Patent ID: 8491071
Filing Date: 2013-07-23
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A droplet discharge device comprising: a droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzles configured and arranged to discharge a functional liquid, and a plurality of drive elements provided in correspondence with the nozzles; a feed reel configured and arranged to feed a sheet member; a drying chamber configured and arranged to be filled with a drying gas and accommodate the sheet member, the feed reel being disposed inside the drying chamber such that the drying chamber encloses the feed reel; a drying-gas-introducing device configured and arranged to introduce the drying gas to the drying chamber so that the interior of the drying chamber reaches a predetermined humidity that is lower than a humidity within the droplet discharge device; a take-up reel configured and arranged to take up the sheet member fed from the feed reel; an imaging device configured and arranged to capture an image of the functional liquid discharged from the nozzles onto the sheet member between the feed reel and the take-up reel with the sheet member having been dried in the drying chamber filled with the drying gas; an analyzing unit configured to perform image processing on the image captured by the imaging device, to measure an area over which the functional liquid is deposited on the sheet member from each of the nozzles, and to calculate a distribution of a discharge amount of the functional liquid from each of the nozzles based on the measured areas; and a control unit configured to adjust a voltage applied to the drive elements so that the discharge amount of the functional liquid from each of the nozzles approximates a predetermined optimum amount from the distribution, the droplet discharge head being configured and arranged to discharge the functional liquid on the sheet member that has been fed out of the drying chamber by the feed reel.