# US 9,751,331 B2 · Liquid discharge apparatus and image forming method

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- Number: US 9,751,331 B2
- Document ID: US9751331B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/948,550
- Filed: 2015-11-23
- Published: 2016-05-26
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2014-11-26
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Nobuhiko Hamada
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751331B2

## CPC

- B41J 3/4078: {Printing on textile}
- B41J 11/0015: {for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing (selective coating B41J2/2114)}
- B41J 11/42: Controlling {printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering}
- B41J 11/425: {for a variable printing material feed amount}
- B41J 13/0009: {control of the transport of the copy material}
- B41J 13/0027: {in the printing section of automatic paper handling systems}
- B41J 3/28: for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes {, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers}
- B41J 15/04: Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a discharge portion, a movement portion, and a control portion capable of executing an image forming operation of forming an image on the medium by a discharge operation of causing the discharge portion to discharge the liquid and a movement operation of causing the movement portion to move the medium and the discharge portion relatively to each other in a movement direction. The control portion is capable of changing a first amount of movement that is an amount of movement to be made by the movement operation to form a first image and a second amount of movement that is an amount of movement to be made by the movement operation to form a second image in a case where after the first image is formed, the second image is formed on the first image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a discharge portion capable of discharging a liquid;
a movement portion capable of moving a medium and the discharge portion relatively to each other; and
a control portion capable of executing an image forming operation of forming an image on the medium by a discharge operation of causing the discharge portion to discharge the liquid and a movement operation of causing the movement portion to move the medium and the discharge portion relatively to each other in a movement direction, wherein the image includes a first image formed during a first image forming operation and a second image formed over the first image during a second image forming operation,
the control portion being capable of changing a first amount of movement that is an amount of movement to be made by the movement operation to form the first image and a second amount of movement that is an amount of movement to be made by the movement operation to form the second image in a case where after the first image is formed, the second image is formed on the first image, and
the control portion being capable of executing, at least one of decreasing of the first amount of movement and increasing of the second amount of movement so that if the medium is expected to expand due to formation of the first image, the first amount of movement and the second amount of movement are selected in order to restrain over-edge between the first image and the second image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the movement portion is a medium support unit that moves in the movement direction while supporting the medium; and
the control portion is capable of changing the first amount of movement and the second amount of movement separately from each other by changing the amount of movement of the medium support unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the movement portion is a transport roller that moves the medium in the movement direction; and
the control portion is capable of changing the first amount of movement and the second amount of movement separately from each other by changing an amount of rotation of the transport roller.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the movement portion is a discharge unit that includes the discharge portion and that moves together with the discharge portion in the movement direction; and
the control portion is capable of changing the first amount of movement and the second amount of movement separately from each other by changing the amount of movement of the discharge unit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
if the medium shrinks due to formation of the first image, the control portion executes at least one of increase of the first amount of movement and decrease of the second amount of movement.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the discharge portion is capable of moving in an intersecting direction that intersects the movement direction and discharging the liquid; and
the control portion is capable of changing a discharge timing at which the discharge portion discharges the liquid while moving in the intersecting direction separately for formation of the first image and for formation of the second image.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the control portion changes at least one of the first amount of movement and the second amount of movement based on setting information.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:
the medium is a textile; and
the setting information includes information regarding at least one of a material of the medium, a weaving method of the medium, and a thickness of a yarn that constitutes the medium.

### Claim 9

An image forming method for use by a liquid discharge apparatus that includes a discharge portion capable of discharging a liquid and a movement portion capable of moving a medium and the discharge portion relatively to each other and that is capable of executing an image forming operation of forming an image on the medium by a discharge operation of causing the discharge portion to discharge the liquid and a movement operation of causing the movement portion to move the medium and the discharge portion relatively to each other in a movement direction, wherein the image includes a first image formed during a first image forming operation and a second image formed during a second image forming operation, the method including:
setting a first amount of movement that is an amount of movement to be made by the movement operation to form the first image and a second amount of movement that is an amount of movement to be made by the movement operation to form the second image in a case where after the first image is formed, the second image is formed on the first image, and
executing at least one of decreasing of the first amount of movement and increasing of the second amount of movement so that if the medium expands due to formation of the first image, the first amount of movement and the second amount of movement are set in order to restrain over-edge between the first image and the second image.