Fujifilm Corporation

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Masahito Katada

Atsushi Murakami

Yuko Katada, Legal Representative

Daichi Katada, Legal Representative

Natsuki Katada, Legal Representative

Hiroshi Shibata

Masaki Kataoka

Tetsuzo Kadomatsu

Toshiya Kojima

Yasuhiko Kachi

Tsutomu Takatsuka

Yasuyo Yokota

A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus includes: a supply-use tank that is sectioned by an elastic film into a liquid chamber and a gas chamber; a supply-use flow path that interconnects the supply-use tank and a recording head; and a pump that pumps the liquid stored in the liquid chamber to the recording head via the supply-use flow path by supplying the liquid from an external tank to the liquid chamber of the supply-use tank. The flow path is controlled to supply the liquid to the liquid chamber in a state where the supply-use flow path is closed, cause the elastic film to press against an inner wall of the gas chamber, thereafter open the supply-use flow path, release the elastic film from the pressing state, and supply, with the pump, the liquid from the external tank to the recording head via the supply-use tank and the supply-use flow path.

Liquid droplet ejecting apparatus and method of controlling liquid droplet ejecting apparatus

Inkjet apparatus includes: a tank; a first flow channel; a first liquid chamber; a second flow channel; a second liquid chamber; a first liquid movement; a second liquid movement device; a first pressure determination device; a second pressure determination device; a pressure control device which controls pressures in the first and second liquid chambers by respectively controlling the first and second liquid movement devices, in accordance with determination results of the first and second pressure determination devices, in such a manner that the internal pressures of the first and second liquid chambers respectively remain at the target pressures; a circulation path through which the liquid inside the first liquid chamber is circulated without passing through the inkjet head; and a deaeration device which is provided at an intermediate point of the circulation path and which removes dissolved gas.

Inkjet recording apparatus

A droplet ejection device includes a liquid ejection head, a supply flow path, a supply pump, and a supply flow path pressurizer. The supply flow path supplies the liquid to the head and for which a first depressurization threshold is specified in advance. The supply pump sucks the liquid, pressurizes the sucked liquid and supplies the sucked liquid to the head via the supply flow path, and keeps a pressure of liquid in the supply flow path near to a predetermined supply flow path target pressure. The supply flow path pressurizer pressurizes the pressure of liquid in the supply flow path if the pressure of liquid in the supply flow path falls to less than or equal to the first depressurization threshold.

Droplet ejection device

A droplet ejection apparatus includes droplet ejection units each including a supply port and an ejection port, a common supply flow path, a common discharge flow path, supply flow paths that connect the supply port to the common supply flow path, openable mechanisms provided at the supply flow paths, discharge flow paths that connect the ejection port to the common discharge flow path, one-way valves provided at the discharge flow paths, a pressure applying unit, and a controller. When performing a maintenance operation of a selected droplet ejection unit, the controller applies a pressure with the pressure applying unit so that the pressure in the plural discharge flow paths at the common discharge flow path side with respect to the respective one-way valves is higher than the other side, and opens only the openable mechanism corresponding to the selected droplet ejection unit.

Droplet ejecting apparatus

A droplet ejection apparatus includes a common flow path; droplet ejection units each respectively including a first distribution port; first flow paths that respectively connect each first distribution port to the common flow path; first open/close mechanisms provided respectively at the first flow paths; a first pressurizing unit that applies a positive pressure to the common flow path; a second open/close mechanisms provided at the common flow path at the first pressurizing unit side of connection portions that connect the common flow path and the respective first flow paths; and a controller. When the second open/close mechanism is closed, the controller opens only one or more first open/close mechanisms corresponding to one or more target droplet ejection units, applies positive pressure to a section of the common flow path at the first pressurizing unit side of the second open/close mechanism, and then opens the second open/close mechanism.

Droplet ejection apparatus

The liquid ejection apparatus has: a sub tank having a liquid chamber which stores liquid, a gas chamber which fills with gas, and a flexible film which divides the liquid chamber from the gas chamber; a liquid tank which is connected to the liquid chamber and stores the liquid; a liquid conveyance device which conveys the liquid between the liquid chamber and the liquid tank; an ejection head connected to the liquid chamber; a control device which carries out control in such a manner that pressure in the gas chamber is controlled to control back pressure of the liquid in the ejection head; a liquid pressure determination device which determines pressure in the liquid chamber; a gas pressure determination device which determines the pressure in the gas chamber; and a liquid storage amount judgment device which judges whether or not an amount of the liquid stored in the liquid chamber is within a tolerable range in which the back pressure of the liquid in the ejection head can be controlled, according to a gas-liquid pressure differential which is a difference between the pressure of the liquid chamber determined by the liquid pressure determination device and the pressure of the gas chamber determined by the gas pressure determination device.

Liquid ejection apparatus, image forming apparatus and liquid storage amount judgment method

The back pressure adjustment apparatus for a liquid ejection head has: a container having a liquid accommodating chamber which is connected to the liquid ejection head and accommodates liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejection head, and a gas accommodating chamber which accommodates gas; a movable film which separates the liquid accommodating chamber and the gas accommodating chamber, and forms a portion of whole walls of the liquid accommodating chamber; and a pressure adjustment device which causes all or a portion of the movable film to deform so as to adjust pressure of the liquid accommodated in the liquid accommodating chamber.

Back pressure adjustment apparatus for liquid ejection head

An inkjet recording apparatus includes: a recording head including an introduction section, a discharge section and nozzles; a first liquid chamber connected to the introduction section; a second liquid chamber connected to the discharge section; a first buffer tank which is connected to the first liquid chamber and an interior of which is open to air; a second buffer tank which is connected to the second liquid chamber and an interior of which is open to air; and a pressure control device which sets target pressures of the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber in such a manner that a prescribed back pressure is applied to the liquid inside the nozzles of the recording head while a prescribed pressure differential is provided between the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber, and controls driving of the first pump and the second pump in accordance with determination results of the pressure determination device in such a manner that the internal pressures of the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber remain constant at the target pressures, wherein the first buffer tank and the second buffer tank are connected via a flow channel, and at least one of a filter and a deaeration device is provided in the flow channel.

An inkjet recording apparatus has: a pressure control device which controls a liquid movement device in accordance with determination results of a first pressure determination device and a second pressure determination device in such a manner that interiors of a first liquid chamber and a second liquid chamber respectively assume prescribed pressures, wherein the pressure control device controls the liquid movement device so as to adjust the internal pressures of the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber in such a manner that a prescribed pressure differential between the internal pressures of the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber is produced and a prescribed back pressure is applied to the liquid inside a plurality of nozzles of a recording head.

Inkjet recording apparatus and recording method

The liquid storage apparatus includes: a liquid storage chamber which is constituted by a flexible bag member and stores liquid; an exterior container which has walls constituted by a shape memory member and has a hermetically sealed space in which the liquid storage chamber is disposed, the shape memory member extending and contracting freely at temperatures not greater than a transformation temperature and recovering a memorized shape at temperatures not less than a shape recovery temperature; a forcing member which applies a contraction force to the walls of the exterior container in a direction in which the walls contract; and a temperature adjuster which adjusts a temperature of the shape memory member directly or indirectly so as to control a ratio of a portion of the shape memory member having temperatures not greater than the transformation temperature and deformed to a contracted shape by the contraction force of the forcing member and a ratio of a portion of the shape memory member having temperatures not less than the shape recovery temperature and recovering the memorized shape more extended than the contracted shape, so that a pressure in the liquid storage chamber is changed depending on a volume change of the exterior container due to deformation of the shape memory member.

Liquid storage apparatus and image forming apparatus

A pressure adjustment apparatus for adjusting a pressure of liquid inside a liquid ejection head including nozzles and flow channels includes: a tank; a pump; a buffer chamber; a first switching device; and a second switching device. The tank includes a movable film and a hermetically sealed container of a prescribed volume, the movable film dividing the hermetically sealed container into a gas chamber filled with gas and a liquid chamber filled with the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejection head. The pump changes a pressure of the gas inside the gas chamber so as to adjust a pressure of the liquid inside the liquid chamber. The buffer chamber is filled with the gas and damps gas-flow pulsations caused by the pump. The first switching device connects and disconnects the buffer chamber and the gas chamber. The second switching device switches between a state where the pump is connected to the gas chamber without through the buffer chamber, and a state where the pump is connected to the buffer chamber.

Pressure adjustment apparatus and image forming apparatus, and pressure adjustment method and liquid remaining amount determination method

The liquid ejection apparatus includes a first liquid chamber which supplies liquid to pressure chambers of an ejection head; a gas flow channel which has a first end connected to an upper portion of the first liquid chamber and which forms a flow channel for gas to be expelled from the first liquid chamber; a second liquid chamber which accommodates the liquid and is separated from the first liquid chamber by means of a partition; a gas flow channel opening and closing device which opens and closes the gas flow channel so that the gas moves from the first liquid chamber to the second liquid chamber and is dissolved into the liquid accommodated in the second liquid chamber; a pressure control device which controls internal pressures of the ejection head in such a manner that an internal pressure of the second liquid chamber is less than an internal pressure of the first liquid chamber and controls the gas flow channel opening and closing device so that a bubble having a prescribed size is created at a bubble creation position, a bubble pressure measurement element measuring an internal pressure of the bubble present at the bubble creation position; and a gas judgment device which judges presence or absence of the gas in the first liquid chamber according to a measurement result of the bubble pressure measurement element.

Liquid ejection apparatus and gas processing method

The inkjet recording apparatus includes: an inkjet recording head having a long side extending in a lengthwise direction corresponding to a first movement direction perpendicular to a paper conveyance direction; a wiper blade which wipes a nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head in which a nozzle is formed; a first movement device which moves one of the inkjet recording head and the wiper blade in the first movement direction; and a second movement device which moves the wiper blade in a second movement direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first movement direction, in such a manner that the wiper blade wipes the nozzle surface, wherein the wiper blade is formed in such a manner that ink removing properties of at least one surface of the wiper blade become higher toward a first end section of the wiper blade in the first movement direction.

A case body of an ink cartridge has a recording ink storage chamber containing a recording ink and a waste-ink storage chamber containing an ink coagulant. The recording ink is supplied to a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus. A head cleaning unit collects waste-ink from the recording head and feeds it to the waste-ink storage chamber. A heater heats the waste-ink and the ink coagulant in the waste-ink storage chamber, so that the ink coagulant melts and mixes with the waste-ink. The mixture of the ink coagulant and the waste-ink is cooled and solidified into gel. The gelled mixture of the waste-ink and the ink coagulant can be easily taken out of the waste-ink storage chamber by heating to liquefy it again, facilitating recycling the case body.

Ink cartridge, ink jet recording apparatus and waste-ink cartridge

An ink cartridge for supplying an ink to an ink jet type recording head is made of a paper box formed with an ink chamber. Inner wall surfaces of the ink chamber are processed to have water-repellency. The ink chamber is partitioned into a storage chamber storing the ink and an ink absorbent chamber containing an ink absorbent made of unwoven fabric. An ink outlet is formed in a bottom wall of the ink chamber. The ink outlet may be formed as a thin wall part with no water-repellency, so the ink percolates through the thin wall part. An ink run-out detection window is formed in the storage chamber. The ink run-out detection window may be a thin wall part or consist of an opening and a translucent paper sheet covering the opening.

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Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Masahito Katada