Liquid discharge head, printer, liquid discharge method and program

Abstract

To prevent image quality from becoming lower due to discharge bending variation by strong air flow.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head has a plurality of heads for selectively discharging to media, droplets from a plurality of nozzles in each of a plurality of arranged nozzle arrays of which each comprises the plurality of nozzles, and a control part which controls discharge of droplets from the nozzles, and in the liquid discharge head, first and second adjacent heads are installed by providing a nozzle overlapping region at ends of the nozzle arrays in an array direction. In the nozzle overlapping region, the control part discharges a plurality of droplets impacting in a direction of the nozzle array from the nozzle of the first head and the nozzle of the second head, discharges a plurality of droplets impacting in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle array from only the nozzle of the first head or only the head of the second head, and changes a mask pattern for selecting the discharge nozzle, which discharges droplets, and the non-discharge nozzle, which does not discharge droplets, in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle array.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus, a printing apparatus, a liquid ejection method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, liquid ejection devices have been required to, for example, increase the transport speed of ejection targets to achieve high productivity and accommodate wider media (printing media) as ejection targets. Furthermore, when multiple ejection heads are arranged to form a long head group to accommodate wider printing media, a technique is known in which nozzles at the ends of adjacent heads are overlapped and ejecting nozzles and non-ejecting nozzles are selected to suppress image quality degradation in the overlapping areas in order to suppress image quality degradation due to inaccuracies in alignment between the heads and variations in ejection performance among the heads.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a first drawing operation by one nozzle unit is assigned to one band-shaped region, and a second drawing operation by another nozzle unit is assigned to the other band-shaped region, and the density of the drawing positions assigned to the first drawing operation is set to a value that is smaller than the density of the band-shaped region corresponding to the first drawing operation. A technique is disclosed in which the difference decreases with distance from the non-overlapping region of the area. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional techniques have had the problem that image quality deteriorates due to the strong air currents that occur at high medium transport speeds exceeding 200 mm / sec, which can cause the ink to bend or vary.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to prevent degradation of image quality caused by deflection or variation in ejection due to a strong air current. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a liquid ejection device having a plurality of heads in which a plurality of nozzle rows each consisting of a plurality of nozzles are arranged and which selectively eject droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and a control unit which controls the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, and in which adjacent first and second heads are arranged with a nozzle overlap region at the end of the nozzle row in the row direction, in which, in the nozzle overlap region, the control unit ejects a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle rows from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and ejects a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows from only the nozzles of the first head or only the nozzles of the second head, and changes a mask pattern that selects ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present invention has the effect of preventing degradation of image quality caused by deflection or variation in ejection due to a strong air current. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an example of a head unit of a printing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of a plurality of adjacent heads. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a printing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram relating to droplet ejection control of each nozzle by the print control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of conventional dots that land around the nozzle overlap region. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the drive frequency and the appropriate ejection amount. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of conventional dots that are formed when the optimum ejection volume is reduced. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a dot that is formed when droplets from two heads land on top of each other in an overlapping area. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of conventional dots deposited around the nozzle overlap region. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of dots that land around the nozzle overlap region when the mask pattern according to the first embodiment is used. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is another diagram showing an example of dots deposited around the nozzle overlap region when the mask pattern according to the first embodiment is used. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is another diagram showing an example of dots deposited around the nozzle overlap region when the mask pattern according to the first embodiment is used. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a liquid ejection device, a printing device, a liquid ejection method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] (First embodiment) 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing device 1000 according to a first embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of an example of a head unit 50 of the printing device 1000. The printing device 1000 according to this embodiment is a line-type inkjet recording device equipped with a head unit 50 that is a line-type head.

[0011] The printing apparatus 1000, which is a liquid ejection apparatus, includes a carry-in means 1, a guide and conveyance means 3, a printing means 5, a drying means 7, and a discharge means 9.

[0012] The carrying-in means 1 carries in the medium 10. The guiding and conveying means 3 guides and conveys the medium 10 carried in from the carrying-in means 1 to the printing means 5. The printing means 5 is equipped with a head unit 50 and performs printing by ejecting a liquid onto the medium 10 to form an image. The drying means 7 dries the medium 10. The discharging means 9 discharges the medium 10.

[0013] The medium 10 is fed from the original winding roller 11 of the carrying-in means 1, guided and transported by the rollers of the carrying-in means 1, the guide and transport means 3, the drying means 7, and the discharge means 9, and then wound up by the winding roller 91 of the discharge means 9. As an example, the medium 10 in the printing device 1000 is transported at a high speed of about 100 m / min.

[0014] In the printing means 5, the medium 10 is transported on a transport guide member 59 facing the head unit 50. An image is formed on the medium 10 by liquid ejected from the head unit 50 while the medium 10 is being transported.

[0015] In the head unit 50, for example, from the upstream side in the transport direction of the medium 10, full-line head arrays 51K, 51C, 51M, and 51Y for four colors (hereinafter referred to as "head array 51" when the colors are not distinguished) are arranged.

[0016] Each head array 51 is a liquid ejection means, and ejects liquid (ink) of black K, cyan C, magenta M, or yellow Y onto the transported medium 10. However, the types and numbers of colors are not limited to these.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the head array 51 is, for example, a staggered arrangement of liquid ejection heads (also simply referred to as "heads") 100A and 100B, which are ejection heads that eject liquid, on a base member 52. Here, head 100A is the upstream head in the transport direction, and head 100B is the downstream head in the transport direction. By arranging multiple heads side by side in this manner, it is possible to accommodate a wide range of media. However, the configuration of the head array 51 is not limited to this.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of multiple adjacent heads (head 100A and head 100B). Head 100A and head 100B are line-type heads each having a plurality of aligned nozzles, which are ejection nozzles for ejecting liquid. In this example, each head has six nozzle rows, but the number of nozzle rows is not limited to six. As shown in FIG. 3, head 100A and head 100B each have multiple nozzle rows 200 arranged in the head's longitudinal direction (X direction) along the head's shorter direction (Y direction). Head 100A and head 100B are also configured to have nozzle overlap regions at the ends of the nozzle rows in the row direction (X direction), where the nozzles overlap. Directly below each nozzle, a transport airflow is generated in the same direction as the transport direction of medium 10. This transport airflow increases in speed in proportion to the transport speed of medium 10. The "transport direction" refers to the direction in which medium 10 moves relative to the head.

[0019] In this embodiment, an example in which a line-type inkjet recording device is applied as the printing device 1000 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a serial-type (shuttle-type) inkjet recording device in which a carriage scans. In either the line-type or serial-type case, in this embodiment, the head on the upstream side (upstream side of the medium) in the relative movement direction of the medium 10 with respect to the liquid ejection head is referred to as head 100A, and the head on the downstream side (downstream side of the medium) is referred to as head 100B.

[0020] Next, the system configuration of the printing device 1000 will be described.

[0021] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a printing device 1000. As shown in Fig. 4, the printing device 1000 includes a communication interface 1001, a system control unit 1002, an image memory 1003, a transport motor driver 1005, a maintenance / supply driver 1006, a print control unit 1007, a head driver 1008, etc.

[0022] The communication interface 1001 is an interface unit that receives image data sent from the host computer HC. The image data sent from the host computer HC is imported into the printing device 1000 via the communication interface 1001 and temporarily stored in the image memory 1003.

[0023] The image memory 1003 is a storage means for temporarily storing image data input via the communication interface 1001. Data is read from and written into the image memory 1003 via the system control unit 1002.

[0024] The system control unit 1002 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU) and its peripheral circuits, etc. The system control unit 1002 functions as a control device that controls the entire printing apparatus 1000 according to a predetermined program, and also functions as a calculation device that performs various calculations. That is, the system control unit 1002 controls each unit such as the communication interface 1001, image memory 1003, transport motor driver 1005, and maintenance / supply driver 1006. The system control unit 1002 also controls the print control unit 1007, which drives the head to eject liquid.

[0025] The image memory 1003 stores programs executed by the CPU of the system control unit 1002 and various data required for control. The image memory 1003 is used as a temporary storage area for image data, and is also used as a program development area and a calculation work area for the CPU.

[0026] The transport motor driver 1005 is a driver that drives motors and the like provided in the loading means 1, the guide transport means 3, the discharge means 9, etc. in accordance with instructions from the system control unit 1002. The transport motor driver 1005 is an example of a moving unit that moves the medium 10.

[0027] The maintenance / supply driver 1006 is a driver that drives a supply system block that drives and controls the liquid delivery pumps and solenoid valves for heads 100A and 100B, and a maintenance system block that drives and controls the suction pumps and solenoid valves connected to the caps of heads 100A and 100B, in accordance with instructions from the system control unit 1002.

[0028] The print control unit 1007 has a signal processing function that performs various processes, such as various modifications and corrections, to generate print control signals from the image data in the image memory 1003 in accordance with instructions from the system control unit 1002. The print control unit 1007 is a control unit that supplies the generated print data (dot data) to a head driver 1008. Based on the image data that has undergone the required signal processing, the print control unit 1007 controls the ejection droplet volume (droplet ejection volume) and ejection timing of the heads 100A and 100B via the head driver 1008. This achieves the desired dot size and dot arrangement.

[0029] The head driver 1008 generates drive signals to be applied to the piezoelectric elements of the heads 100A and 100B based on image data provided by the print control unit 1007, and includes a drive circuit that applies the drive signals to the piezoelectric elements to drive them.

[0030] 5 is a functional block diagram relating to droplet ejection control of each nozzle by the print control unit 1007. The print control unit 1007 has a color separation data generation unit 1071 and an ejection control unit 1072. The ejection control unit 1072 generally controls the ejection of liquid (droplets).

[0031] When image data to be printed is input, the color separation data generation unit 1071 generates, from the input image data, color separation data for each color of liquid implemented in the printing device 1000. For example, if the printing device 1000 performs printing using CMYK liquid, the color separation data generation unit 1071 generates, from the input image data, color separation data for each color of CMYK.

[0032] The ejection control unit 1072 generates print dot data by applying a dot data generation mask to the color plate division data for each color generated by the color plate division data generation unit 1071. Here, the dot data generation mask is, for example, a mask pattern for creating an image by mixing print dots from two heads in the nozzle overlap region at the ends of adjacent heads 100A and 100B. The ejection control unit 1072 is also an example of a control unit that controls the ejection of droplets from the nozzles.

[0033] The liquid deposited on the medium 10 forms dots in the image by being fixed on the medium 10. More specifically, a single liquid droplet formed by the liquid ejected from the head 100A or 100B lands on the medium 10, dries, and is fixed on the medium 10 to form a single dot (landed dot) in the image. An image is then formed as a collection of multiple landed dots. In this embodiment, the part including the heads 100A and 100B and the print control unit 1007 and head driver 1008, which are functional units that control them, may be referred to as a liquid ejection device. In this case, the liquid ejection device is a device included in the printing device 1000.

[0034] Next, the degradation of image quality that occurs in the nozzle overlap region when a conventional mask pattern is used as a dot data generation mask will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of conventional landed dots around the nozzle overlap region. The landed dots shown in FIG. 6 show the state of dots when droplets ejected from heads 100A and 100B using a conventional mask pattern land at ideal positions on medium 10. The normal portion on the left side of the landed dot is formed only by droplets (ejected droplets) ejected from head 100A, and the normal portion on the right side is formed only by droplets ejected from head 100B. The overlapping portion of the landed dots is formed by droplets ejected from nozzles in the nozzle overlap region of heads 100A and 100B. That is, in the nozzle overlap region, ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets are selected using a mask pattern, and the overlapping portion of the landed dots is formed by droplets ejected from each head.

[0036] 6 is formed by a process in which the dots formed by head 100A and head 100B are arranged alternately in both the X and Y directions. This process creates an image in the overlapping area using a mixture of dots formed by the two heads, making it possible to suppress degradation of image quality caused by variations in the ejection characteristics of head 100A and head 100B, and density unevenness and streaks caused by misalignment of ink droplets due to air currents at the ends of the heads.

[0037] However, the droplet volume of a head generally varies depending on the drive frequency. Figure 7 shows an example of the relationship between drive frequency and appropriate ejection volume. Figure 7 shows that the appropriate ejection volume, which was droplet volume 1 at drive frequency F, drops to droplet volume 2 when the drive frequency is halved.

[0038] Figure 8 shows an example of conventional dots formed when the optimal ejection volume was reduced. Here, "(i) Dots" indicates dots from both heads, and "(ii) Dots" indicates only dots from head 100A. As shown in Figure 8, the normal portion is formed with dots of droplet volume 1, and the overlapping portion is formed with dots of droplet volume 2, so the overlapping portion appears lighter than the normal portion, resulting in white unevenness.

[0039] Furthermore, misalignment or a difference in droplet speed between the two heads may occur, causing the landing position of the dots from one head to be misaligned relative to the other. Figure 9 shows an example of dots that land when droplets from head 100A and head 100B overlap and land in the overlapping area.

[0040] Figure 9(a) shows an example in which the landing dots from head 100B are misaligned in the Y direction in the overlapping area. When this misalignment occurs, the overlapping area cannot maintain the same density as the normal area, resulting in visually noticeable image quality degradation such as uneven density and streaks. Furthermore, the misalignment of the landing position can also occur due to the influence of the self-flowing air currents and transport air currents that occur when ejecting droplets. Furthermore, when the medium 10 is transported from head 100A to head 100B, the misalignment of the landing position can also occur due to the influence of airflow turbulence caused by the outer shape of head 100A, which is located upstream in the transport direction. This problem becomes more severe the faster the transport speed of the medium 10 relative to the head. It can become a serious problem when the relative speed between the head and medium 10 (the speed of relative movement of the medium 10 relative to the liquid ejection head) exceeds 200 mm / s and the distance between the head's ejection nozzle and the medium 10 exceeds 1.0 mm.

[0041] Figure 9(b) shows an example where the landing dots from heads 100A and 100B are both misaligned in the overlapping area. Depending on the head shape and nozzle arrangement, the impact of air currents generated by the outer periphery of the head and its corners can cause the landing positions to be misaligned as shown in Figure 9(b), resulting in a problem of reduced image quality.

[0042] FIG. 10 shows another example of conventional dot deposition around the nozzle overlap region. The dots shown in “(i) Ideal Position” in FIG. 10 represent the dots that would appear if droplets ejected from heads 100A and 100B were deposited at ideal positions on the medium 10 using a conventional mask pattern. This example shows the case where the dots deposited in the Y direction in the overlapping area are formed solely by dots from head 100A or dots from head 100B. This allows the drive frequency of each nozzle to be the same in the overlapping area and the normal area, thereby suppressing image quality degradation due to the difference in drive frequency. Furthermore, even if the dots deposited from head 100B are shifted in the Y direction by ΔY (Y shift), as shown in “(ii) When Y shift occurs” in FIG. 10, the dots from the two heads do not overlap, thereby suppressing image quality degradation such as density unevenness and streaks as shown in FIG. 9.

[0043] However, with a discharge head using a conventional mask pattern, the problem of image quality deteriorating due to deflection or variation in discharge remains when the relative speed between the head and the medium 10 exceeds 200 mm / s and the distance between the discharge nozzles of the head and the medium 10 exceeds 1.0 mm. This embodiment suppresses the degradation in image quality described above by arranging multiple nozzle rows in each head and controlling the discharge nozzles that discharge droplets and the non-discharge nozzles that do not discharge droplets.

[0044] 11 is a diagram showing an example of dots deposited around the nozzle overlap region when the mask pattern according to this embodiment is used. Here, in the nozzle overlap region, multiple droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle row (Y direction) are ejected from the nozzles of head 100A and head 100B, and multiple droplets that land in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle row (X direction) are ejected only from the nozzles of head 100A or only from the nozzles of head 100B, similar to what was explained in FIG. 10.

[0045] In this embodiment, the mask pattern for selecting ejection nozzles and non-ejection nozzles is further changed in the Y direction. Specifically, the number of ejection nozzles of the nozzle 100A, which is arranged upstream in the transport direction and is easily affected by the transport airflow, is made smaller than the number of nozzles of the head 100B. By doing this, even if the relative speed between the head and the medium 10 exceeds 200 mm / sec and the distance between the head's ejection nozzle and the medium 10 exceeds 1.0 mm, the effects of airflow, such as deflected ejection, can be reduced.

[0046] Furthermore, in a liquid ejection head that can eject a plurality of types of droplets with different volumes, such as large droplets (droplets of a first volume) and small droplets (droplets of a second volume smaller than the first volume), the number (proportion) of ejection nozzles that eject small droplets in the nozzle overlap region of head 100A may be made smaller than that of head 100B. This allows head 100A, which is more susceptible to the influence of air currents, to eject more large droplets that are less likely to be deflected by the influence of air currents, thereby improving image quality.

[0047] On the other hand, if the relative speed between the head and the medium 10 is 200 mm / sec or less, or the distance between the head's ejection nozzle and the medium 10 is 1.0 mm or less, by making the number of ejection nozzles on the two heads approximately the same, the ejection droplets from the two heads will be mixed evenly in the nozzle overlap area, so the concentration fluctuations between the heads at the head joint will be more gradual and the concentration difference between the heads will be less visible.

[0048] In FIG. 11, the number of dots in the X direction in the overlapping portion is set to 23, but the number of dots in the overlapping portion may be set to more or less than this.

[0049] 12 is a diagram showing another example of dots deposited around the nozzle overlap region when using the mask pattern according to this embodiment. The difference from the example shown in FIG. 11 is that non-ejecting nozzles are arranged at least in the region defined by "distance a" (the first and second regions shown in FIG. 12). This reduces the impact of airflow caused by the speed difference between the heads and the medium 10 on deflection of the ejection from each head, even when the relative speed between the heads and the medium 10 exceeds 200 mm / sec and the distance between the head's ejection nozzles and the medium 10 exceeds 1.0 mm.

[0050] Here, the first region of head 100A and the second region of head 100B may be a region (upstream region) around the head end on the upstream side (upstream side of the medium) in the relative movement direction of medium 10 with respect to each head, and are not limited to a region within distance a from the corner of the head end. This region is determined in advance by experiment or the like depending on the external shape of the head and the transport speed (relative speed).

[0051] Instead of making all the nozzles in the upstream region non-ejecting nozzles, the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles in the upstream region may be made smaller than the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles in regions other than the upstream region, which increases the degree of freedom in mask pattern design and improves image quality.

[0052] Furthermore, in the liquid ejection head capable of ejecting multiple types of droplets, the proportion of ejection nozzles that eject droplets (large droplets of the first volume) other than small droplets (droplets of the second volume) can be made higher in the upstream region than in the other regions. This allows large droplets that are less likely to be deflected by the influence of air currents to be ejected in the upstream region where air currents are likely to be generated, thereby improving image quality.

[0053] 12, a head with a rectangular nozzle surface is assumed, and the upstream region is defined as the region determined by the distance a from the upstream corner in the medium transport direction, but as described above, the upstream region in this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, if the head has a convex or concave portion (a shape other than a square) on its outer shape, which generates an airflow that causes the ejection to bend, the upstream region may be defined as a range within a predetermined distance from these portions as base points.

[0054] Alternatively, the upstream regions of heads 100A and 100B may be defined using different distances, such as a distance defining the upstream region of head 100A and a distance b defining the upstream region of head 100B. For example, the area of ​​the upstream region of head 100A may be set larger than the area of ​​the upstream region of head 100B, and the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles in the upstream region of head 100A may be set smaller than the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles in the upstream region of head 100B. This further reduces the influence of airflow on head 100A, which is susceptible to the influence of the transport airflow, thereby further improving image quality.

[0055] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing another example of deposited dots around the nozzle overlap region when using the mask pattern according to this embodiment. The difference from Fig. 12 is that the upstream region (the first region of head 100A and the second region of head 100B) is defined using the distance a and the distance b from the side of the upstream end of each head, rather than the corner of the upstream end of each head.

[0056] By increasing the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles or the proportion of ejecting nozzles that eject small droplets in the upstream region defined as in Figure 13, it is possible to reduce the effects of airflow, such as ejection deflection, even when, for example, the relative speed between the head and the medium exceeds 200 mm / s and the distance between the head's ejection nozzle and the medium 10 exceeds 1.0 mm, as in the example of Figure 12.

[0057] On the other hand, if the relative speed between the head and the medium is 200 mm / sec or less, or the distance between the head's ejection nozzle and the medium 10 is 1.0 mm or less, by making the number of ejection nozzles on the two heads approximately the same, the ejection droplets from the two heads will be mixed evenly in the nozzle overlap area, so the concentration fluctuations between the heads at the head joint will be more gradual, and the concentration difference between the heads will be less visible.

[0058] Thus, according to this embodiment, the mask pattern that selects the ejection nozzles and non-ejection nozzles can be changed in the Y direction, thereby reducing the proportion of non-ejection nozzles in the upstream region and increasing the proportion of ejection nozzles that eject large droplets, thereby preventing a deterioration in image quality caused by deflection or variation in ejection due to strong air currents.

[0059] 12 or 13, the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles and the proportion of ejection nozzles that eject large drops may be different between the first and second regions. For example, the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles in the first region may be smaller than the proportion of non-ejecting nozzles in the second region. Also, the proportion of ejection nozzles that eject large drops in the first region may be larger than the proportion of ejection nozzles that eject large drops in the second region. This makes it possible to reduce the nozzle usage rate of the head on the upstream side of the medium, or increase the proportion of nozzles that eject large drops in the head on the upstream side of the medium, thereby preventing degradation of image quality caused by deflection or variation in ejection due to strong airflow.

[0060] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0061] <Electrode manufacturing equipment> The printing apparatus 1000, which is a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention, also includes an apparatus for manufacturing electrodes and electrochemical elements. An apparatus for manufacturing electrodes will be described below.

[0062] 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electrode manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. The electrode manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode including a layer having an electrode material by ejecting a liquid composition using a head module including the liquid ejection heads 100A and 100B described in the first embodiment.

[0063] <Means for forming layer containing electrode material, and process for forming layer containing electrode material> The discharge means provided in the electrode manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 14 is a head module according to the embodiment of the present invention. A liquid composition is applied to a target object by being discharged from a discharge head included in the head module, thereby forming a liquid composition layer. The target object (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "discharge target") is not particularly limited as long as it is an object on which a layer containing an electrode material is to be formed, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the target object may be an electrode substrate (current collector), an active material layer, a layer containing a solid electrode material, or the like. The target object may also be an electrode mixture layer containing an active material on an electrode substrate (current collector). The discharge means and discharge step may also be a means and step for directly discharging a liquid composition to form a layer containing an electrode material, as long as it is possible to form a layer containing an electrode material on the discharge target object. The discharge means and discharge step may also be a means and step for indirectly discharging a liquid composition to form a layer containing an electrode material.

[0064] <Other components and processes> Other components included in the manufacturing apparatus for an electrode mixture layer are not particularly limited as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. Furthermore, other steps included in the manufacturing method for an electrode mixture layer are also not particularly limited as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, components and steps included in the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for an electrode mixture layer include a heating means and a heating step.

[0065] <Heating means, heating process> The heating means included in the manufacturing device for the electrode mixture layer is a means for heating the liquid composition ejected by the ejection means. Also, the heating step included in the manufacturing method for the electrode mixture layer is a step of heating the liquid composition ejected in the ejection step. By heating the liquid composition, the liquid composition layer can be dried.

[0066] <Configuration for forming a layer containing an electrode material by directly ejecting a liquid composition> Here, as an example of an electrode manufacturing apparatus, an electrode manufacturing apparatus that forms an electrode mixture layer containing an active material on an electrode substrate (current collector) will be described. As shown in Fig. 14, the electrode manufacturing apparatus includes a discharge process unit 150 that includes a step of applying a liquid composition to a printing substrate 704 having an object to be discharged to form a liquid composition layer, and a heating process unit 130 that includes a heating step of heating the liquid composition layer to obtain an electrode mixture layer.

[0067] The electrode manufacturing apparatus includes a conveying unit 705 that conveys the printing substrate 704. The conveying unit 705 conveys the printing substrate 704 at a preset speed through the discharging process unit 150 and the heating process unit 130 in that order. There are no particular limitations on the method for manufacturing the printing substrate 704 having a discharge target such as an active material layer, and any known method can be appropriately selected. The discharging process unit 150 includes liquid discharge heads 100A and 100B that perform the application step of applying a liquid composition onto the printing substrate 704, a storage container 281b that stores the liquid composition 707, and a supply tube 281c that supplies the liquid composition 707 stored in the storage container 281b to the liquid discharge heads 100A and 100B.

[0068] In the discharge process unit 150, liquid composition 707 is discharged from liquid discharge heads 100A and 100B and applied to printing substrate 704, thereby forming a thin film of the liquid composition layer. Note that storage container 281b may be configured as an integral part of the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus, or may be configured as a removable part from the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, storage container 281b may be a container used for adding the liquid to a storage container integrated with the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus, or a storage container removable from the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus.

[0069] The storage container 281b and the supply tube 281c can be arbitrarily selected as long as they can stably store and supply the liquid composition 707.

[0070] In the heating process section 130, a solvent removal step is carried out in which the solvent remaining in the liquid composition layer is heated and removed. Specifically, the solvent remaining in the liquid composition layer is heated and dried by the heating device 703 in the heating process section 130, thereby removing the solvent from the liquid composition layer. This results in the formation of an electrode mixture layer. The solvent removal step in the heating process section 130 may also be carried out under reduced pressure.

[0071] The heating device 703 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the heating device 703 can be a substrate heater, an IR heater, a hot air heater, or the like. The heating device 703 may also be a combination of at least two of the substrate heater, the IR heater, and the hot air heater. The heating temperature and heating time can be appropriately selected depending on the boiling point of the solvent contained in the liquid composition 707 or the thickness of the formed film.

[0072] By using the electrode manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid composition can be ejected onto a target object. The electrode mixture layer can be suitably used, for example, as part of the configuration of an electrochemical element. The components other than the electrode mixture layer in the electrochemical element are not particularly limited, and known components can be appropriately selected. For example, components other than the electrode mixture layer include a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and the like.

[0073] The program executed by the printing apparatus 1000, which is the liquid ejection apparatus of this embodiment, is provided in a state that it is pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

[0074] The program executed by the printing device 1000, which is the liquid ejection device of this embodiment, may be configured to be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0075] Furthermore, the program executed by the printing apparatus 1000, which is the liquid ejection apparatus of this embodiment, may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the program executed by the printing apparatus 1000, which is the liquid ejection apparatus of this embodiment, may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0076] The program executed by the printing device 1000 of this embodiment has a modular structure including the above-mentioned units (color plate split data generation unit 1071, ejection control unit 1072), and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads and executes the program from the above-mentioned storage medium, thereby loading the above-mentioned units onto the main memory device, and the color plate split data generation unit 1071 and ejection control unit 1072 are generated on the main memory device.

[0077] Furthermore, each function of the embodiment described above (the color separation data generation unit 1071, the discharge control unit 1072) can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the functions described above.

[0078] In this application, a "liquid ejection device" is a device that includes a liquid ejection head or a liquid ejection unit and ejects liquid by driving the liquid ejection head. Liquid ejection devices include not only devices that can eject liquid onto objects to which the liquid can adhere, but also devices that eject liquid into air or liquid.

[0079] This "liquid ejection device" can also include means for feeding, transporting, and discharging items onto which liquid can be attached, as well as pre-processing devices and post-processing devices.

[0080] For example, examples of "liquid ejection devices" include image forming devices, which are devices that eject ink to form images on paper, and three-dimensional modeling devices (three-dimensional modeling devices), which eject modeling liquid onto a powder layer formed from layers of powder in order to create a three-dimensional object (a three-dimensional model).

[0081] Furthermore, the term "liquid ejection device" is not limited to devices that visualize meaningful images such as letters and figures using ejected liquid. For example, it also includes devices that form patterns that have no meaning in themselves, and devices that create three-dimensional images.

[0082] The above-mentioned "object onto which a liquid can adhere" means an object onto which a liquid can adhere at least temporarily, an object onto which the liquid can adhere and stick, an object onto which the liquid can penetrate, etc. Specific examples include media such as paper, recording paper, film, and cloth, electronic circuit boards, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powder layers, organ models, and test cells, and unless otherwise specified, includes all objects onto which a liquid can adhere.

[0083] The material of the "substance to which a liquid can adhere" may be any material to which a liquid can adhere, even temporarily, such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, or ceramics.

[0084] The "liquid" is not particularly limited as long as it has a viscosity and surface tension that allows it to be ejected from a head, but it is preferably one whose viscosity is 30 mPa·s or less at room temperature and normal pressure, or upon heating or cooling. More specifically, it is a solution, suspension, emulsion, etc. containing a solvent such as water or an organic solvent, a colorant such as a dye or pigment, a functionalizing material such as a polymerizable compound, a resin, or a surfactant, a biocompatible material such as DNA, amino acids, proteins, or calcium, or an edible material such as a natural colorant. These can be used, for example, as inkjet inks, surface treatment liquids, liquids for forming components of electronic devices or light-emitting elements, or electronic circuit resist patterns, and material liquids for 3D modeling.

[0085] Furthermore, the term "liquid ejection device" includes, but is not limited to, a device in which a liquid ejection head and an object onto which liquid can be attached move relatively. Specific examples include a serial type device in which the liquid ejection head moves, and a line type device in which the liquid ejection head does not move.

[0086] Other examples of "liquid ejection devices" include treatment liquid application devices that eject treatment liquid onto paper to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the paper for purposes such as modifying the surface of the paper, and spray granulation devices that spray a composition liquid in which raw materials are dispersed through a nozzle to granulate fine particles of the raw materials.

[0087] Finally, the above-described embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiment and modifications thereof are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims.

[0088] For example, aspects of the present invention are as follows. <1> This liquid ejection device has a plurality of heads that arrange a plurality of nozzle rows, each consisting of a plurality of nozzles, and selectively eject droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and a control unit that controls the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, and adjacent first and second heads are installed with a nozzle overlap region at the end of the nozzle row in the row direction, in which the control unit, in the nozzle overlap region, ejects a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle row from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and ejects a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row from only the nozzles of the first head or only the nozzles of the second head, and changes a mask pattern that selects ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets, in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row. <2> a control unit that controls the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, and a liquid ejection device that has adjacent first and second heads arranged at the ends of the nozzle rows in the row direction, and in which the control unit ejects droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle rows from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head in the nozzle overlap area, and ejects droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows from only the nozzles of the first head or only the nozzles of the second head, and changes a mask pattern that selects ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows; a system control unit that drives the liquid ejection device to eject droplets onto the medium; and a movement unit that moves the medium relative to the multiple heads at a speed of 200 mm / s or more. <3> the first head is disposed upstream of the second head in the direction of the relative movement, and in the nozzle overlap region, the rate at which the first head selects ejection nozzles is smaller than the rate at which the second head selects ejection nozzles; <2> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <4> the first head is disposed upstream of the second head in the direction of the relative movement, the nozzles include a first discharge nozzle that discharges droplets of a first volume and a second discharge nozzle that discharges droplets of a second volume that is smaller than the first volume, and in the nozzle overlap region, a rate at which the first head selects the second discharge nozzle is smaller than a rate at which the second head selects the second discharge nozzle; <2> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <5> the first head is disposed upstream of the second head in the direction of the relative movement, and in the nozzle overlap region, the mask pattern of the first head includes a first region around the end of the head on the upstream side in the direction of the relative movement, and the mask pattern of the second head includes a second region around the end of the head on the upstream side in the direction of the relative movement, and when a speed of the relative movement of the medium with respect to the plurality of heads and a distance between the plurality of heads and the medium satisfy a predetermined condition, a ratio at which the first head selects ejection nozzles differs between the first region and a region other than the first region, and a ratio at which the second head selects ejection nozzles differs between the second region and a region other than the second region; <2> ~ <4> 10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: <6> The discharge nozzle is not selected in the first region and the second region. <5> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <7> the rate at which the first head selects ejection nozzles is smaller in the first region than in a region other than the first region, and the rate at which the second head selects ejection nozzles is smaller in the second region than in a region other than the second region; <5> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <8> a rate at which the discharge nozzles are selected in the first region is smaller than a rate at which the discharge nozzles are selected in the second region; <5> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <9> The nozzles include a first discharge nozzle that discharges droplets of a first volume and a second discharge nozzle that discharges droplets of a second volume that is smaller than the first volume, and the first head selects the first discharge nozzle at a rate higher in the first region than in a region other than the first region, and the second head selects the first discharge nozzle at a rate higher in the second region than in a region other than the second region. <5> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <10> the sizes of the first region and the second region are set based on at least one of the speed of the relative movement, the resolution of the plurality of droplets, and the volume of the droplets; <5> 2. A printing apparatus according to claim 1. <11> A liquid ejection method for a liquid ejection head having a plurality of heads that arrange a plurality of nozzle rows each consisting of a plurality of nozzles and selectively eject droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and having adjacent first and second heads that are installed with a nozzle overlap region at the end of the nozzle row in the row direction, the liquid ejection method includes a control step of controlling the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, and in the nozzle overlap region, the control step ejects a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle rows from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and ejects a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows from only the nozzles of the first head or only the nozzles of the second head, and changes a mask pattern that selects ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows. <12> The program causes a computer that controls a liquid ejection head, which has a plurality of heads that arrange multiple nozzle rows each consisting of a plurality of nozzles and selectively eject droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and which has adjacent first and second heads that are installed with a nozzle overlap area at the end of the nozzle row in the row direction, to function as a control means for controlling the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, and in the nozzle overlap area, the control means ejects multiple droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle rows from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and ejects multiple droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows from only the nozzles of the first head or only the nozzles of the second head, and changes a mask pattern that selects ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 Medium 100A head (media downstream side) 100B head (upstream of media) 200 nozzle rows 1000 liquid dispensing device 1007 Print control unit 1008 Head Driver 1071 Color separation data generation unit 1072 Discharge control section [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0090] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-160876

Claims

1. A liquid ejection device having a plurality of heads each having a plurality of nozzle rows each including a plurality of nozzles, each head selectively ejecting droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and a control unit controlling the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, wherein adjacent first and second heads are disposed at ends of the nozzle rows in a row direction with a nozzle overlap region provided therebetween, In the nozzle overlap region, the control unit a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle row are ejected from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row are ejected only from the nozzles of the first head or only from the nozzles of the second head; a mask pattern for selecting ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets is changed in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row; Liquid discharge device.

2. a liquid ejection device having a plurality of heads each having a plurality of nozzle rows arranged therein and each of which selectively ejects droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and a control unit for controlling the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, wherein adjacent first and second heads are installed with a nozzle overlap region at the end of the nozzle row in the row direction, wherein in the nozzle overlap region, the control unit ejects a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle rows from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and ejects a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows from only the nozzles of the first head or only the nozzles of the second head, and changes a mask pattern that selects ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle rows; a system control unit that drives the liquid ejection device to eject droplets onto the medium; a moving unit that moves the medium relative to the plurality of heads at a speed of 200 mm / sec or more; A printing device comprising:

3. the first head is disposed upstream of the second head in the direction of the relative movement; In the nozzle overlap region, a rate at which the first head selects ejection nozzles is lower than a rate at which the second head selects ejection nozzles; The printing device according to claim 2 .

4. the first head is disposed upstream of the second head in the direction of the relative movement; the nozzles include a first ejection nozzle that ejects droplets of a first volume and a second ejection nozzle that ejects droplets of a second volume that is smaller than the first volume; In the nozzle overlap region, a rate at which the first head selects the second discharge nozzles is lower than a rate at which the second head selects the second discharge nozzles; The printing device according to claim 2 .

5. the first head is disposed upstream of the second head in the direction of the relative movement; In the nozzle overlap region, the mask pattern of the first head includes a first region around an end of the head on an upstream side in the direction of the relative movement; the mask pattern of the second head includes a second region around an end of the head on the upstream side with respect to the direction of the relative movement; When the speed of the relative movement of the medium with respect to the plurality of heads and the distance between the plurality of heads and the medium satisfy predetermined conditions, a ratio at which the first head selects ejection nozzles differs between the first region and a region other than the first region; a ratio at which the second head selects ejection nozzles differs between the second region and a region other than the second region; The printing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. The discharge nozzle is not selected in the first region and the second region. The printing device according to claim 5 .

7. a rate at which the first head selects ejection nozzles is smaller in the first region than in regions other than the first region; a rate at which the second head selects ejection nozzles is lower in the second region than in regions other than the second region; The printing device according to claim 5 .

8. a rate at which the ejection nozzles are selected in the first region is lower than a rate at which the ejection nozzles are selected in the second region; The printing device according to claim 5 .

9. the nozzles include a first ejection nozzle that ejects droplets of a first volume and a second ejection nozzle that ejects droplets of a second volume that is smaller than the first volume; a rate at which the first head selects the first discharge nozzle is higher in the first region than in a region other than the first region; a rate at which the second head selects the first ejection nozzles is higher in the second region than in regions other than the second region; The printing device according to claim 5 .

10. the sizes of the first region and the second region are set based on at least one of a speed of the relative movement, a resolution of the plurality of droplets, and a volume of the droplets; The printing device according to claim 5 .

11. A liquid ejection method for a liquid ejection head, comprising: a plurality of heads each having a plurality of nozzle rows each including a plurality of nozzles, each of which selectively ejects liquid droplets from the nozzles onto a medium; and a first head and a second head adjacent to each other are disposed at ends of the nozzle rows in a row direction with a nozzle overlap region, the method comprising: a control step of controlling the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, In the nozzle overlap region, the control step a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle row are ejected from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row are ejected only from the nozzles of the first head or only from the nozzles of the second head; a mask pattern for selecting ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets is changed in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row; Liquid dispensing method.

12. a computer that controls a liquid ejection head having a plurality of heads that have a plurality of nozzle rows arranged therein and that selectively eject liquid droplets from the nozzles onto a medium, and adjacent first and second heads that are installed at the ends of the nozzle rows in the row direction with a nozzle overlap region; The control means controls the ejection of droplets from the nozzles, In the nozzle overlap region, the control means a plurality of droplets that land in the direction of the nozzle row are ejected from the nozzles of the first head and the nozzles of the second head, and a plurality of droplets that land in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row are ejected only from the nozzles of the first head or only from the nozzles of the second head; a mask pattern for selecting ejection nozzles that eject droplets and non-ejection nozzles that do not eject droplets is changed in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row; program.

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