Display Inkjet Nozzle Calibration for Precise Ink Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing inkjet printing technologies for display devices fail to accurately control ink discharge at the nozzle level, leading to imprecise pattern printing due to unaddressed errors in individual nozzles.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that includes a control unit to adjust ink discharge timing and position for each nozzle based on image information, calculating injection errors and adjusting nozzle operations to ensure precise ink placement on the substrate.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional inkjet printing is used without individual nozzle control, then the printing process is simple and fast, but the manufacturing precision of ink placement is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveink placement precisionVSAvoidnozzle control system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the inkjet nozzle system into individually controllable units, where each nozzle can be controlled separately based on its specific characteristics. This segmentation allows precise control of ink placement for each nozzle while maintaining overall system functionality, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adjusts printing parameters such as discharge timing and position for each individual nozzle based on measured injection errors. By changing these parameters dynamically for each nozzle, the system achieves high manufacturing precision without requiring complete system redesign, thus managing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If individual nozzle error correction is implemented, then the pattern printing accuracy is improved, but the measurement and control complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenozzle injection error detection accuracyVSAvoidnozzle-level measurement difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a test substrate to create test patterns that copy the nozzle injection characteristics. By measuring the actual ink placement on this test substrate, the system can detect injection errors for each nozzle without requiring complex direct measurement of the nozzles themselves, thus reducing measurement difficulty while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where measured injection errors from test patterns are used to adjust printing parameters for each nozzle. This feedback loop enables continuous improvement of measurement and control accuracy while managing the complexity through automated parameter adjustment based on measured data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4706972A1Apparatus and method for manufacturing display device
Publication Date: 2026.03.11 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD
  • EP4706972A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4706972A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4706972A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided are an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a display device. The apparatus (1) includes an ink discharging unit (15) configured to move in a first direction and including a head unit (151) including a plurality of nozzles spaced apart from each other and configured to discharge ink on a substrate (DS) and a film member (133), wherein the ink is discharged through at least one nozzle unit including a plurality of columns, an inspection unit (13) including a film member including a same material as the substrate, a camera unit (16) configured to obtain first image information about the ink discharged on the film member, and a moving unit (17) configured to move the ink discharging unit and the camera unit in the first direction, wherein at least two nozzles to discharge ink are selected from among the plurality of nozzles based on the first image information.