Method for adjusting droplet dispensing device and multi-nozzle head

Abstract

To stably discharge droplets by using a replaceable multi-nozzle.SOLUTION: A droplet discharge device comprises: a replaceable multi-nozzle head 150 which has a plurality of droplet discharge nozzles 153 that discharges droplets in an electrostatic discharge system; an attachment part 140 which is attached with the multi-nozzle head; an inspection part 160 which inspects the multi-nozzle head attached to the attachment part; and an adjustment part 190 which adjusts an inclination of the multi-nozzle head on the basis of the inspection result of the multi-nozzle head. In the droplet discharge device, the inspection part inspects inclinations of tips of the plurality of droplet discharge nozzles in the multi-nozzle head, and the adjustment part may adjust the inclinations of the tips of the plurality of droplet discharge nozzles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to a droplet ejection device and a method for adjusting a multi-nozzle head. 【Background Art】 【0002】 In recent years, the application of inkjet printing technology to industrial processes has been carried out. For example, the manufacturing process of color filters for liquid crystal displays is an example. As inkjet printing technology, conventionally, so-called piezo heads that eject droplets by mechanical pressure or vibration have been widely used, but electrostatic ejection type inkjet heads that can eject finer droplets have attracted attention. Patent Document 1 discloses an electrostatic ejection type inkjet recording device. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0003】 【Patent Document 1】 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-34967 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0004】 In recent years, from the viewpoint of improving productivity, the development of a multi-nozzle head having a plurality of nozzles has been promoted for an electrostatic ejection type inkjet head. When ejecting droplets from multiple nozzles, by changing the arrangement of the nozzles, droplets can be ejected to have various patterns. 【0005】 On the other hand, depending on the pattern to be formed, the user needs to replace the multi-nozzle head. The angle formed by the nozzle arrangement direction of the head and the moving direction of the stage needs to be adjusted so as to be always constant even when different heads of the same specification are attached. If the multi-nozzle head is not installed at the optimal position, a pattern with the desired accuracy cannot be formed. 【0006】 Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to stably discharge droplets using a replaceable multi-nozzle head. [Means for solving the problem] 【0007】 According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection device is provided, which includes an ink supply unit for supplying ink, a replaceable multi-nozzle head provided separately from the ink supply unit and having a plurality of droplet ejection nozzles for ejecting droplets containing the ink in an electrostatic ejection manner, a mounting unit for mounting the multi-nozzle head, an inspection unit for inspecting the inclination of the multi-nozzle head mounted on the mounting unit, and an adjustment unit for adjusting the inclination of the multi-nozzle head based on the inspection result of the multi-nozzle head. 【0008】 In the droplet dispensing device described above, the inspection unit may inspect the inclination of the tips of adjacent droplet dispensing nozzles in the multi-nozzle head, and the adjustment unit may adjust the inclination of the tips of the multiple droplet dispensing nozzles. 【0009】 In the droplet dispensing device described above, the adjustment unit may include a first adjustment unit that rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to a first pivot axis corresponding to a first direction parallel to the object, a second adjustment unit that rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to a second pivot axis that is parallel to the object and corresponds to a second direction intersecting the first direction, and a third adjustment unit that rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to a third pivot axis that is perpendicular to the object and corresponds to a third direction intersecting the first and second directions. 【0010】 In the droplet dispensing device described above, the adjustment unit may rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to the third pivot axis so that the line width of the pattern formed when droplets are dispensed in the direction in which the multiple droplet dispensing nozzles are arranged satisfies predetermined conditions. 【0011】 The droplet dispensing device described above includes an operating unit that can be operated by a user, and the adjustment unit may rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to at least one of the first pivot axis, the second pivot axis, and the third pivot axis based on information input from the operating unit. 【0012】 The above-described droplet dispensing device includes a display unit that displays information about the inspected multi-nozzle head, and when the first information of the inspected multi-nozzle head satisfies predetermined conditions with a second piece of pre-registered information, the display unit may display information indicating that the adjustment of the tilt of the multi-nozzle head has been completed. 【0013】 In the droplet dispensing device described above, when the droplet dispensing nozzle of the multi-nozzle head meets predetermined replacement conditions, replacement request information requesting the replacement of the multi-nozzle head may be displayed on the display unit. 【0014】 According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection device is provided, which includes an ink supply unit for supplying ink, a mounting unit for mounting a replaceable multi-nozzle head having a plurality of droplet ejection nozzles for ejecting droplets containing ink in an electrostatic ejection manner, a mounting unit for inspecting the inclination of the multi-nozzle head mounted on the mounting unit, and an adjustment unit for adjusting the inclination of the multi-nozzle head based on the inspection result of the multi-nozzle head. 【0015】 According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection device is provided which is provided apart from an ink supply unit that supplies ink, and has a plurality of droplet ejection nozzles that eject droplets of ink in an electrostatic ejection manner, and uses a replaceable multi-nozzle head, and a method for adjusting a multi-nozzle head is provided which includes checking the inclination of the multi-nozzle head when the multi-nozzle head is mounted on a mounting unit, and adjusting the inclination of the multi-nozzle head based on the inspection result of the multi-nozzle head. 【0016】 In the above method for adjusting the multi-nozzle head, the droplet dispensing device may also include inspecting the inclination of the tips of adjacent droplet dispensing nozzles and adjusting the inclination of the tips of the multiple droplet dispensing nozzles. 【0017】 In the above method for adjusting the multi-nozzle head, the droplet dispensing device may rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to a first pivot axis corresponding to a first direction parallel to the object, rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to a second pivot axis corresponding to a second direction parallel to the object and intersecting the first direction, and rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to a third pivot axis corresponding to a third direction perpendicular to the object and intersecting the first and second directions. 【0018】 In the above method for adjusting the multi-nozzle head, the droplet dispensing device may rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to a first pivot axis corresponding to a first direction parallel to the object, rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to a second pivot axis corresponding to a second direction parallel to the object and intersecting the first direction, and rotate the multi-nozzle head with respect to a third pivot axis corresponding to a third direction perpendicular to the object and intersecting the first and second directions. 【0019】 In the above method for adjusting the multi-nozzle head, the multi-nozzle head may be rotated with respect to the third pivot axis so that the line width of the pattern formed when droplets are discharged in the direction in which the multiple droplet discharge nozzles are arranged satisfies a predetermined condition. 【0020】 In the above method for adjusting the multi-nozzle head, the droplet dispensing device may display first information of the inspected multi-nozzle head on the display unit, and when the first information of the inspected multi-nozzle head satisfies predetermined conditions with pre-registered second information, it may display information on the display unit indicating that the adjustment of the tilt of the multi-nozzle head is complete. 【0021】 In the method for adjusting the multi-nozzle head, when the droplet discharge nozzles of the multi-nozzle head satisfy a predetermined replacement condition, replacement request information requesting replacement of the multi-nozzle head may be displayed on the display unit. 【Advantages of the Invention】 【0022】 By using one embodiment of the present invention, droplets can be stably discharged using the multi-nozzle head to be replaced. 【Brief Description of the Drawings】 【0023】 [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram of a droplet discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] It is a plan view of the multi-nozzle head. [Figure 2B] It is a top view of the enlarged droplet discharge nozzle. [Figure 2C] It is a cross-sectional view of the enlarged droplet discharge nozzle. [Figure 3] It is a functional block diagram of the control unit of the droplet discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart for adjusting the multi-nozzle head of the droplet discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] It is a schematic diagram of the multi-nozzle head before adjustment. [Figure 5B] It is a schematic diagram of the multi-nozzle head after adjustment. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram of a droplet discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] It is a diagram for explaining the direction in which droplets are discharged. [Figure 7B] It is a diagram for explaining the direction in which droplets are discharged. [Figure 8] It is a schematic diagram of a droplet discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the inspection unit and the multi-nozzle. [Figure 10] It is a photograph of the multi-nozzle head used in this example. [Figure 11A] This is an image of the droplet discharge nozzle before adjustment in a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11B] This is an image of the adjusted droplet discharge nozzle in a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12A] This is an image of the droplet discharge nozzle before adjustment in a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12B] This is an image of the adjusted droplet discharge nozzle in a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13A] This is an image of the droplet discharge nozzle before adjustment in a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13B] This is an image of the adjusted droplet discharge nozzle in a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14A] This is an image of the pattern formed by the multi-nozzle head 150 before adjustment. [Figure 14B] This is an image of the pattern formed by the multi-nozzle head 150 after adjusting the tilt of the multi-nozzle head using the adjustment unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0024】 The embodiments of the invention disclosed in this application will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence, and is not to be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below. 【0025】 In the drawings referenced in this embodiment, identical or similar reference numerals (simply numbers followed by letters such as A, B, etc.) are used to indicate the same part or a part with a similar function, and repeated explanations may be omitted. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings may differ from the actual ratios for illustrative purposes, and some components may be omitted from the drawings. 【0026】 Furthermore, in the detailed description of the present invention, when defining the inclination relationship between one component and another component, "upwards" and "downwards" include not only cases where the component is inclined directly above or directly below another component, but also cases where another component is interposed between them, unless otherwise specified. 【0027】 <First Embodiment> (1-1. Configuration of the droplet dispensing device 100) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a droplet dispensing device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. 【0028】 The droplet ejection device 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a power supply unit 125, a drive unit 130, a mounting unit 140, a multi-nozzle head 150, an inspection unit 160, a display unit 170, an operation unit 180, an adjustment unit 190, an object holding unit 200, and a housing 210. The control unit 110, storage unit 120, power supply unit 125, drive unit 130, mounting unit 140, ink supply unit 145, multi-nozzle head 150, inspection unit 160, display unit 170, operation unit 180, adjustment unit 190, and object holding unit 200 are electrically connected by a wiring bus and are located inside the housing 210. 【0029】 The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other arithmetic processing circuit. The control unit 110 controls the droplet ejection process by the multi-nozzle head 150 using a pre-set droplet ejection program. The control unit 110 also controls the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0030】 The storage unit 120 functions as a database for storing the droplet ejection program and various information used in the droplet ejection program. The storage unit 120 can use memory, an SSD, or a storage-capable element. The storage unit 120 also stores the tilt information (also called parallelism) of the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0031】 The power supply unit 125 applies a voltage to the multi-nozzle head 150 based on the signal input from the control unit 110. In this example, the power supply unit 125 applies a pulsed voltage (1000V in this example) to the multi-nozzle head 150. However, it is not limited to a pulsed voltage; a constant voltage may be applied continuously. 【0032】 The drive unit 130 is composed of drive components such as a motor, belt, and gears. Based on instructions from the control unit 110, the drive unit 130 moves the multi-nozzle head 150 relative to the object 220 in one direction (in this example, the second direction D2). 【0033】 The mounting section 140 is used to mount the multi-nozzle head 150. In this example, the mounting section 140 mounts the nozzle head by bonding it to the plate portion of the nozzle head. Alternatively, the mounting section 140 may use a jig and adhesive to mount the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0034】 The ink supply unit 145 (also called an ink tank or ink cartridge) is located away from the mounting unit 140. The ink supply unit 145 stores ink. The ink supply unit 145 supplies the stored ink to the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0035】 The multi-nozzle head 150 is provided away from the ink supply unit 145 and the mounting unit 140. Figure 2A is a plan view of the multi-nozzle head 150. Figure 2B is an enlarged top view of the droplet ejection nozzle 153. Figure 2C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the droplet ejection nozzle 153. As shown in Figure 2A, the multi-nozzle head 150 includes a plate portion 151 and a plurality of droplet ejection nozzles 153. The plate portion 151 is provided in a flat shape. The droplet ejection nozzles 153 are provided on the plate portion 151. Electrostatic ejection type inkjet nozzles are used for the droplet ejection nozzles 153. As shown in Figures 2B and 2C, the droplet ejection nozzles 153 are formed with a shape that tapers towards the tip portion 153a. The multi-nozzle head 150 is also called a multi-nozzle plate. In this embodiment, the liquid held in the ink supply unit 145 is ejected as droplets from the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 of the multi-nozzle head 150 in the direction of the target object 220 (third direction D3) by the voltage applied to the multi-nozzle head 150 from the power supply unit 125. 【0036】 As shown in Figure 2A, in the multi-nozzle head 150, the multiple droplet ejection nozzles 153 are arranged in a line (specifically in the first direction D1). However, the multiple droplet ejection nozzles 153 are not limited to being arranged in a line, but may also be arranged in two dimensions (specifically in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersecting the first direction D1), or they may be scattered. 【0037】 Furthermore, the multi-nozzle head 150 is provided in a replaceable manner from the mounting section 140. This allows the use of a multi-nozzle head 150 with an appropriate nozzle arrangement depending on the pattern to be formed. 【0038】 The inspection unit 160 inspects the inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150 mounted on the mounting unit 140. In this example, the inspection unit 160 inspects the inclination of the tip portions 153a of adjacent droplet ejection nozzles 153 on the multi-nozzle head 150. At this time, the inspection unit 160 inspects the inclination of the tip portions 153a of droplet ejection nozzles 153 arranged in a line with respect to a reference plane. The reference plane may be the object 220 or a pre-set plane. The inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150 may be defined as parallelism. In this example, an imaging device is used in the inspection unit 160. Specifically, the inspection unit 160 uses a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera. The information acquired by the inspection unit 160 is sent to the control unit 110 and the storage unit 120. 【0039】 The display unit 170 displays control information (text information or image information) based on the control of the control unit 110. In this case, the display unit 170 may display the control information via a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The display unit 170 also displays the tilt information of the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0040】 The operation unit 180 includes operable components. For example, buttons, levers, and numeric keypads may be used in the operation unit 180. When actions such as movement up, down, left, or right, pressing, or rotation, or numerical input are performed using the operation unit 180, information based on those actions is acquired by the control unit 110. If the display unit 170 has the functions of the operation unit 180, the display unit 170 may be used as a touch panel. 【0041】 The adjustment unit 190 adjusts the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150. Specifically, the adjustment unit 190 adjusts the tilt of the tip portion 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153 of the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0042】 The adjustment unit 190 includes a first adjustment unit 191, a second adjustment unit 193, and a third adjustment unit 195. The first adjustment unit 191 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the first rotation axis Ax1. The second adjustment unit 193 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the second rotation axis Ax2. The third adjustment unit 195 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the third rotation axis Ax3. The first rotation axis Ax1, the second rotation axis Ax2, and the third rotation axis Ax3 intersect. The first rotation axis Ax1 corresponds to the first direction D1 (the depth direction of the droplet ejection device 100). The second rotation axis Ax2 corresponds to the second direction D2 (the lateral direction of the droplet ejection device 100). The third rotation axis Ax3 corresponds to the third direction D3 (the direction perpendicular to the ground). A goniometer stage is used in the first adjustment section 191 and the second adjustment section 193. A theta stage is used in the third adjustment section 195. 【0043】 The object holding unit 200 has the function of holding the object 220. In this example, a stage is used for the object holding unit 200. The mechanism by which the object holding unit 200 holds the object 220 is not particularly limited, and a general holding mechanism can be used. In this example, the object 220 is held to the object holding unit 200 by vacuum suction. However, it is not limited to this, and the object holding unit 200 may also hold the object 220 using a fixing device. 【0044】 Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 110. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 110 includes an acquisition unit 111, an inspection processing control unit 113, an adjustment processing control unit 115, a determination unit 117, and a transmission unit 119 as functional units. 【0045】 The acquisition unit 111 has the function of acquiring information transmitted from each device. 【0046】 The inspection processing control unit 113 has the function of controlling the inspection processing performed by the inspection unit 160. 【0047】 The adjustment processing control unit 115 has the function of controlling the adjustment processing performed by the adjustment unit 190. 【0048】 The determination unit 117 determines whether the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150 adjusted by the adjustment unit 190 is the correct tilt. Specifically, the inspection unit 160 images the tip 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153 of the adjusted multi-nozzle head 150. The determination unit 117 determines whether the image of the tip 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153 that was captured is identical to the registered image of the tip 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153. 【0049】 The transmitting unit 119 transmits various control information (instruction information) to each device. 【0050】 (1-2. How to adjust the multi-nozzle head) The adjustment method for the multi-nozzle head 150 in the droplet dispensing device will be explained below using drawings. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the adjustment method for the multi-nozzle head 150 in the droplet dispensing device. 【0051】 First, the user attaches the multi-nozzle head 150 to the mounting unit 140. At this time, the user may also input that the multi-nozzle head has been attached to the mounting unit 140 via the operation unit 180 (for example, by pressing the attachment complete button). The information that the multi-nozzle head 150 has been attached to the mounting unit 140 is transmitted to the acquisition unit 111 of the control unit 110, and the acquisition unit acquires the attachment information of the multi-nozzle head (S110). 【0052】 Next, the inspection processing control unit 113 of the control unit 110 performs inspection processing based on the information that the multi-nozzle head 150 has been mounted on the mounting unit 140 (S120). In this case, the inspection processing control unit 113 transmits instruction information to the inspection unit 160 to inspect the multi-nozzle head 150. The inspection unit 160 inspects the multi-nozzle head based on the received instruction information. Specifically, the inspection unit 160 inspects the positional relationship between the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 of the multi-nozzle head 150 and the tip 153a of the adjacent droplet ejection nozzle 153 by imaging the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153. The image of the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 that has been imaged is transmitted to the control unit 110. The transmission unit 119 of the control unit 110 transmits the image of the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 to the display unit 170. The display unit 170 displays the image of the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 that has been imaged. In this case, the inclination of the adjacent droplet dispensing nozzle 153 with respect to the reference direction (first direction D1, second direction D3, or third direction D3) may be displayed numerically. 【0053】 Based on the image of the tip 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153 of the multi-nozzle head 150 displayed on the display unit 170, the user may input information to move the multi-nozzle head 150 via the operation unit 180. The input information is acquired by the acquisition unit 111 of the control unit 110 (S130). 【0054】 Next, the adjustment processing control unit 115 of the control unit 110 performs adjustment processing of the multi-nozzle head 150 based on the input information (S140). In this case, the adjustment processing control unit 115 transmits instruction information to the adjustment unit 190 to adjust the multi-nozzle head 150 (the tip portion 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153). The adjustment unit 190 adjusts the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150 based on the received instruction information. In this case, the tilt includes the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the first direction D1, the second direction D2, and the third direction D3. 【0055】 The inspection processing control unit 113 may also transmit inspection instruction information for the multi-nozzle head 150 to the inspection unit 160 in conjunction with the adjustment process. In this example, the inspection unit 160 images the tip portion 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 of the multi-nozzle head 150. The image of the tip portion 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 that has been captured is transmitted to the control unit 110. At this time, the acquisition unit 111 of the control unit 110 acquires the tilt information of the multi-nozzle head 150 after adjustment. The transmission unit 119 of the control unit 110 transmits the tilt information of the multi-nozzle head 150 (image of the tip portion 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153) to the display unit 170. The display unit 170 displays the tilt information of the multi-nozzle head 150 (image of the tip portion 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 that has been captured). 【0056】 Next, the determination unit 117 of the control unit 110 performs a determination process (S150). Specifically, the determination unit 117 compares the acquired tilt information of the adjusted multi-nozzle head 150 (image of the tip 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153, also called the first information) with the pre-registered tilt information of the multi-nozzle head (image of the tip 153a of the droplet discharge nozzle 153, also called the second information). If the tilt of the adjusted multi-nozzle head 150 does not conform to the set tilt (S160; No), the process may be looped back to S140. On the other hand, if the tilt of the adjusted multi-nozzle head 150 conforms to the set tilt (S160; Yes), the adjustment process is completed. At this time, the control unit 110 transmits instruction information to the display unit 170 to indicate that the tilt adjustment of the multi-nozzle head 150 has been completed. At this time, the display unit 170 displays information indicating that the tilt adjustment of the multi-nozzle head 150 has been completed, based on the received information. 【0057】 Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the multi-nozzle head before adjustment. Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the multi-nozzle head after adjustment. As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, even if the inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150 deviates from a predetermined inclination when the multi-nozzle head 150 is mounted on the mounting part 140, the inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150 can be adjusted to the appropriate inclination. 【0058】 By using this embodiment, even when replacing the multi-nozzle head, which was not performed in conventional electrostatic droplet dispensing devices, stable droplet dispensing is possible. 【0059】 Furthermore, by using this embodiment, even if there are shape defects in the mounting portion 140, the impact can be mitigated. As a result, droplets can be discharged stably. 【0060】 <Second Embodiment> This embodiment describes a droplet dispensing device different from the first embodiment. Specifically, an example in which multiple inspection units are provided will be described. For the sake of explanation, some components will be omitted as appropriate. 【0061】 Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the droplet ejection device 100A. As shown in Figure 6, the droplet ejection device 100A includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a power supply unit 125, a drive unit 130, a mounting unit 140, an ink supply unit 145, a multi-nozzle head 150, an inspection unit 160A, a display unit 170, an operation unit 180, an adjustment unit 190, an object holding unit 200, and a housing 210. 【0062】 As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, the inspection unit 160A includes multiple inspection units. Specifically, inspection unit 160A-1 is provided corresponding to the first direction D1 of the multi-nozzle head 150. Inspection unit 160A-2 is provided corresponding to the second direction D2 of the multi-nozzle head 150. Inspection unit 160A-3 is provided corresponding to the third direction D3 of the multi-nozzle head 150. 【0063】 In this embodiment, the pattern formed by discharging droplets in the direction in which the droplet discharging nozzle 153 is positioned may also be used for evaluation. Figures 7A and 7B illustrate the direction in which droplets are discharged. When the droplet discharging nozzle 153 is tilted, the line width of the formed pattern increases, as shown in Figure 7B. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7A, it is desirable to adjust the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the third direction D3 so that the line width of the pattern formed by the discharged droplets is minimized. The line width of the pattern is evaluated by the inspection unit 160A-3. The inspection unit 160A-3 may be an optical microscope or an electron microscope, etc. Furthermore, the line width of the pattern may be evaluated using an inspection unit located elsewhere, not limited to the inspection unit 160A-3. 【0064】 Therefore, by using this embodiment, the tilt (position) of the multi-nozzle head 150 can be adjusted with greater precision. 【0065】 <Third Embodiment> This embodiment describes a droplet dispensing device different from that of the second embodiment. Specifically, it describes an example in which not only an imaging device but also a laser sensor is provided as an inspection unit. For the sake of explanation, some components will be omitted as appropriate. 【0066】 Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the droplet ejection device 100B. As shown in Figure 8, the droplet ejection device 100B includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a power supply unit 125, a drive unit 130, a mounting unit 140, an ink supply unit 145, a multi-nozzle head 150, an inspection unit 160A, a display unit 170, an operation unit 180, an adjustment unit 190, an object holding unit 200, and a housing 210, in addition to an inspection unit 161. A laser sensor is used in the inspection unit 161. 【0067】 Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the inspection unit 161 and the multi-nozzle head 150. The laser irradiation unit of the inspection unit 161 is positioned upward so as to face the multi-nozzle head 150. The inspection unit 161 may measure the distance D between the four corners (plate portion 151) of the multi-nozzle head 150 and the inspection unit 161. The measured value is fed back to the control unit 110. The adjustment processing control unit 115 adjusts the inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150 so that the distance D at the four corners is the same. By using this embodiment, the inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 can be adjusted with higher precision. [Examples] 【0068】 The following describes an example of a method for adjusting the tilt of a multi-nozzle head. 【0069】 Figure 10 is a photograph of the multi-nozzle head used in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the multi-nozzle head is equipped with 100 droplets x 4 rows = 400 droplet dispensing nozzles. 【0070】 Figure 11A is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 before adjustment, captured by the inspection unit 160. Figure 11B is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 after adjustment using the first adjustment unit 191. In this example, the real image of the droplet discharge nozzle is visible on the upper side of the screen, and the virtual image of the droplet discharge nozzle is visible on the lower side of the screen. The first adjustment unit 191 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the first rotation axis Ax1. As a result, while the right-side droplet discharge nozzle was not visible in Figure 11A, both the left and right droplet discharge nozzles can be seen, as shown in Figure 11B. 【0071】 Figure 12A is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 before adjustment, captured by the inspection unit 160. In Figure 12A, the virtual image can be seen all the way to the base, while only the tip of the real image is visible. Figure 12B is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 after its tilt has been adjusted using the second adjustment unit 193. The second adjustment unit 193 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the second rotation axis Ax2. By adjusting the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150 with the second adjustment unit 193, the real image and virtual image can be seen almost identically, as shown in Figure 12B. 【0072】 Figure 13A is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 before adjustment, captured by the inspection unit 160. Figure 13B is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 after its tilt has been adjusted using the third adjustment unit 195. The third adjustment unit 195 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 relative to the third rotation axis Ax3. As a result, the image of the droplet discharge nozzle, which is out of focus in Figure 13A, can be brought into focus, as shown in Figure 13B. 【0073】 Figure 14A is an image of the pattern formed by the multi-nozzle head 150 before adjustment. Figure 14B is an image of the multi-nozzle head 150 after its tilt was adjusted using the third adjustment unit 195. The third adjustment unit 195 rotates the multi-nozzle head 150 with respect to the third pivot axis Ax3. As a result, it was confirmed that the pattern line width formed after adjustment (67.8 μm) becomes narrower than the pattern line width formed before adjustment (81.9 μm) shown in Figure 14A, as shown in Figure 14B. 【0074】 As described above, by using one embodiment of the present invention, when a replaceable multi-nozzle head is attached, the multi-nozzle head (droplet discharge nozzle) can be adjusted to the appropriate position and orientation. This makes it possible to stably discharge droplets using the replaceable multi-nozzle head. 【0075】 (modified version) Within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, any addition or deletion of components, combination or design changes of the embodiments, or addition, omission or modification of processes, as performed by a person skilled in the art to the above-described embodiments, are also included within the scope of the present invention, as long as they retain the gist of the present invention. 【0076】 In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which the inspection process and the adjustment process are performed at different times, but the invention is not limited thereto. The inspection process and the adjustment process may be performed simultaneously. Furthermore, the inspection process and the determination process may also be performed simultaneously. 【0077】 In the first embodiment of the present invention, an imaging device was shown as the inspection unit 160, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The inspection unit 160 may be a displacement sensor, a tilt sensor, or any device capable of inspecting tilt information, such as an angle sensor, may be used as appropriate. Lasers may be used for each sensor. 【0078】 In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which the tilt of the multi-nozzle head 150 mounted on the mounting part 140 is adjusted, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the multi-nozzle head 150 is in use and the droplet discharge nozzle of the multi-nozzle head satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit 110 may transmit replacement request information to the display unit 170 requesting the replacement of the multi-nozzle head. The predetermined condition at this time may be that the droplet discharge nozzle is blocked, or it may be the result of imaging the discharge pattern. This makes it possible to detect the state of the multi-nozzle head and prevent droplet discharge failure. 【0079】 In the first embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 117 is shown as determining whether the image of the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 that has been captured is identical to the registered image of the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the tilt information of the tip 153a of the droplet ejection nozzle 153 may be quantified. This allows for more accurate adjustment of the tilt of the multi-nozzle. 【0080】 In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example was shown in which the adjustment unit 190 adjusts the multi-nozzle head 150 when a user operates the operation unit 180, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 110 may send instruction information to the adjustment unit 190 so that the multi-nozzle head 150 is positioned at a set inclination according to the inspection result. This makes it possible to automatically adjust the inclination of the multi-nozzle head 150. [Explanation of symbols] 【0081】 100... Droplet ejection device, 110... Control unit, 111... Acquisition unit, 113... Inspection processing control unit, 115... Adjustment processing control unit, 117... Judgment unit, 119... Transmission unit, 120... Memory unit, 125... Power supply unit, 130... Drive unit, 140... Mounting unit, 145... Ink supply unit, 150... Multi-nozzle head, 15 1...Plate section, 153...Droplet dispensing nozzle, 153a...Tip section, 160...Inspection section, 161...Inspection section, 170...Display section, 180...Operation section, 190...Adjustment section, 191...First adjustment section, 193...Second adjustment section, 195...Third adjustment section, 200...Object holding section, 210...Housing, 220...Object

Claims

[Claim 1] The ink supply unit that supplies ink, A replaceable multi-nozzle head is provided, located away from the ink supply unit, and having multiple droplet ejection nozzles that eject droplets containing the ink using an electrostatic ejection method. The mounting section for attaching the multi-nozzle head, An inspection unit for inspecting the tilt of the multi-nozzle head attached to the mounting part, Includes an adjustment unit that adjusts the tilt of the multi-nozzle head based on the inspection result of the tilt of the multi-nozzle head, The plurality of droplet discharge nozzles are provided protruding from the plate portion of the multi-nozzle head, The inspection unit is configured to inspect the inclination of the multi-nozzle head with respect to a reference plane based on the positional relationship between the tip of one droplet dispensing nozzle and the tip of a droplet dispensing nozzle adjacent to that one droplet dispensing nozzle. The adjustment unit is configured to automatically adjust the inclination of the multi-nozzle head based on the inspection result of the inclination of the multi-nozzle head, so that the line width of the pattern formed by the ejected droplets satisfies predetermined conditions. Droplet ejection device. [Claim 2] The adjustment unit includes a first adjustment unit that rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to a first pivot axis corresponding to a first direction parallel to the object, a second adjustment unit that rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to a second pivot axis that is parallel to the object and corresponds to a second direction intersecting the first direction, and a third adjustment unit that rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to a third pivot axis that is perpendicular to the object and corresponds to a third direction intersecting the first and second directions. The droplet dispensing device according to claim 1. [Claim 3] The adjustment unit rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to the third pivot axis so that the line width of the pattern formed when droplets are discharged in the direction in which the plurality of droplet discharge nozzles are arranged satisfies a predetermined condition. The droplet dispensing device according to claim 2. [Claim 4] The device includes an operating unit that can be operated by a user, and the adjustment unit rotates the multi-nozzle head with respect to at least one of the first pivot axis, the second pivot axis, and the third pivot axis based on information input from the operating unit. The droplet dispensing device according to claim 2 or 3. [Claim 5] Includes a display unit that displays information about the inspected multi-nozzle head, When the first information of the inspected multi-nozzle head satisfies predetermined conditions with the second information that has been registered in advance, information indicating that the tilt adjustment of the multi-nozzle head has been completed is displayed on the display unit. The droplet dispensing device according to claim 2 or 3. [Claim 6] When the droplet discharge nozzle of the multi-nozzle head meets predetermined replacement conditions, replacement request information requesting the replacement of the multi-nozzle head is displayed on the display unit. The droplet dispensing device according to claim 5. [Claim 7] The droplet dispensing device, It is located away from the ink supply unit that supplies the ink, and has multiple droplet ejection nozzles that eject the ink droplets using an electrostatic ejection method, and uses a replaceable multi-nozzle head. When the multi-nozzle head is attached to the mounting section, the tilt of the multi-nozzle head is inspected. This includes adjusting the tilt of the multi-nozzle head based on the inspection results of the tilt of the multi-nozzle head, The plurality of droplet discharge nozzles are provided protruding from the plate portion of the multi-nozzle head, The inclination of the multi-nozzle head with respect to a reference plane is inspected based on the positional relationship between the tip of one droplet dispensing nozzle and the tip of a droplet dispensing nozzle adjacent to the said droplet dispensing nozzle. Based on the inspection results of the tilt of the multi-nozzle head, the tilt of the multi-nozzle head is automatically adjusted so that the line width of the pattern formed by the ejected droplets satisfies predetermined conditions. How to adjust the multi-nozzle head. [Claim 8] The aforementioned droplet dispensing device, The multi-nozzle head is rotated around a first pivot axis corresponding to a first direction parallel to the object, the multi-nozzle head is rotated around a second pivot axis corresponding to a second direction parallel to the object and intersecting the first direction, and the multi-nozzle head is rotated around a third pivot axis corresponding to a third direction perpendicular to the object and intersecting the first and second directions. A method for adjusting a multi-nozzle head according to claim 7. [Claim 9] The multi-nozzle head is rotated with respect to the third pivot axis such that the line width of the pattern formed when droplets are discharged in the direction in which the plurality of droplet discharge nozzles are arranged satisfies a predetermined condition. A method for adjusting a multi-nozzle head according to claim 8. [Claim 10] The aforementioned droplet dispensing device, The first information of the inspected multi-nozzle head is displayed on the display unit. When the first information of the inspected multi-nozzle head satisfies predetermined conditions with the second information that has been registered in advance, information indicating that the tilt adjustment of the multi-nozzle head has been completed is displayed on the display unit. A method for adjusting a multi-nozzle head according to claim 8 or 9. [Claim 11] When the droplet discharge nozzle of the multi-nozzle head meets predetermined replacement conditions, replacement request information requesting the replacement of the multi-nozzle head is displayed on the display unit. A method for adjusting a multi-nozzle head according to claim 10.

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