An integrated ink droplet observation and collection device and method for inkjet printing

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field related to inkjet printing, and discloses an integrated ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing, which includes a fixed base and an inkjet droplet observation unit and an ink droplet waste liquid collection unit integrated thereon, and can realize the simultaneous observation and collection of ink droplets; wherein the inkjet droplet observation unit uses a high-speed camera, a zoom lens and a light source to observe flying ink droplets in real time, and achieves a compact design by optimizing the optical path; the ink droplet waste liquid collection unit uses vacuum negative pressure to make the waste liquid flow into the waste liquid collection bottle, and realizes real-time monitoring and automatic collection through a liquid level sensor. The present invention also discloses a corresponding method. Through the present invention, it is possible to obtain a high degree of integration of the ink droplet observation and collection units, easy installation and maintenance, and convenient detection of multiple groups of side-by-side nozzles, while realizing real-time monitoring and automatic collection of waste liquid, and is therefore particularly suitable for inkjet printing applications such as flexible electronics manufacturing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field related to inkjet printing, and more specifically, relates to an integrated ink droplet observation and collection device and method for inkjet printing. Background Art

[0002] Inkjet printing technology has been widely used in many traditional fields. In recent years, it has also been gradually applied to flexible devices such as OLED, RFID, thin-film solar cells, wearable flexible devices, PCBs, and smart skins. Flexible electronics manufacturing processes that combine flexible electronics with inkjet printing are gaining increasing attention.

[0003] In modern inkjet printing technology and equipment, especially in the manufacturing of products like flexible electronics, the core of the inkjet printing equipment is the inkjet printing unit. Monitoring ink droplets in flight is crucial to inkjet printing accuracy. Specifically, in such applications, high-precision, real-time monitoring of various droplet in-flight indicators is required to ensure excellent inkjet printed product quality.

[0004] A search revealed that while some existing solutions for ink droplet observation and collection have been proposed, such as CN110576679A, further research revealed that these existing solutions still have the following drawbacks or deficiencies: Firstly, these solutions fail to fully consider the application of multiple array nozzle printing, resulting in insufficient overall structural compactness and ease of installation for the ink droplet observation device; secondly, they fail to effectively integrate the collection function of inkjet waste liquid, which is relatively important for flexible electronics manufacturing processes. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In response to the above defects or needs of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an integrated ink droplet observation and collection device and method for inkjet printing, which closely combines the process characteristics and specific needs of application scenarios such as flexible electronic manufacturing, and makes targeted improvements to the entire equipment structure and multiple key modules. It can not only highly integrate ink droplet observation and waste liquid recovery in a compact and easy-to-operate manner, but also further provide a more optimized design of the observation optical path and the waste liquid recovery path, ensuring the synchronization of ink droplet observation and waste liquid recovery, and is therefore particularly suitable for inkjet printing applications such as flexible electronic manufacturing.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an integrated ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing is provided, characterized in that the device comprises a fixed base (1000), and an inkjet droplet observation unit (2000) and an ink droplet waste liquid collection unit (3000) integrated on the fixed base (1000), wherein:

[0007] The inkjet droplet observation unit (2000) is integrally arranged on a horizontal side of the fixed base (1000) through a support base (2001), and includes three functional modules that cooperate with each other; as for the first module, that is, the camera module, it is installed on the fixed base (1000) through a camera support frame (2003), and is provided with a high-speed camera (2004), a lens barrel (2005) and a 45° reflecting prism (2006) in sequence from bottom to top in the vertical direction, thereby being used to capture images of flying ink droplets; as for the second module, that is, the light source module, it is installed oppositely on the fixed base (1000) through a light source support frame (2002). The fixed base (1000) is mounted on the fixed base (1000) and can be freely adjusted in the vertical direction. The fixed base (1000) comprises a point light source (2007), a lens (2008) and a light source reflector (2010) arranged in sequence from bottom to top on the same optical axis, so as to direct the light emitted by the point light source (2007) through the lens (2008) and the light source reflector (2010) to the 45° reflecting prism (2006). The third module, namely the ink droplet collecting module, is mounted on the fixed base (1000) via an ink droplet collecting box support (2012) and comprises an ink droplet collecting box (2011) for accommodating and collecting flying ink droplets.

[0008] The ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) is entirely arranged on the other horizontal side of the fixed base (1000) and is used to collect waste liquid while observing ink droplets.

[0009] As a further preferred embodiment, the ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) preferably includes a waste liquid interface (3002), a vacuum suction joint (3001), a waste liquid collection bottle (3003), a waste liquid discharge joint (3004), a waste liquid recovery bottle (3009), an upper liquid level sensor (3007) and a lower liquid level sensor (3008), wherein the waste liquid interface (3002) is used to perform a controllable connection between the ink drop collection box (2011) and the waste liquid collection bottle (3003); the vacuum suction joint (3001) is used to provide negative pressure gas to enable the waste liquid to be discharged. A negative pressure is generated in the waste liquid collection bottle (3003), thereby driving the ink droplets and waste liquid to flow into the waste liquid collection bottle (3003) through the waste liquid interface (3002); the waste liquid discharge connector (3004) is used to perform a controllable connection between the waste liquid collection bottle (3003) and the waste liquid recovery bottle (3009); the upper liquid level sensor (3007) and the lower liquid level sensor (3008) are respectively used to detect the upper and lower liquid levels in the waste liquid collection bottle (3003), and determine to flow the ink droplets and waste liquid into the waste liquid recovery bottle (3009) based on the detection results.

[0010] As a further preference, the inkjet droplet observation unit (2000) is preferably also equipped with a reflector adjustment mechanism (2009), which is installed on the same axis as the light source reflector (2010) and includes a rotating screw and a locking screw, wherein the rotating screw is used to rotate and fine-tune the reflector adapter plate, thereby further adjusting the angle of the light source reflector (2010); the locking screw is used to drive the reflector mounting seat to rise and fall, thereby further adjusting the upper and lower positions of the optical path of the light source reflector (2010).

[0011] As a further preference, the inkjet droplet observation unit (2000) is preferably also equipped with a focus marking rod (2013), which is mounted on the ink droplet collection box (2011) and is used to provide its imaging in the high-speed camera (2004), further indicating the position adjustment of the high-speed camera (2004) and the point light source (2007).

[0012] As a further preference, the lower side of the lens (2008) facing the point light source (2007) is a lens plane, and the upper side facing the light source reflector (2010) is a lens convex surface, so that after being converged into parallel light, it is reflected at 45° by the light source reflector (2010) and then emitted in parallel.

[0013] As a further preference, the waste liquid interface (3002) and the waste liquid discharge connector (3004) are preferably controlled by a solenoid valve.

[0014] As a further preference, the ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) is preferably also equipped with a leakage detection sensor (3005), which is used to detect the pipeline in the entire ink drop waste liquid collection unit and send an alarm signal when liquid leakage is detected.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a corresponding ink droplet observation and collection method is also provided, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps:

[0016] S1. Using the inkjet droplet observation unit to perform real-time observation of flying ink droplets. Meanwhile, the ink droplets enter the ink droplet collection box and are stored.

[0017] S2, starting the vacuum suction joint and opening the waste liquid interface to allow the ink droplets in the ink droplet collection box to flow into the waste liquid collection bottle, at which time the lower liquid level sensor obtains a detection signal;

[0018] S3. When the upper liquid level sensor obtains a detection signal, the vacuum suction connector is closed and the waste liquid discharge connector is opened to allow the ink droplets in the waste liquid collection bottle to flow into the waste liquid recovery bottle;

[0019] S4. When the lower liquid level sensor obtains a detection signal again, the waste liquid discharge connector is closed and the vacuum suction connector is opened, and the waste liquid recovery bottle is replaced.

[0020] As a further preference, the above method is applicable to a manufacturing process combining flexible electronics and inkjet printing.

[0021] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by the present invention have the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0022] Beneficial effects:

[0023] (1) The present invention makes targeted improvements to the overall equipment structure and the integrated design of key components, enabling ink droplet observation and waste liquid collection to be performed simultaneously and automatically in a compact and easy-to-operate manner, and is easy to install and maintain;

[0024] (2) The present invention further studies and improves the imaging system and optical path, wherein the high-speed camera and the lens barrel are installed in the vertical direction, and a 45-degree prism is used to change the optical path, and a plano-convex lens is used to focus the light source. The structure is more compact and can realize the observation of ink droplets from multiple rows of nozzles with different inks;

[0025] (3) The present invention further studies and improves the collection system of ink drop waste liquid, wherein the waste liquid can automatically flow into the waste liquid bottle by using a solenoid valve to control the generation of vacuum negative pressure. At the same time, the waste liquid is monitored in real time by a liquid level sensor, which can complete the entire collection process efficiently and quickly, and ensure that the entire waste liquid collection is automatically and effectively carried out;

[0026] (4) The ink droplet observation and collection device of the present invention has a compact and highly integrated overall structure, is easy to install and maintain, and is convenient for detecting multiple groups of side-by-side nozzles. It also enables real-time monitoring and automatic collection of waste liquids, and is therefore particularly suitable for inkjet printing applications such as flexible electronics manufacturing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 is a structural perspective view showing an inkjet droplet observation unit in more detail according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A diagram showing an application scenario for observing multiple rows of nozzles with different inks according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4is a diagram showing the working principle of the lens and the reflector in more detail according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 is a structural perspective view showing more specifically an ink drop waste liquid collection unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 It is a process diagram for exemplifying the ink droplet observation and collection method for inkjet printing of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall structure of the ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the equipment mainly includes functional components such as a fixed base 1000, an inkjet droplet observation unit 2000 and an ink droplet waste liquid collection unit 3000. It can achieve a high degree of integration of the ink droplet observation and collection units, and is easy to install and maintain. It not only facilitates the detection of multiple groups of side-by-side nozzles, but also enables real-time monitoring and automatic collection of waste liquid.

[0035] The above important components will be explained in detail one by one with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Overall, the design concept for the inkjet droplet observation unit utilizes a high-speed camera, zoom lens, and light source for real-time observation of flying ink droplets. Furthermore, a 45-degree reflector and a vertically arranged camera alter the optical path, making the ink droplet observation device compact and facilitating droplet observation in multi-row printhead configurations. The waste liquid collection device utilizes a solenoid valve to generate vacuum pressure, automatically allowing waste liquid to flow into a waste liquid bottle. A liquid level sensor monitors the waste liquid in real time and automatically collects it.

[0037] More specifically, as one of the key components of the present invention, see Figure 2The inkjet droplet observation unit 2000 is integrally arranged on the horizontal side of the fixed base 1000 through a supporting base 2001, and includes three functional modules that cooperate with each other; as for the first module, that is, the camera module, it is installed on the fixed base 1000 through a camera support frame 2003, and is provided with a high-speed camera 2004, a lens barrel 2005 and a 45° reflecting prism 2006 in sequence from bottom to top in the vertical direction, thereby being used to capture images of flying ink droplets; as for the second module, that is, the light source module, it is maintained oppositely installed through a light source support frame 2002 It is on the fixed base 1000 and can be freely adjusted in the vertical direction, and includes a point light source 2007, a lens 2008 and a light source reflector 2010 arranged in sequence from bottom to top on the same optical axis, so as to direct the light emitted by the point light source 2007 to the 45° reflecting prism 2006 after passing through the lens 2008 and the light source reflector 2010; as for the third module, that is, the ink droplet collection module, it is installed on the fixed base 1000 through the ink droplet collection box support seat 2012, and includes an ink droplet collection box 2011 for accommodating and collecting flying ink droplets.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inkjet droplet observation unit is preferably also equipped with a reflector adjustment mechanism 2009, which is installed on the coaxial axis of the light source reflector 2010 and includes a rotating screw and a locking screw, wherein the rotating screw is used to rotate and fine-tune the reflector adapter plate, thereby further adjusting the angle of the light source reflector 2010; the locking screw is used to drive the reflector mounting seat to rise and fall, thereby further adjusting the upper and lower positions of the light path of the light source reflector 2010.

[0039] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inkjet droplet observation unit is preferably further equipped with a focusing mark rod 2013, which is mounted on the ink droplet collection box 2011 and is used to provide its imaging in the high-speed camera 2004, further indicating the position adjustment of the high-speed camera 2004 and the point light source 2007.

[0040] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 4 The lower side of the lens 2008 facing the point light source 2007 is a lens plane, and the upper side facing the light source reflector 2010 is a lens convex surface 2008-2. After the parallel light is converged, it is reflected at 45 degrees by the light source reflector 2010 and then emitted in parallel.

[0041] Viewed Figure 5As another key component of the present invention, the ink drop waste liquid collection unit 3000 preferably includes a waste liquid interface 3002, a vacuum suction joint 3001, a waste liquid collection bottle 3003, a waste liquid discharge joint 3004, a waste liquid recovery bottle 3009, an upper liquid level sensor 3007 and a lower liquid level sensor 3008, wherein the waste liquid interface 3002 is used to perform a controllable connection between the ink drop collection box 2011 and the waste liquid collection bottle 3003; the vacuum suction joint 3001 is used to provide negative pressure gas to make the waste liquid A negative pressure is generated in the liquid collecting bottle 3003, thereby driving the ink waste liquid to flow into the waste liquid collecting bottle 3003 through the waste liquid interface 3002; the waste liquid discharge connector 3004 is used to perform a controllable connection between the waste liquid collecting bottle 3003 and the waste liquid recovery bottle 3009; the upper liquid level sensor 3007 and the lower liquid level sensor 3008 are respectively used to detect the upper and lower liquid levels in the waste liquid collecting bottle 3003, and determine to flow the ink waste liquid into the waste liquid recovery bottle 3009 based on the detection results.

[0042] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the waste liquid interface 3002 and the waste liquid discharge connector 3004 are preferably controlled by solenoid valves.

[0043] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ink drop waste liquid collection unit is preferably further equipped with a leakage detection sensor 3005, which is used to detect the pipelines in the entire ink drop waste liquid collection unit and send an alarm signal when liquid leakage is detected.

[0044] The ink droplet observation and collection synchronization method according to the present invention will be explained in more detail below.

[0045] First, the inkjet droplet observation unit is used to perform real-time observation of the flying ink droplets. At the same time, the ink droplets enter the ink droplet collection box and are stored.

[0046] Next, the vacuum suction connector 3001 is started and the waste liquid interface 3002 is opened, so that the ink droplets in the ink droplet collection box 2011 flow into the waste liquid collection bottle 3003. At this time, the lower liquid level sensor 3008 obtains a detection signal.

[0047] Next, when the upper liquid level sensor 3007 receives a detection signal, the vacuum suction connector 3001 is closed and the waste liquid discharge connector 3004 is opened, so that the ink droplets in the waste liquid collection bottle 3003 flow into the waste liquid recovery bottle 3009;

[0048] Finally, when the lower liquid level sensor 3008 obtains a detection signal again, the waste liquid discharge connector 3004 is closed and the vacuum suction connector 3001 is opened, and the waste liquid recovery bottle 3009 is replaced, and the cycle is repeated.

[0049] In summary, the ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing according to the present invention has a compact overall structure, is highly integrated, is easy to install and maintain, and is convenient for detecting multiple groups of side-by-side nozzles, while realizing real-time monitoring and automatic collection of waste liquid. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for inkjet printing applications such as flexible electronic manufacturing.

[0050] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated inkjet printing ink droplet observation and collection device, characterized in that: The device is used for real-time observation of flying ink droplets ejected from a plurality of groups of parallel nozzles and for simultaneous waste liquid recovery, and comprises a fixed base (1000), and an ink droplet observation unit (2000) and an ink droplet waste liquid collection unit (3000) integrated on the fixed base (1000), wherein: The inkjet droplet observation unit (2000) is integrally arranged on a horizontal side of the fixed base (1000) via a support base (2001), and comprises three functional modules that cooperate with each other; As for the first module, i.e., the camera module, it is mounted on the right end of the support base (2001) via a camera support frame (2003), and is provided with a high-speed camera (2004), a lens barrel (2005), and a 45° reflecting prism (2006) in sequence from bottom to top in the vertical direction, thereby being used to capture images of flying ink droplets that are about to fall into the ink droplet waste liquid collection unit (3000); As for the second module, i.e., the light source module, it is mounted oppositely on the left end of the support base (2001) through a light source support frame (2002) and can be freely adjusted in the vertical direction. It includes a point light source (2007), a lens (2008), a light source reflector (2010), and a reflector adjustment mechanism (2009) arranged on the same optical axis from bottom to top, thereby converging the light emitted by the point light source (2007) into parallel light through the lens (2008), and then reflecting it at 45 degrees through the light source reflector (2010) and then projecting it toward the 45-degree reflecting prism ( 2006) and is emitted in parallel, and at the same time, the angle of the light source reflector (2010) and the upper and lower positions of the optical path can be adjusted by the reflector adjustment mechanism (2009); in addition, the reflector adjustment mechanism (2009) comprises a rotating screw and a locking screw, wherein the rotating screw is used to rotate and fine-tune the adapter plate of the light source reflector (2010), thereby further adjusting the angle of the light source reflector (2010); and the locking screw is used to drive the mounting seat of the light source reflector (2010) to rise and fall, thereby further adjusting the upper and lower positions of the optical path of the light source reflector (2010); As for the third module, namely the ink droplet collection module, it is installed in the middle position of the support base (2001) via the ink droplet collection box support seat (2012), and includes an ink droplet collection box (2011) located between the light source reflector (2010) and the 45-degree reflecting prism (2006), which is used to accommodate and collect flying ink droplets; in addition, a focus mark rod (213) is also installed on the ink droplet collection box (2011), and the focus mark rod (2013) is used to provide an image of the ink droplet collection box (2011) in the high-speed camera (2004), thereby further indicating the position adjustment of the high-speed camera (2004) and the point light source (2007); The ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) is entirely arranged on the other horizontal side of the fixed base (1000), and is used to perform waste liquid collection while observing ink droplets.

2. The integrated ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) comprises a waste liquid interface (3002), a vacuum suction joint (3001), a waste liquid collection bottle (3003), a waste liquid discharge joint (3004), a waste liquid recovery bottle (3009), an upper liquid level sensor (3007) and a lower liquid level sensor (3008), wherein the waste liquid interface (3002) is used to perform a controllable connection between the ink drop collection box (2011) and the waste liquid collection bottle (3003); the vacuum suction joint (3001) is used to provide negative pressure gas to make the waste liquid collection bottle (3003) 003), thereby driving the ink drop waste liquid to flow into the waste liquid collection bottle (3003) through the waste liquid interface (3002); the waste liquid discharge connector (3004) is used to perform a controllable connection between the waste liquid collection bottle (3003) and the waste liquid recovery bottle (3009); the upper liquid level sensor (3007) and the lower liquid level sensor (3008) are used to detect the upper and lower liquid levels in the waste liquid collection bottle (3003), respectively, and determine to flow the ink drop waste liquid into the waste liquid recovery bottle (3009) based on the detection results.

3. The integrated ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower side of the lens (2008) facing the point light source (2007) is a lens plane, and the upper side facing the light source reflector (2010) is a lens convex surface, whereby parallel light is converged, reflected at 45 degrees by the light source reflector (2010) and then emitted in parallel.

4. An integrated ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The waste liquid interface (3002) and the waste liquid discharge connector (3004) are controlled by a solenoid valve.

5. The integrated ink droplet observation and collection device for inkjet printing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) is further equipped with a leakage detection sensor (3005), which is used to detect the pipeline in the entire ink drop waste liquid collection unit (3000) and to send an alarm signal when liquid leakage is detected.

6. A method for simultaneously performing ink droplet observation and waste liquid collection using the device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: S1. Using the inkjet droplet observation unit to perform real-time observation of flying ink droplets. Meanwhile, the ink droplets enter the ink droplet collection box and are stored. S2, starting the vacuum suction joint and opening the waste liquid interface to allow the ink droplets in the ink droplet collection box to flow into the waste liquid collection bottle, at which time the lower liquid level sensor obtains a detection signal; S3. When the upper liquid level sensor obtains a detection signal, the vacuum suction connector is closed and the waste liquid discharge connector is opened to allow the ink droplets in the waste liquid collection bottle to flow into the waste liquid recovery bottle; S4. When the lower liquid level sensor obtains a detection signal again, the waste liquid discharge connector is closed and the vacuum suction connector is opened, and the waste liquid recovery bottle is replaced.

7. The method for simultaneously performing ink droplet observation and collection according to claim 6, wherein: The above method is suitable for the manufacturing process of flexible electronics combined with inkjet printing.

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