Nozzle ejection amount correcting method, functional liquid ejecting method, and organic EL device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9365032-B2
Application number	US-201314097630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A nozzle ejection amount correcting method includes: a first signal correction for performing first signal correction by calculating correction amounts of the plurality of driving signals from a difference C between a predetermined amount B in a case of ejecting liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions in the main scanning performed a plurality of times and the predetermined amount A that is set in advance; a second signal correction for performing second signal correction by calculating correction amounts of the plurality of driving signals before the correction corresponding to the main scanning in the later stage from a difference E between a predetermined amount D in a case of ejecting the liquid droplets to the ejecting regions and the predetermined amount A by using the plurality of driving signals, by which the first signal correction is performed, in the main scanning in the former stage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nozzle ejection amount correcting method in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged to face a target of ejection where ejecting regions are formed, one of a plurality of driving signals is supplied to actuators of selected nozzles among the plurality of nozzles while main scanning is performed a plurality of times for relatively moving the plurality of nozzles and the target of ejection, and ejection amounts of liquid droplets are corrected for the plurality of nozzles, the method comprising:
performing first signal correction by calculating first correction amounts of the plurality of driving signals and adjusting the plurality of driving signals based on the first corrections amounts,
the first correction amounts being based on a difference C between an amount B and a predetermined amount A,
the predetermined amount A being a total amount of functional liquid set in advance to be ejected onto each of the ejecting regions, and
the amount B being a total amount of functional liquid that is ejected as the liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to each of the ejecting regions by using the plurality of driving signals before the first signal correction when the main scanning is performed a plurality of times;
performing second signal correction by calculating second correction amounts of the plurality of driving signals and adjusting the plurality of driving signals based on the second correction amounts,
the second correction amounts being based on a difference E between an amount D and the predetermined amount A,
the amount D being a total amount of functional liquid that is ejected as the liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to each of the ejecting regions when the main scanning is performed a plurality of times, by using the plurality of driving signals on which the first signal correction has been preformed in a main scanning at one time of the main scanning performed a plurality of times, and by using the plurality of driving signals before correction in the main scanning performed a plurality of times other than the main scanning at the one time of the plurality of times; and
performing the second signal correction by using the plurality of driving signals on which the first signal correction has been performed in the main scanning at the one time of the main scanning performed a plurality of times, and by using the plurality of driving signals before correction in the main scanning performed the plurality of times other than the main scanning at the one time of the plurality of times, at each iteration of the main scanning, in accordance with the remaining number of times of the main scanning performed,
wherein main scanning, in which the number of ejected liquid droplets ejected to the ejecting regions is the largest, among the main scanning performed a plurality of times, is the main scanning at the one time of the plurality of times,
the nozzle ejection amounts being corrected, at each iteration of the main scanning, with priority given to the main scanning in which the number of ejected liquid droplets is the largest.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a nozzle selected at least once in the main scanning performed a plurality of times is different from nozzles selected in the other main scanning with respect to the same ejecting region.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein different nozzles are selected for the main scanning performed a plurality of times with respect to the same ejecting region.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the actuators are piezoelectric elements, and wherein the plurality of driving signals are corrected by correcting a potential of waveforms of the plurality of driving signals.

5. A functional liquid ejecting method, in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged to face a target of ejection where ejecting regions are formed, one of a plurality of driving signals is supplied to actuators of selected nozzles among the plurality of nozzles while main scanning is performed a plurality of times for relatively moving the plurality of nozzles and the target of ejection, and a predetermined amount of functional liquid is ejected as liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions, the method comprising:
performing signal correction, in which the plurality of driving signals are corrected in the main scanning performed a plurality of times by using the nozzle ejection amount correcting method according to claim 1 ; and
ejecting the predetermined amount of functional liquid as the liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions while the main scanning is performed a plurality of times by using the plurality of driving signals, by which the signal correction is performed.

6. A functional liquid ejecting method, in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged to face a target of ejection where ejecting regions are formed, one of a plurality of driving signals is supplied to actuators of selected nozzles among the plurality of nozzles while main scanning is performed a plurality of times for relatively moving the plurality of nozzles and the target of ejection, and a predetermined amount of functional liquid is ejected as liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions, the method comprising:
performing signal correction, in which the plurality of driving signals are corrected in the main scanning performed a plurality of times by using the nozzle ejection amount correcting method according to claim 2 ; and
ejecting the predetermined amount of functional liquid as the liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions while the main scanning is performed a plurality of times by using the plurality of driving signals, by which the signal correction is performed.

7. A functional liquid ejecting method, in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged to face a target of ejection where ejecting regions are formed, one of a plurality of driving signals is supplied to actuators of selected nozzles among the plurality of nozzles while main scanning is performed a plurality of times for relatively moving the plurality of nozzles and the target of ejection, and a predetermined amount of functional liquid is ejected as liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions, the method comprising:
performing signal correction, in which the plurality of driving signals are corrected in the main scanning performed a plurality of times by using the nozzle ejection amount correcting method according to claim 3 ; and
ejecting the predetermined amount of functional liquid as the liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions while the main scanning is performed a plurality of times by using the plurality of driving signals, by which the signal correction is performed.

8. A functional liquid ejecting method, in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged to face a target of ejection where ejecting regions are formed, one of a plurality of driving signals is supplied to actuators of selected nozzles among the plurality of nozzles while main scanning is performed a plurality of times for relatively moving the plurality of nozzles and the target of ejection, and a predetermined amount of functional liquid is ejected as liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions, the method comprising:
performing signal correction, in which the plurality of driving signals are corrected in the main scanning performed a plurality of times by using the nozzle ejection amount correcting method according to claim 4 ; and
ejecting the predetermined amount of functional liquid as the liquid droplets from the selected nozzles to the ejecting regions while the main scanning is performed a plurality of ti

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kitabayashi Atsushi

Classifications

• B41J2/0458

  controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles · CPC title

• B41J3/407

  for marking on special material · CPC title

• B41J2/04508 Primary

  aiming at correcting other parameters · CPC title

• B41J2202/20

  Modules · CPC title

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title