JP2007001259A - System for pressurizing and feeding liquid in liquid jetting apparatus, liquid jetting apparatus, and method for pressurizing and feeding liquid in liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for pressurizing and feeding a liquid in a liquid jetting apparatus which can contribute to miniaturization of the whole apparatus, and to provide a liquid jetting apparatus which can attain miniaturization of the whole apparatus, and to provide a method for pressurizing and feeding the liquid in the liquid jetting apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the system 31 for pressurizing and feeding ink of a printer comprising an ink cartridge 18 that sends the ink to a recording head 15 in response to the supply of pressurized air, a suction pump 24 that can suck the ink discharged as a waste liquid from the recording head 15 via a cap 23 when the pump operates, and a waste liquid tank 25 that can collect the ink sucked by the suction pump 24 as the waste liquid, a pressure transmission chamber 32 is set between the suction pump 24 and the waste liquid tank 25. The pressure transmission chamber 32 is sectioned via a flexible film 33 to a pressurizing chamber 34 which communicates with the waste liquid tank 25, and to a chamber to be pressurized 35 which communicates with the ink cartridge 18. The suction pump 24 is connected to the pressurizing chamber 34. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid pressurizing and supplying system in a liquid ejecting apparatus, a liquid ejecting apparatus, and a liquid pressurizing and supplying method in the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet printers (hereinafter referred to as “printers”) are widely known as liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid onto a target. In this printer, a recording head (liquid ejecting head) is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates, and an ink cartridge (liquid container) that is usually mounted on a predetermined position (for example, on the carriage) on the printer with respect to the recording head. ) Is supplied from the ink (liquid). The ink supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head is ejected from nozzles formed on the recording head, thereby printing on the recording medium.

  In such a printer, in the case of a printer of a type in which the ink cartridge is mounted at a location different from the carriage on the printer (so-called off-carriage type), the ink cartridge and the recording head are connected by an ink supply tube, It is necessary to supply the ink in the ink cartridge to the recording head side through the tube. Therefore, in the case of an off-carriage type printer, a pressurizing pump device is provided, and the pressurizing pump device and the ink cartridge are connected by an air supply tube (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Then, pressurized air pressurized based on the driving of the pressure pump device is sent to the air chamber in the ink cartridge through the air supply tube, and the ink pack accommodated in the air chamber is pressurized so as to be crushed. Thus, ink is sent from the ink cartridge to the recording head side via the ink supply tube.

On the other hand, in order to eliminate clogging of the nozzles of the liquid ejecting head, the printer usually includes a cleaning mechanism that sucks ink, bubbles, and the like in the nozzles from the nozzles of the recording head. The cleaning mechanism includes a cap that seals the nozzle forming surface and a suction pump that is connected to the cap (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Then, by driving the suction pump with the nozzle formation surface of the recording head sealed with a cap, the ink is sucked as waste ink from the nozzle in the recording head through the cap.
JP 2001-253084 A JP 2001-38925 A

  However, the above-described configuration has a cleaning suction pump and a pressurizing pump for pressurizing the ink cartridge, so that a space for installing these pumps is required, and the entire apparatus is large. There was a problem of becoming.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is to reduce the size of the liquid pressurizing and supplying system in the liquid ejecting apparatus that can contribute to the size reduction of the entire apparatus, and the size of the entire apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can perform the above and a liquid pressurizing and supplying method in the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid pressurized supply system in a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head capable of ejecting a liquid, and a supply of pressurized gas to the liquid ejecting head side to deliver a stored liquid. A liquid container, a cap capable of sealing the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head, a pump capable of sucking fluid discharged from the liquid ejecting head as waste liquid through the cap when the pump is operated, and the pump A liquid pressurization supply system in a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a waste liquid tank capable of collecting the fluid sucked by the waste liquid as a waste liquid, the pressure enabling the inflow of the fluid discharged from the pump when the pump is operated A pressure transmitting chamber that communicates with the pump and a pressurized chamber that communicates with the liquid container via a flexible membrane; There were so bent and deformed to the target pressurizing chamber side by the pressure of the fluid flowing into the pressure chamber.

  According to this configuration, when the fluid flows into the pressurized chamber by the pump operation of the pump, the flexible film is bent and deformed toward the pressurized chamber, and the pressure in the pressurized chamber is increased along with the deformation, Gas pressurized in the pressurized chamber is delivered to the liquid container side. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a pressurizing pump for pressurizing the liquid container, and since the pressurized gas can be sent to the liquid container by using one pump for waste liquid suction, the entire apparatus Can contribute to downsizing.

  The liquid pressurization supply system in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is provided between the pump and the waste liquid tank. In the first valve state, the pump and the waste liquid tank are in a non-communication state and the pump In the second valve state, the pressurizing chamber is brought into a communicating state, and in the second valve state, the valve means for bringing the pump and the waste liquid tank into a communicating state, and the valve means is switched to the first valve state or the second valve state. Control means.

  According to this structure, the communication means / non-communication state of the pump and the waste liquid tank is switched by the valve means that is controlled to be switched to the first valve state or the second valve state by the control means. For example, when the valve means is in the first valve state, the pump and the pressurizing chamber are in communication with each other, and fluid discharged from the pump flows into the pressurizing chamber when the pump is operated. Pressurized gas is sent to the liquid container side by bending and deforming the flexible film toward the pressurized chamber. On the other hand, when the valve means is in the second valve state, the pump and the waste liquid tank are in communication with each other, so that the liquid discharged as waste liquid from the liquid ejecting head through the cap when the pump is operated is transferred from the pump to the waste liquid tank. Discharged. In this way, by controlling the switching of the valve means between the first valve state and the second valve state by the control means, it is possible to effectively use one pump for sucking the waste liquid.

  In the liquid pressurization supply system in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, when the cap is in a position in which the cap does not seal the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head, the valve means is in the first valve state. To control.

  According to this structure, when the pump is operated with the valve means in the first valve state, the air is sucked by the pump operation. Then, a large amount of air sucked by the pump is quickly filled into the pressurizing chamber, and the flexible film is bent and deformed toward the pressurized chamber. In other words, the waste liquid suction pump is effectively used for liquid pressurization supply by sucking the air other than during cleaning.

The liquid pressurizing and supplying system in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes an air release valve that opens the pressurized chamber to the atmosphere when the open state is reached.
According to this configuration, since the pressurized chamber is in communication with the atmosphere by opening the atmosphere release valve, the flexible film in a state of being bent and deformed toward the pressurized chamber side is restored to the original state. The state can be suitably restored. Therefore, when the operation of sending pressurized gas to the liquid container is repeated, the flexible film can be favorably deformed and returned.

In the liquid pressurizing and supplying system in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, the atmosphere release valve and the valve means are each an electromagnetic valve.
According to this structure, the responsiveness of each valve action can be improved by comprising an atmospheric | air release valve and a valve means with an electromagnetic valve.

  The liquid pressurization supply system in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes the pressurization gas supply flow path that communicates the pressurization chamber of the pressure transmission chamber and the liquid container from the pressurization chamber side. A one-way valve that allows only gas flow to the liquid container side is provided.

  According to this configuration, the pressurized gas does not flow back in the pressurized gas supply path from the liquid container side toward the pressurized chamber side of the pressure transmission chamber, and the internal pressure of the liquid container is inadvertent. A decrease can be prevented.

  A liquid ejecting apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes a liquid ejecting head capable of ejecting a liquid, a liquid container that receives a pressurized gas supplied to the liquid ejecting head and sends out the stored liquid, and a nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head. A cap capable of sealing the fluid, a pump capable of sucking the fluid discharged from the liquid jet head as waste liquid through the cap when the pump is operated, a waste liquid tank capable of collecting the fluid sucked by the pump as waste liquid, A liquid pressurizing and supplying system in the liquid ejecting apparatus having the above configuration.

  According to this configuration, there is no need to separately provide a pressurizing pump for pressurizing the liquid container, and the pressurized gas can be sent to the liquid container by using one pump for sucking waste liquid. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  In the liquid pressurization supply method in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes the liquid ejecting apparatus that includes the liquid accommodated in the liquid accommodating body based on the pressure of the pressurized gas by supplying the pressurized gas to the liquid accommodating body. A liquid pressurizing and supplying method in a liquid ejecting apparatus for delivering to a head side, wherein a pump configured to be able to suck fluid discharged from the liquid ejecting head as waste liquid through a cap based on a pump operation The pressure of the fluid discharged from the pump when the pump is actuated in the pressure transmission chamber partitioned through a flexible membrane into a pressurized chamber communicating with the pump and a pressurized chamber communicating with the liquid container. By flowing into the pressurizing chamber and bending and deforming the flexible membrane toward the pressurized chamber by the pressure of the fluid flowing into the pressurized chamber, the gas pressurized in the pressurized chamber is liquid And it is supplied to the container.

  According to this method, when the pressurized gas is sent to the liquid container, the pressurized gas can be sent to the liquid container by using one pump for sucking the waste liquid.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 10 as a liquid ejecting apparatus in the present embodiment includes a main body case 11 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A platen 12 is installed in the lower part of the main body case 11 along the longitudinal direction thereof. The platen 12 is a support table that supports paper as a target, and the paper fed mechanism discharges the paper fed from the paper feed tray from the paper discharge tray (not shown) to the outside of the main body case 11. It has become.

  Further, a guide shaft 13 is installed above the platen 12 in the main body case 11, and a carriage 14 is movably inserted and supported on the guide shaft 13. In addition, a carriage motor provided in the main body case 11 is connected to the carriage 14 via a timing belt (not shown) that is mounted on a pair of pulleys. Accordingly, the carriage 14 can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the printer 10 via the timing belt by driving the carriage motor while being guided by the guide shaft 13.

  A recording head 15 as a liquid ejecting head is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 14. A plurality of ejection nozzles 20 (see FIG. 2) are formed on the lower surface side of the recording head 15, and piezoelectric elements (not shown) are disposed in the recording head 15 so as to individually correspond to the nozzles. ing. Then, by driving and controlling each piezoelectric element, ink (liquid) is ejected from each nozzle toward the paper that reaches the lower side of the recording head 15. Further, a sub tank 16 (also referred to as a valve unit) for supplying ink to the recording head 15 is mounted on the carriage 14.

  In the main body case 11, a cartridge holder 17 is fixedly arranged at a position outside the moving space area of the carriage 14. A plurality (four in this embodiment) of ink cartridges 18 are detachably mounted on the cartridge holder 17. In this respect, the printer 10 of the present embodiment is not a so-called on-carriage type printer in which the ink cartridge 18 moves with the carriage 14, but is configured as a so-called off-carriage type printer 10 in which the ink cartridge 18 does not move on the printer 10. ing. Each ink cartridge 18 contains an ink pack (not shown) filled with ink (accommodating liquid).

  The ink cartridges 18 and the sub tanks 16 are arranged in the number of ink colors (for example, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan) (four in this embodiment), and the sub tanks 16 are provided for the respective colors via the ink supply tubes 19 for each color. The ink cartridge 18 is connected. Each sub tank 16 temporarily stores the ink taken from the ink cartridge 18, adjusts the stored ink to a predetermined pressure, and supplies it to the recording head.

  In the main body case 11, a flow path forming body 21 connected to each ink cartridge 18 is supported at a position on the platen 12 side of the cartridge holder 17. At the time of printing, the ink pack in the ink cartridge 18 that has been supplied with pressurized air is deformed so as to be crushed, so that the ink stored in the ink cartridge 18 is sent to the flow path forming body 21 side. It is like that.

  The flow path forming body 21 includes an attaching portion 21a formed on a substantially rectangular flat plate, and an extending portion 21b extending from the upper end portion of the attaching portion 21a to the center position in the main body case 11. . Four ink flow paths (not shown) for supplying ink to the ink cartridge 18 side are formed as liquid flow paths in the attachment portion 21a and the extension portion 21b, and an ink supply is provided at the tip of the extension portion 21b. The proximal end portion of the tube 19 is connected. Four ink flow paths (not shown) are formed in the ink supply tube 19 and communicate with the respective ink flow paths of the flow path forming body 21.

  The tip of the ink supply tube 19 is connected to the sub tank 16 on the carriage 14 through a connection member (not shown) in which four ink flow paths (not shown) are formed. Therefore, at the time of printing, the ink in the ink cartridge 18 passes from the corresponding ink flow paths of the flow path forming body 21 to the ink flow paths of the ink supply tubes 19, the ink flow paths of the connection members, and the sub tanks 16. , And supplied to the corresponding ejection nozzles 20 of the recording head 15, respectively.

  In the main body case 11, a cleaning mechanism 22 is provided at a position below the carriage 14 to discharge and discharge the thickened ink from the ejection nozzles 20 of the recording head 15 as waste liquid. The cleaning mechanism 22 includes a cap 23 that can seal the nozzle forming surface 15 a of the recording head 15, and a suction pump 24. Then, by driving the suction pump 24 in a state where the nozzle forming surface 15a of the recording head 15 is sealed with the cap 23, the waste ink is sucked from the nozzles in the recording head 15, and the ink is put into the cap 23. Through the waste liquid tank 25 (see FIG. 2).

Next, the configuration of the ink pressure supply system 31 that supplies pressurized gas to the ink cartridge 18 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ink pressure supply system 31 includes the ink cartridge 18, a suction pump 24, a waste liquid tank 25, and a pressure transmission chamber 32 provided between the suction pump 24 and the waste liquid tank 25. It is configured. A flexible film 33 made of an elastic material such as rubber is stretched in the pressure transmission chamber 32, and the pressure film 34 and ink communicating with the suction pump 24 and the waste liquid tank 25 by the flexible film 33. A pressurized chamber 35 communicating with the cartridge 18 is partitioned.

  The cap 23 and the pressurizing chamber 34 are connected by a suction channel 36, and the pressurizing chamber 34 and the waste liquid tank 25 are connected via a waste liquid discharge channel 37. The above-described suction pump 24 is interposed in the suction flow path 36, and an on-off valve (valve means) 38 formed of an electromagnetic valve is provided in the waste liquid discharge flow path 37. In the closed state (first valve state), the on-off valve 38 brings the pressurization chamber 34 and the waste liquid tank 25 into a non-communication state, and in the open state (second valve state), the pressurization chamber 34 and the waste liquid tank 25 Is in a communication state. Therefore, when the on-off valve 38 is open, the cap 23 to the waste liquid tank 25 are in communication with each other via the suction pump 24, the suction flow path 36, the pressurizing chamber 34, and the waste liquid discharge flow path 37.

  On the other hand, the pressurized chamber 35 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 and each ink cartridge 18 are connected by a pressurized air supply channel 39 serving as a pressurized gas supply channel. The pressurized air supply flow path 39 is provided with a check valve 41 as a one-way valve that allows only air flow to the ink cartridge 18 side. Furthermore, a pressure sensor 42 for detecting the internal pressure of the ink cartridge 18 is provided on the ink cartridge 18 side, which is downstream of the check valve 41 in the pressurized air supply flow path 39.

  The pressurized chamber 35 is connected to an air release channel 43 whose tip is open to the atmosphere. The atmosphere release channel 43 is provided with an atmosphere release valve 44 constituted by an electromagnetic valve. Yes. The air release valve 44 brings the pressurized chamber 35 into communication with the atmosphere in the open state, and brings the pressurized chamber 35 into non-communication with the atmosphere in the closed state.

Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 51 is provided in the printer 10. The control unit 51 includes a CPU 52 (control means), and a pressure sensor 42 is electrically connected to the CPU 52. Further, the CPU 52 is electrically connected to the cap 23, the suction pump 24, the on-off valve 38, and the air release valve 44, and the CPU 52 determines each of these based on the pressure value detected from the pressure sensor 42. The mechanism (cap 23, suction pump 24, on-off valve 38, atmospheric release valve 44) is driven and controlled.

  In addition, a ROM 53 and a RAM 54 are connected to the CPU 52. The ROM 53 stores a control program for ejecting each ink onto paper, a control program for controlling driving of the suction pump 24, and the like. The RAM 54 stores and manages various types of information (such as pressure values detected from the pressure sensor 42). The RAM 54 stores various information that can be appropriately rewritten during the operation of the printer 10. For example, the internal pressure of the ink cartridge 18 detected by the pressure sensor 42 is stored in the RAM 54.

Next, the operation of the printer 10 described above will be described with particular attention paid to the operation of the ink pressurization supply system 31.
First, when printing is started, the CPU 52 controls both the on-off valve 38 and the air release valve 44 to be closed, and then the suction pump 24 is driven. At this time, when the cap 23 is in a state where the nozzle forming surface 15a of the recording head 15 is sealed, first, the cap 23 is lowered to open the air to the non-sealing position with respect to the nozzle forming surface 15a. After setting the state, the suction pump 24 is driven. Then, due to the suction operation of the suction pump 24, the air (fluid) sucked through the cap 23 flows into the pressure chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 through the suction channel 36. And since the on-off valve 38 of the waste liquid discharge flow path 37 is closed, the air is stored in the pressure chamber 34 in a pressure accumulation state without flowing to the waste liquid tank 25 side.

  Then, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, the flexible film 33 is bent and deformed toward the pressurized chamber 35 by the pressure of the air stored in the pressurized chamber 34 in a pressure accumulation state. Then, the flexible membrane 33 bends toward the pressurized chamber 35, whereby the pressure in the pressurized chamber 35, which is closed by closing the air release valve 44, is increased. Pressurized air is pumped from the inside of the pressurizing chamber 35 to the ink cartridge 18 side through the pressurized air supply channel 39.

  Then, next, the CPU 52 controls both the air release valve 44 and the open / close valve 38 to the open state. Then, since the inside of the pressurized chamber 35 is opened to the atmosphere, the atmosphere flows into the pressurized chamber 35, and the flexible film 33 returns to the original horizontal state as shown by the solid line in FIG. To do. The air stored in the pressurizing chamber 34 in a pressure-accumulated state flows into the waste liquid tank 25 through the waste liquid discharge flow path 37 and enters the atmosphere through an evaporation opening (not shown) formed in the waste liquid tank 25. leak. At this time, the check valve 41 provided in the pressurized air supply passage 39 restricts the pressurized air from flowing back into the pressurized chamber 35 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 from the ink cartridge 18 side. Therefore, the internal pressure of the raised ink cartridge 18 is prevented from inadvertently decreasing.

  Then, when the atmosphere release valve 44 and the on-off valve 38 are both closed by the CPU 52 and the inside of the pressurized chamber 35 is sealed, the suction is performed by the suction pump 24 as described above. The air flows into the pressurizing chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32, and the air is stored in the pressurizing chamber 34 in a pressure accumulation state. Along with this, the flexible film 33 is bent and deformed toward the pressurized chamber 35, whereby the pressure in the pressurized chamber 35 is increased and the pressurized air in the pressurized chamber 35 is increased. Is pressure-fed to the ink cartridge 18 side through the pressurized air supply passage 39.

  As described above, the internal pressure of the ink cartridge 18 is gradually increased by repeatedly performing the operation of switching the air release valve 44 and the on-off valve 38 between the closed state and the open state while the suction pump 24 is driven. The pressure is increased to a predetermined pressure at which the ink can be sent from the inside 18 to the recording head 15 side. When the internal pressure of the ink cartridge 18 detected by the pressure sensor 42 reaches a predetermined pressure, the CPU 52 opens both the air release valve 44 and the open / close valve 38 to return the flexible film 33 to the original horizontal state. In this state, the driving of the suction pump 24 is stopped.

  On the other hand, when performing the cleaning operation of the ejection nozzle 20 of the recording head 15, both the open / close valve 38 and the atmosphere release valve 44 are controlled to be opened, and the cap 23 is raised and the cap 23 raises the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 15. The suction pump 24 is driven in a state where 15a is sealed. At this time, since the cap 23 to the waste liquid tank 25 are in communication with each other via the suction pump 24, the suction flow path 36, the pressurizing chamber 34, and the waste liquid discharge flow path 37, the suction head 24 drives the recording head 15. The ink (waste ink) discharged as the waste liquid is sucked by the suction pump 24 and then discharged from the suction pump 24 to the waste liquid tank 25 and is collected in the waste liquid tank 25 as the waste liquid. At this time, since the inside of the pressurized chamber 35 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 is in the atmosphere communication state, the flexible film 33 does not bend and deform toward the pressurized chamber 35 side.

  As described above, in the ink pressurization supply system 31 in the printer 10 of the present embodiment, one suction pump 24 for suctioning the waste liquid is suctioned at the time of cleaning in accordance with the switching control of the open / close valve 38 and the air release valve 44 by the CPU 52. This is effectively utilized as a combined suction pump 24 that performs both the operation and the pressurizing operation to the ink cartridge 18.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the above embodiment, when the air (fluid) sucked through the cap 23 by the pump operation of the suction pump 24 flows into the pressurizing chamber 34 of the pressure transmitting chamber 32, the flexible membrane 33 is formed. In order to bend and deform toward the pressurized chamber 35 side, the air in the pressurized chamber 35 is pressurized and fed to the ink cartridge 18 side via the pressurized air supply channel 39. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a pressure pump for pressurizing the ink cartridge 18 separately from the suction pump 24 used for waste liquid suction at the time of cleaning, and the ink cartridge 18 can be provided by using one suction pump 24. Pressurized air can be delivered. As a result, it is not necessary to secure a space for installing the two pumps (the pressure pump and the suction pump 24) in the printer 10, so that the printer 10 can be downsized accordingly.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the inside of the pressure transmission chamber 32 is partitioned by the flexible membrane 33 into the pressurizing chamber 34 communicating with the suction channel 36 and the pressurized chamber 35 not communicating with the suction channel 36. Is formed. For this reason, ink as waste liquid is not mixed in the pressurized chamber 35 communicating with the ink cartridge 18, and the pressurized air supply flow path 39 is prevented from being clogged with such ink. Pressurized air can be reliably pumped to the ink cartridge 18 side.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the on / off valve (valve means) 38 is controlled to be switched between the open state and the closed state by the CPU 52, so that the suction pump 24 and the waste liquid tank 25 can be easily brought into the communication state / non-communication state. The suction pump 24 can be effectively used for both the cleaning operation and the liquid pressurization supply.

  (4) In the embodiment described above, air (fluid) is sucked from the atmosphere by driving the suction pump 24 when the cap 23 is in a non-sealing position with respect to the nozzle forming surface 15a of the recording head 15. The flexible film 33 is bent and deformed by storing the air in the pressure chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 in an accumulated state. After that, the pressure-accumulated air from the pressurizing chamber 34 flows into the waste liquid tank 25 through the waste liquid discharge passage 37. Therefore, the suction pump 24 can be effectively used except during cleaning, and when the accumulated air passes through the waste liquid discharge flow path 37, ink clogging in the waste liquid discharge flow path 37 can be eliminated. I can expect.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the atmosphere release valve 44 is provided in the atmosphere release flow path 43 communicating with the pressurized chamber 35, and the atmosphere released valve 44 is opened, so that the pressurized chamber 35 side is opened. This makes it easy for the flexible film 33 in the deformed state to return to the original horizontal state. Therefore, when the pressurizing operation to the ink cartridge 18 is repeated, the flexible film 33 can be favorably deformed and returned.

(6) In the above embodiment, since the on-off valve 38 and the air release valve 44 are composed of electromagnetic valves, the responsiveness of the valve operation in each on-off control can be improved.
(7) In the above-described embodiment, the check air 41 as a one-way valve that allows only the gas flow to the ink cartridge 18 side is provided in the pressurized air supply flow path 39. For this reason, the pressurized air once supplied from the pressurized chamber 35 side of the pressure transmission chamber 32 to the ink cartridge 18 side passes through the pressurized air supply flow path 39 to the pressurized chamber 35 side of the pressure transmitting chamber 32. There is no backflow. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the internal pressure of the ink cartridge 18 from inadvertently decreasing due to such a backflow.

The above embodiment may be changed to another embodiment (another example) as follows.
In the above embodiment, the check valve 41 is not necessarily provided in the middle of the pressurized air supply flow path 39.

  In the above embodiment, the atmosphere release valve 44 and the opening / closing valve 38 are not electromagnetic valves controlled to be opened / closed by the CPU 52, but the opening / closing operation is performed by swinging the valve opening lever via a clutch mechanism or the like. Alternatively, the valve may be configured to be opened and closed by other actuators.

  In the above embodiment, the atmosphere release channel 43 and the atmosphere release valve 44 are not necessarily required. In this case, if the on-off valve 38 is opened, the pressurizing chamber 34 is in communication with the atmosphere via the waste liquid tank 25 having the evaporation opening, so that the flexible membrane 33 is returned to the original horizontal state. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, the waste liquid discharge flow path 37 is branched from the suction flow path 36 between the suction pump 24 and the pressure transmission chamber 32 without providing the on-off valve 38 in the middle of the waste liquid discharge flow path 37. The switching valve may be provided as a valve means at the branch point. The switching valve includes a first valve state in which the suction pump 24 and the waste liquid tank 25 are not in communication and the suction pump 24 and the pressurizing chamber 34 in the pressure transmission chamber 32 are in communication, and the suction pump 24 and the waste liquid. The control may be switched to the second valve state in which the tank 25 is in communication and the suction pump 24 and the pressure chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 are in non-communication. Even when configured in this manner, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, according to this configuration, since the waste ink does not flow into the pressurizing chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 even though air flows in, the pressure transmission chamber 32 is contaminated with the waste ink. Can be prevented.

  In the above embodiment, the recording head is operated by pumping the suction pump 24 with the cap 23 sealing the nozzle forming surface 15a of the recording head 15 while the on-off valve 38 and the air release valve 44 are closed. The ink that becomes the waste liquid is sucked from 15 and the flexible film 33 may be bent and deformed by the pressure when the ink flows into the pressurizing chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32. In this case, the on-off valve 38 and the air release valve 44 are opened for the waste ink which is stored in the pressurization chamber 34 of the pressure transmission chamber 32 in a pressure accumulation state to bend and deform the flexible film 33. When the flexible film 33 returns to the original horizontal state, it is collected into the waste liquid tank 25 via the waste liquid discharge channel 37.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 10 that ejects ink has been described as the liquid ejecting apparatus, but other liquid ejecting apparatuses may be used. For example, printing apparatuses including fax machines, copiers, etc., liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquids such as electrode materials and coloring materials used in the production of liquid crystal displays, EL displays, and surface-emitting displays, and bio-organic materials used in biochip manufacturing It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid or a sample ejecting apparatus as a precision pipette. Also, the liquid is not limited to ink, and may be applied to other liquids.

1 is a perspective view of a main part of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining an ink supply system to a recording head. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printer.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet printer as a liquid ejecting apparatus, 15 ... Recording head as a liquid ejecting head, 15a ... Nozzle formation surface, 18 ... Ink cartridge as a liquid container, 23 ... Cap, 24 ... Suction pump, 25 ... Waste liquid tank 31 ... Ink pressurization supply system as liquid pressurization supply system, 32 ... Pressure transmission chamber, 33 ... Flexible membrane, 34 ... Pressurization chamber, 35 ... Pressurized chamber, 38 ... Open / close valve as valve means 39 ... Pressurized air supply channel as a pressurized gas supply channel, 41 ... Check valve as one-way valve, 44 ... Atmospheric release valve, 52 ... CPU as control means.

Claims (8)

A liquid ejecting head capable of ejecting a liquid, a liquid container that receives supply of pressurized gas to the liquid ejecting head side and sends out the contained liquid, and a cap that can seal a nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head; Liquid in a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a pump capable of sucking fluid discharged from the liquid ejecting head as waste liquid through the cap when the pump is operated; and a waste liquid tank capable of collecting fluid sucked by the pump as waste liquid A pressurized supply system,
A pressure transmission chamber that allows inflow of fluid discharged from the pump when the pump is operated, and the pressure transmission chamber is a pressurized chamber that communicates with the pump and a pressurized fluid that communicates with the liquid container; A liquid that is partitioned into a pressure chamber via a flexible membrane, and the flexible membrane is bent and deformed toward the pressurized chamber side by the pressure of the fluid flowing into the pressurized chamber. Liquid pressurization supply system in an injection device. Provided between the pump and the waste liquid tank, and in the first valve state, the pump and the waste liquid tank are in a non-communication state and the pump and the pressurizing chamber are in a communication state. In the valve state, valve means for bringing the pump and the waste liquid tank into communication with each other;
2. The liquid pressurizing and supplying system in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the valve unit to switch to a first valve state or a second valve state. The said control means controls the said valve means to a 1st valve state, when the said cap exists in the position state which does not seal the nozzle formation surface of the said liquid ejecting head. A liquid pressure supply system in a liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid pressurization supply in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an air release valve that opens the pressurized chamber to an atmosphere open state when the open state is established. system. 5. The liquid pressurizing and supplying system in a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the air release valve and the valve means is an electromagnetic valve. One direction that allows only the flow of gas from the pressurized chamber side to the liquid container side in the middle of the pressurized gas supply channel that communicates the pressurized chamber of the pressure transmission chamber and the liquid container. The valve is provided, The liquid pressurization supply system in the liquid ejecting apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. A liquid ejecting head capable of ejecting a liquid, a liquid container that receives supply of pressurized gas to the liquid ejecting head side and sends out the contained liquid, and a cap that can seal a nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head; A pump capable of sucking fluid discharged from the liquid jet head as waste liquid through a cap when the pump is operated, a waste liquid tank capable of collecting fluid sucked by the pump as waste liquid, and any one of claims 1 to 6 A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the liquid pressurizing and supplying system in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1. By supplying the pressurized gas to the liquid container, the liquid container in the liquid ejecting apparatus is configured such that the liquid container sends out the contained liquid to the liquid ejecting head provided in the liquid ejecting apparatus based on the pressure of the pressurized gas. A pressure supply method,
A pressure chamber that communicates with the pump the pressure of the fluid discharged from the pump by the pump configured to be able to suck the fluid discharged from the liquid jet head as waste liquid through the cap based on the pump operation. And a pressurized chamber that communicates with the liquid container, and flows into the pressurizing chamber in a pressure transmission chamber partitioned through a flexible membrane, and the pressure is allowed by the pressure of the fluid that has flowed into the pressurized chamber. Liquid pressurization in a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein a gas pressurized in the pressurized chamber is supplied to the liquid container by bending and deforming the flexible film toward the pressurized chamber. Supply method.

Images