# US 10,308,017 B2 · Liquid discharge device and liquid discharge method

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- Number: US 10,308,017 B2
- Document ID: US10308017B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/327,936
- Filed: 2015-07-09
- Published: 2017-07-20
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2014-07-22
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Kunihiko Matsuhashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308017B2

## CPC

- B41J 3/40733: {Printing on cylindrical or rotationally symmetrical objects, e. g. on bottles}
- B41J 2/04573: {Timing; Delays}
- B41J 2/04586: {controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type}
- B41J 3/4073: {Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects (B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112)}
- B41J 29/58: and automatically actuated
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

In a liquid discharge device that discharges liquid while relatively rotating a medium and a discharge unit that discharges the liquid, a degradation of quality of the discharged liquid material caused by a difference of a relative moving distance between the medium and the discharge unit per unit time when the liquid is discharged is suppressed. The liquid discharge device includes a discharge unit (3) that discharges liquid from nozzles (4) to a medium (M), a rotating mechanism (14) that relatively rotationally moves the medium (M) and the discharge unit (3) around a rotation axis direction Z crossing a discharge direction of the liquid, and a control unit (6) that controls a discharge frequency of the liquid according to a relative moving distance between the medium (M) and the discharge unit (3) per unit time.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid discharge device comprising:
a plurality of discharge units that discharge liquid from nozzles to a medium;
a rotating mechanism that relatively rotationally moves the medium and the plurality of discharge units around a rotation axis direction crossing a discharge direction of the liquid; and
a control unit that controls to change a discharge frequency of the liquid in stages according to a relative moving distance between the medium and the plurality of discharge units per unit time,
wherein each discharge unit of the plurality of discharge units is independently movable towards and away from the medium and is independently rotatable such that an orientation of each of the plurality of discharge units is independently controllable, with the plurality of discharge units being arranged along the rotation axis direction, the control unit controls the discharge frequency for each discharge unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge units are arranged in an arc shape as seen from the rotation axis direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge units are staggered arranged along the rotation axis direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge units are arranged so that areas where the nozzles are provided overlap with each other as seen from a direction crossing the rotation axis direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein at least either one of a position and a posture of the discharge unit can be adjusted.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the medium has a conic shape or a truncated conic shape.

### Claim 7

A liquid discharge method using a liquid discharge device including a plurality of discharge units that discharge liquid from nozzles to a medium, the method comprising:
relatively rotationally moving the medium and the plurality of discharge units around a rotation axis direction crossing a discharge direction of the liquid, each discharge unit being independently movable,
discharging liquid by controlling to change a discharge frequency of the liquid in stages according to a relative moving distance between the medium and the plurality of discharge units per unit time,
wherein plurality of discharge units are arranged along the rotation axis direction and discharging liquid by controlling the discharge frequency for each discharge unit, and
independently controlling a position of each of the plurality of discharge units in a direction towards and away from the medium, and
independently controlling an orientation of each of the plurality of discharge units.