IP Library Granted Patent US 12709105
Granted Patent B2
US 12709105 · App. 18/338,840 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Printing apparatus and printing method

Inventor: Yoshitsugu Tokai (Matsumoto, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
B41J11/00214B41J11/00212B41M7/0081
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12709105
App. No.
18/338,840
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a carriage and a control unit. The carriage includes a head configured to move in a first direction, and a light emission unit configured to relatively move in a second direction. The light emission unit includes a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in the second direction. The first emission group is disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction. The second emission group is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction. The control unit is configured to perform a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group.

Claims (69)

1 . A printing apparatus comprising:

a carriage including:

a head including a plurality of nozzles and configured to move in a first direction along a first axis, the plurality of nozzles being configured to discharge ink toward a medium and

a light emission unit configured to move in a second direction relative to the head and emit ultraviolet light toward the medium, the second direction being a direction along a second axis intersecting the first axis; and

a control unit, wherein

the light emission unit includes a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in the second direction,

the first emission group is disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,

the second emission group is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,

the control unit is configured to perform a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group,

all emission groups that overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the first emission group,

all emission groups that do not overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the second emission group,

the light emission unit is configured to move between a first relative position and a second relative position in the second direction,

at the second relative position of the light emission unit, a position of the first emission group is a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, and a position of the second emission group is a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, and

the control unit performs the first mode in a state where the light emission unit is at the first relative position, and performs the second mode in a state where the light emission unit is at the second relative position.

2 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the second emission group further includes:

a third emission group located adjacent to the first emission group in the second direction and

a fourth emission group at an opposite side from the first emission group with the third emission group being interposed between the first emission group and the fourth emission group in the second direction and

in the second mode, the control unit controls the light emission unit such that emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the third emission group is lower than emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the fourth emission group.

3 . The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the control unit controls the light emission unit such that a sum of the emission intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted from the third emission group and the emission intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted from the fourth emission group falls in a predetermined emission intensity.

4 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the second emission group further includes:

a third emission group located adjacent to the first emission group in the second direction and

a fourth emission group at an opposite side from the first emission group with the third emission group being interposed between the first emission group and the fourth emission group in the second direction,

the number of times of printing pass is settable to a first pass number and a second pass number greater than the first pass number, the number of times of printing pass being the number of times that the head is moved in the first direction to perform printing to a unit area of the medium,

when the number of times of printing pass is the first pass number, the control unit causes the third emission group and the fourth emission group to emit ultraviolet light, and

when the number of times of printing pass is the second pass number, the control unit does not cause the third emission group to emit ultraviolet light, and causes the fourth emission group to emit ultraviolet light.

5 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the number of times of printing pass is settable to a first pass number and a second pass number greater than the first pass number, the number of times of printing pass being the number of times that the head is moved in the first direction to perform printing to a unit area of the medium and

the control unit sets emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the light emission unit when the number of times of printing pass is the first pass number, to be higher than emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the light emission unit when the number of times of printing pass is the second pass number.

6 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

a head movement velocity at which the head is moved in the first direction is settable to a first velocity and a second velocity slower than the first velocity and

the control unit sets emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the light emission unit when the head movement velocity is the first velocity, to be higher than emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the light emission unit when the head movement velocity is the second velocity.

7 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the first emission group is disposed at a position that overlaps with all of the plurality of nozzles which overlap with the light emission unit in the first direction, and

the second emission group is disposed at a position that does not overlap with any the plurality of nozzles in the first direction.

8 . Printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

at the first relative position of the light emission unit, an entirety of the plurality of nozzles overlap with the light emission unit in the first direction and

at the second relative position of the light emission unit, at least a portion of the plurality nozzles do not overlap with the light emission unit in the first direction.

9 . The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at the second relative position of the light emission unit, a length of the second emission group in the second direction is longer than a length of the plurality of nozzles in the second direction.

10 . A printing apparatus comprising:

a carriage including:

a head including a plurality of nozzles and configured to move in a first direction along a first axis, the plurality of nozzles being configured to discharge ink toward a medium and

a light emission unit disposed alongside the head in the first direction and configured to emit ultraviolet light toward the medium; and

a control unit, wherein

the light emission unit includes a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in a second direction, the second direction being a direction along a second axis intersecting the first axis,

the first emission group is disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,

the second emission group is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,

the second emission group further includes:

a third emission group located adjacent to the first emission group in the second direction and

a fourth emission group at an opposite side from the first emission group with the third emission group being interposed between the first emission group and the fourth emission group in the second direction,

the control unit is configured to perform a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group,

in the second mode, the light emission unit is controlled such that emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the third emission group is lower than emission intensity of ultraviolet light emitted from the fourth emission group,

all emission groups that overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the first emission group, and

all emission groups that do not overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the second emission group.

11 . A printing method performed by a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus including:

a carriage including:

a head including a plurality of nozzles and configured to move in a first direction along a first axis, the plurality of nozzles being configured to discharge ink toward a medium and

a light emission unit configured to move in a second direction relative to the head and emit ultraviolet light toward the medium, the second direction being a direction along a second axis intersecting the first axis,

the light emission unit including a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in the second direction,

the first emission group being disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction,

the second emission group being disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, the printing method comprising

performing a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group, wherein

all emission groups that overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the first emission group,

all emission groups that do not overlap the plurality of nozzles are part of the second emission group,

the light emission unit is configured to move between a first relative position and a second relative position in the second direction,

at the second relative position of the light emission unit, a position of the first emission group is a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, and a position of the second emission group is a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction, and

the control unit performs the first mode in a state where the light emission unit is at the first relative position, and performs the second mode in a state where the light emission unit is at the second relative position.