# US 11,110,730 B2 · Inkjet printer apparatus and method of driving the same

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- Number: US 11,110,730 B2
- Document ID: US11110730B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/575,799
- Filed: 2019-09-19
- Published: 2020-05-07
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-07
- Assignees: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Dongsul Kim; Honggi Min; Minsoo Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11110730B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/16585: {for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads}
- B41J 29/393: Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns}
- B41J 2/04501: {Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits}
- B41J 2/16502: {Printhead constructions to prevent nozzle clogging or facilitate nozzle cleaning}
- B41J 25/001: {Mechanisms for bodily moving print heads or carriages parallel to the paper surface}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

An inkjet printer apparatus includes a printing head including a plurality of nozzles for printing an ink in a plurality of pixels arranged as a matrix type in a target substrate, a control circuit which moves the printing head in an x-direction crossing an y-direction of a scan direction, and determines an optimal position for using largest nozzles, and a driving part which moves the printing head to the optimal position and moves the printing head along the y-direction in the optimal position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An inkjet printer apparatus comprising:
a printing head comprising a plurality of nozzles which prints an ink in a plurality of pixels arranged as a matrix type in a target substrate;
a control circuit which moves the printing head in an x-direction crossing an y-direction of a scan direction, and determines an optimal position for using a maximum number of nozzles of the plurality of nozzles; and
a driving part which moves the printing head to the optimal position and moves the printing head along the y-direction in the optimal position,
wherein the control circuit determines n pixels, among the plurality of pixels, arranged in the x-direction of the target substrate corresponding to an x-direction length of the printing head, to a pixel group,
determines the optimal position of the printing head within an x-direction length of a first pixel, among the plurality of pixels, of the pixel group, and
wherein the control circuit aligns an end portion of a first nozzle, among the plurality of nozzles, in the printing head and an end portion of the first pixel of the pixel group to determine an initial position, and
determines the optimal position of the printing head using a reference shift value preset with respect to the x-direction length of the first pixel in the printing head.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit divides the x-direction length of the first pixel by the reference shift value to determine a shift position,
calculates a number of nozzles, among the plurality of nozzles, of the printing head matching pixels of the pixel group in the shift position, and
determines the shift position having a maximum number of nozzles, among the plurality of nozzles, of the printing head as the optimal position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 2, wherein the shift position is within the x-direction length of the first pixel.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 2, wherein the reference shift value is greater than a diameter of an ink injected from a nozzle of the plurality of nozzles and smaller than a spacing between adjacent nozzles of the plurality of nozzles.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference shift value is defined by following:
Diameter of Droplet±k1≤Reference shift value (dx)≤Spacing between Nozzles±k2,
wherein, Droplet is an ink drop ID injected from a nozzle of the plurality of nozzles, and k1 and k2 are experimental values.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ink is a light emitting layer used in a manufacturing process of an organic light emitting display device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 6, wherein the light emitting layer comprises a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, an organic light emitting layer, and an electron injection layer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The inkjet printer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ink is a color filter layer used in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device.

### Claim 9

A method of driving an inkjet printer apparatus which comprises a printing head comprising a plurality of nozzles for printing an ink in a plurality of pixels arranged as a matrix type in a target substrate, the method comprising:
moving the printing head in an x-direction crossing an y-direction of a scan direction;
determining an optimal position for using a maximum number of nozzles of the plurality of nozzles;
moving the printing head to the optimal position;
moving the printing head along the y-direction in the optimal position;
determining n pixels, among the plurality of pixels, arranged in the x-direction of the target substrate corresponding to an x-direction length of the printing head, to a pixel group;
determining the optimal position of the printing head within the x-direction length of a first pixel, among the plurality of pixels, of the pixel group;
aligning an end portion of a first nozzle, among the plurality of nozzles, in the printing head and an end portion of the first pixel of the pixel group to determine an initial position; and
determining the optimal position of the printing head using a reference shift value preset with respect to the x-direction length of the first pixel in the printing head.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
dividing the x-direction length of the first pixel by the reference shift value to determine a shift position;
calculating a number of nozzles, among the plurality of nozzles, of the printing head matching pixels of the pixel group in the shift position; and
determining the shift position having a maximum number of nozzles, among the plurality of nozzles, of the printing head to the optimal position.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the shift position is within the x-direction length of the first pixel.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the reference shift value is greater than a diameter of an ink injected from a nozzle of the plurality of nozzles and smaller than a spacing between adjacent nozzles of the plurality of nozzles.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the reference shift value is defined by following:
Diameter of Droplet±k1≤Reference shift value (dx)≤Spacing between Nozzles±k2,
wherein, Droplet is an ink drop ID injected from a nozzle of the plurality of nozzles, and k1 and k2 are experimental values.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the ink is a light emitting layer used in a manufacturing process of an organic light emitting display device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the light emitting layer comprises a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, an organic light emitting layer, and an electron injection layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the ink is a color filter layer used in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device.