Color filter manufacturing method and apparatus, color filter, color filter substrate, display device, and apparatus having display device

An apparatus comprising:

• an ink-jet head;
• a stage for moving the substrate relative to said ink-jet head;
• and
• detection means for, in forming a plurality of color filters on one substrate, detecting a discharge failure in said ink-jet head before coloring a coloring area of each color filter, wherein the coloring is effected by using said ink-jet head to discharge ink onto the substrate,
• wherein the coloring area effects color filtering and includes a color pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon, and
• wherein said detection means detects the discharge failure by detecting ink discharged on an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as the coloring area.

A method comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate;
• and
• performing a pre-discharging operation of an ink-jet head onto a same substrate at a step which is previous to and which successively proceeds to a step of coloring a coloring area to serve as a color filter, wherein said coloring is effected by using the ink-jet head to discharge an ink onto the substrate,
• wherein the coloring area effects color filtering and includes a color pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon, and
• wherein said pre-discharging operation is performed by discharging inks on an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as the coloring area.

An apparatus comprising:

• an ink-jet head;
• a stage for moving the substrate relative to said ink-jet head;
• and
• control means for controlling said ink-jet head and said stage to perform a pre-discharging operation of said ink-jet head with respect to the substrate before coloring of a coloring area to serve as a color filter, wherein the coloring is effected by using said ink-jet head to discharge an ink onto the substrate,
• wherein the coloring area effects color filtering and includes a color pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon, and
• wherein the pre-discharging operation is performed on an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as the coloring area.

A display device comprising:

• a color filter having a coloring area which effects color filtering and includes a color pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon by an ink-jet head;
• and
• light amount changing means for changing a light amount,
• wherein the pre-discharging operation is performed by discharging ink on an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as the coloring area.

An apparatus comprising:

• (a) a display device integrally including (1) a color filter having a coloring area which effects color filtering and includes a color Pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon by an ink-jet head, and (2) light amount changing means for changing a light amount;
• and
• (b) image signal supply means for supplying an image signal to said display device,
• wherein a pre-discharging operation is performed by discharging inks on an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as the coloring area.

A method comprising the steps of:

• a pre-discharging step of pre-discharging ink from an ink-jet head onto an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as a coloring area, wherein the coloring area effects color filtering and includes a color pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon by the ink-jet head;
• a detection step of detecting the presence/absence of a coloring failure according to a coloring result in said pre-discharging step;
• and
• a position adjustment step of adjusting a position of the ink-jet head to move each ink discharging nozzle to a position corresponding to the coloring area when a coloring failure is detected in said detection step.

An apparatus comprising:

• an ink-jet head having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles;
• detection means for detecting a coloring failure by detecting an ink dot formed by pre-discharging the ink from said ink-jet head onto an area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of and on a same substrate as the coloring area, wherein the coloring area effects color filtering and includes a color pattern for color filtering formed by ink discharged thereon by said ink-jet head;
• and
• position adjustment means for adjusting a position of an ink-jet head to move each ink discharging nozzle to a position corresponding to the coloring area when a coloring failure is detected by said detection means.

A color filter manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate;
• and
• performing a pre-discharging operation of an ink-jet head onto a same substrate at a step which is previous to and which successively proceeds to a step of coloring an effective coloring area of the color filter using the ink-jet head,
• wherein said pre-discharging operation is performed by discharging inks at an area, outside of the effective color area, which is on a same substrate as the substrate on which the effective coloring area exists, and
• wherein the effective coloring area is comprised of arranged coloring rows, and starting positions of said pre-discharging operation are changed for each of the color rows with respect to a direction of arranging the arranged coloring rows.

A color filter manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate;
• and
• performing a pre-discharging operation of an ink-jet head onto a same substrate at a step which is previous to and which successively proceeds to a step of coloring the effective coloring area of the color filter using the ink-jet head,
• wherein said pre-discharging operation is performed by discharging inks at an area, outside of the effective coloring area, which is on a same substrate as the substrate on which the effective coloring area exists, and
• wherein the effective coloring area is comprised of arranged coloring rows, and discharge density is reduced at a vicinity of a starting position of said pre-discharging operation as compared to the discharge density of the effective coloring area.

A color filter comprising:

• a first coloring area which effects color filtering of plural colors and includes a plurality of first color patterns for color filtering, each of said first color pattern corresponding to each of the plural colors;
• and
• a second coloring area, not used to effect color filtering, that is outside of a same substrate as the first coloring area,
• wherein the second coloring area has a plurality of second color patterns, each of which has a one-to-one correspondence with each of the first color pattern.