Color filter manufacturing method and apparatus, ink-jet device, color filter, display device, and apparatus having display device

• US 7,381,444 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujiike, Hiroshi, Wada, Satoshi, Yamaguchi, Nobuhito, Shigemura, Yoshihiro, Yokoi, Hideto
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; Alain L.
• Application Number:
  US11/449,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20060228469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 427/162, 427/164, 427/165, 427/256, 427/287, 347/12, 347/13, 347/40, 347/42, 347/43, 347/22, 347/30, 347/37, 347/39
• US Class Current: 427/162
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1652 by driving a fluid through the nozzles to the outside thereof, e.g. by applying pressure to the inside or vacuum at the outside of the print head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/21 for multi-colour printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2132 Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/09 Ink jet technology used for manufacturing optical filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/201 in the form of arrays

Abstract

A color filter manufacturing apparatus of this invention includes a plurality of ink-jet heads (120a, 120b, 120c) each having a first ink discharging nozzle group (108) in which the pitch of a plurality of ink discharging nozzles in the Y-axis direction is set to be equal to the pitch of pixels of the same color in the Y-axis direction, and a second ink discharging nozzle group having a nozzle pitch set to be equal to the pixel pitch in the Y-axis direction like the first ink discharging nozzle group. Control of an ink discharging operation is performed for only one of the first and second ink discharging nozzle groups which is to be used to color pixels of corresponding colors on a substrate (1).

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a color filter having a plurality of colored pixels on a substrate by discharging an ink having a color other than black from an ink-jet head having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles while performing relative movement of the ink-jet head and the substrate, comprising the steps of:

dividing the plurality of ink discharging nozzles for discharging an ink having a same color other than black into a plurality of nozzle groups, each of the nozzle groups comprising ink discharging nozzles which are arrayed discontinuously;

coloring the pixels of one substrate by using only one nozzle group in the plurality of nozzle groups for the same color; and

switching from the one nozzle group to an other nozzle group as a nozzle group to be used for the same color,

wherein an operation of the switching in said switching step is not performed during coloring of the one substrate.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

adjusting relative positions of the pixels of the substrate and the nozzles of the other nozzle group switched by the switching operation.

3. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal panel having a color filter having a plurality of colored pixels on a substrate by discharging an ink having a color other than black from an ink-jet head having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles while performing relative movement of the ink-jet head and the substrate, comprising the steps of:

preparing the color filter, by;

dividing the plurality of ink discharging nozzles for discharging an ink having a same color other than black into a plurality of nozzle groups, each of the nozzle groups comprising ink discharging nozzles which are arrayed discontinuously;

coloring the pixels of one substrate by using only one nozzle group in the plurality of nozzle groups for the same color; and

switching from the one nozzle group to an other nozzle group as a nozzle group to be used for the same color,

wherein an operation of the switching in said switching step is not performed during coloring the one substrate, and

sealing a liquid crystal compound between the prepared color filter and a counter substrate.

4. A method of manufacturing a color filter having a plurality of colored pixels on a substrate, comprising the steps of:

performing relative movement of the substrate and ink-jet heads corresponding to different colors other than black, each of the ink-jet heads having a plurality of nozzle groups corresponding to a same color, each of the nozzle groups comprising a plurality of ink discharging nozzles which are arrayed discontinuously;

forming the colored pixels having different colors by discharging different color inks from respective nozzle groups for respective different colors onto the pixels of the substrate while performing relative movement of the substrate and the ink-jet heads a plurality of times; and

switching, for at least one of the different colors, from the one nozzle group to an other nozzle group as a nozzle group to be used,

wherein, in coloring one substrate by plural relative movements in said forming step, respective inks having different colors are discharged by using only one nozzle group of respective nozzle groups for respective different colors in the plural relative movements, and

wherein an operation of the switching in said switching step is not performed during coloring of the one substrate.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

adjusting relative positions of the pixels of the substrate and the nozzles of an other nozzle group.

6. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal panel having a color filter, comprising:

preparing the color filter to have a plurality of colored pixels on a substrate by;

performing relative movement of the substrate and ink-jet heads corresponding to different colors other than black, each of the ink-jet heads having a plurality of nozzle groups corresponding to a same color, each of the nozzle groups comprising a plurality of ink discharging nozzles which are arrayed discontinuously;

forming the colored pixels having different colors by discharging different color inks from respective nozzle groups for respective different colors onto the pixels of the substrate while performing relative movement of the substrate and the ink-jet heads a plurality of times; and

switching, for at least one of the different colors, from the one nozzle group to an other nozzle group as a nozzle group to be used,

wherein, in coloring one substrate by plural relative movements in said forming step, respective inks having different colors are discharged by using only one nozzle group of respective nozzle groups for respective different colors in the plural relative movements, and

wherein an operation of the switching in said switching step is not performed during coloring of the one substrate, and

sealing a liquid crystal compound between the color filter and a counter substrate.

7. A method of manufacturing a color filter having a plurality of colored pixels on a substrate by discharging an ink having a color other than black from an ink-jet head having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles while performing relative movement of the ink-jet head and the substrate, comprising the steps of:

dividing the plurality of ink discharging nozzles for discharging an ink having a same color other than black into a plurality of nozzle groups, the plurality of nozzle groups including at least a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group, each nozzle group comprising ink discharging nozzles which are arrayed discontinuously;

coloring the pixels of one substrate by using only the first nozzle group for the same color;

switching from the first nozzle group to the second nozzle group as a nozzle group to be used for coloring the pixels;

adjusting relative positions of the pixels of the substrate and the nozzles of the second nozzle group; and

coloring the pixels of an other substrate by using only the second nozzle group for the same color,

wherein an operation of the switching in said switching step is not performed during coloring of the substrate.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the first nozzle group corresponds to positions of the pixels of the one substrate, and the second nozzle group does not correspond to the positions of the pixels of the one substrate, and the first nozzle group corresponds to positions of the pixels of the other substrate and the second nozzle group does not correspond to the positions of the pixels of the other substrate.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the nozzles of the first nozzle group consist of every predetermined number of nozzles and the nozzles of the second nozzle group consist of every predetermined number of nozzles, and each of the nozzles of the second nozzle group are arranged between the nozzles of the first nozzle group respectively.

10. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal panel having a color filter having a plurality of colored pixels on a substrate by discharging an ink having a color other than black from an ink-jet head having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles while performing relative movement of the ink-jet head and the substrate, comprising the steps of:

preparing the color filter by;

dividing the plurality of ink discharging nozzles for discharging an ink having a same color other than black into a plurality of nozzle groups, the plurality of nozzle groups including at least a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group, each nozzle group comprising ink discharging nozzles which are arrayed discontinuously;

coloring the pixels of one substrate by using only the first nozzle group for the same color;

switching from the first nozzle group to the second nozzle group as a nozzle group to be used for coloring the pixels;

adjusting relative positions of the pixels of the substrate and the nozzles of the second nozzle group; and

coloring the pixels of an other substrate by using only the second nozzle group for the same color,

wherein an operation of the switching in said switching step is not performed during coloring of the substrate, and

sealing a liquid crystal compound between the prepared color filter and a counter substrate.