Source: https://insight.rpxcorp.com/pat/US10457061B2
Timestamp: 2020-07-04 15:39:18
Document Index: 655519967

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2015', 'art 50', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 50', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 51', 'art 50', 'art 51', 'art 51']

Patent US 10,457,061 B2
US 10,457,061 B2
a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid from a nozzle;
a liquid supply path which is designed to supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting head;
a pressure-regulating mechanism which is designed to regulate a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, the pressure-regulating mechanism including;
an on-off valve which is provided in the liquid supply path and is configured to switch to an open state in which an upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream-side liquid supply path communicate and switch to a closed state in which the upstream-side liquid supply path and the downstream-side liquid supply path do not communicate in a case where an upstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply path is the upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream side of the on-off valve in the liquid supply path is the downstream-side liquid supply path; and
a valve opening/closing mechanism which is designed to switch the on-off valve to the open state and the closed state;
a filter provided in the upstream-side liquid supply path;
a liquid storage portion for alleviating liquid pressure fluctuations, the liquid storage portion being provided at a position closer to the on-off valve than the filter in the upstream-side liquid supply path;
a pressurizing mechanism which is designed to pressurize the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path;
a liquid discharge path which is designed to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path, anda control unit which controls driving of the valve opening/closing mechanism and the pressurizing mechanism,wherein a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is regulated by controlling the driving of the opening/closing mechanism in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism.
US 20050073559A1
US 20120127242A1
US 8,616,690 B2
US 20170087867A1
2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and designed to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path, and the control unit controls driving of the discharge path pump,wherein the liquid in the liquid circulation path is circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path by controlling the driving of the opening/closing mechanism and the driving of the discharge path pump in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state.
3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit driving the valve opening/closing mechanism to bring the on-off valve to the open state in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state, and wherein a pressurized liquid is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is discharged from the nozzle.
4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the pressure-regulating mechanism further including a liquid accommodation chamber constituting a part of the downstream-side liquid supply path,wherein the on-off valve enters the open state from the closed state, when a pressure applied to a first surface which is an inner surface of the liquid accommodation chamber of a diaphragm portion is lower than the pressure applied to a second surface which is an outer surface of the liquid accommodation chamber of the diaphragm portion, and a difference between the pressure applied to the first surface and the pressure applied to the second surface is a predetermined value or more.
5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the valve opening/closing mechanism presses the diaphragm portion in a direction in which the volume of the liquid accommodation chamber is reduced, and puts the on-off valve in the open state.
6. A method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the liquid ejecting apparatus having;
a liquid discharge path which is designed to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path; and
driving of the opening/closing mechanism in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism, and a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is regulated.
7. The method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, the liquid ejecting apparatus further providing:
a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and designed to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path, andthe method further comprising the steps of;
driving of the discharge path pump in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state, and the liquid in the liquid circulation path is circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path.
8. The method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:
driving the valve opening/closing mechanism to bring the on-off valve to the open state in the state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in the pressurized state, and a pressurized liquid is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, and the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head is discharged from the nozzle.
a liquid ejecting head ejecting a liquid from a nozzle;
a liquid supply path configured to supply the liquid from a liquid supply source to the liquid ejecting head, the liquid supply path including an upstream-side liquid supply path and a downstream-side liquid supply path;
a pressure-regulating mechanism configured to regulate a pressure of the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head, the pressure-regulating mechanism including;
a liquid inflow portion into which the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source flows via the upstream-side liquid supply path;
a liquid accommodation portion configured to accommodate the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head via the downstream-side liquid supply path, the liquid accommodation portion including a diaphragm portion;
a communication path through which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion communicate, andan on-off valve configured to enter an open state in which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion communicate from a closed state in which the liquid inflow portion and the liquid accommodation portion do not communicate, the on-off valve entering the open state from the closed state when the diaphragm portion is deformed in a direction of decreasing a volume of the liquid accommodation portion;
a pressurizing mechanism configured to pressurize the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path;
a liquid discharge path configured to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path;
a discharge path pump provided in the liquid discharge path and configured to allow the liquid in the liquid ejecting head to move to the liquid discharge path; and
a control unit configured to control driving of the pressurizing mechanism and the discharge path pump, the liquid in the liquid circulation path being circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path by controlling the driving of the discharge path pump by the control unit in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism.
10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a filter provided between the pressurizing mechanism and the liquid inflow portion in the upstream-side liquid supply path.
11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a liquid storage portion provided in the liquid circulation path and configured to alleviate liquid pressure fluctuations.
12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the pressure-regulating mechanism further including a biasing member provided in the liquid accommodation portion, the biasing member bias the diaphragm portion in a direction of increasing the volume of the liquid accommodation portion.
13. A method of controlling a liquid pressure in a liquid ejecting apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
a liquid discharge path configured to discharge the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, the liquid discharge path forming a liquid circulation path in cooperation with the liquid ejecting head and the liquid supply path; and
driving of the discharge path pump in a state where the liquid in the upstream-side liquid supply path is in a pressurized state by driving the pressurizing mechanism, and the liquid in the liquid circulation path is circulated in a direction in which the liquid in the liquid ejecting head is moved to the liquid discharge path.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/829,368, filed Dec. 1, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/268,850, filed Sep. 19, 2016, which claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2015/187842, filed Sep. 25, 2015, the entireties of which are incorporated
The liquid supply source 13 is an accommodation container able to accommodate the liquid, and may be a cartridge which replenishes the liquid by replacing the accommodation container, or may be an accommodation tank fixed to a mounting section 26. The mounting section 26 holds the liquid supply source 13 to be detachable in a case where the liquid supply source 13 is a cartridge. At least one set of liquid supply source 13 and the supply mechanism (in the embodiment, four sets) is provided per type of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting unit 12.
The on-off valve 59 is put in the open state from the closed state when the pressure applied to the first surface 56a is lower than the pressure applied to the second surface 56b and the difference between the pressure applied to the first surface 56a and the pressure applied to the second surface 56b is a predetermined value (for example, 1 kPa) or more. The predetermined value is a value determined according to the biasing force of the upstream side biasing member 62, the biasing force of the downstream side biasing member 63, the force necessary for the diaphragm portion 56 to be displaced, the pressing force (sealing load) necessary in order to block the communication path 57 with the valve portion 60, and the pressure in the liquid inflow part 50 which acts on the surface of the valve portion 60 and the pressure in the liquid accommodation part 51. That is, the predetermined value increases as the biasing force of the upstream side biasing member 62 and the downstream side biasing member 63 increases. The biasing force of the upstream side biasing member 62 and the downstream side biasing member 63 are set so that the pressure in the liquid accomodation part 51 is put in a negative pressure state (in a case where the pressure applied to the second surface 56b is atmospheric pressure, −1 kPa) in a range able to form meniscus 64 in the gas-liquid interface in the nozzle 19.
It should be noted that the embodiment may be modified as below.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the expansion and contraction section 67 may be a bellows, the side surface of which has an accordion fold shape (first modification example). That is, for the expansion and contraction section 67, the bellows expands so that the accordion fold extends when the pressure-regulating chamber 66 and the bellows contracts when the pressure in the pressure-regulating chamber 66 is released.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the pressure receiving section 61, which is an example of a moving member, may be a member separate to the on-off valve 59 (second modification example). The pressure receiving section 61 is provided on the diaphragm portion 56 and the pressure receiving section 61 may be moved accompanying the displacement of the diaphragm portion 56. The pressing mechanism 48 may cause the diaphragm portion 56 to displace in a range where the pressure receiving section 61 does not press the projection portion 59a of the on-off valve 59, and may perform maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 12 while an amount of the liquid of the volume change in the liquid accommodation part 51 is discharged from the nozzle 19. A recessed portion 61a which engages the projection portion 59a may be formed in the pressure receiving section 61.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the disk-shaped diaphragm portion 56 may have a colgate (wave shape) shape in which the concentric recessed portions and the projection portions which are centered on the central portion of the diaphragm portion 56 are alternately formed from the central portion to the end portion. That is, the diaphragm portion 56 may be formed with the first surface 56a and the second surface 56b in a wavelike formation. The diaphragm portion 56 may be formed of a rubber or resin with a thickness having flexibility.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the liquid supply path 27 may be connected at a portion different to the wall section 53 which supports the upstream side biasing member 62 in the liquid inflow part 50. The filter member 55 may be provided at a position different to the wall section 53.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, a configuration may be used which is not provided with the downstream side biasing member 63. That is, the diaphragm portion 56 may be displaced from a position in which the volume of the liquid accommodation part 51 is reduced due to elasticity in a direction in which the volume increases. The diaphragm portion 56 may be bonded to the expansion and contraction section 67. That is, the diaphragm portion 56 may be displaced from a position in which the volume of the liquid accommodation part 51 is reduced due to elasticity in a direction in which the volume increases as the expansion and contraction section 67 contracts.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the on-off valve 59 may switch between the open state and the closed state by oscillating with the shaft 94 as a center (third modification example). Due to the on-off valve 59 being oscillated, it is possible for the opening operation of the on-off valve 59 to be stabilized compared to a case of the on-off valve 59 being moved in the biasing direction of the upstream side biasing member 62. The on-off valve 59 is supported so that the shaft 94 is pinched by the bearing 95 and the support section 96. In the on-off valve 59, the valve portion 60 is provided closer to one end side than the shaft 94, and the other side is biased by the upstream side biasing member 62. That is, the upstream side biasing member 62 biases the on-off valve 59 in a direction in which the valve portion 60 closes off the communication path 57.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the on-off valve 59 may be provided in the liquid accommodation part 51 (fourth modification example).
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the pressing mechanism 48 may have a configuration which is not provided with the expansion and contraction section 67. That is, the air chamber 72 which is formed between the pressing member 68 and the diaphragm portion 56 may function as the pressure-regulating chamber 66. The pressing mechanism 48 may press the entirety of the second surface 56b of the diaphragm portion 56 by pressurizing the pressure-regulating chamber 66, and may press the region that does not contact the pressure receiving section 61 in the diaphragm portion 56.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the pressure receiving section 61 may be a cantilever supported spring, and may cause the on-off valve 59 to open by deforming due to the end portion being pressed by the diaphragm portion 56 (fifth modification example). The pressure receiving section 61 presses the on-off valve 59 at a portion closer to the base end side than the portion pressed by the diaphragm portion 56.
According to the fifth modification example, the pressure receiving section 61 becomes a lever. That is, the base end portion of the pressure receiving section 61 becomes the support point and the tip end portion pressed by the diaphragm portion 56 becomes the power point, and the action point which presses the on-off valve 59 is positioned between the support point and the power point. Therefore, it is possible for the pressure receiving section 61 to press the on-off valve 59 with the pressure with which the diaphragm portion 56 presses changing to a greater pressure.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the pressure-regulating device 47 may be provided with a filter unit 32. The liquid ejecting apparatus 11 may have a configuration which is not provided with a static mixer 33 or a liquid storage unit 34.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the pressing mechanism 48 may press the diaphragm portion 56 by air being ejected from an ejection port formed in the pressure-regulating chamber 66. It is preferable that the ejection port be formed at a position facing the region which comes in contact with the pressure receiving section 61 in the diaphragm portion 56. That is, the region which comes in contact with the pressure receiving section 61 in the diaphragm portion 56 may be pressed by the pressure of the air ejected from the ejection port accompanying the pressure regulator 69 adjusting the pressure in the pressure-regulating chamber 66 to a higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 may be provided with a plurality of pressure regulators 69. For example, the pressure regulator 69 may be provided for each pressing mechanism 48.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the pressure receiving section 61 may be provided on the second surface 56b of the diaphragm portion 56. That is, the pressing mechanism 48 may press the diaphragm portion 56 via the pressure receiving section 61.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 may have a configuration which is not provided with the circulation path forming section 28 and the circulating pump 29.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the fluid supplied to the pressure-regulating chamber 66 may be a gas, such as air, or may be a liquid, such as water or oil.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the pressure in the liquid accommodation part 51 at which the on-off valve 59 is put in the open state from the closed state may change due to the pressure in the air chamber 72 changing. That is, it is possible for the conditions in which the on-off valve 59 opens to be changed by changing the magnitude of the pressure applied to the second surface 56b because the diaphragm portion 56 displaces in response to the difference between the pressure applied to the first surface 56a and the pressure applied to the second surface 56b.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the actuator 24 may not be driven in the process of putting the on-off valve 59 in the closed state from the open state.
In each of the above-described embodiments, after the pressure of the liquid is released by the pressurizing mechanisms 31 and 88, the on-off valve 59 may be put in the closed state from the open state by releasing the pressing state of the diaphragm portion 56 due to the pressing mechanism 48.
In the second embodiment, in the open state of the on-off valve 59, the pressurizing force which pressurizes the liquid by means of the pressurizing mechanism 88 may be constant. The pressurizing force which pressurizes the liquid by means of the pressurizing mechanism 88 may be changed in response to the state of the liquid ejecting unit 12 or the frequency at which the pressure cleaning is performed.
In each of the above-described embodiments, a plurality of pressurizing mechanisms 31 and 88 or different types of pressurizing mechanism may be provided, and the pressurizing force which pressurizes the liquid may be changed by selecting the pressurizing mechanism which is driven. It is possible to arbitrarily select a gear pump, a screw pump, a piston pump or the like as the pressurizing mechanism.
In each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration may be used which is not provided with the pressurizing mechanisms 31 and 88. For example, the liquid may be supplied to the liquid ejecting unit 12 from the liquid supply sources 13 and 83 by the water head.
In each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration may be used which is not provided with the pressure receiving section 61.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the pressing mechanism 48 may not press the diaphragm portion 56 with a greater pressing force than the pressing force generated in a case where the pressure in which the above-described predetermined value is added to the pressure with which the pressurizing mechanism 31 pressurizes the liquid in the pump chamber 41 (in the case of a pressurizing mechanism 88, pressure which pressurizes the liquid in the liquid pack 85) is applied to the diaphragm portion 56 when the pressing mechanism 48 presses the diaphragm portion 56 so that the pressure within the liquid accommodation part 51 becomes higher than the pressure at which the meniscus 64 collapses.
In a case where the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 19 during pressure cleaning, a pressure loss occurs due to the flow of the liquid since the liquid also flows in the liquid supply path 27, the liquid inflow part 50, and the communication path 57 closer to the downstream side (in the case of a pressurizing mechanism 88, closer to the downstream side than the liquid pack 85) than the pump chamber 41 of the pressurizing mechanism 31. Therefore, in a case where the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 19, the pressure in the liquid accommodation part 51 becomes a pressure in which the above-described pressure loss is subtracted from the pressure with which the pressurizing mechanism 31 pressurizes the liquid in the pump chamber 41 (in the case of a pressurizing mechanism 88, pressure which pressurizes the liquid in the liquid pack 85). Taking the pressure loss into consideration, the pressing mechanism 48 may press the diaphragm portion 56 with a greater pressing force than the pressing force generated in a case where the pressure in which the above-described predetermined value is added to the pressure in which the above-described pressure loss is subtracted from the pressure with which the pressurizing mechanism 31 pressurizes the liquid in the pump chamber 41 (in the case of a pressurizing mechanism 88, pressure which pressurizes the liquid in the liquid pack 85) is imparted to the diaphragm portion 56.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the pressing mechanism 48 may press the diaphragm portion 56 so that the pressure in the liquid accommodation part 51 becomes lower than the pressure at which the meniscus 64 collapses.
In each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration may be used which is not provided with the pressure regulator 69. For example, the pressing mechanism 48 may mechanically press by means of a cam mechanism.
In the embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects and discharges liquids other than ink. The state of the liquid discharge from the liquid ejecting apparatus as minute droplets includes droplets which are particle-like, tear drop-like, or are drawn to have thread-like tails. Here, the liquid may be any material that is able to be ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, as long as the material has a state where the substance is a liquid phase, liquid-like substances such as a high or low viscosity liquid-like substance, sols, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid-like resins, and liquid-like metals (metal melts) are included. Not only a liquid as one state of the substance, but also particles of a functional material formed of a solvent such as a pigment or metal particles dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent and the like are included. Representative examples of the liquid include inks as described in the above embodiments and liquid crystals. Here, the wording “ink” generally encompasses aqueous inks and oil-based inks, as well as various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. Liquid ejecting apparatuses such which eject a liquid which includes an electrode material or a material such as a coloring material used in the manufacturing of an electroluminescence (EL) displays, surface emission displays, and color filters in the form of a dispersion or solution are specific examples of the liquid ejecting apparatus. A liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects a bio-organic material used in biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus which is used as a precision pipette and ejects a liquid which becomes a sample, a textile printing device, a microdispenser and the like are also included. A liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects a pinpoint of a lubricating oil to a precision device, such a watch or a camera and a liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects a transparent resin material such as an ultraviolet curable resin onto a substrate in order to form a minute semi-spherical lens (optical lens) or the like used in an optical communication or the like may also be included. A liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects an etching liquid such as an acid or an alkali for etching a substrate or the like may also be included.
Kimura, Hitotoshi, Sato, Masahiko
US 20180201023A1
B41J 2/16526 : by applying pressure only
B41J 2/17563 : Ink filters
B41J 2002/16594 : Pumps or valves for cleaning
B41J 2002/16597 : Pumps for idle discharge of...
US 9,855,760 B2
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