction.
After replacing the head unit 606 with another different head unit. Further, each head unit 606 is a head stage 6 in the X direction.
10, the micrometer 54 attached to the head unit 606, if necessary.
Fine adjustment of the relative positions of the inkjet heads is performed by a, 54c, 55a, and 55c.

<Structure of Ink Supply System> FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the ink supply system of the color filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows an ink supply system for supplying a liquid such as ink to the inkjet head 120a among the ink supply systems shown in FIG. The ink supply system for the inkjet heads 120b and 120c is similar to the ink supply system shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the ink supply system of the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment includes a sub tank 401a as a first tank for storing ink to be supplied to the ink jet head 120a, and a sub tank 40.
A main tank 301a is provided as a second tank for storing ink to be supplied to 1a. An ink remaining amount sensor 35 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the main tank 301a is provided inside the main tank 301a.
0 is provided.

One end of a tube 351 is arranged on the bottom inside the main tank 301a, and the other end of the tube 351 is connected to one end of a tube 352 by a joint 371. One end of a tube 357 for communicating with the atmosphere is connected to the joint 371, and the two-way valve 304 is connected to the other end of the tube 357. The other end of the tube 357 is opened and closed by the two-way valve 304. The main pump 302 is connected to the other end of the tube 352. As the main pump 302, a tube pump that sends out ink while crushing the tube in the direction in which the ink travels is used. One end of a tube 353 is connected to the main pump 302, and the other end of the tube 353 is connected to the other end of the tube 353 via a filter 311 having a trapped particle diameter of 2 μm.
4 is connected to one end. One end of a tube 355 is connected to the other end of the tube 354 via a joint 372. Tube 373 for joint 372
The coupler plug 374 is attached via the. The other end of the tube 355 is connected to a sub deaerator 321, to which a vacuum pump 322 is connected via a tube 323.

The inside of the deaerator 321 is provided with a bundle of a plurality of hollow fibers having gas permeability. The ink dissolved in the ink is removed from the ink by passing the ink through the hollow fiber in the deaerator 321 and evacuating the outside of the hollow fiber with the vacuum pump 322. Poly (4-methylpentene-1) is used as a hollow fiber degassing membrane constituting a hollow fiber. In the deaerator 321, 32 ± 2 Torr by a vacuum pump 322.
The ink passing through the degassing device 321 is degassed at a degree of vacuum.

Further, the tube 35 is provided in the deaerator 321.
6 is connected to one end. The other end of the tube 356
It is connected to one end of a tube 453 and one end of a tube 454 via a three-way valve 403 serving as an inter-tank supply path switching unit. The other end of the tube 454 communicates with the inside of the sub tank 401a. Therefore, the supply of ink from the main tank 301a to the sub tank 401a is performed by the tubes 351, 352, 353, 354, 35
5,356,454. These tubes and the main pump 3 connected to each tube
The liquid stored in the main tank 301a is supplied to the sub tank 401a by the liquid supply means between tanks.
Supplied to Therefore, the tube 351, the main pump 302, the filter 311,
An inter-tank supply path is constituted by an ink path from the deaerator 321, the three-way valve 403, and the tube 454 to the sub tank 401 a.

Although the coupler socket 375 can be connected to the above-described coupler plug 374, FIG. 7 shows a state where the coupler socket 375 is removed from the coupler plug 374. The coupler plug 374 has a mechanism in which the tip is closed in a state where nothing is connected to the coupler plug 374. On the other hand, the coupler socket 37
5 is connected to one end of a tube 376.
A suction pump 377 is connected to the other end of 6. A waste liquid tank 379 is connected to the suction pump 377 via a tube 378. The coupler socket 375, the tube 376, the suction pump 377, the tube 378, and the waste liquid tank 379 constitute an ink suction device. The ink suction device is connected to the coupler plug 374 when draining ink in the ink supply path.

The tube 4 is provided at the bottom of the sub tank 401a.
One end of the tube 455 is connected to one end of the tube 451 via a flow meter 456 to the other end of the tube 451. At the other end of the tube 455 is a main deaerator 511a.
Is connected. A vacuum meter 521 is connected to the main deaerator 511a via a tube 580, and the vacuum pump 52 is connected to the vacuum meter 521 via a tube 581.
2 are connected.

The lower part of the dissolved oxygen meter 520, which is a dissolved gas measuring device, is further connected to the main deaerator 511a via a tube 571. The dissolved oxygen meter 520 is provided with a sensor 523 as a measuring means and a magnetic stirrer 534. Dissolved oxygen meter 520
Is connected to one end of a tube 572, and the other end of the tube 571 via a joint 577.
One end of each of 73 and 574 is connected.
The other end of the tube 574 is connected to a three-way valve 504, and the three-way valve 504 is further connected to one end of each of a tube 553 and a tube 575 that is a bypass.

On the other hand, the tube 5
A three-way valve 502 is connected to the other end of the tube 573 connected to 71 and 574. One end of each of the tubes 576 and 452 is connected to the three-way valve 502. A three-way valve 505 is connected to the other end of the tube 576, and the other end of the tube 575 and one end of the tube 554 are connected to the three-way valve 505. The three-way valves 504 and 505 constitute a liquid supply path switching unit. One end of a tube 551 is connected to the other end of the tube 553 via a coupler 555, and one end of a tube 552 is connected to the other end of the tube 554 via a coupler 556.

A connector 561 for connecting the tubes 551 and 552 to the ink jet head 120a is connected to the other end of each of the tubes 551 and 552. The supply port and the discharge port are provided in the inkjet head 120a as described above, and the connector 561 is attached to a portion of the inkjet head 120a where the supply port and the discharge port are provided. Thereby, the supply port of the inkjet head 120a communicates with the tube 551, and the inkjet head 1a
The outlet of 20a communicates with the tube 552.

Inside the ink jet head 120a, a liquid passage is provided so that the ink flowing into the ink jet head 120a from the supply port of the ink jet head 120a is discharged from the discharge port of the ink jet head 120a to the outside of the ink jet head 120a. Are formed. Ink circulation path 1 in inkjet head 120a
A plurality of nozzles are arranged in a portion near 21a, and each of the plurality of nozzles is provided with an ink circulation path 121.
An electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for discharging the liquid flowing through the ink jet head a from the inkjet head 120a is provided. Thereby, the ink circulation path 121
A part of the ink flowing through a is discharged from the discharge port (orifice) at the tip of each nozzle of the inkjet head 120a by driving the electrothermal transducer.

At the time of ink ejection, the ink jet head 12
0a is supplied to the inkjet head 120.
a and the ink path outside the ink jet head 120.
a is always flowing in the ink circulation path 121a. Here, the amount of ink ejected from the inkjet head 120a is very small compared to the amount of ink supplied to the inkjet head 120a. From tube 552
Is discharged.

When the ink jet head 120a is connected to the other ends of the tubes 551 and 552 via the connector 561, the tubes 551 and 552 are separated from the tubes 553 and 554 by couplers 555 and 556, respectively. The head 120a is separated from the ink supply system. Couplers 555 and 556 include couplers 555 and 55
6, the ends of the couplers 555 and 556 are not closed and the open state is maintained in a state where the tubes are separated from each other. Thereby, when the tubes are connected to each other by the couplers 555 and 556, the air that enters the insides of the couplers 555 and 556 can be easily removed.

A detachable sensor 557 is attached to the coupler 555, and a detachable sensor 558 is attached to the coupler 556. By the attachment / detachment sensor 557, the coupler 55
5 detects whether or not the tubes are connected to each other, and the desorption sensor 558 detects whether or not the tubes are connected to each other by the coupler 556. Thus, the color filter manufacturing apparatus is configured so that the ink supply system does not operate in a state where the tubes are not securely connected with each of the couplers 555 and 556.

On the other hand, the other end of the tube 452 connected to the three-way valve 502 is connected to the other end of the tube 453 connected to the three-way valve 403 and one end of the tube 457 via a joint 471. The other end of the tube 457 is connected to one end of the tube 458 via a two-way valve 406 as an ink return valve, and the other end of the tube 458 is inserted into the upper part of the tube 459 as a third liquid path. ing. The inner diameter of the tube 459 is larger than the outer diameter of the tube 458. The tube 459 is also used as a fourth liquid path for returning the ink in the sub tank 401a to the main tank 301a when the ink in the sub tank 401a reaches a predetermined amount, as described later. The liquid path and a part of the fourth liquid path are common. The lower part of the tube 459 extends from the upper surface of the main tank 301a to the main tank 30a.
1a.

The size of each tube is such that the tubes 551, 552, 553, and 554 have an outer diameter of 4 m.
m, inner diameter φ2 mm, tube 459 has outer diameter φ12
mm, inner diameter φ8 mm. Other than that, the sizes of the tubes shown in FIG.
It is. The material of the tube is tube 35
1,352,353,354,355,376,37
8,459 is PN using special polyolefin resin
Tubes (manufactured by Nitta Moore) and tubes 323, 580, and 581 used in a vacuum system are urethane tubes. The other tubes shown in FIG. 7 are all PV
This is a DF (polyvinylidene fluoride) tube.
As a VDF tube, more flexible material E
An EXLON PVDF tube manufactured by Iwase Co., Ltd. using KYNER2800 manufactured by LF Atochem Japan was used.

Next, components arranged in the ink supply path in the above-described ink supply system will be described.

A tube 451 is provided in the sub tank 401a.
And a pressurizing motor 402 for driving the turbine 402a. Pressurizing motor 4
02 and the turbine 402a constitute a pressurizing means, and the driving and stopping of the pressurizing means are controlled by the control unit. In addition, a drain 404 is provided on a side surface of the sub tank 401a at a predetermined height from the bottom surface. This drain 404 is connected to the middle of a slightly large-diameter (outer diameter φ12 mm / inner diameter φ8 mm) tube 459 whose upper end is open to the atmosphere. Tube 45
The lower end of 9 is guided inside the main tank 301a. In addition, a joint 47 is provided above the tube 459.
The other end of the tube 458, which is connected to one end via a tube 457 and a two-way valve 406, is inserted.

The tip of the tube 458 on the side of the tube 459 opposite to the side of the ink jet head 120a is located at a position lower by a predetermined distance δ from the level of the liquid surface in which the ink in the sub tank 401a flows out from the drain 404. ing. In the present embodiment, the sub tank 401a
The tip of the tube 458 is arranged 300 mm below the level of the liquid level at which the ink inside flows out of the drain 404. The height of the tip of the tube 458 with respect to the ink level in the sub tank 401a can be easily changed by changing the amount of insertion into the tube 459.

The set value of the distance δ of 300 mm is determined by the viscosity of the ink. If the value is set too large, air may be sucked from the nozzles of the ink jet head 120a and the ejection may not be possible. On the other hand, if the size is too small, the amount of circulating ink will be small, so that it is not possible to secure sufficiently degassed ink in the inkjet head 120a, and it may not be possible to realize stable ejection. Therefore, it is necessary to set the value of the distance δ to an optimum value depending on the viscosity of the ink, and it is desirable to change the set value of the distance δ for each color if the viscosity of the ink differs depending on the color. In the present embodiment, since the viscosity of the ink is substantially the same for all three colors, the distance δ is set to the same value for all colors.

The sub-tank 401a is provided with a remaining amount sensor 405 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the sub-tank 401a so that the liquid level of the ink in the sub-tank 401a does not become lower than a certain level. This allows
The ink in the sub-tank 401a is pumped by the turbine 402a, or the ink in the sub-tank 401a is reduced by the head difference between the liquid level in the sub-tank 401a and the height of the tip of the tube 458.
Of the sub tank 401
When the liquid level in a is lowered and the sub tank 401a is emptied, air is prevented from being pumped into the ink supply path. In the present embodiment, the remaining amount sensor 405 detects the liquid level of the ink at a liquid level that is 10 mm lower than the height of the ink flowing from the sub tank 401a to the main tank 301a through the drain 404. I have. The height of the liquid surface at which the ink in the sub-tank 401a flows to the drain 404 is set at a position 25 mm below the discharge port surface (nozzle surface) of the inkjet head 120a.

When the remaining amount sensor 405 detects the ink level, the main pump 302 is driven to drive the main tank 3.
From 01a, the ink is replenished to the sub tank 401a.
In the three-way valve 403 during the replenishment, the ink flowing from the tube 356 toward the three-way valve 403 is supplied to the tube 454.
, Ie, only in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The main pump 302 has a drain 404
It is driven only for a certain period of time until ink flows out of the printer.

The flow meter 456 measures the flow rate of the ink pressure-fed from the sub-tank 401a, and the flow meter 456 is capable of measuring both the instantaneous flow rate and the integrated flow rate.

The main deaerator 511a is provided with the deaerator 32.
As in the case of 1, there is a device for removing the gas dissolved in the ink. The main deaerator 511a is provided with a bundle of a plurality of hollow fibers having gas permeability.
By passing the ink through the hollow fiber and evacuating the hollow fiber from the outside by the vacuum pump 522, the gas dissolved in the ink is removed. In the main deaerator 511a, a fluororesin (ethylene tetrafluoride) is used as a hollow fiber deaeration film constituting a hollow fiber. The main deaerator 511a is provided with a port for evacuating other than a port serving as an ink inlet / outlet port. The port is connected to the vacuum pump 5 via a tube 580, a vacuum meter 521, and a tube 581.
22 are connected. Thereby, the main deaerator 5
11a is a vacuum degree of 10 ± 2 Torr by a vacuum pump 522.
To degas the ink.

The dissolved oxygen meter 520 is connected to the main deaerator 51.
This is for measuring the degassing level of the ink passing through 1a. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the dissolved oxygen meter 520. As shown in FIG. 8, in the dissolved oxygen meter 520, a tube 571 is connected to a lower side surface of a container 528 made of a resin having low gas permeability (for example, PVDF) or stainless steel by a tube joint 527a. The tube 572 is connected to the upper surface of the container 528 by a tube joint 527b. Then, the container 528
The sensor 52 is located at a position different from the tube 571 on the side surface.
The sensor 523 is fixed substantially horizontally by a sensor fixing jig 529 so that the ink inside the container 528 does not leak. The inside of the container 528 has a tapered upper portion so that the air in the container 528 easily escapes to the tube 572 together with the ink. Accordingly, even if air enters the container 528, the ink pumped from the sub-tank 401a enters the container 528 from the bottom through the tube 571, and the air in the container 528 easily flows into the tube 572 from the top of the container 528. Become.

The sensor 523 uses a polaro-type oxygen electrode. Oxygen is consumed at the electrode portion at the tip inside the container 528 of the sensor 523 according to the measurement principle of the sensor 523. Therefore, in order to measure the amount of dissolved gas accurately, from the measurement principle of the dissolved oxygen meter described later, Sensor 523
It is necessary to agitate the liquid in the vicinity of the tip.

In this embodiment, the ink jet head 1
While the ink is being ejected from the ink supply path 20a, the ink is circulated in the ink supply path.
min, and the ink jet head 12
At 0a, the amount of ink consumed by ejection is very small, and almost no ink flow occurs in the container 528. Therefore, a rotor 526 having a built-in magnet for stirring the liquid is placed in the container 528.
Further, a magnetic stirrer 524 for rotating the rotor 526 is provided on the bottom surface of the container 528. The magnetic stirrer 524 allows the rotor 526 to be in contact with the bottom of the
26 is rotated. By constantly stirring the ink in the container 528 in this manner, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the ink can be accurately measured.

<Measurement principle of dissolved oxygen meter> FIGS. 7 and 8
The polaro-type dissolved oxygen meter used as the dissolved oxygen meter 520 described above is generally called a diaphragm type dissolved oxygen electrode, and uses oxygen reduction as a measurement principle.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the measurement principle of a polaro-type dissolved oxygen meter. As shown in FIG.
The polaro-type dissolved oxygen meter includes an oxygen electrode 537a, a low-voltage power supply 533, and a DC ammeter 538. In the oxygen electrode 537a, one end of the electrode body 537 is open, and one end of the electrode body 537 is closed by covering the opening of the electrode body 537 with the diaphragm 534. Inside the electrode body 537, a bar-shaped anode 532 made of silver is provided. At the end of the anode 532 on the diaphragm 535 side, a cathode 531 made of platinum is provided. The electrode body 537 is filled with an electrolytic solution 536, and the electrolytic solution 536 is filled with a cathode 531 and an anode 532.
Is soaked. Such an oxygen electrode 537a serves as the diaphragm 5
It is immersed in the measurement liquid 534 in the container 539 with the 35 facing downward. The cathode 531 and the anode 532 are
Are electrically connected to an external constant voltage power supply 533 and a DC ammeter 538.

In such a dissolved oxygen meter, a constant voltage (for example, 600 to 700 mV) required for reducing oxygen is supplied between the cathode 531 and the anode 532 by the low-voltage power supply 533.
In advance. The oxygen in the measurement liquid 534 is
When the oxygen permeates through the electrolyte solution 536 after passing through 35, the dissolved oxygen is reduced to hydroxyl groups at the cathode 531 and a reduction current flows through the circuit of the dissolved oxygen meter. At this time, the chemical reaction at the anode 532 is represented by the following equation (1), and the chemical reaction at the cathode 531 is represented by the following equation (2).

[0108] _{^{anode: 4Ag + 4OH - → 2Ag 2}} O + 2H 2 O ····· (1) _{cathode: O 2 + 2H 2 O +} 4e → 4OH - ········· (2)

The reduction current represented by the above formula (2) is proportional to the oxygen concentration in the measurement liquid 534. For example, the measurement liquid 534
When the oxygen content increases, the electrolyte 536 permeates through the diaphragm 535.
The amount of oxygen dissolved in the electrolyte increases, and the reduction current flowing through the DC ammeter 538 increases in proportion to the oxygen concentration in the electrolyte 536. Here, in the measurement liquid 534 under measurement, the diaphragm 5
35 is a low concentration region 534a having a low oxygen concentration, and the outside of the low concentration region 534a is a low concentration region 534.
The medium concentration region 534b has a higher oxygen concentration than a. The outside of the middle concentration region 534b is a high concentration region 534c having a higher oxygen concentration than the middle concentration region 534b. As described above, the dissolved oxygen meter measures the reduction current flowing in the circuit of the dissolved oxygen meter, and converts the measured value of the reduction current into the oxygen concentration to measure the oxygen concentration of the measurement liquid 534.

As described above, the polaro-type oxygen electrode is an oxygen electrode using platinum as a cathode, silver as an anode, an alkaline solution as an electrolyte, and constant potential electrolysis of oxygen by an external electrode. In contrast to the polaro method, the galvanic method, which is another measurement method of a dissolved oxygen meter of the diaphragm type, uses platinum as the anode, lead as the cathode, an alkaline solution as the electrolyte, and the oxygen electrode itself without using an external electrode. And the constant potential electrolysis of oxygen is used by utilizing the voltage due to the battery reaction.

The Polaro system has the following advantages over the Galvanic system. The first advantage is good reproducibility of measurement. The second advantage is that the measurement is stable for a long period of time because the generation of precipitates is small. A third advantage is that the voltage is applied to the oxygen electrode, so that the influence of temperature is small. Due to these advantages, a polaro-type dissolved oxygen meter is used in this embodiment.

Next, as shown in FIG.
A description will be given of the fact that is attached to the container 528 so as to be substantially horizontal. When the dissolved oxygen meter shown in FIG. 9 is used for a long time, a layer of silver chloride is formed on the surface of the anode 532, and the silver chloride layer is peeled off from the anode 532, and the cathode 5
31 and between the diaphragm 535. Thus, the cathode 53
If silver chloride enters between the membrane 1 and the diaphragm 535, stable performance of the dissolved oxygen meter cannot be obtained. Therefore,
In the method of mounting the oxygen electrode 537a with the diaphragm 535 facing downward, silver chloride easily enters between the cathode 531 and the diaphragm 535, so this mounting method is not desirable when used for a long time. Conversely, if the oxygen electrode 537a is mounted with the diaphragm 535 facing upward, the oxygen electrode 537a is mounted on the bottom surface of the container 539. In the case of the dissolved oxygen meter 520 shown in FIG. 523 must be attached to the bottom of the container 528. However, since the stirring is performed by the rotor 526 at the bottom in the container 528, the container 528
Sensor 523 and magnetic stirrer 524 on the bottom
Must be arranged, and the container 528 becomes large. If the container 528 is large, the amount of ink staying in the container 528 increases, which is not desirable. Therefore, in the dissolved oxygen meter 520 shown in FIG.
A sensor 523 is mounted on the container 528 substantially horizontally.

<Switching Operation of Three-Way Valve> Next, the switching operation of the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. Three-way valve 50
The switching operation of 2,504,505 is controlled by the control unit.

FIG. 10 shows a three-way valve 502 for discharging ink from the ink jet head 120a shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the state of 504,505.

As shown in FIG. 10, when ink is ejected from the ink jet head 120a, the three-way valve 502 is used.
The tube 452 and the tube 576 communicate with each other,
The end of the tube 573 on the three-way valve 502 side is in a closed state. In the three-way valve 505, the tubes 576 and 5
And the end of the tube 575 on the side of the three-way valve 505 is closed. In the three-way valve 504, the tube 5
The tube 53 communicates with the tube 53, and the end of the tube 575 on the three-way valve 504 side is closed.

Therefore, when the ink is ejected, the ink flowing from the sub tank 401a toward the main deaerator 511a passes through the dissolved oxygen meter 520 and then flows into the tube 5a.
72, joint 577, tube 574, three-way valve 50
The ink is supplied to the supply port of the inkjet head 120a through the nozzle 4 and the tube 553. After the ink is supplied to the inkjet head 120a, the ink discharged from the inkjet head 120a without being ejected from the inkjet head 120a is a tube 55
2. Flow into the main tank 301a through the coupler 556, the tube 554, the three-way valve 505, the tube 576, the three-way valve 502, the tube 452, the joint 471, the tube 457, the two-way valve 406, and the tubes 458, 459.

From the sub tank 401a, the tube 45
1. Flow meter 456, tube 455, main deaerator 5
11a, a tube for supplying the ink stored in the sub-tank 401a to the inkjet head 120a by an ink path through the tube 571, the dissolved oxygen meter 520, the tubes 572, 574, 553, and 551 to the inkjet head 120a. One liquid path is configured. In addition, tubes 552, 554, 57
6, 452, 457, 458 and components for connecting the tubes to each other, and a second liquid path is formed.
The end of the tube 458 corresponding to the end opposite to the 0a side is inserted into the tube 459 as the third liquid path. Further, the tip of the second liquid path on the side opposite to the inkjet head 120a side, that is, the tube 4
A liquid return path for returning the ink flowing out from the tip of the nozzle 58 to the sub tank 401a includes the tube 459, the main tank 301a, and the above-described inter-tank supply path.

FIG. 11 shows an ink jet head 120a.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 when ink is bypassed in order to circulate the ink while avoiding the problem. After setting the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 to the state shown in FIG. 11, an operation of filling the ink supply system with ink and an operation of replacing ink in the ink supply system are performed as described later.

As shown in FIG. 11, when ink is bypassed, the tube 452 and the tube 576 are communicated by the three-way valve 502, and the end of the tube 573 on the three-way valve 502 side is closed. In the three-way valve 505, the tube 576 and the tube 575 communicate with each other, and the end of the tube 554 on the three-way valve 505 side is closed. Three-way valve 50
In 4, the tube 575 communicates with the tube 574,
The end of the tube 553 on the three-way valve 504 side is in a closed state.

Therefore, at the time of ink bypass, the ink flowing from the sub tank 401a to the main deaerator 511a passes through the dissolved oxygen meter 520, and then flows through the tube 572, the joint 577, the tube 574, the three-way valve 504, and the tube 575. , Three-way valve 505, tube 57
6. After passing through the three-way valve 502 and the tube 452 in this order, it is fed into the main tank 301a. In this case and when the ink flow is opposite, the three-way valve 403 and the tubes 453 and 452 are passed in this order, and the three-way valve 50
The ink flowing toward 2 is supplied to the tube 576 and the three-way valve 50.
5, is sent into the dissolved oxygen meter 520 through the tube 575, the three-way valve 504, the tube 574, and the like. When the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are in such a bypass state, the inkjet head 120a is not connected to the main tank 301a and the sub tank 401a by the ink supply path.

FIG. 12 shows a three-way valve 502 for pressurizing the ink in the ink supply path toward both sides of the supply port and the discharge port of the ink jet head 120a as described later.
It is a figure which shows the state of 504,505.

As described later, when the ink in the sub tank 401a is pressurized toward both sides of the supply port and the discharge port of the ink jet head 120a, as shown in FIG.
76, and the end of the tube 452 on the three-way valve 502 side is closed. In the three-way valve 505, the tube 5
The tube 76 communicates with the tube 554, and the end of the tube 575 on the three-way valve 505 side is closed. Three-way valve 504
Then, the tube 574 and the tube 553 communicate with each other, and the end of the tube 575 on the three-way valve 504 side is closed.

To pressurize the ink in the sub tank 401a toward the ink jet head 120a, the turbine 402a provided in the sub tank 401a is rotated. When the turbine 402a is rotated in the state shown in FIG. 12, the ink in the sub tank 401a is
Through the main deaerator 511a. The sent ink passes through the main deaerator 511 a and the dissolved oxygen meter 520, and then passes through the joint 57.
At 7, it branches to tubes 574 and 573. The ink branched to each of the tubes 574 and 573 by the joint 577 is sent to the inkjet head 120a through each supply path.

As described above, these three-way valves 502,
Numerals 504 and 505 switch the flow of ink in the ink supply path shown in FIG. 7. Stop means for stopping the continuous flow of ink in the ink circulation path 121a, that is, the flow of ink in each ink flow path, is configured. Therefore, the operation of the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 causes the sub tank 4
01a to the inkjet head 120
a in the first liquid path for supplying the ink to the ink circulation path 121a in the inkjet head 120a,
The flow of the ink in the second liquid path into which the liquid that has passed through the ink circulation path 121a flows is stopped.

Thus, the three-way valves 502, 504, 505
The operation of stopping the flow of ink by the operation described above is performed immediately after the liquid is forcibly discharged from the ejection port of the inkjet head 120a as described later, or during the operation of wiping the ejection port surface of the inkjet head 120a with the wiping blade, This is performed when adjusting the mounting position of the inkjet head 120a and when replacing the inkjet head 120a. Further, the head unit 606 having the inkjet head 120a is moved from above the center of the range of movement of the glass substrate 1 by the XY stage 603, that is, from the center of the apparatus, to above the end of the range of movement or above the range of movement. The three-way valves 502 and 50 are also used to move the ink jet head 120a to the upper side outside, that is, to the end of the apparatus where the mounting position of the ink jet head 120a can be changed or the mounting position of the ink jet head 120a can be adjusted.
The operation of the ink jet head 120 by the operation of 4,505
The continuous flow of ink in the ink circulation path 121a and the ink supply path is stopped.

<Operation of Ink Supply System> Next, the operation of the ink supply system shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 10. In the present embodiment, even when the inkjet head 120a is ejecting ink or not ejecting ink, a normal operation excluding the operation at the time of ink filling and replacement of an ink supply system as described later is performed. Sometimes
The three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are switched to the state at the time of discharge shown in FIG. 10, and the three-way valve 403 communicates with the tubes 356 and 454,
3, the end on the three-way valve 403 side is in a closed state.
Accordingly, in the three-way valve 403, ink flowing from the tube 356 toward the three-way valve 403 flows in the direction of the tube 454, that is, in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Two-way valve 40
6 is in the open state, and the tubes 457 and 45
8 is in communication.

In such a state, the sub tank 401a
Depending on the water head difference δ between the liquid level of the ink inside and the height of the tip of the tube 458, the tube 451, the flow meter 456, the tube 455, the main deaerator 511a, the tube 571, the dissolved oxygen meter 520,
Tubes 572, 574, three-way valve 504, tube 55
3, coupler 555, tube 551 and connector 56
1 flows into the inkjet head 120a via
Ink circulation path 121 of inkjet head 120a
a passes near the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 120a. Here, the ink that is not consumed as the ink ejected from the ejection port of the inkjet head 120a is again supplied from the ejection port of the inkjet head 120a to the connector 561, the tube 552, the coupler 556, the tube 554, the three-way valve 505, the tube 576, and the three-way valve 50.
2, tube 452, joint 471, tube 45
7. The two-way valve 406, which is normally open, and the tube 458 flow in this order. Then, the ink flowing out from the tip of the tube 458 flows along the inner wall of the tube 459 and flows into the main tank 301a.

The ink in the sub tank 401a decreases,
When the liquid level in the sub tank 401a is detected by the remaining amount sensor 405, the main pump 302 is driven for a certain period of time to remove the ink in the main tank 301a from the sub tank 401a.
a, the ink in the sub-tank 401a is replenished until the ink in the sub-tank 401a overflows from the drain 404 and falls down the inner wall of the tube 459. At this time, the amount of change in the liquid level in the sub tank 401a is about 10 mm, and the amount of change is the head difference δ for ink circulation (300 mm in this embodiment).
Since the value is much smaller than that of, the change in the liquid level in the sub tank 401a does not affect the ink circulation amount.

As described above, the ink is circulated through the ink supply system by utilizing the head difference δ between the liquid level in the sub tank 401a and the height of the tip of the tube 458. Thereby, the ink jet head 1
Ink 20a is always supplied with ink from which the dissolved gas has been sufficiently removed by passing through the main deaerator 511a while circulating. The ink is ejected from the inkjet head 120a by an ejection signal as needed, and Coloring is performed on a glass substrate.

As described above, even if the degassed ink is always circulated in the ink jet head 120a, the ink is ejected while the ink is circulated in the ink path due to, for example, maintenance of the apparatus. If left unattended for a long time, the inkjet head 120a
The state of the meniscus of the ink in the nozzle may slightly change, and the discharge amount may increase slightly only at the start of discharge, or the discharge may not be performed for a certain period of time, resulting in defective discharge. In addition, if the amount of dissolved oxygen in the ink in the ink path exceeds a certain value due to a slight trouble of the apparatus, there is a possibility that the ejection becomes unstable.

In order to prevent these problems, if the ink is left circulating for a predetermined time or more, or if the amount of dissolved oxygen exceeds a certain value, the pressurizing motor 402 is driven. To rotate the turbine 402a, and the sub-tank 401
The ink in a is pressure-fed toward the tube 451, and the pressure recovery operation of feeding the ink to the inkjet head 120a is performed. The state of each valve in the ink supply path at the time of pressurization is exactly the same as the state in which the ink is circulated, but the three-way valve 502 is shown in FIG. 12 immediately after the pressurization by the turbine 402a is stopped. Switch to the state when both sides are pressurized. As a result, there is no path from the inkjet head 120a to the main tank 301a, and the circulation of the ink is stopped. This is because the meniscus of the ink formed in the nozzle is destroyed by discharging the ink from the nozzle of the inkjet head 120a by the pressure recovery, and the ink flows from the nozzle while the ink circulates in the inkjet head 120a. This is to prevent this because it may be left unattended. In addition, since the height of the liquid surface in the sub tank 401a is 25 to 35 mm lower than the nozzle surface of the ink jet head 120a, at this time, a negative pressure acts on the ink jet head 120a and ink is released from the nozzles. Never. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being stained by the ink and to prevent the apparatus from being damaged by the ink.

After the completion of the pressure recovery, ink droplets are attached to the nozzle surface of the ink jet head 120a. In order to remove the ink droplets, it is necessary to wipe the nozzle surface of the ink jet head 120a with a wiping blade. There is. At this time, similarly to the end of the pressurization recovery, the three-way valve 502 is set to the state at the time of the both-side pressurization shown in FIG. 12 to stop the circulation in the inkjet head 120a. This is because the meniscus of the ink formed in the nozzle is destroyed by wiping the nozzle surface with the wiping blade, so that the ink flows from the nozzle without the ink circulating in the inkjet head 120a. This is because there is a possibility. It is also to prevent the nozzles of the inkjet head 120a from sucking the ink droplets adhered to the wiping blade or the cleaning water of the wiping blade and causing a discharge failure immediately after the start of the discharge.

After the wiping operation is completed, the three-way valve 5
02 is switched to the position at the time of drawing shown in FIG.
Again, the ink circulates inside the inkjet head 120a due to the difference δ between the liquid level in the sub tank 401a and the height of the tip of the tube 458. At this time, the deaeration level of the ink supplied to the inkjet head 120a is constantly monitored by the dissolved oxygen meter 520. In this manner, the degassed ink is supplied to the inkjet head 1.
When the ink is not circulated, the pressure recovery operation is performed once every time one color filter substrate is drawn in order to supply the deaerated ink to the ink jet head 120a because the ink is not circulated. In this embodiment, it is possible to continuously draw a plurality of color filter substrates without recovering the pressure during the normal drawing of the color filter substrate, as compared with the case where Since the amount of ink consumption is greatly reduced, and the time for pressure recovery and wiping is not required, the time (tact) and cost required for one substrate can be significantly reduced.

If the circulation of ink is stopped for a long time due to a trouble of the apparatus or replacement of the ink jet head, and the amount of dissolved oxygen increases significantly, the three-way valve 50 is used.
4, 505 are switched to the state at the time of the bypass shown in FIG.
is rotated, the ink in the sub tank 401a is pumped, and the ink degassed in the main deaerator 511a is sent out. At this time, since the ink in the sub tank 401a is rapidly reduced by the pressurizing motor 402 and the turbine 402a, the main pump 302 is operated at the same time, and the main tank 301a is moved from the sub tank 401a.
The ink is pressure-fed by the pressurizing motor 402 while the ink is supplied. Accordingly, the ink can be continuously sent by the pressurizing motor 402 without worrying about the remaining amount of the ink in the sub tank 401a. Further, since the ink supplied from the main tank 301a to the sub-tank 401a by the main pump 302 passes through the deaerator 321, the ink is degassed to some extent at the stage when the ink is supplied to the sub-tank 401a. It has become.

When the amount of dissolved oxygen falls below a certain fixed value, the three-way valves 504 and 505 are returned to the state at the time of drawing shown in FIG. Is sent to the inkjet head 120a. This is exactly the same operation as the above-described operation of the pressure recovery. At this time, as described above, since the ink in the sub-tank 401a rapidly decreases, the main pump 302 is simultaneously operated to supply the ink from the main tank 301a to the sub-tank 401a. Further, the ink supplied to the inkjet head 120a includes the ink discharged from the nozzle and the inkjet head 12a.
And circulates through tubes 0a, 552, 554, 576, 4
After passing through the tubes 52, 457, and 458, the ink is discharged from the tip of the tube 458, and is separated into ink that returns along the inner wall of the tube 459 to the main tank 301. Here, in the present embodiment, the inkjet head 120a
Ink discharged from the nozzle of the main tank 301
The ratio with the ink returned to a is approximately 1: 1. Immediately after the pressurization recovery operation is completed, the three-way valve 502 is switched to the state at the time of both-side pressurization shown in FIG. 12 and the wiping operation is performed.
2 is switched to the drawing state shown in FIG. 10 to return to a state in which the ink circulates in the inkjet head 120a.

Thus, the ink jet head 120
The operation of the ink supply system is switched based on the value measured by the dissolved oxygen meter 520 so that the ink having a dissolved oxygen amount equal to or less than a certain value always circulates in the area a. Accordingly, the ejection of the inkjet head 120a is stabilized.

Further, when the ink is applied to the ink jet head 12
Since the tip of the return tube 458 that flows after circulating Oa is inserted into the upper part of the thick tube 459 that leads to the main tank 301a, the tube 458
By changing the insertion depth of the sub tank 401a
The height of the tip of the tube 458 with respect to the liquid level inside can be adjusted. Thereby, the tube 45
The mechanism for determining the head difference for circulation by adjusting the height of the tip of 8 is simple, and the head difference can be changed very easily, and the head difference for ink circulation is changed. Requires very little space for the mechanism.

Further, by adjusting the height of the tip of the tube 458 in this manner, it is possible to easily adjust the ink circulation amount by changing the head difference for continuously flowing the ink. This makes it possible to deal with more types of ink. Further, the ink jet recording apparatus that supplies the ink to the ink jet head 120a using the head pressure can be simply configured so that the ink does not come off from the ink jet head, and the inside of the apparatus is contaminated with the ink. And that the device is not damaged by the ink.

As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment, the second ink into which the ink having passed through the ink circulation path 121a of the ink jet head 120a flows.
The first liquid path provided with the main deaerator 511a from the sub tank 401a due to the head difference between the top end of the ink stored in the sub tank 401a and the front end of the liquid path opposite to the inkjet head 120a. The ink supply system is configured so that the liquid flows continuously in the order of the path 121a and the second liquid path. As a result, the ink degassed to a certain level by passing through the main deaerator 511a is always supplied to the ink jet head 120a, and the ink jet head 120a
Discharge amount becomes stable. Further, by circulating the ink by continuously flowing the ink through the ink circulation path 121a of the inkjet head 120a,
As in the related art, it is possible to reduce the frequency of pushing out the liquid from the inkjet head to recover the inkjet head and the liquid supply path, and it is possible to minimize the consumption of ink in the inkjet recording apparatus.

<Operation when Filling Ink> Next, the operation when filling the ink supply system shown in FIG. 7 with ink will be described.

First, when filling the ink supply system with ink, the two-way valves 304 and 406 are closed, and the three-way valves 502 and
504 and 505 are switched to the state at the time of bypass shown in FIG. In the three-way valve 403, the tube 356
And the tube 453 communicate with each other, and the end of the tube 454 on the three-way valve 403 side is closed. Accordingly, in the three-way valve 403, ink flowing from the tube 356 toward the three-way valve 403 flows in the direction of the tube 453, that is, in the direction of arrow B in FIG.

In this state, as a first step, when the main pump 302 is operated and the ink in the main tank 301a is pumped up through the tubes 351 and 352,
The ink is supplied to the tube 353, the filter 311, the tubes 354, 355, the deaerator 321, the tube 356, the three-way valve 403, the tubes 453, 452, the three-way valve 502,
Tube 576, three-way valve 505, tube 575, three-way valve 504, tubes 574, 572, dissolved oxygen meter 52
0, the tube 571, the main deaerator 511a, the tube 455, the flow meter 456, the tube 451, the sub-tank 401a, the drain 404, and the tube 459 in this order, and the ink spreads over almost the entire ink supply path. At this time, the flow rate of the main pump 302 is 200 cc.
Set to / min. The vacuum pump 322 for the deaerator 321 has a degree of vacuum in the deaerator 321 of about 32 ± 2 Torr.
, And the vacuum pump 522 for the main deaerator 511a is operated such that the degree of vacuum in the main deaerator 511a is about 10 Torr.

Immediately after the ink is filled in the ink supply system in the first step as described above, the ink that has passed through the deaerator 321 is supplied to the tube 356, the three-way valve 403, the tubes 453, 452, the three-way valve 502, the tube 576, three-way valve 505, tube 575, three-way valve 504, tubes 574, 572, dissolved oxygen meter 520, tube 571,
It reaches the main deaerator 511a. Main deaerator 5
The ink that has passed through 11a is further degassed, and the degassed ink fills each of the tube 455, the flow meter 456, the tube 451, and the sub tank 401a.

However, as shown in FIG. 8, the inside of the container 528 constituting the dissolved oxygen meter 520 has a sensor 52
A certain amount of volume is required as a space for the distal end of No. 3 and a space for rotating the rotor 526, and the volume in the container 528 is about 10 ml. In addition, the tube 5 in the container 528 is provided so that air sent from the tube 571 to the inside of the container 528 can easily escape through the tube 572 to the outside of the container 528.
The connection positions of 71 and 572 have been determined. Therefore, the tube 571 is connected to the lower part of the container 528, and the tube 572 is connected to the upper part of the container 528, as described above. Therefore, all the air that has entered the inside of the container 528 from the tube 572 at the time of filling the ink does not escape to the tube 571, and some of the air is removed from the container 528.
Will remain inside.

Therefore, after the main pump 302 is operated for a certain period of time to fill the ink supply system with ink and then the main pump 302 is stopped, the two-way valve 406 is opened. Then, as a second step, the pressing motor 40
2 is driven to send the ink in a direction opposite to the flow of the ink at the time of filling the ink. Here, as the main pump 302, one having a structure that shuts off the flow of ink in a tube connected to the main pump 302 when the operation of the main pump 302 is stopped is used.
Therefore, the ink sent from the sub tank 401a does not flow in the direction of the tube 453 at the joint 471, and the tube 457, the two-way valve 406, and the tubes 458, 4
59, and is returned to the main tank 301a.

In the second step, the sub tank 40
Air is almost completely removed from the ink path from 1a through the flow meter 456, the main deaerator 511a, the dissolved oxygen meter 520, the three-way valves 504, 505, 502 and the two-way valve 406 to the main tank 301a. . Also,
The ink thus degassed is supplied to the main degasser 5
From 11a, dissolved oxygen meter 520, three-way valves 504, 505,
502, tubes 452, 457, two-way valve 40
6, into the main tank 301a via the tube 458,
Alternatively, it is further circulated to the main deaerator 511a. Thus, the inside of the ink path is completely filled with the degassed ink except for the tube 573. By repeating such a circulating operation of the first and second steps several times, the circulated ink is supplied to the main deaerator 5.
11a several times, the ink degassing level rises. The operations in the first and second steps described above are controlled by the control unit.

Next, the remaining portion not filled with ink is filled with degassed ink by a three-way valve 50.
2, 504 and 505 are switched to a state for pressurizing the ink toward both sides of the supply port and the discharge port of the inkjet head 120a as shown in FIG. When the ink is sent from the sub tank 401a by driving the pressurizing motor 402, the tubes 573, 553, 55
4, 551, 552 and the inkjet head 120a are filled with degassed ink.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the inkjet head 12 is located near the inkjet head 120a.
By providing a liquid circulation path through which ink can be circulated via a path that does not pass through Oa, ink consumption between the main deaerator 511a and the inkjet head 120a is minimized without wasteful disposal. As a result, the entire ink supply system can be efficiently filled with the degassed ink.

<Operation at the time of ink replacement> Next, the operation at the time of ink replacement in the ink supply system shown in FIG. 7 will be described. The replacement of the ink in the ink supply path is realized without disconnecting the connection of the connector 561.

First, the operation of removing ink from the ink supply system will be described. Open the two-way valve 304 and the two-way valve 406
Is closed, and the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are switched to the state at the time of bypass shown in FIG. In addition, three-way valve 4
At 03, the tube 356 and the tube 453 communicate with each other, and the ink flows from the tube 356 toward the tube 453 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. When the main pump 302 is operated in this state, the two-way valve 304
However, air is sucked in from an unconnected port.
The air sucked from the two-way valve 304 is supplied to the tube 35.
7, 352, main pump 302, tube 353, filter 311, tubes 354, 355, deaerator 32
1, tube 356, three-way valve 403, tube 453,
452, three-way valve 502, tube 576, three-way valve 50
5, tube 575, three-way valve 504, tube 574,
572, the dissolved oxygen meter 520, the tube 571, the main deaerator 511a, the tube 455, the flow meter 456, and the tube 451 in this order, and are poured into the sub tank 401a.

As the air is flowed into the ink supply system, the ink inside the ink path is flowed into the sub tank 401a. Sub tank 4
In 01a, the ink level rises by flowing the ink from the tube 451 into the sub tank 401a,
The ink in the sub tank 401a flows into the main tank 301a through the drain 404 and the tube 459. Therefore, except for the portion of the ink lower than the drain 404 in the sub tank 401a, almost all of the ink in the ink path flows into the main tank 301a, and most of the ink remaining in the ink path is collected in the main tank 301a. You.

To collect the ink remaining in the sub tank 401a, a coupler socket 375 is connected to the coupler plug 374. Then, by driving the suction pump 377, the ink in the sub tank 401a is
Tube 451, flow meter 456, tube 455, main deaerator 511a, tube 571, dissolved oxygen meter 52
0, tubes 572, 574, three-way valve 504, tube 575, three-way valve 505, tube 576, three-way valve 50
2, tubes 452, 453, three-way valve 403, tube 356, deaerator 321, tubes 355, 373, coupler plug 374, coupler socket 375, tube 3
76, the suction pump 377, and the tube 378 in this order, and are poured into the waste liquid tank 379.

By the above operation, the main tank 301a
And tubes 553, 554, 55 between the three-way valves 504 and 505 and the inkjet head 120a.
The ink paths other than the ink passages 1 and 552 and the tube 573 are in a state where the ink is almost completely removed. Thereafter, the ink is replaced by replacing the main tank 301a with another main tank or by replacing the ink in the main tank 301a.

Thereafter, when the replaced new ink is filled in the ink path of the ink supply system, the above-described ink filling operation is performed. When performing the ink filling operation, the ink before replacement remains in the tube 573, tubes 553, 554, 551, and 552, and the inside of the inkjet head 120a. No air has entered the ink path which has been degassed and has been filled with the ink before replacement. However, if air enters the tube 573 during the ink removal operation,
The air in the tube 573 can be removed by the operation described below.

The two-way valve 304 is closed, the two-way valve 406 is opened, and the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are switched to the state when both sides are pressurized as shown in FIG. Then, the pressurizing motor 402 is driven for a short time to pressurize the ink in the sub tank 401a to the tube 451, and the air in the tube 573 is sent into the tube 576 through the three-way valve 502. Next, the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are switched to the state at the time of bypass, and the pressurizing motor 402 is driven so that the air in the tube 576 is released from the three-way valve 5
02, and is fed into the main tank 301a via the tubes 452, 457, and 458. This allows
The inside of the ink supply path is completely free of air. At this time, the ink before replacement remaining in the tube 573 is mixed with the new ink after replacement. However, the remaining ink in the tube 573 is very small with respect to the total ink amount of the ink supply system. In addition, the color and the color are not completely different colors, but have slightly different densities and colors. Therefore, this is not a level that is particularly problematic when forming a color filter.

Thereafter, the three-way valves 502, 504, 505
Is switched to the state in which both sides are pressurized as shown in FIG.
3, 554, 551, 552 and the ink before replacement remaining inside the inkjet head 120a are pushed out from the ejection openings of the inkjet head 120a.
At this time, since no air exists in the ink supply path, not only is the air not sent to the inkjet head 120a, but also
A high level of degassed ink will be supplied.

Further, since there is no need to remove the ink jet head 120a when exchanging ink, there is no need to perform an operation for positioning the ink jet head immediately after the ink jet head is attached.

<Operation When Replacing Inkjet Head> Next, the operation when replacing the inkjet head will be described. If one ink jet head is continuously used for a certain period in the above-described color filter manufacturing apparatus and ink jet recording apparatus, ink cannot be ejected from the ink jet head, and it becomes necessary to replace the ink jet head. In that case, the inkjet head is replaced by a replacement method described below.

As described above, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus and the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, in order to realize high-precision positioning of the ink jet heads 120a, 120b and 120c, as shown in FIGS. , 120b, and 120c are configured as a single unit as the head unit 606, so that when replacing the inkjet head, the inkjet head cannot be removed alone from the apparatus. Therefore, when replacing the inkjet head, the entire head unit 606 is replaced.
Therefore, the inkjet heads 120a, 120b, 1
When replacing the ink jet head 20c, it is necessary to disconnect the ink jet head from the ink supply system in the middle of the ink supply path, and the coupler unit 626 shown in FIG.
6 and the ink supply system.

The head unit 606 is arranged at a substantially central portion of the apparatus, that is, above the glass substrate 1 so that it can be colored over almost the entire area of the glass substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Are located in Therefore, when replacing the head unit 606, the head unit 606 is moved by the head stage 610 to an end of the apparatus, that is, a position different from the position above the glass substrate 1, so that the replacement operation can be easily performed. Here, the valve box 614 moves to the end of the apparatus together with the head unit 606, and the tube bundle 620 is bent and deformed by the movement of the valve box 614. At this time, if the ink is kept circulating in each of the ink jet heads of the head unit 606 and each of the tubes of the tube bundle 620, the tubes are bent, and the volume of the tubes changes, so that the ink from the nozzles of the ink jet head is discharged. May be drowned. When ink is dripped from the inkjet head of the head unit 606, not only the inside of the device is stained by the dripped ink, but also the device may be destroyed when the ink is applied to the electric circuit of the device. .

Therefore, before the head unit 606 is moved by the head stage 610, the three-way valve 502 is moved.
Are switched to the same state as the state when both sides are pressurized as shown in FIG. 12, and the inkjet heads 120a, 120b, 1
The ink circulation in each ink circulation path in 20c is stopped. After the head unit 606 is moved to the replacement position, the head unit 6
The work of separating 06 is performed. The couplers 555 and 556 used as the coupler unit 626 as described above.
In order to improve the passage of the air that has entered the piping of the ink supply system, the one that does not have a mechanism for closing the end of the coupler when disconnected is used. Therefore, when the head unit 606 is separated by the coupler unit 626 in a state where the circulation of the ink is merely stopped, the coupler unit 626 is disposed at a position higher than the liquid level of each ink in the sub tanks 401a, 401b, and 401c. Then, air enters from the coupler unit 626 into the ink supply path. In order to prevent such air from flowing into the ink supply path, when replacing the head unit 606, the three-way valve 5 is required before the head unit 601 is moved.
Not only 02 but also the three-way valves 504 and 505 are switched to the same state as the state at the time of the bypass shown in FIG. Thus, even if the head unit 606 is separated by the coupler unit 626, air does not enter the ink supply path from the coupler unit 626.

On the other hand, when the head unit 606 is disconnected from the ink supply system by the coupler section 626, the connector 561 is connected to the coupler 55 in the ink supply path shown in FIG.
5 and the ink between the connector 561 and the coupler 556
Since it is located at a position higher than the discharge port surface (nozzle surface) of the ink jet head 120a, it drops from the nozzle of the inkjet head 120a. Therefore, below the position where the head unit 606 is replaced, the inkjet heads 120a, 120
A receiver (not shown) for receiving ink dripped from the nozzles b and 120c may be provided.

When the head unit 606 separated from the ink supply system is further released, ink continues to drip from the nozzles of the ink jet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c. At the end, in FIG. 7, the inkjet heads 12 of the couplers 555 and 556
Plugs are inserted into the ends of the couplers so as to seal the ends on the 0a side. Thereby, the ink jet head 1
The dripping of the ink from the nozzles 20a, 120b, and 120c is stopped. Next, the ink droplets remaining on the respective nozzle surfaces of the inkjet heads 120a, 120b, and 120c are manually wiped off, and then,
The head unit 606 is separated from the lower part of the head θ motor 612, and the head unit 606 is removed from the main body of the apparatus.

Next, the ink jet heads 120a, 1
A head unit 606 on which three other new inkjet heads different from 20b and 120c are mounted is mounted below the head θ motor 612. Next, the end of the coupler 626 at the tip of the tube extending from the attached head unit 606 is connected to the valve box 61 of the coupler 626.
Then, each of the inkjet heads of the head unit 606 is electrically connected to the apparatus main body via an electric signal cable (not shown). When connecting tubes with the coupler section 626, the coupler section 626
The ink that has entered slightly extrudes ink droplets from the nozzles of the inkjet head mounted on the head unit 606. After manually wiping out the ejected ink droplets, the head unit 606 is again moved to the center of the apparatus as shown in FIG.
To move. When the head unit 606 is moved by the head stage 610, the three-way valve 502 is in the same state as the state when both sides are pressurized shown in FIG.
4, 505 is maintained in the same state as the state at the time of the bypass shown in FIG. In the operation of replacing the inkjet head in such an inkjet type color filter manufacturing apparatus, the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 stop the flow of the ink in the respective flow paths, thereby moving the inkjet head from the liquid supply path. Even if it is cut off, air does not enter the liquid supply path more than necessary.

After the head unit 606 is moved to a predetermined position substantially in the center of the apparatus by the head stage 610, only the three-way valves 504 and 505 are switched to the same state as at the time of drawing shown in FIG. The pressure motor 402 is driven to pressurize the ink toward both sides of the supply port and the discharge port of the inkjet head 120a. As a result, when the coupler sections 555 and 556 are fitted, the air that enters the ink supply path and is left around the coupler section in the ink supply path is removed from the tubes 551 and 5.
The air flows into the inkjet head 120a through 52, and the air is discharged from the nozzles of the inkjet head 120a. As a result, all the air that has entered the ink supply path is discharged to the outside of the ink supply path and the inkjet head 120a.

Next, in order to position three new ink jet heads mounted on the head unit 606, ink is ejected from these ink jet heads to draw dot patterns, and the positions of the drawn dot patterns are read. Thus, alignment work of three new inkjet heads of each head unit 606 is performed. At this time, the position of each inkjet head is adjusted by turning the dial of the micrometers 54a, 54c, 55a, and 55c mounted on the head unit 606.

If the head unit 606 remains at the central position of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 7, the positions of the respective ink jet heads cannot be adjusted by the micrometers 54a, 54c, 55a and 55c. Also at this time, the head stage 610 moves the head unit 606 to a position equivalent to the position where the head unit 606 is replaced, that is, to the end of the apparatus. At this time, the three-way valve 502 remains in the same state as shown in FIG. 12 when both sides are pressurized, and the ink does not circulate in the ink supply path.
The ink droplets do not drip from the nozzles even when the nozzles move.

As described above, the position of each ink jet head is determined by repeating the drawing of the dot pattern, reading of the position thereof, and position adjustment by the micrometer several times. Next, the three-way valve 502 is returned from the state when both sides are pressed to the state when drawing, and the ink is circulated in the ink supply path and the ink jet head. While the replacement of the ink jet head and the adjustment of the mounting position of the ink jet head are being performed (about 2 hours), the inside of the ink supply path is in a state where the ink is not circulated. In such a manner, the ink is pressure-fed by the pressurizing motor 402 to circulate the ink, and the like, so that the dissolved oxygen amount of the ink in each inkjet head and the ink in the ink supply path is reduced, and then,
The liquid level of the ink in the sub tank 401a and the tube 45
Due to the difference in head caused by the difference between the tip height of the ink jet head and the ink jet head 8, the decolorized ink is circulated in the ink jet head, and the color filter drawing operation is started.

In the ink jet recording apparatus and the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment described above, ink is continuously supplied from the sub tank 401a to the first liquid path, the ink passage path 121a of the ink jet head 120a, and the second liquid path. Three-way valves 502, 504, and 50 for stopping the continuous flow of ink in the ink passage path 121a to the liquid supply path configured to flow continuously.
5 was provided. This allows
Immediately after the ink is forcibly discharged from the discharge port by driving the pressure motor 402 to recover the state of the ink jet head 120a, the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are used.
The continuous flow of the liquid in the ink passage 121a is stopped by the
Is prevented from flowing out of the ink from the ejection port of the ink jet printer.

Further, during the operation of wiping the ejection opening surface of the ink jet head 120a by the wiping blade, the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 stop the continuous flow of the ink in the ink passage 121a, so that the ink jet head 120a is stopped. Even if the meniscus formed at the tip of the nozzle 120a is destroyed, it is possible to prevent the ink from flowing away from the ejection port of the inkjet head 120a. Furthermore, the ink jet head 1
When adjusting the mounting position of the 20a, the three-way valve 502,
By stopping the continuous flow of the ink in the ink passage 121a by 504 and 505, even if the tube is deformed by applying pressure to the tube or the like connected to the ink jet head 120a, the ink is discharged from the discharge port of the ink jet head 120a. It is possible to prevent the liquid from dripping and from flowing away from the discharge port.

When the ink jet head 120a is replaced, the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 are used to stop the continuous flow of ink in the ink passage 121a and the first and second liquid paths. Accordingly, even if the inkjet head 120a is separated from the liquid supply path in the middle of the first and second liquid paths, the first
The ink is prevented from flowing away from the liquid path and the second liquid path.

Further, the ink jet head 120a can be replaced or the ink jet head 120a can be adjusted to a position at which the ink jet head 120a can be mounted.
When a is moved, the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 stop the continuous flow of the ink in the ink passage 121a, so that the tube or the like connected to the ink-jet head moves together with the ink-jet head, and the tube moves. Even if it is deformed, it is possible to prevent the ink from dripping from the ejection port of the inkjet head 120a and prevent the ink from flowing away from the ejection port. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from being stained or damaged by the liquid flowing out from the ejection port of the inkjet head 120a, and it is possible to minimize the consumption of the liquid in the inkjet recording apparatus.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus using such an ink jet recording apparatus, as described above, wiping of the discharge port surface of the ink jet head 120a, adjustment of the mounting position of the ink jet head 120a, replacement of the ink jet head 120a, etc. When the three-way valves 502, 504, and 505 prevent the ink from flowing out of the ink jet head 120a and the supply path and the ink from flowing out when the ink is discharged, the ink is discharged onto the color filter substrate. This eliminates the occurrence of defective products and increases the yield of color filters. In addition, the inkjet head 120a
It is possible to prevent the inside of the color filter manufacturing apparatus from being stained by the ink flowing out of the apparatus or to prevent the apparatus from being damaged, so that the cost of the color filter can be reduced and a low-cost color filter can be manufactured more reliably. .

<Method of Manufacturing Color Filter> A method of manufacturing a color filter using the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a color filter using the color filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. In the method for manufacturing a color filter by the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, the color filter is manufactured through the steps shown in FIGS. 13A to 13F shown in FIG. Hv in FIGS. 13C and 13E indicates the intensity of the irradiated light.

In this embodiment, a glass substrate is generally used as a substrate for manufacturing a color filter. However, a glass substrate may be used as long as it has necessary characteristics such as transparency and mechanical strength as a liquid crystal color filter. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

First, in FIG. 13A, a black matrix 2 as a light shielding portion is formed on the surface of a glass substrate 1. An opening is formed in the black matrix 2, and the opening serves as a light transmitting portion 7 on the surface of the glass substrate 1.

Next, in FIG. 13 (b), the surface of the glass substrate 1 on which the black matrix 2 is formed can be cured by irradiating light or by heating together with the irradiation of light. In addition, a resin composition having ink receptivity is applied, and prebaking is performed as necessary to form a resin composition layer 3. As a method of applying the resin composition to the surface of the glass substrate 1, an application method such as spin coating, roll coating, bar coating, spray coating, or dip coating can be used, and is not particularly limited.

Next, in FIG. 13C, a portion of the resin composition layer 3 corresponding to the black matrix 2 is subjected to pattern exposure using a photomask 4 in advance, so that the resin composition layer 3 The non-colored portion 5 that does not absorb ink is formed by partially curing the ink. The non-colored portion 5 is formed so as to divide the plurality of openings formed in the black matrix 2 one by one.

Next, in FIG. 13D, R (red), G (green), and B (color) are applied to the resin composition layer 3 using the head unit 606 of the color filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.
Each color of (blue) is colored at a time, and the ink on the glass substrate 1 is dried as necessary. At this time, the resin composition layer 3
Then, the R ink is placed in the area corresponding to R (red),
G ink is ejected from the head unit 606 to an area corresponding to (green), and B ink is ejected to an area corresponding to B (blue). The coloring of the resin composition layer 3 by the head unit 606 is performed in one step at a time.

As described above, the photomask 4 shown in FIG. 13C has an opening for curing the portion of the resin composition layer 3 corresponding to the black matrix 2. At this time, it is necessary to apply a relatively large amount of ink in order to prevent the colorant from missing in a portion in contact with the black matrix 2. Therefore, as the photomask 4, it is preferable to use a mask having an opening narrower than the width of the black matrix 2 as shown in FIG.

As the ink used for coloring, pigments,
Both types of pigments can be used, and both liquid inks and solid inks can be used.

As the ink jet method used in the present embodiment, a bubble jet type using an electrothermal converter or a piezo jet type using a piezoelectric element can be used as an energy generating element. Can be set arbitrarily.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a black matrix is formed on a substrate. However, the black matrix is formed on the resin composition layer after forming a curable resin composition layer or after coloring. Even if it is formed, there is no particular problem, and the form in which the black matrix is formed is not limited to this embodiment. As a method for forming a black matrix, it is preferable to form a metal thin film on a substrate by sputtering or vapor deposition, and pattern the metal thin film by a photolithography process, but it is not limited to this method.

Next, in FIG. 13E, the curable resin composition layer 3 is cured by performing only light irradiation, only heat treatment, or light irradiation and heat treatment. Thereby, on the surface of the glass substrate 1, the red colored portions 6a constituting the pixels are formed.
A green colored portion 6b and a blue colored portion 6c are formed.

Next, in FIG. 13F, a protective layer 8 is formed on the entire surface of the red coloring portion 6a, the green coloring portion 6b, the blue coloring portion 6c, and the entire surface of the non-coloring portion 5 as necessary.
In FIGS. 13C and 13E, the light intensity is h.
Although indicated by ν, in the case of heat treatment, heat is applied instead of light having an intensity of hν. The protective layer 8 can be formed by using a resin composition of a photo-curing type, a thermo-setting type, or a combination of light and heat, or can be formed by vapor deposition or sputtering using an inorganic material. It has transparency, and the subsequent ITO (Indium Tin
Oxide) Any material can be used as long as it can withstand the formation process and the alignment film formation process.

<Structure of Color Filter> Next, a color filter manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a color filter will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a color pattern of a color filter manufactured by the color filter manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, R (red), G
Each of the red coloring portion 6a, the green coloring portion 6b, and the blue coloring portion 6c colored with the (green) and B (blue) inks,
One pixel (filter element) is formed, and the shape of each pixel is substantially rectangular. The size of each pixel is the same, the length a of one side is 150 μm, and the length b of the other side is 60 μm. Assuming that the longitudinal direction of one pixel is the X direction and the direction perpendicular to the X direction is the Y direction, the pitch c in the X direction is 300 μm, and the pitch d in the Y direction is d.
Is 100 μm. In the present embodiment, three pixels arranged in the order of R, G, and B are arranged such that pixels of the same color are arranged on a straight line in the X direction and adjacent pixels have different colors in the Y direction. Each pixel is arranged so as to repeat in the Y direction. The color filter pattern shown in FIG. 14 corresponds to the pattern of the black matrix 2 formed in the step of FIG. The number of pixels is 480 in the X direction and 1920 in the Y direction (640 for each color).

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the size of the entire screen of a color filter manufactured by the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the size of the entire screen of the color filter is such that the length e of one side is 144 mm, the length f of the other side is 192 mm,
The length g of the diagonal line is 240 mm, which corresponds to a 9.4 inch size liquid crystal panel.

[0190]

As described above, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus in which a liquid supply path to an ink jet head is configured so that liquid continuously flows through a liquid passage path in the ink jet head. Since the stop means for stopping the continuous flow of the liquid in the ink jet head is provided, immediately after the liquid is forcibly discharged from the discharge port of the ink jet head, or the operation of wiping the discharge port surface of the ink jet head by the wiping means. The stopping means can prevent the liquid from flowing out or leaving the discharge port or ink supply path when adjusting the mounting position of the inkjet head, replacing the inkjet head, etc. Can prevent the device from being stained or damaged by the escaping liquid. There is a cormorant effect. Further, there is an effect that the consumption of liquid in the ink jet recording apparatus can be minimized.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus using the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, as described above, wiping of the discharge port surface of the ink jet head, adjustment of the mounting position of the ink jet head, replacement of the ink jet head, and the like are performed. In this case, the stopping means prevents liquid from flowing out of the ink jet head or the supply path, and prevents the liquid from flowing away, thereby causing defective products due to the liquid such as ink splashing on the color filter substrate. Is eliminated, and the yield of the color filter is increased. In addition, since the inside of the color filter manufacturing device is prevented from being stained or damaged by the liquid flowing out of the ink jet head, the cost of the color filter is suppressed, and the low-cost color filter is manufactured more reliably. There is an effect that can be. Further, there is an effect that air does not unnecessarily enter the liquid supply path even when the ink jet head is separated from the liquid supply path in the replacement operation of the ink jet head in the ink jet type color filter manufacturing apparatus. In addition, since the ink jet head can be moved without liquid dripping from the discharge port of the ink jet head, the work of replacing the ink jet head and the work of adjusting the mounting position of the ink jet head can be performed at the end of the apparatus. Has the effect that the above operation can be performed more simply and reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a color filter manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view around the XY stage shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of an ink jet head and a detection optical system that constitute the head unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the head unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the head unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the head unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink supply system of the color filter manufacturing apparatus illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing details of a dissolved oxygen meter shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining a measurement principle of a polaro-type dissolved oxygen meter.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of a three-way valve when ink is ejected from the inkjet head illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state of a three-way valve when ink is bypassed in order to circulate the ink while avoiding the inkjet head shown in FIG. 7;

12 is a diagram illustrating a state of a three-way valve when ink in an ink supply path is pressurized toward both sides of a supply port and a discharge port of the inkjet head illustrated in FIG. 7;

13 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a color filter using the color filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a color pattern of a color filter manufactured by the color filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the size of the entire screen of a color filter manufactured by the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Glass substrate 2 Black matrix 3 Resin composition layer 4 Photomask 5 Uncolored part 6a Red colored part 6b Green colored part 6c Blue colored part 7 Light transmission part 8 Protective layer 51a, 51b, 51c Arm 52a, 52b, 52c Adjustment plate 53a, 53c Fixed block 54a, 54c, 55a, 55c Micrometer 56a, 56c, 57a, 57c Lock screw 59, 60 Screw hole 120a, 120b, 120c Inkjet head 121a Ink circulation path 301a, 301b, 301c Main tank 302 Main pump 304 , 406 Two-way valve 311 Filter 321 Deaerator 322 Vacuum pump 323, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 3
56, 357, 373, 376, 378, 451, 45
2,453,454,455,455,457,458,45
9, 551, 552, 553, 554, 571, 57
2,573,574,575,576,580,581
Tube 350 Ink remaining amount sensor 371, 372, 471, 577 Joint 374 Coupler plug 375 Coupler socket 377 Suction pump 379 Waste liquid tank 401a, 401b, 401c Sub tank 402 Pressurized motor 402a Turbine 404 Drain 405 Remaining amount sensor 456 Flow meter 403, 502 , 504, 505 Three-way valve 511a, 511b, 511c Main deaerator 520 Dissolved oxygen meter (chamber) 521 Vacuum meter 522 Vacuum pump 523 Sensor 524 Magnetic stirrer 526 Rotor 527a, 527b Tube joint 528 Container 529 Sensor fixing jig 531 Cathode 532 Anode 533 Constant voltage power supply 534 Measurement solution 534a Low concentration area 534b Medium concentration area 534c High concentration area 535 Diaphragm 536 Electrolysis Liquid 537 Electrode body 537a Oxygen electrode 538 DC ammeter 539 Vessel 555, 556 Coupler 557, 558 Desorption sensor 561 Connector 601 Surface plate 602 Vibration isolator 603 XY stage 604 Tilt stage 606 Head unit 607 Alignment detection optical system 608 Z direction detection Optical system 608a, 608b, 608c Z-direction detecting optical element 609 Landing position detecting optical system 610 Head stage 611 Support 612 Head θ motor 613 Head unit support arm 614 Valve box 615 Recovery system unit 616 Cleaning system unit 617 Thermal chamber 618 Loading / unloading device 619 Ink supply unit 620 Tube bundle 621 Hole 625 Ink supply tube 626 Coupler 631 Positioning device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Wada 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Fujiike 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated F term (reference) 2C056 EA15 EC18 EC40 FA15 FB01 FB08 JC23 KA01 KB04 KB10 KB15 KB16 KB37 KD02 2H048 BA11 BA64 BB02 BB14 BB44

Claims (17)

[Claims] A tank for storing a liquid to be supplied to an ink jet head having a liquid passage path through which the liquid passes, and a discharge port for discharging a part of the liquid in the liquid passage path; and a tank stored in the tank. A first liquid path for supplying a liquid to the inkjet head; and a second liquid path into which the liquid that has passed through the liquid passage path of the inkjet head flows. The first liquid path from the tank. An ink jet recording apparatus configured such that liquid continuously flows in the order of the liquid passage path of the ink jet head and the second liquid path, at least stopping continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage path An ink jet recording apparatus, further comprising a stopping means for stopping. 2. The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a liquid return path for returning the liquid flowing out from a tip of the second liquid path on a side opposite to the inkjet head side to the tank.
3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The first liquid path from the tank to the first liquid path due to a head difference between a tip of the second liquid path opposite to the ink jet head side and an upper surface of the liquid stored in the tank. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid is configured to flow continuously in the order of the liquid passage path of the head and the second liquid path. 4. A liquid storage device for storing a liquid to be supplied to an ink jet head having a liquid passage through which the liquid passes and a discharge port for discharging a part of the liquid in the liquid passage.
A first liquid path for supplying the liquid stored in the first tank to the ink jet head, and a second liquid path into which the liquid that has passed through the liquid passage path of the ink jet head flows. A second tank for storing a liquid flowing out of a tip of the second liquid path opposite to the ink jet head, wherein the first liquid path from the first tank and the ink jet head Wherein the liquid continuously flows in the order of the liquid passage path, the second liquid path, and the second tank, wherein at least the continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage path An ink jet recording apparatus, further comprising a stopping means for stopping the recording. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an inter-tank liquid supply means for supplying the liquid stored in the second tank to the first tank. 6. The first liquid from the first tank due to a head difference between a tip of the second liquid path opposite to the ink jet head and an upper surface of the liquid stored in the first tank. The inkjet recording according to claim 4, wherein the liquid is configured to flow continuously in the order of the liquid path, the liquid passage path of the inkjet head, the second liquid path, and the second tank. apparatus. 7. A device provided in the middle of the first liquid path,
The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a deaerator for removing a gas dissolved in the liquid passing through the first liquid path from the liquid. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the liquid passage of the ink jet head is arranged near the discharge port of the ink jet head. 9. When discharging ink from the ink jet head toward a recording medium while flowing ink through the first ink path, the liquid passage path of the ink jet head, and the second liquid path. 9. The ink jet head according to claim 1, further comprising: a support member to which the inkjet head is fixed; and a moving unit configured to move the recording medium on a plane near the ejection port of the inkjet head. 10. Ink jet recording device. 10. The liquid passage path from the first tank to the first liquid path, the liquid passage path of the inkjet head,
The liquid in the first ink path is directed toward the inkjet head in order to forcibly discharge the liquid from the discharge port of the inkjet head while the liquid continuously flows in the order of the second liquid path. Further comprising pressurizing means for forcibly sending the liquid through the liquid passage path immediately after the stopping means forcibly discharges the liquid from the discharge port by the pressurizing means. The flow is stopped.
The inkjet recording device according to any one of the above. 11. The liquid ejection device according to claim 11, further comprising: a wiping unit configured to wipe the ejection opening surface of the inkjet head, wherein the stopping unit wipes the ejection opening surface of the inkjet head by the wiping unit. 2. A continuous flow of water is stopped.
11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of items 10 to 10. 12. A control means for controlling the stop means so that the liquid flows continuously in the liquid passage after the wiping means finishes the operation of wiping the ejection opening surface of the ink jet head. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to item 11. 13. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopping means stops a continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage when adjusting the mounting position of the ink jet head.
13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 12. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopping means stops a continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage and the first and second liquid paths when replacing the ink jet head with another ink jet head. Claims 1 to 1
4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of items 3. 15. The inkjet head is disposed above a central portion of a moving range of the recording medium when ejecting liquid from the inkjet head toward the recording medium while moving the recording medium, When the ink jet head is replaced with another ink jet head, or when the mounting position of the ink jet head is adjusted, the ink jet head is disposed above an end of the moving range or above and outside the moving range. 15. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of 1 to 14. 16. When the inkjet head is moved from above a central portion of the moving range of the recording medium to above an end portion of the moving range or above and outside the moving range, the stopping means includes: 16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a continuous flow of the liquid in the liquid passage is stopped. 17. A color filter manufacturing apparatus, comprising: the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1; and ejecting ink from the ink jet head of the ink jet recording apparatus to manufacture a color filter.