HEAD UNIT, DROPLET EJECTION APPARATUS, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PANEL FROM BASE, IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20080149027A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KAWASE, Tomomi
• Granted Patent: US 8,002,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/314
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2103 Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/505 from an assembly of identical printing elements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/54 with two or more sets of type or printing elements B41J3/60 takes precedence

Abstract

A head unit for use in a droplet ejection apparatus is provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting liquid material of a predetermined color onto a base as droplets. In each of the droplet ejection heads, first and second nozzle arrays are arranged in a side by side relation in a second direction and nozzles of the first nozzle array are shifted with a half pitch in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction with respect to the nozzles of the second nozzle array when viewed from the second direction. The nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of the first and second droplet ejection heads of the first set are arranged so as not to overlap with the nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of the third and fourth droplet ejection heads of the second set when viewed from the second direction.

Claims

1. A head unit for use in a droplet ejection apparatus, the head unit being provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting a liquid material of a predetermined color onto a base in the form of droplets,

wherein the plurality of droplet ejection heads comprise at least a first droplet ejection head, a second droplet ejection head, a third droplet ejection head and a fourth droplet ejection head for ejecting the liquid material of the predetermined same color, each of the droplet ejection heads including first and second nozzle arrays each having a plurality of nozzles linearly aligned through a predetermined pitch, the liquid material being adapted to be ejected through the plurality of nozzles of each of the droplet ejection heads in the form of droplets,

wherein the first droplet ejection head and the second droplet ejection head constitute a first set, and the third droplet ejection head and the fourth droplet ejection head constitute a second set, and the first set and the second set are arranged so as to partially overlap each other, wherein in the first set the first droplet ejection head and the second droplet ejection head are arranged along a first direction parallel to each of the first and second nozzle arrays so that the nozzles of each of the first and second nozzle arrays of the first droplet ejection head and the nozzles of each of the first and second nozzle arrays of the second droplet ejection head are consecutive via a seam between the first droplet ejection head and the second droplet ejection head when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and in the second set the third droplet ejection head and the fourth droplet ejection head are arranged along the first direction so that the nozzles of each of the first and second nozzle arrays of the third droplet ejection head and the nozzles of each of the first and second nozzle arrays of the fourth droplet ejection head are consecutive via a seam between the third droplet ejection head and the fourth droplet ejection head when viewed from the second direction,

wherein the droplet ejection heads are arranged so that all the seams thereof are shifted with respect to each other in the first direction when viewed from the second direction,

wherein in each of the plurality of droplet ejection heads the first and second nozzle arrays are arranged in a side by side relation in the second direction and the nozzles of the first nozzle array are shifted with a half pitch in the first direction with respect to the nozzles of the second nozzle array when viewed from the second direction,

wherein the nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of the first and second droplet ejection heads of the first set are arranged so as not to overlap with the nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of the third and fourth droplet ejection heads of the second set when viewed from the second direction.

2. The head unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of each of the plurality of droplet ejection heads include disabled nozzles in the vicinity of both ends of the first and second nozzle arrays which are constructed so as not to eject droplets of the liquid material,

wherein one end of the first droplet ejection head which is positioned adjacent to the second droplet ejection head and the other end of the second droplet ejection head which is positioned adjacent to the first droplet ejection head overlap so that the nozzles of the first droplet ejection head other than the disabled nozzles in the one end thereof and the nozzles of the second droplet ejection head other than the disabled nozzles in the other end thereof are arranged in a consecutive manner via the seam when viewed from the second direction, and

one end of the third droplet ejection head which is positioned adjacent to the fourth droplet ejection head and the other end of the fourth droplet ejection head which is positioned adjacent to the third droplet ejection head overlap so that the nozzles of the third droplet ejection head other than the disabled nozzles in the one end thereof and the nozzles of the fourth droplet ejection head other than the disabled nozzles in the other end thereof are arranged in a consecutive manner via the seam when viewed from the second direction.

3. The head unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second droplet ejection head is arranged between the third droplet ejection head and the fourth droplet ejection head when viewed from the first direction, and the third droplet ejection head is arranged between the first droplet ejection head and the second droplet ejection head when viewed from the first direction.

4. The head unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid material includes three kinds of liquid materials which respectively have red, green and blue colors.

5. A droplet ejection apparatus for supplying one or more kind of liquid material onto a base in the form of droplets, the one or more kind of liquid material having a predetermined color, the apparatus comprising:

the head unit defined by claim 1;

a stage having two major surfaces, one of the two major surfaces of the stage facing the plurality of droplet ejection heads of the head unit, and the base being supported on the one major surface of the stage;

a moving mechanism for mutually moving the stage with respect to the head unit; and

a control unit for controlling operation of the head unit and the moving mechanism so that each of the plurality of the droplet ejection heads of the head unit ejects droplets of the liquid material onto the base while mutually moving the stage with respect to the head unit in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

6. The droplet ejection apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base is a base material for manufacturing a color filter substrate for a liquid-crystal display, and the one or more kind of liquid material is ink for forming a filter layer of the color filter substrate.

7. The droplet ejection apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base is a base material for manufacturing an electroluminescence display, and the one or more kind of liquid material includes a luminescent material for manufacturing the electroluminescence display.