Head unit and liquid discharging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589538-B2
Application number	US-201815874425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2017
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A head unit includes heads arranged in a body. Each head includes a nozzle row arranged along a first direction. The heads are arranged along a second direction intersecting with the first direction. Two or more heads that include a nozzle row corresponding to a first color, are provided in each of a first region and a second region. A color corresponding to the nozzle row at an nth position from a first side is the same as a color corresponding to the nozzle row at an nth position from a second side, n being a positive integer, the first side being one side of the body in the second direction and the second side being another side of the body in the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head unit comprising:
heads each including a nozzle row including a plurality of nozzles that discharge liquid onto a medium and that are arranged along a first direction; and
a body in which the heads are arranged along a second direction that intersects with the first direction,
wherein each of a first color set of four or more of the heads includes a nozzle row corresponding to a first color, two or more of the heads of the first color set of heads being provided in a first region and two or more of the heads of the first color set of heads being provided in a second region, the first region being on one side of a center of the body in the second direction and the second region being on another side of the center of the body in the second direction,
wherein each of a second color set of four or more of the heads includes a nozzle row corresponding to a second color that is different than the first color, two or more of the heads of the second color set of heads being provided in the first region and two or more of the heads of the second color set of heads being provided in the second region,
wherein for each of the nozzle rows of at least the first color and the second color, a color corresponding to the nozzle row at an nth position from a first side of the body is the same as a color corresponding to the nozzle row at an nth position from a second side of the body, n being a positive integer, the first side being one side of the body in the second direction and the second side being a side of the body opposite from the first side in the second direction,
wherein the first color set of heads and the second color set of heads in the first region or the second region is arranged in reverse order, and
wherein for each of the nozzle rows of at least the first color and the second color,
the nozzle row at an nth position from the first side in the first region corresponds to the same color as the nozzle row at an nth position from the second side in the first region, n being a positive integer, and
the nozzle row at an nth position from the first side in the second region corresponds to the same color as the nozzle row at an nth position from the second side in the second region, n being a positive integer.

2. The head unit according to claim 1 , wherein the heads disposed in the first region and the heads disposed in the second region are shifted from each other in the first direction.

3. The head unit according to claim 2 , wherein:
the heads disposed in the first region include a first head and a second head, and
the first head and the second head are shifted from each other in the first direction.

4. The head unit according to claim 3 , wherein
the heads disposed in the second region include a third head and a fourth head, and
the third head and the fourth head are shifted from each other in the first direction.

5. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising the head unit of claim 4 .

6. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising the head unit of claim 2 .

7. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising the head unit of claim 3 .

8. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising the head unit of claim 1 .

9. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a controller that controls the head unit to print an image on a medium, wherein
the heads disposed in the first region and the heads disposed in the second region overlap with each other in an overlap region of the head unit as viewed from the second direction, and the heads disposed in the first region and the heads disposed in the second region do not overlap with each other in a non-overlap region of the head unit as viewed from the second direction, the controller being configured to:
prints an image on the medium using the heads in the overlap region when executing printing in a first printing mode, and
prints an image on the medium using the heads in the overlap region and in the non-overlap region when executing printing in a second printing mode.

10. The liquid discharging apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a transport section that transports the medium in the first direction, wherein
the head unit being configured to discharge liquid onto the medium while the head unit is moving along the second direction.

11. The liquid discharging apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a transport section that transports the medium in the second direction, wherein
the head unit being configured so as to discharge liquid onto the medium while the head unit is in a fixed state.

12. A head unit comprising:
a body having a first end and a second end at opposite ends of the body in a second direction that intersects a first direction;
heads arranged in the body along the second direction, each head including a nozzle row including nozzles that discharge liquid onto a medium, each nozzle row being arranged along the first direction, the heads including:
a first color set of at least four heads, each having a nozzle row corresponding to a first color, two or more of the first color set of heads provided to one side of a center of the body in the second direction, two or more heads of the first color set of provided to another side of the center of the body in the second direction,
a second color set of at least four heads, each having a nozzle row corresponding to a second color that is different than the first color, two or more of the second color set of heads provided to one side of the center of the body in the second direction, two or more heads of the second color set of provided to another side of the center of the body in the second direction,

wherein for each nozzle row corresponding to each of at least the first and second colors, the nozzle row at an nth position from the second end of the body corresponds to the same color as the nozzle row at an nth position from the first end of the body, wherein n is a positive integer,
wherein the first color set of heads and the second color set of heads in the first region or the second region is arranged in reverse order, and
wherein for each of the nozzle rows of at least the first color and the second color,
the nozzle row at an nth position from the one side in a first region corresponds to the same color as the nozzle row at an nth position from the other side in the first region, n being a positive integer, and
the nozzle row at an nth position from the one side in a second region corresponds to the same color as the nozzle row at an nth position from the second side in the second region, n being a positive integer.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kojima Kenji

Classifications

• B41J2/515

  line printer type · CPC title

• B41J2/04576

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• B41J2/04568

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• B41J2/0458

  controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles · CPC title

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title