Rotated Liquid Discharge Head Control for Uniform Nozzle Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge apparatuses face challenges in applying liquid with high density due to uneven nozzle intervals caused by the inclination between nozzle directions during head rotation, leading to inconsistent application.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge apparatus with a head, mover, and rotator, controlled by processing circuitry, that corrects uneven nozzle intervals by rotating the head and adjusting relative movements to align nozzle rows, ensuring uniform application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the head is rotated to apply liquid to an object, then the liquid can be applied to different areas of the object, but uneven nozzle intervals are caused due to inclination between the first direction and third direction
Solution Approach 1:
The processing circuitry calculates correction amounts before the head moves, based on the rotation angle and nozzle arrangement. This preliminary calculation allows the system to pre-determine the necessary movement corrections to compensate for the inclination-induced nozzle interval unevenness, ensuring uniform liquid application across different areas of the object.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the movement parameters (movement amount in the first direction) based on the rotation angle. By adjusting the movement amount according to the calculated correction amount, the system compensates for the inclination effect and maintains uniform nozzle intervals even when the head is rotated to apply liquid to different areas.
2Productivity
If nozzles are arranged in multiple rows to increase liquid discharge capacity, then high-density liquid application is achieved, but nozzle interval unevenness occurs when the head is rotated
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzles are divided into multiple rows (first nozzle row, second nozzle row, etc.) arranged in the third direction. This segmentation allows the head to cover a wider area and discharge more liquid simultaneously. The processing circuitry separately calculates correction amounts for each nozzle based on its position and the rotation angle, ensuring that even with multiple rows, the nozzle intervals remain uniform after rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing circuitry uses the rotation angle as feedback to calculate the appropriate movement amount for each nozzle. By continuously monitoring the rotation angle and adjusting the movement amount accordingly, the system maintains consistent nozzle intervals despite the head being rotated, thereby preserving both high liquid discharge capacity and precision.
3Area of stationary object
If the head is moved in both first and second directions, then coverage area is increased, but coordination complexity increases to maintain nozzle interval uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The processing circuitry calculates the correction amount for the first direction movement before the head moves, based on the rotation angle and nozzle arrangement. This preliminary calculation simplifies the coordination complexity by providing clear guidance on how much to adjust the first direction movement, while the second direction movement follows the standard scan pattern.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge apparatus to discharge liquid to apply the liquid to an object includes a head, a mover, a rotator, and processing circuitry. The head has a nozzle surface in which a plurality of nozzle rows each including a plurality of nozzles to discharge the liquid are arranged. The mover relatively moves the head and the object in each of a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other along the nozzle surface. The rotator rotates the head along the nozzle surface. The processing circuitry controls the relative movement to correct unevenness of a nozzle interval between the plurality of nozzles along the second direction caused by an inclination between the first direction and a third direction when the head is rotated. The third direction is a direction in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged in each of the plurality of nozzle rows.