JP2012192651A - Recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a quality level of recording by solving the problem with a conventional recording method.SOLUTION: The recording method includes: changing a relative position between a workpiece W and an ejection head 33 having a plurality of nozzles opposite to the workpiece W; and ejecting a liquid material as a liquid droplet selectively toward the workpiece from the plurality of nozzles every ejection period corresponding to a recording resolution. When the workpiece W is recorded by the liquid material, the timing of ejecting the liquid droplet is shifted by the time based on a difference of the clearance amount PG1 and PG2 between the nozzle with the clearance amount PG1, which is the clearance amount between the nozzle and the workpiece W, and the nozzle in which the clearance amount is the clearance amount PG2, in one ejection period.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording method and the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting a liquid material such as ink as droplets from a recording head and landing on the recording medium while relatively moving the recording head and the recording medium is known. Conventionally, such an ink jet recording apparatus can change the discharge speed of liquid droplets from a recording head based on the height position of a carriage on which the recording head is mounted (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

JP 2007-118473 A

In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the recording head is driven with a driving waveform corresponding to the height position of the carriage, the ejection speed can be changed according to the height position of the carriage. Thereby, even if the gap between the recording head and the recording medium changes, the deviation of the landing position can be reduced.
Incidentally, the gap between the recording head and the recording medium also changes when the recording medium is uneven. In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the ejection speed is changed according to the height position of the carriage, when the recording medium has irregularities, the landing timing of the liquid droplets is shifted between the concave and convex parts. . If the landing timing is shifted between the concave portion and the convex portion, the image is shifted between the concave portion and the convex portion.
That is, the conventional recording method has a problem that it is difficult to improve the recording quality.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 The relative position between a work and a discharge head having a plurality of nozzles facing the work is changed, and the plurality of nozzles are selectively selected for each discharge cycle corresponding to a recording resolution. By discharging the liquid material as droplets toward the work, when recording on the work with the liquid material, a plurality of gap amounts between the nozzle and the work differ in one discharge cycle. A recording method, wherein the discharge timing of the droplets is shifted between the nozzles by a time corresponding to the difference in the gap amount.

  In the recording method of this application example, the droplet discharge timing is shifted by a time corresponding to the gap amount difference between a plurality of nozzles having different gap amounts between the nozzle and the workpiece in one discharge cycle. It is possible to easily align the landing timing of a plurality of droplets ejected from a plurality of nozzles having different amounts with respect to the workpiece. Thereby, it is possible to easily improve the recording quality of the workpiece.

  Application Example 2 In the recording method described above, the discharge timing of the nozzle having the small gap amount among the plurality of nozzles having the gap amount smaller than the discharge timing of the nozzle having the large gap amount. A recording method characterized by delaying.

  In this application example, the discharge timing of the nozzle having a small gap amount is delayed from the discharge timing of the nozzle having a large gap amount. it can.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment. The front view when the carriage in this embodiment is seen in the A viewing direction in FIG. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the ejection head in the present embodiment. Sectional drawing in the BB line in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a head control unit according to the first embodiment. The timing chart which shows the control signal in 1st Embodiment. The figure explaining the relationship between the timing information and selection signal in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the outline of the head control part in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the outline of the switch circuit in 2nd Embodiment. The timing chart which shows the control signal in 2nd Embodiment. The figure explaining the relationship between the timing information and selection signal in 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a droplet discharge device which is one of the recording devices. In addition, in each drawing, in order to make each structure the size which can be recognized, the structure and the scale of a member may differ.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, which is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration, a droplet discharge device 1 in the present embodiment includes a work transfer device 3, a carriage 7, and a carriage transfer device 11.
The carriage 7 is provided with a head unit 13.
In the droplet discharge device 1, the liquid material is discharged from the head unit 13 as droplets while changing the relative position of the head unit 13 and the workpiece W such as a substrate in a plan view. A desired pattern can be drawn (recorded). In the figure, the Y direction indicates the moving direction of the workpiece W, and the X direction indicates a direction orthogonal to the Y direction in plan view. A direction orthogonal to the XY plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction is defined as the Z direction.

Such a droplet discharge device 1 can be applied to drawing (recording) on various workpieces W.
The droplet discharge device 1 can be applied to, for example, the manufacture of color filters used for liquid crystal display panels and the like, and the manufacture of organic EL devices.
In the case of a color filter having three color filter elements of red, green, and blue, the droplet discharge device 1 can be suitably used, for example, in a process of forming red, green, and blue colored layers on a substrate. In this case, each liquid corresponding to each colored layer is ejected as droplets from the head unit 13 to the work W, whereby the patterns of the red, green, and blue filter elements are drawn on the work W.
Further, in the manufacture of an organic EL device, for example, it can be suitably used in a step of forming a functional layer (organic layer) corresponding to each color for each of red, green and blue pixels. In this case, the liquids corresponding to the functional layers of the respective colors are ejected as droplets from the head unit 13 onto the work W, whereby red, green, and blue functional layer patterns are drawn on the work W. .

Here, the details of each component of the droplet discharge device 1 will be described.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the work transfer device 3 includes a surface plate 21, a guide rail 23 a, a guide rail 23 b, and a work table 25.
The surface plate 21 is made of a material having a small coefficient of thermal expansion, such as stone, and is placed so as to extend along the Y direction. The guide rail 23 a and the guide rail 23 b are disposed on the upper surface 21 a of the surface plate 21. Each of the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b extends along the Y direction. The guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b are arranged in a state where there is a gap in the X direction.

  The work table 25 is provided in a state facing the upper surface 21a of the surface plate 21 with the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b interposed therebetween. The work table 25 is placed on the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b in a state of floating from the surface plate 21. The work table 25 has a placement surface 25a that is a surface on which the workpiece W is placed. The placement surface 25a is directed to the side (upper side) opposite to the surface plate 21 side. The work table 25 is guided along the Y direction by the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b, and is configured to be able to reciprocate on the surface plate 21 along the Y direction.

The work table 25 is configured to reciprocate in the Y direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a work transfer motor described later is employed as a power source for moving the work table 25 along the Y direction. As the work transfer motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be adopted.
The power from the work transport motor is transmitted to the work table 25 through the moving mechanism. Thereby, the work table 25 can reciprocate along the guide rail 23a and the guide rail 23b, that is, along the Y direction. That is, the workpiece transfer device 3 can reciprocate the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 25a of the workpiece table 25 along the Y direction.

The head unit 13 includes a head plate 31 and an ejection head 33 as shown in FIG. 2 which is a front view when the carriage 7 is viewed in the direction A in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 which is a bottom view, the discharge head 33 has a nozzle surface 35. A plurality of nozzles 37 are formed on the nozzle surface 35. In FIG. 3, the nozzles 37 are exaggerated and the number of the nozzles 37 is reduced in order to easily show the nozzles 37.
In the ejection head 33, the plurality of nozzles 37 constitute a nozzle row 39 arranged along the Y direction. In the nozzle row 39, the plurality of nozzles 37 are formed at a predetermined nozzle interval P along the Y direction.

The ejection head 33 includes a nozzle plate 46, a cavity plate 47, a diaphragm 48, and a plurality of drive elements AC, as shown in FIG. 4 which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. is doing. In the present embodiment, a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric element is employed as the drive element AC.
The nozzle plate 46 has a nozzle surface 35. The plurality of nozzles 37 are provided on the nozzle plate 46.
The cavity plate 47 is provided on the surface opposite to the nozzle surface 35 of the nozzle plate 46. A plurality of cavities 51 are formed in the cavity plate 47. Each cavity 51 is provided corresponding to each nozzle 37 and communicates with each corresponding nozzle 37. The functional liquid 53 is supplied to each cavity 51 from a tank (not shown).

The diaphragm 48 is provided on the surface of the cavity plate 47 opposite to the nozzle plate 46 side. The vibration plate 48 vibrates in the Z direction (longitudinal vibration), thereby enlarging or reducing the volume in the cavity 51.
The plurality of drive elements AC are respectively provided on the surface of the diaphragm 48 opposite to the cavity plate 47 side. Each drive element AC is provided corresponding to each cavity 51 and faces each cavity 51 with the diaphragm 48 interposed therebetween. Each drive element AC expands based on the drive signal. Thereby, the diaphragm 48 reduces the volume in the cavity 51. At this time, pressure is applied to the functional liquid 53 in the cavity 51. As a result, the functional liquid 53 is discharged as droplets 55 from the nozzle 37. The method of discharging the droplet 55 by the discharge head 33 is one of ink jet methods. The ink jet method is one of coating methods.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ejection head 33 having the above configuration is supported by the head plate 31 with the nozzle surface 35 protruding from the head plate 31.
As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 7 supports the head unit 13. Here, the head unit 13 is supported by the carriage 7 with the nozzle surface 35 facing downward in the Z direction.
As described above, the functional liquid 53 can be applied to the workpiece W from the ejection head 33.
In this embodiment, a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric element is employed as the drive element AC. However, the drive element AC for applying pressure to the functional liquid 53 is not limited to this, and for example, the lower electrode Also, a bending deformation type piezoelectric element in which a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode are laminated may be employed. Further, as the driving element AC, a so-called electrostatic actuator that generates static electricity between the diaphragm and the electrode, deforms the diaphragm by electrostatic force, and ejects droplets from the nozzles can be employed. Furthermore, the structure which generate | occur | produces a bubble in a nozzle using a heat generating body, and gives a pressure to a functional liquid with the bubble may be employ | adopted.

  Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a workpiece W having a convex portion 61 can be applied as the workpiece W. This work W has a plate-like base portion 63 and a convex portion 61 protruding from the base portion 63. For this reason, the workpiece W has a step 65 between the base portion 63 and the convex portion 61. In the workpiece W having the step 65, the gap amount between the nozzle surface 35 and the workpiece W is different between the base portion 63 and the convex portion 61. In the present embodiment, the gap amount PG1 between the nozzle surface 35 and the base portion 63 is larger than the gap amount PG2 between the nozzle surface 35 and the convex portion 61.

In the process of recording (drawing) on the workpiece W having the step 65, the nozzle row 39 of the ejection head 33 may face both the base 63 and the convex portion 61 across the step 65. In this state, the plurality of nozzles 37 constituting the nozzle row 39 includes a nozzle 37 having a gap amount PG1 and a nozzle 37 having a gap amount PG2. The nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG1 and the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG2 may have different timings at which the ejected droplets 55 land on the workpiece W (hereinafter referred to as landing timing).
When the landing timing is different, when recording (drawing) a pattern on the workpiece W while relatively moving the ejection head 33 and the workpiece W, recording by the nozzle 37 of the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2 Deviation occurs between recording by the nozzles 37. A method for reducing such deviation in landing timing will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage transport device 11 includes a gantry 101 and a guide rail 103.
The gantry 101 extends in the X direction and straddles the workpiece transfer device 3 in the X direction. The gantry 101 faces the work transfer device 3 on the side opposite to the surface plate 21 side of the work table 25. The gantry 101 is supported by a pair of support columns 107. The pair of support columns 107 are provided at positions facing each other in the X direction with the surface plate 21 interposed therebetween.
In the following, when identifying each of the pair of columns 107, the notation of columns 107a and columns 107b is used. The support column 107a and the support column 107b protrude above the work table 25 in the Z direction. Thereby, a gap is maintained between the gantry 101 and the work table 25.

The guide rail 103 is provided on the surface plate 21 side of the gantry 101. The guide rail 103 extends along the X direction and is provided across the width of the gantry 101 in the X direction.
The carriage 7 described above is supported by the guide rail 103. In a state where the carriage 7 is supported by the guide rail 103, the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 33 faces the work table 25 in the Z direction. The carriage 7 is guided along the X direction by the guide rail 103 and is supported by the guide rail 103 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the X direction. In a plan view, in a state where the carriage 7 overlaps the work table 25, the nozzle surface 35 and the mounting surface 25a of the work table 25 face each other with a gap therebetween.

The carriage 7 is configured to reciprocate in the X direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a carriage transport motor (not shown) is employed as a power source for moving the carriage 7 along the X direction. As the carriage conveyance motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be employed.
The power from the carriage transport motor is transmitted to the carriage 7 through the moving mechanism. Thus, the carriage 7 can reciprocate along the guide rail 103, that is, along the X direction. That is, the carriage conveyance device 11 can reciprocate the head unit 13 supported by the carriage 7 along the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a control unit 111 that controls the operation of each of the above-described configurations. The control unit 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 113, a drive control unit 115, and a memory unit 117. The drive control unit 115 and the memory unit 117 are connected to the CPU 113 via the bus 119.
In addition, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a carriage transport motor 121, a work transport motor 123, a carriage position detection device 125, a table position detection device 127, an input device 129, and a display device 131. .
The carriage conveyance motor 121 and the workpiece conveyance motor 123, and the carriage position detection device 125 and the table position detection device 127 are connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively. The input device 129 and the display device 131 are also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively.

The carriage transport motor 121 generates power for driving the carriage 7. The work conveyance motor 123 generates power for driving the work table 25.
The carriage position detection device 125 detects the position of the carriage 7 in the X direction and outputs the detection result to the CPU 113. The table position detection device 127 detects the position of the work table 25 in the Y direction and outputs the detected result to the CPU 113.
The carriage position detection device 125 includes, for example, a linear encoder and a linear scale, and outputs a pulsed detection signal KP every time the linear encoder detects the scale of the linear scale. In the present embodiment, the pulse-shaped detection signal KP serves as a trigger for the discharge period TA described later.
The input device 129 is a device for inputting various processing conditions. The display device 131 is a device that displays processing conditions and work status. An operator who operates the droplet discharge device 1 can input various information via the input device 129 while confirming information displayed on the display device 131.
The ejection head 33 is also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119.
The input device 129 is a device for inputting various processing conditions. Various information can be input through the input device 129.

The CPU 113 performs various arithmetic processes as a processor. The drive control unit 115 controls driving of each component. The memory unit 117 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. In the memory unit 117, an area for storing the program software 135 in which the operation control procedure in the droplet discharge device 1 is described, a data development unit 137 that is an area for temporarily developing various data, and the like are set. Yes. Examples of data developed in the data development unit 137 include recording data indicating a pattern to be recorded, program data such as recording processing, and the like.
The drive control unit 115 includes a motor control unit 141, a head control unit 145, and a display control unit 151.

The motor control unit 141 individually controls the drive of the carriage transport motor 121 and the drive of the work transport motor 123 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The head controller 145 controls driving of the ejection head 33 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The display control unit 151 controls driving of the display device 131 based on a command from the CPU 113.
Here, the head controller 145 includes a control signal generator 171 and a drive circuit 173 as shown in FIG.

The control signal generator 171 generates various signals (control signals) for controlling the ejection head 33. As shown in FIG. 7, the control signal includes ejection data SI, a clock signal CK, a latch signal LAT, a channel signal CH, a drive signal COM, and the like.
The control signal generation unit 171 generates the latch signal LAT using the pulsed detection signal KP as a trigger, and outputs the latch signal LAT and the ejection data SI to the drive circuit 173 (FIG. 6). The ejection data SI is data generated based on recording data to be described later, and is data that designates the nozzle 37 that ejects the droplet 55 among the plurality of nozzles 37.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the control signal generation unit 171 includes a clock signal generation unit 181, a channel signal generation unit 183, and a drive signal generation unit 185.
The clock signal generation unit 181 generates a pulsed clock signal CK.
The channel signal generation unit 183 counts the number of clocks of the clock signal CK, and generates a pulsed channel signal CH every time the number of clocks reaches a predetermined number.
The drive signal generation unit 185 generates a drive signal COM.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in the drive signal COM, three drive waveforms DW appear within the period of the latch signal LAT (hereinafter referred to as the ejection period TA). In the following, when identifying each of the three drive waveforms DW within the ejection cycle TA, the three drive waveforms DW are denoted as a drive waveform DW1, a drive waveform DW2, and a drive waveform DW3, respectively. In the present embodiment, the three drive waveforms DW1, the drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW3 have the same waveform shape.
Within the ejection cycle TA, the three drive waveforms DW appear in the order of the drive waveform DW1, the drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW3 from the start of the ejection cycle TA.
The drive signal generation unit 185 outputs the drive waveform DW1 with the latch signal LAT as a trigger. The drive signal generation unit 185 outputs the drive waveform DW2 and the drive waveform DW3 in this order every time the channel signal CH is output within the ejection period TA. These three drive waveforms DW1, DW2, and DW3 appear at different timings within the ejection period TA.

As shown in FIG. 6, the drive circuit 173 includes a first shift register 191 (hereinafter referred to as a first SR 191), a second shift register 192 (hereinafter referred to as a second SR 192), a first latch circuit 193, 2 latch circuit 194, decoder 195, control logic 196, level shifter 197, and switch circuit 198.
The ejection data SI is serially transmitted to the first SR 191 and the second SR 192 in synchronization with the clock signal CK. The ejection data SI is data in which 2-bit timing information is collected for each nozzle 37 by the number of nozzles 37. However, for the discharge data SI, among the 2-bit timing information (HL), only the upper bits H are collected by the number of the nozzles 37, and only the lower bits L are collected by the number of the nozzles 37. It consists of lower bit data SIL. When the ejection data SI is transferred to the drive circuit 173, the upper bit data SIH of the ejection data SI is input to the first SR 191 and the lower bit data SIL is input to the second SR 192.
Any one of the drive waveform DW1, the drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW3 (FIG. 7) can be designated by the 2-bit timing information (HL).

The first latch circuit 193 is electrically connected to the first SR 191 as shown in FIG. The second latch circuit 194 is electrically connected to the second SR 192. A latch signal LAT is input to each of the first latch circuit 193 and the second latch circuit 194. The first latch circuit 193 latches the upper bit data SIH when the latch signal LAT is input. Also, the second latch circuit 194 latches the lower bit data SIL when the latch signal LAT is input.
Each of the set of the first SR 191 and the first latch circuit 193 and the set of the second SR 192 and the second latch circuit 194 constitutes a storage circuit, and temporarily stores the ejection data SI before being input to the decoder 195.

The decoder 195 is electrically connected to the first latch circuit 193 and the second latch circuit 194. The decoder 195 receives 2-bit timing information (HL) from the first latch circuit 193 and the second latch circuit 194 based on the latch signal LAT. Based on the signal from the control logic 196, the decoder 195 translates (decodes) each 2-bit timing information (HL) into a 3-bit selection signal ST as shown in FIG. ST is output to the level shifter 197.
In this embodiment, when the timing information (HL) is “00”, the timing information is translated into “000” by the decoder 195. When the timing information (HL) is “01”, the timing information is translated into “001” by the decoder 195. When the timing information (HL) is “10”, the timing information is translated into “010” by the decoder 195. When the timing information (HL) is “11”, the timing information is translated into “100” by the decoder 195.

The level shifter 197 converts the selection signal ST from the decoder 195 into a voltage required by the switch circuit 198, and then outputs the selection signal ST to the switch circuit 198.
The switch circuit 198 selects whether or not to supply the drive signal COM to the other electrode of each drive element AC whose one electrode is connected to the ground. The switch circuit 198 is configured as an analog switch, for example. When the voltage converted by the level shifter 197 is input as a gate voltage, the switch circuit 198 supplies a drive signal COM to each drive element AC.
When the drive signal COM is supplied to the drive element AC, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC. Then, dots are formed on the work W by the discharged droplets 55, and characters and images are expressed by a set of dots.

Here, when the selection signal ST translated by the decoder 195 is “000”, all of the drive waveform DW1, the drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW3 are shown in FIG. Not supplied. That is, when the 2-bit timing information (HL) is “00”, the droplet 55 is not ejected.
In FIG. 8, the “x” mark indicates that the drive waveform DW is not supplied to the drive element AC. On the other hand, the mark “◯” indicates that the drive waveform DW is supplied to the drive element AC.
When the selection signal ST translated by the decoder 195 is “001”, only the drive waveform DW3 among the drive waveforms DW in the ejection period TA is supplied to the drive element AC. As a result, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC at the timing of the drive waveform DW3.

When the selection signal ST translated by the decoder 195 is “010”, only the drive waveform DW2 among the drive waveforms DW in the ejection period TA is supplied to the drive element AC. As a result, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC at the timing of the drive waveform DW2.
When the selection signal ST translated by the decoder 195 is “100”, only the drive waveform DW1 among the drive waveforms DW in the ejection period TA is supplied to the drive element AC. As a result, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC at the timing of the drive waveform DW1.

  In the droplet discharge device 1 having the above-described configuration, when the control unit 111 receives print data from the input device 129 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, the CPU 113 executes print processing. Thereby, in the droplet discharge device 1, the droplet 55 is discharged from the discharge head 33 while the discharge head 33 and the workpiece W are relatively reciprocated while the discharge head 33 is opposed to the workpiece W. The pattern is recorded (drawn) on the workpiece W.

Here, the recording data indicates a pattern to be recorded on the workpiece W with the functional liquid 53 (liquid material), and dots to be formed with the droplets 55 are expressed in a bitmap shape. The pattern recorded on the work W is expressed as a set of a plurality of dots formed by the droplets 55. In recording the pattern on the work W, while the discharge head 33 is opposed to the work W, the discharge head 33 and the work W are relatively reciprocated while the droplet 55 is discharged from the discharge head 33 to the recording resolution. This is performed by discharging at a discharge cycle TA corresponding to the above.
The recording resolution is an index representing the fineness of recording, and can be defined as the number of dots per unit length (dpi (dot per inch)) in recording on the workpiece W. The ejection cycle TA can be defined by the relative moving speed between the ejection head 33 and the workpiece W and the recording resolution.

Here, a recording method when the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG1 (FIG. 2) and the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG2 exist within the same ejection cycle TA will be described.
When the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG1 and the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG2 exist within the same discharge cycle TA, the droplets fall within the discharge cycle TA according to the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2. The timing of discharging 55 is shifted between the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG1 and the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG2. In this case, the ejection timing at the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG1 is delayed from the ejection timing at the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG2.
As a method for shifting the ejection timing in accordance with the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2, for example, the drive waveform DW1 is supplied to the drive element AC corresponding to the gap amount PG2, and the drive corresponding to the gap amount PG1 is performed. A method of supplying the drive waveform DW2 or the drive waveform DW3 to the element AC is mentioned.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge timing of the droplet 55 is shifted by a time corresponding to the difference in the gap amount between the plurality of nozzles 37 having different gap amounts between the nozzle surface 35 and the workpiece W in the same discharge cycle TA. Therefore, it is possible to easily align the landing timing of the droplet 55 with respect to the workpiece W between the plurality of nozzles 37 having different gap amounts. Thereby, the recording quality in the workpiece W can be easily improved.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment will be described. The droplet discharge device 1 in the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the droplet discharge device 1 in the first embodiment, except that the configuration of the head control unit 145 is different. Therefore, in the description of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
The head controller 145 according to the second embodiment includes a control signal generator 201 as shown in FIG. In the head controller 145 according to the second embodiment, the control signal generator 171 of the head controller 145 (FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment is replaced with the control signal generator 201.
In the control signal generation unit 201, the drive signal generation unit 185 (FIG. 6) in the first embodiment is replaced with a drive signal generation unit 203.

As shown in FIG. 9, the drive signal generation unit 203 generates a drive signal COM1, a drive signal COM2, and a drive signal COM3. The drive signal generation unit 203 outputs the drive signal COM1, the drive signal COM2, and the drive signal COM3 to the switch circuit 198 in parallel.
In the second embodiment, the switch circuit 198 includes a plurality of switch circuits 205 as shown in FIG. The switch circuit 205 is provided for each drive element AC. The switch circuit 205 includes a switch element 207, a switch element 209, and a switch element 211.
The drive signal COM1 is input to the switch element 207. The drive signal COM2 is input to the switch element 209. The drive signal COM3 is input to the switch element 211.

As the switch element 207, the switch element 209, and the switch element 211, for example, a transmission gate (also referred to as an analog switch) in which a P-channel FET (Field Effect Transistor) and an N-channel FET are combined can be employed. When the voltage converted by the level shifter 197 is input as the gate voltage to each of the switch element 207, the switch element 209, and the switch element 211, each of the drive signal COM1, the drive signal COM2, and the drive signal COM3 is used as the drive element AC. Supply.
In the drive signal COM1, the drive signal COM2, and the drive signal COM3, as shown in FIG. 11, one drive waveform DW appears in the ejection period TA. In the following, when identifying the drive waveform DW in each of the drive signal COM1, the drive signal COM2, and the drive signal COM3, the three drive waveforms DW are represented as a drive waveform DW1, a drive waveform DW2, and a drive waveform DW3, respectively. The At this time, the drive waveform DW of the drive signal COM1 is expressed as a drive waveform DW1. The drive waveform DW of the drive signal COM2 is expressed as a drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW of the drive signal COM3 is expressed as a drive waveform DW3.

Within the ejection period TA, the three drive waveforms DW appear in the order of the drive waveform DW1, the drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW3.
The drive signal generator 203 outputs the drive waveform DW1 to the drive signal COM1 using the latch signal LAT as a trigger. Next, the drive signal generation unit 203 outputs the drive waveform DW2 to the drive signal COM2 using the first channel signal CH within the ejection cycle TA as a trigger. Next, the drive signal generation unit 203 outputs the drive waveform DW3 to the drive signal COM3 using the second channel signal CH within the ejection period TA as a trigger. These three drive waveforms DW1, DW2, and DW3 appear at different timings within the ejection period TA.
Also in the second embodiment, each 2-bit timing information (HL) is translated (decoded) into a 3-bit selection signal ST as shown in FIG.

When the selection signal ST is “000”, none of the drive signal COM1, the drive signal COM2, and the drive signal COM3 is supplied to the drive element AC, as indicated by “x” in FIG. Therefore, when the selection signal ST is “000”, none of the drive waveform DW1, the drive waveform DW2, and the drive waveform DW3 is input to the drive element AC. That is, when the 2-bit timing information (HL) is “00”, the droplet 55 is not ejected.
When the selection signal ST is “001”, only the drive signal COM3 is supplied to the drive element AC. Therefore, when the selection signal ST is “000”, only the drive waveform DW3 is supplied to the drive element AC among the drive waveforms DW within the ejection cycle TA. As a result, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC at the timing of the drive waveform DW3.

When the selection signal ST is “010”, only the drive signal COM2 is supplied to the drive element AC. For this reason, when the selection signal ST is “010”, only the drive waveform DW2 is supplied to the drive element AC among the drive waveforms DW within the ejection period TA. As a result, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC at the timing of the drive waveform DW2.
When the selection signal ST is “100”, only the drive signal COM1 is supplied to the drive element AC. Therefore, when the selection signal ST is “100”, only the drive waveform DW1 is supplied to the drive element AC among the drive waveforms DW within the ejection period TA. As a result, the droplet 55 is ejected from the nozzle 37 corresponding to the drive element AC at the timing of the drive waveform DW1.

Also in the second embodiment, when the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG1 and the nozzle 37 having the gap amount PG2 exist within the same discharge cycle TA, this discharge is performed according to the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2. Within the period TA, the timing for discharging the droplet 55 is shifted between the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG1 and the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG2. In this case, the ejection timing at the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG1 is delayed from the ejection timing at the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG2.
As a method of shifting the ejection timing in accordance with the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2, for example, the drive signal COM1 is supplied to the drive element AC corresponding to the gap amount PG2, and the drive corresponding to the gap amount PG2 is performed. A method of supplying the drive signal COM2 or the drive signal COM3 to the element AC is mentioned.
In the second embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the number of drive waveforms DW in one ejection cycle TA is three, but the number of drive waveforms DW in one ejection cycle TA is not limited to this. As the number of drive waveforms DW in one ejection cycle TA, any number of four or more may be employed. If the number of drive waveforms DW in one discharge period TA is increased, the amount by which the discharge timing is shifted can be finely controlled.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an example in which the pulsed channel signal CH is output every time the number of clocks of the clock signal CK reaches a predetermined number is employed. However, the method for outputting the pulsed channel signal CH is not limited to this. As a method for outputting the pulsed channel signal CH, for example, a method of changing the output timing of the pulsed channel signal CH according to the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2 can be employed. This can be achieved by changing the number of clocks of the clock signal CK according to the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2. For example, when the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2 is large, the count number of the clock number is set to be large, and when the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2 is small, the count number of the clock number is set to be small. Good.
Even in this method, the timing at which the droplets 55 are ejected can be shifted within the ejection period TA in accordance with the difference between the gap amount PG1 and the gap amount PG2.
Furthermore, according to this method, the number of drive waveforms DW within the ejection cycle TA can be reduced. If there are at least two drive waveforms DW that appear at different timings within the discharge period TA, the discharge timing at the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG1 is delayed from the discharge timing at the nozzle 37 with the gap amount PG2. be able to.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 3 ... Work conveyance apparatus, 7 ... Carriage, 11 ... Carriage conveyance apparatus, 33 ... Discharge head, 53 ... Functional liquid, 55 ... Droplet, 61 ... Convex part, 63 ... Base, 65 ... Level difference , 111: control unit, 113: CPU, 115: drive control unit, 145 ... head control unit, 171 ... control signal generation unit, 173 ... drive circuit, 181 ... clock signal generation unit, 183 ... channel signal generation unit, 185 ... Drive signal generator, 191 ... first SR, 192 ... second SR, 193 ... first latch circuit, 194 ... second latch circuit, 195 ... decoder, 196 ... control logic, 197 ... level shifter, 198 ... switch circuit, 201 ... Control signal generation unit, 203 ... drive signal generation unit, 205 ... switch circuit, 207 ... switch element, 209 ... switch element, 211 ... switch element, ... work.

Claims (2)

The relative position between the workpiece and the ejection head having a plurality of nozzles facing the workpiece is changed, and the liquid is selectively directed from the plurality of nozzles toward the workpiece for each ejection cycle corresponding to the recording resolution. When recording on the workpiece with the liquid material by ejecting the body as droplets,
In one discharge cycle, the discharge timing of the droplets is shifted by a time corresponding to the difference in the gap amount between the plurality of nozzles having different gap amounts between the nozzle and the workpiece.
And a recording method. Delaying the discharge timing of the nozzle having a small gap amount among the plurality of nozzles having different gap amounts from the discharge timing of the nozzle having a large gap amount;
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein: