Zigzag Nozzle Array for Liquid Discharge Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet printers with overlapping head chips often experience positional shifts during droplet discharge, leading to white stripes or black stripes in printed images due to misalignment of nozzles, which affects printing quality.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge apparatus with two head chips aligned in a zigzag manner, where the controller adjusts the discharge rates of nozzles to minimize positional shifts by using different pitch alignments and switching between mask data sets to optimize droplet impact dispersion across the printing area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If two head chips are aligned in a front-rear direction (overlap section), then the liquid discharge apparatus can maintain continuous printing operation, but positional shifts occur during droplet discharge causing white stripes or black stripes in printed images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the nozzle array into multiple groups with different pitches. Specifically, it divides nozzles into first nozzles with a first pitch and second nozzles with a second pitch, where the pitches are different. This segmentation allows the system to switch between different pitch configurations to compensate for positional shifts that occur during continuous printing operation in the overlap section.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic switching between different pitch configurations based on the printing position. The controller switches between first and second pitch settings depending on whether the printing position is in the overlap section or not. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to positional shifts during continuous operation while maintaining printing quality.
2Device complexity
If nozzles are aligned with a single pitch, then the structure is simple, but positional shifts during discharge cause density unevenness and stripes in the printed image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the nozzle array into multiple groups with different pitches. Specifically, it divides nozzles into first nozzles with a first pitch and second nozzles with a second pitch, where the pitches are different. This segmentation allows the system to switch between different pitch configurations to compensate for positional shifts that occur during continuous printing operation in the overlap section.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different pitch characteristics to different regions of the nozzle array. The first nozzles have a first pitch optimized for certain printing positions, while the second nozzles have a second pitch optimized for other positions. This local differentiation allows each region to contribute to overall image quality without causing positional shift artifacts.
3Speed
If the liquid discharge apparatus operates in the overlap section with fixed nozzle alignment, then printing speed is maintained, but white stripes or black stripes occur due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic switching between different pitch configurations based on the printing position. The controller switches between first and second pitch settings depending on whether the printing position is in the overlap section or not. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to positional shifts during continuous operation while maintaining printing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a controller that monitors the printing position and automatically adjusts the pitch configuration accordingly. The controller switches between first and second pitch settings based on feedback about whether the current printing position is in the overlap section, thereby maintaining printing quality without sacrificing speed.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: first and second liquid discharge heads and a controller. The first liquid discharge head includes n of nozzles NA1-NAn and m of nozzles NB1-NBm. The second liquid discharge head includes m of nozzles NC1-NCm. The first and second liquid discharge heads include m of nozzle pairs (NB1, NC1)-(NBm, NCm) A difference of position between the nozzle NBj and the nozzle NCj in the first direction is smallest in the j-th nozzle pair (NBj, NCj), of them of nozzle pairs (NB1, NC1)-(NBm, NCm), and a difference between the use rate RBp of the nozzle NBp and the use rate RCp of the nozzle NCp is smallest in the p-th nozzle pair (NBp, NCp) different from the j-th nozzle pair (NBj, NCj), of the m of nozzle pairs (NB1, NC1)-(NBm, NCm).