Liquid ejecting apparatus and pressure-regulating device

• US 10,457,061 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sato, Masahiko, Kimura, Hitotoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Huffman, Julian D
• Application Number:
  US15/918,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20180201023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1652 by driving a fluid through the nozzles to the outside thereof, e.g. by applying pressure to the inside or vacuum at the outside of the print head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16526 by applying pressure only
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17556 Means for regulating the pressure in the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17563 Ink filters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/18 Ink recirculation systems
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/16594 Pumps or valves for cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/16597 Pumps for idle discharge of liquid through nozzles

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid inflow unit provided in the liquid supply path which supplies a liquid to a liquid ejecting unit and into which the liquid flows, a liquid accommodation unit having a diaphragm section, a communication path through which the liquid inflow part and the liquid accommodation part communicate, and a pressure-regulating mechanism having an on-off valve which opens and closes the communication path in response to displacement of the diaphragm portion, and a pressing mechanism which puts the on-off valve in an open state regardless of the pressure in the liquid inflow unit by pressing the diaphragm portion.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising:

a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid from a nozzle;

a liquid supply path which is designed to supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting head;

a pressure-regulating mechanism which is designed to regulate a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, the pressure-regulating mechanism including;

an on-off valve which is provided in the liquid supply path and is configured to switch to an open state in which an upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream-side liquid supply path communicate and switch to a closed state in which the upstream-side liquid supply path and the downstream-side liquid supply path do not communicate in a case where an upstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply path is the upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply path is the downstream-side liquid supply path; and

a valve opening/closing mechanism which is designed to switch the on-off valve to the open state and the closed state;

a filter provided in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid storage portion for alleviating liquid pressure fluctuations, the liquid storage portion being provided at a position closer to the on-off valve than the filter in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a pressurizing mechanism which is designed to pressurize the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid discharge path which is designed to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path, and

a control unit which controls driving of the valve opening/closing mechanism and the pressurizing mechanism,

wherein a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is regulated by controlling the driving of the opening/closing mechanism in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and designed to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path, and the control unit controls driving of the discharge path pump,

wherein the liquid in the liquid circulation path is circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path by controlling the driving of the opening/closing mechanism and the driving of the discharge path pump in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit driving the valve opening/closing mechanism to bring the on-off valve to the open state in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state, and wherein a pressurized liquid is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is discharged from the nozzle.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the pressure-regulating mechanism further including a liquid accommodation chamber constituting a part of the downstream-side liquid supply path,

wherein the on-off valve enters the open state from the closed state, when a pressure applied to a first surface which is an inner surface of the liquid accommodation chamber of a diaphragm portion is lower than the pressure applied to a second surface which is an outer surface of the liquid accommodation chamber of the diaphragm portion, and a difference between the pressure applied to the first surface and the pressure applied to the second surface is a predetermined value or more.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the valve opening/closing mechanism presses the diaphragm portion in a direction in which the volume of the liquid accommodation chamber is reduced, and puts the on-off valve in the open state.

6. A method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the liquid ejecting apparatus having;

a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid from a nozzle;

a liquid supply path which is designed to supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting head;

a pressure-regulating mechanism which is designed to regulate a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, the pressure-regulating mechanism including;

an on-off valve which is provided in the liquid supply path and is configured to switch to an open state in which an upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream-side liquid supply path communicate and switch to a closed state in which the upstream-side liquid supply path and the downstream-side liquid supply path do not communicate in a case where an upstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply path is the upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply path is the downstream-side liquid supply path; and

a valve opening/closing mechanism which is designed to switch the on-off valve to the open state and the closed state;

a filter provided in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid storage portion for alleviating liquid pressure fluctuations, the liquid storage portion being provided at a position closer to the on-off valve than the filter in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a pressurizing mechanism which is designed to pressurize the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid discharge path which is designed to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path; and

driving of the opening/closing mechanism in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism, and a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is regulated.

7. The method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, the liquid ejecting apparatus further providing:

a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and designed to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path, and

the method further comprising the steps of;

driving of the discharge path pump in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state, and the liquid in the liquid circulation path is circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path.

8. The method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

driving the valve opening/closing mechanism to bring the on-off valve to the open state in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state, and a pressurized liquid is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is discharged from the nozzle.

9. A liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising:

a liquid ejecting head ejecting a liquid from a nozzle;

a liquid supply path configured to supply the liquid from a liquid supply source to the liquid ejecting head, the liquid supply path including an upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream-side liquid supply path;

a pressure-regulating mechanism configured to regulate a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, the pressure-regulating mechanism including;

a liquid inflow portion into which the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source flows via the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid accommodation portion configured to accommodate the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head via the downstream-side liquid supply path, the liquid accommodation portion including a diaphragm portion;

a communication path through which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion communicate, and

an on-off valve configured to enter an open state in which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion communicate from a closed state in which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion do not communicate, the on-off valve entering the open state from the closed state when the diaphragm portion is deformed in a direction of decreasing a volume of the liquid accommodation portion;

a pressurizing mechanism configured to pressurize the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid discharge path configured to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path;

a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and configured to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path; and

a control unit configured to control driving of the pressurizing mechanism and the discharge path pump, the liquid in the liquid circulation path being circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path by controlling the driving of the discharge path pump by the control unit in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism.

10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a filter provided between the pressurizing mechanism and the liquid inflow portion in the upstream-side liquid supply path.

11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a liquid storage portion provided in the liquid circulation path and configured to alleviate liquid pressure fluctuations.

12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the pressure-regulating mechanism further including a biasing member provided in the liquid accommodation portion, the biasing member bias the diaphragm portion in a direction of increasing the volume of the liquid accommodation portion.

13. A method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the liquid ejecting apparatus having;

a liquid ejecting head ejecting a liquid from a nozzle;

a liquid supply path configured to supply the liquid from a liquid supply source to the liquid ejecting head, the liquid supply path including an upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream-side liquid supply path;

a pressure-regulating mechanism configured to regulate a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, the pressure-regulating mechanism including;

a liquid inflow portion into which the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source flows via the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid accommodation portion configured to accommodate the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head via the downstream-side liquid supply path, the liquid accommodation portion including a diaphragm portion;

a communication path through which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion communicate, and

an on-off valve configured to enter an open state in which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion communicate from a closed state in which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion do not communicate, the on-off valve entering the open state from the closed state when the diaphragm portion is deformed in a direction of decreasing a volume of the liquid accommodation portion;

a pressurizing mechanism configured to pressurize the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path;

a liquid discharge path configured to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path; and

a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and configured to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path; and

driving of the discharge path pump in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism, and the liquid in the liquid circulation path is circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path.