Patent ID: 8480215
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus including a main unit and further comprising: a sub tank that supplies a liquid to an ejecting head that ejects liquid droplets, the sub tank including a supply mechanism that supplies the liquid in a main tank to the sub tank; a carriage that bears the ejecting head and the subtank and moves in a main scanning direction at a printing position level above a sheet, wherein the ejecting head, when the carriage bearing the ejecting head is at the printing position level in a vertical direction, ejects the liquid droplets; a moving mechanism that raises the carriage in the vertical direction from the printing position level to a higher level that is higher in the vertical direction than the printing position level, to change a distance between the sheet and the ejecting head; and an atmospheric air opening control unit that causes the atmospheric air opening mechanism to perform the atmospheric air opening operation in conjunction with the moving mechanism changing the distance between the sheet and the ejecting head, wherein the atmospheric air opening control unit includes a protruding member that is attached to the main unit, and the protruding member is a pin having a leading end that is provided at a predetermined position in the main scanning direction and protrudes at said predetermined position in a downward direction, and the pin includes a lower end disposed at a level that is higher in the vertical direction than the printing position level of the carriage, wherein the moving mechanism raises the carriage that bears the ejecting head to move a nozzle surface of the ejecting head upward in the vertical direction, while the carriage maintains its horizontal state, and wherein the moving mechanism raising the carriage in the vertical direction to the higher level causes the atmospheric air opening mechanism to come into contact with the leading end of the pin which thereby causes the atmospheric air opening mechanism of the sub tank to open the sub tank to the atmosphere air.