Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiko Epson Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideya Yokouchi

Tomoe Aruga

Hitotoshi Kimura

Hiroyuki Ito

Tadashi Sugiyama

Kazuyoshi Fujimori

Nobuyoshi Maekawa

Shigenori Fukasawa

Mitsutaka Iwasaki

Aruga Tomoe

Kaneo Yoda

Nozomu Inoue

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head that ejects a liquid via nozzles; a first passage that communicates with the liquid ejection head, the first passage being configured to supply the liquid to the liquid ejection head; a second passage that communicates with the first passage in the liquid ejection head, the second passage forming, in cooperation with the first passage, a circulation passage; and a liquid driving unit provided in the circulation passage, the liquid driving unit being configured to move the liquid in the circulation passage when driven. The liquid is moved, by the driven liquid driving unit, at a first flow rate that maintains a meniscus of the liquid inside the nozzles after the liquid is moved at a second flow rate that is faster than the first flow rate.

Maintenance method of liquid ejecting apparatus

Liquid ejecting apparatus and maintenance method thereof

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head unit having nozzles for ejecting a liquid onto a medium; a liquid storage unit to store the liquid; a first supply passage that communicates with the liquid ejection head unit and the liquid storage unit; a second supply passage that communicates with the liquid ejection head unit, the liquid storage unit, and the first supply passage in the liquid ejection head unit; a valve in the first supply passage; and a liquid driving unit in the second supply passage that moves the liquid in the liquid ejection head unit and the supply passages when driven. The liquid is moved toward the liquid ejection head unit in the second supply passage by the liquid driving unit in a state in which the valve restricts the flow of the liquid such that the liquid is discharged from the nozzles.

A fluid ejecting apparatus includes a fluid ejecting head and a fluid receiver. The fluid ejecting head has an ejection face in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting fluid is formed. The ejection face is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane. The fluid receiver receives the fluid discharged from the fluid ejecting head. The fluid receiver includes a holding portion that holds an absorbing member. The absorbing member absorbs the fluid. A fluid reservoir is formed in the fluid receiver. The fluid reservoir can contain the fluid, thereby offering a fluid-retaining function that is different from the retention of the fluid due to absorption by the absorbing member.

Fluid ejecting apparatus

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejection head for ejecting a liquid, a liquid storage unit which stores the liquid therein, a first supply passage which supplies the liquid from the liquid storage unit to the liquid ejection head, a second supply passage which is provided separately from the first supply passage, and communicates with the liquid ejection head and the liquid storage unit, a liquid driving unit which is able to supply the liquid from the liquid ejection head toward the liquid storage unit in a forward direction in the second supply passage, and a cap unit which comes into close contact with the liquid ejection head so as to close each nozzle of the liquid ejection head. The liquid is supplied in the forward direction by the liquid driving unit in a state where the cap unit comes into close contact with the liquid ejection head.

A liquid supply apparatus which supplies a liquid to a liquid ejecting head from a liquid accommodating unit includes a plurality of rotating type pumps which are respectively provided in the middle of each of a plurality of supply paths which connect a plurality of the liquid accommodating units and the liquid ejecting head, a common power source which drives the plurality of pumps and a power transmission adjusting unit which adjusts power which is transmitted from the power source to each pump due to the liquid pressure in the supply path on the basis of a load that the pump receives.

Liquid supply apparatus and liquid ejecting apparatus

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a head portion which ejects liquid; a plurality of liquid reception portions which receive the liquid discharged from the head portion and in which flow-out ports of the liquid are provided on the bottoms; a suction pump which is connected to each of the flow-out ports of the plurality of the liquid reception portions and sucks the flow-out ports; and closure members each of which is provided in each of the plurality of liquid reception portions, is formed so as to float in the liquid, and closes each of the flow-out ports in a state where the liquid has flown out.

Liquid ejecting apparatus

A liquid ejecting apparatus in which a pressure adjustment unit having a pressure adjustment valve is provided between a filter chamber that houses a filter and a recording head having nozzles through which ink is ejected, the opening size of filter hole is set to &#xbd; of a minimum inner diameter Da of the nozzle of the recording head or lower, and a pressure for pumping ink with an air pump is adjusted to a value that permits air bubbles in the upstream side space to pass through the filter.

A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquid from an ejection head, the liquid being supplied from a liquid supplying source, the liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a carriage having the ejection head including: a liquid channel configured for flowing the liquid from the liquid supplying source to the ejection head; a gas trap chamber which is formed in the midstream of the liquid channel and expands the width of the liquid channel; and a gas recovery chamber which is adjacent to the gas trap chamber and having a gas permeable wall between the gas recovery chamber and the gas trap chamber; a carriage driver which drives the carriage; an attachment/detachment connection which is detachably connected to the gas recovery chamber; and a depressurization unit which decreases a pressure of the gas recovery chamber to a pressure lower than that of the gas trap chamber via the attachment/detachment connection.

A liquid supply apparatus supplies liquid from a liquid container through a liquid supply path to a recording head. A liquid supply pump drives when a flexible member is displaced such that a volume of a pump chamber is increased or decreased while a part of the liquid supply path is set as the pump chamber. A negative pressure chamber is divided from the pump chamber by the flexible member. A first directional valve in the liquid supply path passes the liquid in one direction toward the supply pump from the liquid container. A second directional valve passes the liquid in one direction toward the liquid ejecting apparatus from the supply pump. A pressure adjustor between the first directional valve and the second directional valve increases a volume of the liquid container when a negative pressure larger than a predetermined pressure is applied to the negative pressure chamber.

Liquid supply apparatus, liquid ejecting apparatus

A liquid supply device includes a liquid supply passage which supplies a liquid from an upstream side on which the liquid is supplied from a liquid supply source to a downstream side on which the liquid is consumed. A pump is provided with a pump chamber in the liquid supply passage. A displacement member forms a part of a wall surface of the pump chamber and is displaceable to increase or decrease the volume of the pump chamber. An urging member urges the displacement member in a direction decreasing the volume of the pump chamber. A displacement mechanism displaces the displacement member in a direction increasing the volume of the pump chamber against an urging force of the urging member upon driving the displacement mechanism. Upon stopping the drive of the displacement mechanism, the pump chamber remains in a pressurized state by the urging force of the urging member.

Liquid supply device, liquid ejecting apparatus, and liquid supplying method

A liquid supply device includes: a supply pump which is provided in a liquid supply passage; a first unidirectional valve which is provided on an upstream side of the supply pump; a second unidirectional valve which is provided on a downstream side of the supply pump; a first member; a second member; and a flexible member. The supply pump and the first and second unidirectional valves are formed such that the flexible member is interposed between the first and second members and held by locking a locking unit in the state where the flexible member is interposed between the first and second members.

Liquid supply device and liquid ejecting apparatus

A liquid supply device includes a liquid supply passage which supplies a liquid from an upstream side where it is supplied from a liquid supply source to a downstream side where it is consumed. A passage forming member has a shape in which the liquid supply passage is formed. A flexible diaphragm forming member has a diaphragm forming part of a wall surface of a pump chamber in the liquid supply passage and is displaceable to change the volume of the pump chamber. A lamination structure is formed by laminating the diaphragm forming member and the passage forming member to form the pump chamber between facing surfaces thereof. A portion corresponding to the outer circumference of the diaphragm forming member has an outer circumference sealing portion preventing liquid, which has leaked from the liquid supply passage to a space between the facing surfaces, from flowing outside the lamination structure.

A liquid supply device includes a liquid supply channel that supplies a liquid from an upstream side as a liquid supply source side to a downstream side, on which the liquid is consumed, a first valve that is provided in the liquid supply channel to open and close the liquid supply channel, and a second valve that is provided on a downstream side from the first valve in the liquid supply channel to open and close the liquid supply channel. The first valve is closed when the second valve is open.

Growing community of inventors

Okaya, Japan

Hideya Yokouchi