Head cartridge and liquid-ejecting apparatus

• US 7,427,127 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ando, Makoto, Nakamura, Masato, Namekawa, Takumi, Nishi, Shota, Hirashima, Shigeyoshi, Miyazaki, Akihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Huffman; Julian D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Uhlenhake; Jason S
• Application Number:
  US10/970,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 347 84- 87, 347/89
• US Class Current: 347/85
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1707 Conditioning of the inside of ink supply circuits, e.g. flushing during start-up or shut-down
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/12 with ink circulating through the whole print head

Abstract

A negative pressure generated inside a liquid-ejecting head can circulate liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and a liquid tank, prevent the liquid from leaking out of nozzles while the liquid is circulating, and remove bubbles contained in the liquid. A head cartridge includes a printhead ejecting ink from ink-ejecting nozzles formed in a nozzle plate of the printhead, an ink-supplying conduit supplying the ink from an ink tank to an ink chamber in the printhead, an ink-refluxing conduit refluxing the ink from the printhead to the ink tank, and a liquid-delivering pump disposed on the ink-refluxing conduit and circulating the ink between the printhead and the ink tank. The liquid-delivering pump is driven to generate a negative pressure inside the printhead to circulate the ink between the printhead and the ink tank.

Claims

1. A head cartridge, comprising:

a liquid-ejecting head for ejecting a predetermined liquid from liquid-ejecting nozzles formed in a nozzle plate of the liquid-ejecting head, the liquid-ejecting head having a liquid chamber comprising a liquid inlet and at least two liquid outlets;

a liquid-supplying conduit for supplying the liquid from a single liquid tank to the liquid chamber in the liquid-ejecting head;

a valve unit including a valve and disposed on the liquid-supplying conduit;

a liquid-refluxing conduit for refluxing the liquid received from the liquid-ejecting head through the at least two liquid outlets to the liquid tank; and

a liquid-circulating unit disposed only on the liquid-refluxing conduit and circulating the liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and the liquid tank,

wherein,

the liquid-circulating unit is driven to generate a negative pressure inside the liquid-ejecting head to circulate the liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and the liquid tank, and

the valve unit supplies the liquid from the liquid tank to the liquid-ejecting head by opening the valve when a negative pressure is generated in the liquid-ejecting head.

2. The head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid tank is detachable from the liquid-ejecting head.

3. The head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid-circulating unit is a liquid-delivering pump.

4. The head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid-circulating unit is driven so as to generate a negative pressure that maintains a liquid meniscus formed in each of the liquid-ejecting nozzles in the liquid-ejecting head.

5. The head cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising:

a valve system disposed in the liquid-circulating unit, wherein the valve system prevents liquid backflow in the direction from the liquid-circulating unit to the liquid-ejecting head.

6. The head cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising:

a valve system disposed on the liquid-refluxing conduit, wherein the valve system prevents liquid backflow in the direction from the liquid-circulating unit to the liquid-ejecting head.

7. The head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid inlet is substantially in the center of the chamber and the at least two liquid outlets are at both ends.

8. The head cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the liquid inlet is at one end of the chamber and the at least two liquid outlets are at the other end.

9. A liquid-ejecting apparatus, comprising:

a head cartridge detachably disposed in the apparatus body,

wherein,

the head cartridge comprises

a liquid-ejecting head for ejecting a predetermined liquid from liquid-ejecting nozzles formed in a nozzle plate of the liquid-ejecting head, the liquid-ejecting head having a liquid chamber comprising a liquid inlet and at least two liquid outlets;

a liquid-supplying conduit supplying the liquid from a single liquid tank to the liquid chamber in the liquid-ejecting head,

a valve unit including a valve and disposed on the liquid-supplying conduit,

a liquid-refluxing conduit for refluxing the liquid received from the liquid-ejecting head through the at least two liquid outlets to the liquid tank; and

a liquid-circulating unit disposed only on the liquid-refluxing conduit and circulating the liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and the liquid tank;

wherein,

the liquid-circulating unit is driven to generate a negative pressure inside the liquid-ejecting head to circulate the liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and the liquid tank;

the valve unit supplies the liquid from the liquid tank to the liquid-ejecting head by opening the valve when a negative pressure is generated in the liquid-ejecting head; and

each of the liquid-ejecting nozzles formed in the liquid-ejecting head of the head cartridge ejects the predetermined liquid to produce a dot or a dot line.

10. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the liquid tank is detachable from the liquid-ejecting head.

11. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the liquid-circulating unit is a liquid-delivering pump.

12. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the liquid-circulating unit is driven so as to generate a negative pressure that maintains a liquid meniscus formed in each of the liquid-ejecting nozzles in the liquid-ejecting head.

13. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a valve system disposed in the liquid-circulating unit, wherein the valve system prevents liquid backflow in the direction from the liquid-circulating unit to the liquid-ejecting head.

14. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a valve system disposed on the liquid-refluxing conduit, wherein the valve system prevents liquid backflow in the direction from the liquid-circulating unit to the liquid-ejecting head.

15. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the liquid inlet is substantially in the center of the chamber and liquid outlets are at both ends.

16. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the liquid inlet is at one end of the chamber and the liquid outlets are at the other end.

17. A liquid-ejecting apparatus, comprising:

a liquid-ejecting head for ejecting a predetermined liquid from liquid-ejecting nozzles formed in a nozzle plate of the liquid-ejecting head, the liquid-ejecting head having a liquid chamber comprising a liquid inlet and at least two liquid outlets;

a valve unit including a valve and disposed on the liquid-supplying conduit;

a liquid-supplying conduit for supplying the liquid from a single liquid tank to the liquid chamber in the liquid-ejecting head;

a liquid-refluxing conduit for refluxing the liquid received from the liquid-ejecting head through the at least two liquid outlets to the liquid tank; and

a liquid-circulating unit disposed only on the liquid-refluxing conduit and circulating the liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and the liquid tank,

wherein,

the liquid-circulating unit is driven to generate a negative pressure inside the liquid-ejecting head to circulate the liquid between the liquid-ejecting head and the liquid tank, and

the valve unit supplies the liquid from the liquid tank to the liquid-ejecting head by opening the valve when a negative pressure is generated in the liquid-ejecting head.

18. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the liquid inlet is substantially in the center of the chamber and the at least two liquid outlets are at both ends.

19. The liquid-ejecting apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the liquid inlet is at one end of the chamber and the at least two liquid outlets are at the other end.