Liquid ejecting apparatus and maintenance method of liquid ejecting apparatus

• US 10,562,309 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2015
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Takayuki, Shinbara, Toshihiro, Hara, Kazuhiko, Fujioka, Kazuyuki, Yoshida, Takeshi, Sato, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): Valencia, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US14/794,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20160009094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16508 connected with the printer frame
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16538 with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16552 using cleaning fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/16555 Air or gas for cleaning

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting section that is capable of ejecting a first liquid from an opening of a nozzle with respect to media; and a two-fluid ejecting apparatus that is capable of ejecting at least one of a gas and a second liquid with respect to the liquid ejecting section.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a liquid ejecting portion provided in the main body and configured to move between a printing area and a non-printing area, the liquid ejecting portion ejecting a first liquid from an opening of a nozzle disposed in a nozzle forming surface; and

a fluid ejecting apparatus provided separately from the liquid ejecting portion in the main body, the fluid ejecting apparatus ejecting a mixed fluid, in which a gas and a second liquid are mixed, toward the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion in a state in which a space including the nozzle forming surface is covered with air, the fluid ejecting apparatus including

a fluid ejecting nozzle configured to move in a moving direction along the nozzle forming surface between an ejecting position facing the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting portion located in the non-printing area and a standby position, the fluid ejecting nozzle ejecting at least one of the gas and the second liquid, the fluid ejecting nozzle being disposed lower than the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion at the ejecting position in a gravity direction, and

a cover member having a cover portion configured to cover the fluid ejecting nozzle directly above the fluid ejecting nozzle located at the standby position, the cover member being provided away from the liquid ejecting portion,

wherein the liquid ejecting portion is configured to eject the first liquid toward a media in the printing area in a state in which the fluid ejecting nozzle is disposed lower than the cover portion and disposed lower than the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion in the gravity direction,

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the mixed fluid toward the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion from the fluid ejecting nozzle located at the ejection position, and

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the gas toward the cover portion from the fluid ejecting nozzle located at the standby position.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the mixed fluid towards the liquid ejecting portion including the nozzle, wherein the second liquid includes droplets having a droplet like shape that are smaller than the opening of the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein a kinetic energy of the droplet of the second liquid is larger than a kinetic energy of a droplet of the first liquid ejected from the opening of the nozzle, wherein the droplet of the second liquid is smaller than the opening of the nozzle.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the mixed fluid toward the liquid ejecting portion including the nozzle in a state where a positive pressure is applied to the first liquid in an internal portion of the liquid ejecting portion.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the second liquid is pure water or a liquid in which the pure water contains antiseptic,

wherein the liquid ejecting portion includes a pressure chamber that communicates with an internal portion of the nozzle, and an actuator that is capable of applying positive pressure to the internal portion of the pressure chamber, and

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the mixed fluid towards the liquid ejecting portion including the nozzle in a state where the positive pressure is applied to the first liquid in the internal portion of the pressure chamber due to a drive of the actuator, and

wherein the ejection of the first liquid ejected from the opening of the nozzle towards the media is executed by the application of the positive pressure to the internal portion of the pressure chamber by the actuator.

6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus includes

a gas flow path configured to supply the gas to the fluid ejecting nozzle,

a liquid accommodating portion configured to accommodate the second liquid, and

a liquid flow path configured to supply the second liquid accommodated in the liquid accommodating portion to the fluid ejecting nozzle,

wherein at least in a state where the mixed fluid is not ejected from the fluid ejecting nozzle, a negative pressure is exerted to the liquid accommodating portion so that an air-liquid interface of the second liquid is located in a position closer to the liquid accommodating portion than to a mixing section where the mixed fluid is generated, and

wherein the fluid ejecting nozzle includes a liquid ejecting nozzle through which the second liquid is ejected, and an annular gas ejecting nozzle through which the gas is ejected and which surrounds the liquid ejecting nozzle, and is configured such that, along with an ejection of the gas from the gas ejecting nozzle, the second liquid is ejected from the liquid ejecting nozzle to thereby eject the mixed fluid.

7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein a water leading surface of the liquid accommodating portion is located at a lower position than a position of the mixing section.

8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the liquid accommodating portion includes a wall portion that forms a liquid accommodating space which accommodates the second liquid, and

wherein at least a part of the wall portion has flexibility.

9. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the liquid accommodating portion is provided with a switching valve configured to switch the liquid accommodating space between a communication state where the liquid accommodating space communicates with the atmosphere and a non-communication state where the liquid accommodating space does not communicate with the atmosphere, and

wherein in a state where the mixed fluid is ejected from the fluid ejecting nozzle, the switching valve is configured to be switched to cause the liquid accommodating space to be changed from the communication state to the non-communication state.

10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure regulator provided in a liquid supplying path for supplying the first liquid to the liquid ejecting portion, the pressure regulator regulating a pressure of the first liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting portion.

11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the mixed fluid from a fluid ejecting nozzle toward the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion in the state in which an enclosed space including the nozzle forming surface is covered with air, and

wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is selectively positioned between an uncovered position with the fluid ejecting nozzle of the fluid ejecting apparatus exposed to the nozzle forming surface and a covered position with the fluid ejecting nozzle blocked, in a direction of the liquid ejecting portion ejecting the first liquid from the opening of the nozzle towards the media, from the nozzle forming surface.

12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the liquid ejecting portion is configured to eject the first liquid toward the media in the state in which the fluid ejecting nozzle is disposed lower than the nozzle of the liquid ejecting portion in the gravity direction and is separated from the liquid ejecting portion in the moving direction.

13. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a direction in which the first liquid is ejected from the liquid ejecting portion is an ejection direction, a distance between the fluid ejecting nozzle of the fluid ejecting apparatus and the liquid ejecting portion in the ejection direction is longer than a distance between the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting portion and the media-in the ejection direction.