JP2009190352A - Fluid injection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To replace a fluid in an injection head at a proper timing. <P>SOLUTION: A fluid in a container is injected from an injection head, and outside the injection head, a fluid storage is provided. When the fluid is stored in this fluid storage, at least a part of components of the fluid can be exchanged with the air, and thereby the fluid in the fluid storage can be reduced as time advances. Then, when the fluid in the fluid storage is reduced by a predetermined amount, the liquid in the injection head is replaced with that in the container. The fluid storage and the injection head are exposed to nearly the same environment, and the same can be said for the inside fluids. A reduction of the fluid in the fluid storage and a change of properties of the fluid in the injection head, therefore, have a strong correlation with each other. Thus, if the fluid in the injection head is replaced from the fact that the fluid in the fluid storage is reduced by the predetermined amount, the fluid in the injection head can be replaced only when the properties of the fluid are changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for ejecting fluid from an ejection head.

  Printers (so-called inkjet printers) that print an image by ejecting ink onto a print medium are widely used as image output means today because they can easily print high-quality images. In addition, by applying this technology, various fluids prepared in appropriate components (for example, liquids in which fine particles of functional materials are dispersed and semi-fluids such as gels) are jetted onto the substrate instead of ink. If so, various precision parts such as electrodes, sensors, and biochips can be easily manufactured.

  In such a technique, a dedicated ejection head provided with a fine ejection port is used so that an accurate amount of fluid can be ejected to an accurate position, and the fluid supplied to the ejection head is used. It sprays from the spray port. In addition, in order to fully demonstrate the performance of the ejection head and eject an accurate amount of fluid to an accurate position, the properties of the fluid supplied to the ejection head are also managed so as to be within a predetermined allowable range. It is important to keep it.

  On the other hand, the properties of the fluid supplied to the ejection head gradually change over time due to evaporation of moisture in the fluid or volatilization of volatile components. Therefore, in the ink jet printer, there is a technique for keeping the property (in this case, the viscosity) of the ink in the ejection head within a predetermined allowable range by periodically discharging the ink in the ejection head and replacing it with new ink. It has been developed (Patent Document 1). In addition, if the frequency of replacing the ink in the ejecting head increases, the ink consumption increases, so the temperature and humidity are measured and the ink in the ejecting head is only suspected to increase in ink viscosity. There has also been proposed a technique for replacing the ink with new ink (Patent Document 2).

JP-A-4-255361 JP-A-6-270418

  However, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately grasp the properties of the fluid supplied into the ejection head even if the temperature and humidity are measured. The reason for this will be described with reference to an ink jet printer. The ink jet printer is not used in an environment where temperature and humidity are kept constant. Moreover, the degree of ink evaporation varies not only with temperature and humidity, but also with the concentration of ink at that time (how much evaporation has progressed). In addition, the ink may absorb moisture depending on the relationship between the ink density and the humidity. For this reason, even if temperature and humidity are measured, it is difficult to accurately grasp the concentration of ink in the ejection head (that is, the properties of the fluid), and as a result, the frequency with which the fluid in the ejection head is replaced is determined. There was a problem that it could not be sufficiently suppressed.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and is a technique capable of accurately grasping the properties of the fluid in the ejection head and suppressing the consumption of fluid. For the purpose of provision.

In order to solve at least a part of the problems described above, the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is,
A fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid from the ejecting head by guiding the fluid in the container to the ejecting head,
A fluid reservoir that retains the fluid outside the ejection head in a state where at least some of the components contained in the fluid can communicate with the atmosphere;
Fluid decrease detecting means for detecting that the fluid in the fluid reservoir has decreased by a predetermined amount;
And a fluid discharging means for discharging the fluid in the ejection head when it is detected that the fluid in the fluid reservoir has decreased by the predetermined amount.

  In the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, the fluid in the container can be ejected from the ejecting head, but a fluid reservoir for accumulating fluid is also provided outside the ejecting head. In addition, the fluid reservoir is configured so that at least a part of the components contained in the fluid can communicate with the atmosphere when the fluid is accumulated. Therefore, the fluid accumulated in the fluid reservoir is It may decrease with the progress of. When the fluid in the fluid reservoir is reduced by a predetermined amount, the fluid in the ejection head is discharged, and as a result, the fluid in the container can be replaced.

  Since it is difficult to completely shut off the fluid guided to the ejection head from the atmosphere, at least some of the components contained in the fluid evaporate or volatilize in the atmosphere over a long period of time. In some cases, atmospheric components may be absorbed into the fluid. As a result, if the property of the fluid in the ejection head changes, it becomes difficult to eject the fluid normally, and thus the fluid in the ejection head needs to be discharged. However, since the fluid in the container is reduced when the fluid in the ejection head is discharged, it is not desirable to discharge the fluid unnecessarily. Here, the fluid reservoir and the ejection head are exposed to substantially the same environment, and the fluid accumulated in the fluid reservoir and the fluid supplied into the ejection head are the same fluid. Therefore, the decrease in fluid caused by the fluid in the fluid reservoir exchanging some components with the atmosphere and the change in properties caused by the fluid in the ejection head exchanging some components with the atmosphere are: There seems to be a strong correlation with each other. Therefore, if the fluid in the ejection head is discharged based on a decrease in the fluid in the fluid reservoir by a predetermined amount, the fluid is discharged only when the property of the fluid in the ejection head changes. It becomes possible.

  In the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, the time required for the fluid in the fluid reservoir to decrease by a predetermined amount is measured, and the fluid supplied to the ejecting head is measured based on the obtained decreasing time. Information on the evaporation rate may be acquired.

  This is preferable because it is possible to accurately grasp the evaporation rate of the fluid rather than estimating based on temperature, humidity, and the like.

  In the above-described fluid ejection device of the present invention, a discharge valve for discharging the fluid accumulated in the fluid reservoir may be provided in the fluid reservoir.

  If a drain valve is provided in the fluid reservoir, the fluid in the fluid reservoir can be drained by opening the drain valve. For this reason, even if the properties of the fluid accumulated in the fluid reservoir change and differ from the properties of the fluid in the ejection head, the fluid is discharged from the discharge valve, and new fluid is accumulated. If it does, it becomes possible to make the property of the fluid of a fluid reservoir part close to the property of the fluid in an ejection head.

  In the above-described fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, in order to avoid the property of the fluid supplied to the ejecting head from deteriorating beyond a predetermined allowable limit, the fluid is ejected from the ejecting head. The discharged fluid may be stored in the fluid reservoir.

  In this way, it is possible to avoid excessive consumption of fluid in order to store fluid in the fluid reservoir.

  Further, at this time, from the ejection head, the first specified amount of fluid is ejected and discharged, and the maximum capacity that can be stored in the fluid reservoir is set to be smaller than the first specified amount. You can keep it.

  In this way, in order to avoid the property of the fluid supplied to the ejection head from deteriorating beyond a predetermined allowable limit, each time the fluid is ejected from the ejection head and discharged, the fluid reservoir has a maximum capacity. It can be set as the state which the fluid accumulated. If this state is set as an initial state, it is possible to detect that the fluid has decreased by a predetermined amount only by detecting that the fluid in the fluid reservoir has decreased to a predetermined volume.

  Alternatively, the above-described fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention may be configured as follows. That is, in order to avoid the property of the fluid supplied to the ejection head from deteriorating beyond a predetermined allowable limit, the fluid is sucked and discharged from the ejection head, and the discharged fluid is discharged to the fluid reservoir. You may make it accumulate.

  Even if it does in this way, in order to accumulate the fluid in the fluid reservoir, it becomes possible to avoid that the fluid is consumed excessively.

  Also, when the fluid is sucked and discharged from the ejection head, the maximum volume that can be stored in the fluid reservoir is reduced to a volume smaller than the second volume by sucking the second volume of fluid. You may set it.

  In this way, in order to prevent the property of the fluid supplied to the ejection head from deteriorating beyond a predetermined allowable limit, each time the fluid is sucked and discharged from the ejection head, the fluid reservoir has a maximum capacity. It can be set as the state which the fluid accumulated. If this state is set as an initial state, it is possible to detect that the fluid has decreased by a predetermined amount only by detecting that the fluid in the fluid reservoir has decreased to a predetermined volume.

  Further, in order to avoid the property of the fluid in the ejection head from deteriorating beyond a predetermined allowable limit, the capacity of the fluid reservoir is set to be smaller than that of the fluid discharged from the ejection head. The fluid ejecting apparatus may be configured as follows. First, in order to avoid deterioration of the properties of the fluid in the ejection head, a waste fluid tank into which the fluid discharged from the ejection head flows is provided. The fluid discharged from the ejection head may be stored in the fluid reservoir, and further, the fluid overflowing from the fluid reservoir may flow into the waste fluid tank. For example, the fluid reservoir may be provided above the waste fluid tank so that the fluid overflowing from the fluid reservoir falls into the waste fluid tank, or the fluid overflowing from the fluid reservoir is removed from the waste fluid tank. A passage leading to the tank may be formed, and the fluid may flow into the waste fluid tank through this passage.

  This is convenient because the fluid discharged from the ejection head automatically flows into the waste fluid tank even if it overflows from the fluid reservoir.

Hereinafter, in order to clarify the contents of the present invention described above, examples will be described in the following order.
A. Device configuration:
A-1. Configuration of fluid ejection device:
A-2. Maintenance mechanism configuration:
B. Flushing operation of this embodiment:
C. Cleaning operation of this embodiment:
D. Variations:
D-1. First modification:
D-2. Second modification:

A. Device configuration :
A-1. Configuration of fluid ejection device:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a rough configuration of a fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment using a so-called ink jet printer as an example. As illustrated, the inkjet printer 10 includes a carriage 20 that forms ink dots on the print medium 2 while reciprocating in the main scanning direction, a drive mechanism 30 that reciprocates the carriage 20, and a paper sheet of the print medium 2. It comprises a platen roller 40 for feeding and a maintenance mechanism 100 for performing maintenance so that printing can be performed normally. In the carriage 20, an ink cartridge 26 that contains ink, a carriage case 22 in which the ink cartridge 26 is mounted, and an ejection head that is mounted on the bottom surface side (side facing the print medium 2) of the carriage case 22 and ejects ink. 24 and the like, and the ink in the ink cartridge 26 is guided to the ejection head 24, and the ink is ejected from the ejection head 24 to the print medium 2 by an accurate amount, so that an image is printed. Yes.

  The drive mechanism 30 that reciprocates the carriage 20 includes a guide rail 38 that extends in the main scanning direction, a timing belt 32 that has a plurality of teeth formed therein, a drive pulley 34 that meshes with the teeth of the timing belt 32, A step motor 36 for driving the drive pulley 34 and the like are included. A part of the timing belt 32 is fixed to the carriage case 22, and the carriage case 22 can be moved along the guide rail 38 by driving the timing belt 32. Further, since the timing belt 32 and the drive pulley 34 are engaged with each other by a tooth shape, when the drive pulley 34 is driven by the step motor 36, the carriage case 22 can be accurately moved according to the drive amount. .

  The platen roller 40 that feeds the print medium 2 is driven by a drive motor or a gear mechanism (not shown), and can feed the print medium 2 by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction.

  The maintenance mechanism 100 is provided in a region called a home position outside the printing region, and is wiped against the surface of the ejection head 24 or the bottom surface side of the ejection head 24 and pressed against the ejection head 24. A cap part 140 that forms a sealed space therebetween, a suction pump 150 connected to the sealed space of the cap part 140, and a flushing receiving part 110 that receives ink discharged from the ejection head 24 periodically or as necessary. It is configured. A waste liquid tank 120 is also provided below the flushing receiving portion 110 and the suction pump 150. When printing is not performed, the carriage 20 is moved to the home position, and the cap unit 140 is pressed to form a sealed space on the bottom surface of the ejection head 24. A minute ejection nozzle for ejecting ink is opened on the bottom surface of the ejection head 24. By forming a sealed space by pressing the cap portion 140, the viscosity of the ejection head 24 increases due to drying of the ink. Can be prevented.

  However, even if the cap unit 140 is pressed against the ejection head 24 to prevent the ink from drying, the ink properties change (especially the viscosity increases) as the moisture and volatile components in the ink gradually decrease over time. )Resulting in. Therefore, in the case of slight increase in viscosity, the ejection head 24 is moved to the position of the flushing receiving portion 110, and an operation (flushing operation) for ejecting the thickened ink in the ejection head 24 is performed. The property of the ink in 24 is restored to a normal state. In addition, if the ink has not been recovered by the flushing operation or if the ink has increased in viscosity due to the fact that the ink jet printer 10 has not been used for a long period of time, the suction pump 150 is operated to close the sealed space. By setting the negative pressure, an operation (cleaning operation) of sucking out the ink inside the ejection head 24 from the ejection nozzle is performed. The ink discharged by these flushing operations and cleaning operations is stored in the waste liquid tank 120. Further, after the cleaning operation, the ink is attached to the lower surface side of the ejection head 24. If the ink is left as it is, the ejection nozzle may be clogged or the print surface of the print medium may become dirty. Cause. Therefore, after the cleaning operation, the ink attached to the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 is wiped using the wiper blade 130.

A-2. Maintenance mechanism configuration:
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the maintenance mechanism 100 mounted on the inkjet printer 10 of this embodiment. As described above, the maintenance mechanism 100 is provided with the cap portion 140, and the cap portion 140 is provided with a cam mechanism (not shown). When the carriage 20 is moved to the home position by driving the step motor 36, the cap unit 140 is pushed up by the cam mechanism and pressed against the bottom surface of the ejection head 24, so that a sealed space is formed between the ejection head 24 and the cap unit 140. Is to be formed. In FIG. 2, the wiper blade 130 is not shown.

  A suction pump 150 is connected to the bottom of the cap unit 140. When the suction pump 150 is operated with the cap unit 140 pressed against the bottom surface of the ejection head 24, the suction nozzle 150 is ejected from the ejection nozzle provided on the bottom surface of the ejection head 24. The ink is sucked out, and the sucked ink flows into a waste liquid tank 120 provided below the suction pump 150. An ink absorbing material 122 is provided in the waste liquid tank 120, and the ink that has flowed in is temporarily absorbed by the absorbing material 122 and then evaporated to be processed.

  As shown in the drawing, a first ink reservoir 142 is provided in the waste liquid tank 120 of the present embodiment at a position where ink is discharged from the suction pump 150. The first ink reservoir 142 is a container having an opening on the upper surface side, and an opening / closing valve 146 is provided at the bottom. When the ink in the ejection head 24 is sucked from the suction pump 150 with the on-off valve 146 closed, the ink discharged from the suction pump 150 is stored in the first ink reservoir 142. Further, the first ink reservoir 142 is provided with a liquid level sensor 144. By detecting the amount of ink accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142, the ink in the ejection head 24 increases in viscosity. It is possible to detect the degree to which it is present with high accuracy. This point will be described in detail later.

  A flushing receiving portion 110 is also provided on the path of the carriage 20 at a position adjacent to the cap portion 140. At the time of the flushing operation, the step motor 36 is driven to move the carriage 20 to the position of the flushing receiving portion 110, and then ink is simultaneously ejected from the plurality of ejection nozzles provided in the ejection head 24 toward the flushing receiving portion 110. Spray. The bottom of the flushing receiving part 110 is connected to the waste liquid tank 120 by a tube, and the ink ejected to the flushing receiving part 110 is guided to the waste liquid tank 120 and absorbed by the absorbent in the waste liquid tank 120 and then evaporated. Is processed.

  Further, as shown in the drawing, in the present embodiment, the second ink reservoir 112 is also provided in the flushing receiver 110. The second ink reservoir 112 is also a container having an opening on the upper surface side, and an opening / closing valve 116 is provided at the bottom. Ink can be stored in the second ink reservoir 112 by closing the on-off valve 116. Further, a liquid level sensor 114 is also provided in the second ink reservoir 112, and by detecting the amount of ink accumulated in the second ink reservoir 112, the ink in the ejection head 24 increases in viscosity. It is possible to detect the degree to which it is present with high accuracy. In the following, a description will be given of how the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment performs the flushing operation or the cleaning operation by accurately detecting the degree of thickening of the ink in the ejection head 24.

B. Flushing operation of this embodiment:
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing executed when the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment performs the flushing operation. This process is automatically started when power is supplied to the inkjet printer 10. When the flushing process is started, first, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time since the previous flushing operation or cleaning operation has reached a predetermined specified time (step S100).

  The elapsed time is measured as follows. First, the time measurement continues even during image printing. Of course, the ink is ejected from the ejection head 24 during the printing of the image, and no thickening of the ink occurs at the nozzle that ejects the ink. However, during image printing, ink is not necessarily ejected from all ejection nozzles, and thickening can occur in nozzles that have not been ejected. Therefore, the elapsed time is measured even during image printing. In contrast, while the ejection head 24 is retracted to the home position and the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 is sealed with the cap portion 140, the elapsed time is not counted. This is because the thickening of the ink at the ejection nozzle is considered to be very slight while the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 is sealed with the cap portion 140.

  When the flushing operation or the cleaning operation is completed, the passage of time is measured in this way, and it is determined whether or not the elapsed time reaches a predetermined specified time. The specified time is typically set to about 9 seconds. If the elapsed time does not reach the predetermined specified time (step S100: no), it is determined whether or not the ink level accumulated in the second ink reservoir 112 has been lowered to the level sensor position. (Step S102). Here, the second ink reservoir 112 is a small container provided in the flushing receptacle 110 as described above with reference to FIG. Further, a liquid level sensor 114 such as a Hall element is provided on the side surface of the second ink reservoir 112, and the liquid level of the ink accumulated in the second ink reservoir 112 can be detected. ing. Of course, as long as the liquid level sensor 114 can detect the liquid level of the ink in the second ink reservoir 112, it is not limited to the Hall element, but various sensors such as an optical element or an element that detects a change in capacitance. It is possible to apply.

  In the ink jet printer 10 of the present embodiment, ink is supplied into the second ink reservoir 112 by a method to be described later, and when the ink jet printer 10 is turned off for a long time, etc. In the normal state, the liquid level of the second ink reservoir 112 is above the liquid level sensor 114. Therefore, in most cases, “no” is determined in step S102, and it is determined again whether or not the specified time has elapsed (step S100). When the flushing process is started, whether the specified time has passed in this way (step S100) and whether the ink level in the second ink reservoir 112 has been lowered to the position of the liquid level sensor 114 (step S100). The determination in S102) is repeated.

  If it is determined that the elapsed time has reached a predetermined specified time while repeating such determination (step S100: yes), periodic flushing is executed (step S104). As described above, since the time has elapsed even during image printing, even when the image is being printed, if the elapsed time reaches a predetermined time, printing is temporarily interrupted and periodic flushing is performed. Will be done.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment performs regular flushing. As shown in the figure, in the regular flushing, after the carriage 20 is moved to the position of the flushing receiving portion 110, ink is ejected all at once from all the ejection nozzles provided on the bottom surface of the ejection head 24. If ink is ejected from all the ejection nozzles in this way, even if there are ejection nozzles that are not used during image printing, it is possible to avoid increasing the viscosity of the ink at such nozzles. It is possible to keep the spray nozzle in a normal state. Further, as shown in the drawing, the second ink reservoir 112 is provided at a position where ink does not enter the second ink reservoir 112 even when ink is ejected all at once from all the ejection nozzles. ing. When the regular flushing operation is finished, the carriage 20 is immediately returned to the printing area, and the interrupted printing is resumed.

  The flushing receiver 110 is provided with an absorbent material (not shown). The ink ejected by the flushing operation is once absorbed by the absorbent material and then discharged from the bottom of the flushing receiver 110 to the waste liquid tank 120. The

  Even during printing of images while performing regular flushing in this way, water and volatile components gradually evaporate from the ink stored in the second ink reservoir 112, and accordingly, in the second ink reservoir 112. The ink level of the ink drops. Then, when it is determined that the ink level has dropped to the position of the liquid level sensor 114 provided in the second ink reservoir 112 (step S102: yes), heavy flushing that ejects a larger amount of ink than regular flushing is performed. To start.

  In starting heavy flushing, first, the on-off valve 116 provided at the bottom of the second ink reservoir 112 is opened (step S106). Then, the ink remaining in the second ink reservoir 112 is discharged to the waste liquid tank 120 through the on-off valve 116. However, there may be a case where the ink remaining in the second ink reservoir 112 is thickened and cannot be discharged immediately. Therefore, after opening the on-off valve 116, it is determined whether or not a predetermined opening time has elapsed (step S108), and a standby state is entered until the opening time has elapsed. The opening time of the on-off valve 116 is typically set to about 2 seconds. Since the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 is lowered to the position of the liquid level sensor 114, the remaining ink is not so much. Therefore, if the on-off valve 116 is opened for about 2 seconds, all the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 can be discharged. In FIG. 5, in response to the ink level in the second ink reservoir 112 dropping to the position of the liquid level sensor 114, the on-off valve 116 is opened, and the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 is discharged from the waste liquid tank. The state of being discharged to 120 is shown.

  When the opening time of the on-off valve 116 reaches a predetermined opening time (step S108: yes), it is considered that the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 has been discharged, and thus the on-off valve 116 is closed. (Step S110). Subsequently, heavy flushing is performed toward the second ink reservoir 112 while moving and positioning the ejection head 24. This is the following operation. First, a plurality of ejection nozzles are provided on the bottom surface of the ejection head 24. These ejection nozzles are formed in a plurality of rows over a relatively wide range. On the other hand, the opening of the second ink reservoir 112 is much narrower than the range in which the ejection nozzles are distributed. For this reason, for example, when ink is ejected simultaneously from all the ejection nozzles as in the case of the periodic flushing shown in FIG. 4, only a small amount of ink can be received by the second ink reservoir 112. Therefore, as the ink is ejected from the ejection nozzle for each nozzle row, the flushing operation is performed while positioning the ejection head 24 so that the position of the ejected nozzle row comes to the opening of the second ink reservoir 112. is there.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which heavy flushing is performed toward the second ink reservoir 112 while positioning the ejection head 24. In FIG. 6A, the head nozzle row formed at the extreme end of the ejection head 24 is positioned above the opening of the second ink reservoir 112 and ink is ejected from the ejection nozzle. The situation is shown. As described above, at this stage, the on-off valve 116 is closed, so that the ink ejected from the ejection nozzles accumulates in the second ink reservoir 112. Also, in heavy flushing, a larger amount of ink is ejected than in the case of regular flushing described above. In FIG. 6, it is indicated that heavy flushing is performed by positioning one nozzle row at a time. However, according to the arrangement of the ejection nozzles formed on the bottom surface of the ejection head 24, a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged. It is also possible to eject ink (for example, every two rows).

  Thus, if ink is ejected for each nozzle row while positioning the ejection head 24 with respect to the second ink reservoir 112, the second ink reservoir 112 will eventually become full and ejected from the last nozzle row. The ink overflows from the second ink reservoir 112. FIG. 6B shows a state in which the ink ejected from the last nozzle row overflows from the second ink reservoir 112 and flows into the flushing receiver 110. The ink that has flowed into the flushing receiving part 110 is absorbed by the absorbent in the flushing receiving part 110 and is then discharged to the waste liquid tank 120.

  In step S112 of FIG. 4, as described above, heavy flushing is performed for each nozzle row by ejecting ink toward the second ink reservoir 112 while positioning the ejection head 24. When the heavy flushing is finished for all the nozzle rows, the second ink reservoir 112 is in a state filled with ink.

  When the heavy flushing is thus completed, it is determined whether or not the power of the inkjet printer 10 has been turned off (step S114). If the power has not been turned off (step S114: no), after returning to the top of the process, The above-described series of processing is repeated. That is, when a predetermined prescribed time has elapsed since the completion of the regular flushing or heavy flushing operation or the cleaning operation (step S100: yes), the regular flushing described above with reference to FIG. 4 is performed (step S104). Further, as a result of performing the above-described heavy flushing, the second ink reservoir 112 is in a state of being filled with ink. However, since the upper surface side of the second ink reservoir 112 is in contact with the atmosphere, the water and volatile components of the ink evaporate over time, and the ink level of the second ink reservoir 112 decreases. . When the ink level falls below the position of the level sensor 114 provided in the second ink reservoir 112 (step S102: yes), the on-off valve 116 is opened as shown in FIG. After the ink accumulated in the ink reservoir 112 is discharged (step S110), as shown in FIG. 6, heavy flushing is performed while positioning the ejection head 24 (step S112).

  As described above, in the inkjet printer 10 according to the present embodiment, the periodic flushing is performed every time a predetermined time elapses. However, with the heavy flushing, a certain amount of ink collected in the second ink reservoir 112 is obtained. Only every time it evaporates. Since heavy flushing discharges a larger amount of ink than regular flushing, it is desirable not to execute it more than necessary from the viewpoint of suppressing ink consumption. In this regard, in the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the timing for performing the heavy flushing is determined based on the timing at which a certain amount of the ink accumulated in the second ink reservoir 112 evaporates. Only it will be possible to properly perform heavy flushing. This point will be described in detail below.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the ink jet printer 10 according to the present embodiment prevents the ink in the ejection head 24 from thickening by performing regular flushing every time a predetermined time elapses. ing. However, even if regular flushing is performed, the ink in the ejection head 24 can gradually thicken for a long time for various reasons. For example, as described above, periodic flushing is performed after a certain period of time, even during image printing, because printing is interrupted and executed from the viewpoint of quickly printing an image. It is not preferable to apply. Further, since regular flushing is frequently performed, from the viewpoint of suppressing ink consumption, it is not preferable that the amount of ink ejected by regular flushing is large. For this reason, the regular flushing tends to be performed in a state where the amount of ink to be ejected is suppressed as much as possible in a short time. As a result, the viscosity of the ink in the ejection head 24 cannot be completely recovered by only the regular flushing, and a situation may occur in which the ink gradually increases with time.

  While the image is not printed, the carriage 20 is retracted to the home position. In this state, since the cap part 140 is pressed against the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 and is in a sealed state, it is possible to suppress evaporation of moisture and volatile components of the ink from the ejection nozzles provided in the ejection head 24. Is possible. However, even when the cap portion 140 is pressed, the water and volatile components in the ink evaporate little by little, so that the ink of the ejection head 24 can thicken for a long time.

  After all, for these various reasons, it is not possible to completely prevent the ink thickening of the ejection head 24 by only regular flushing. Therefore, heavy flushing that can recover the ink viscosity more completely is required. As described above, since a large amount of ink is consumed when heavy flushing is performed, regular flushing is performed while the regular flushing is available, and the viscosity increase of the ink in the ejection head 24 proceeds to a certain extent. It is desirable to perform heavy flushing only when the viscosity of the ink cannot be recovered by regular flushing.

  However, as described above, since the thickening of the ink in the ejection head 24 proceeds due to various causes, it is difficult to accurately grasp how far the thickening of the ink has progressed. Of course, there are known qualitative tendencies, such as “when the temperature is high, the thickening tends to proceed” or “when the humidity is low, the thickening proceeds easily”, but in the environment where the inkjet printer 10 is used, the temperature and humidity Is changing every moment. In addition, even in the environment of the same temperature and the same humidity, the ease of increasing the viscosity changes depending on the ink state at that time. In other words, if the ink is new, the water and volatile components of the ink will evaporate more and more, so the viscosity will increase. Conversely, if the ink has increased to a certain extent, the evaporation will slow down and the viscosity will increase. The speed is thought to be slow. Furthermore, depending on the relationship between the humidity of the atmosphere and the degree of thickening of the ink, the ink may absorb moisture in the atmosphere and the viscosity of the ink may decrease.

  As described above, the thickening of the ink is a phenomenon that proceeds while temperature and humidity that change every moment, the state of the ink that changes thereby, and various causes acting on them. For this reason, even if temperature and humidity are measured, it is difficult to grasp the degree to which the ink of the ejection head 24 is thickened.

  On the other hand, in the ink jet printer 10 of this embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, the ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112, and only a certain amount of ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112. Every time it evaporates, heavy flushing is performed. The ink stored in the second ink reservoir 112 and the ink in the ejection head 24 are exactly the same ink supplied from the same ink cartridge 26. Moreover, since both the ejection head 24 and the second ink reservoir 112 are mounted on the same ink jet printer 10, it is naturally exposed to almost the same environment. For this reason, it is considered that the ink in the ejection head 24 and the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 have a very high correlation of the degree of thickening. Further, the degree of thickening of the ink accumulated in the second ink reservoir 112 can be grasped very easily and with sufficient accuracy from the amount of ink evaporation (volume reduction amount). Therefore, if an appropriate evaporation amount is set in advance and the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 evaporates by the set evaporation amount, heavy flushing is performed. It is possible to execute heavy flushing at a timing when the ink thickening of the ejection head 24 progresses to a difficult level.

  In the ink jet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the ink ejected by heavy flushing is stored in the second ink reservoir 112. The ink ejected by heavy flushing is only processed in the waste liquid tank 120. Therefore, if this ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112 and the timing of heavy flushing is determined, the ink consumption due to heavy flushing can be suppressed while effectively using the discarded ink.

  Further, as described above with reference to FIG. 6, the second ink reservoir 112 of this embodiment is set to a small volume so that the ink overflows when receiving all the ink ejected by heavy flushing. Yes. For this reason, since the second ink reservoir 112 is always filled with ink after heavy flushing, it is only necessary to provide a liquid level sensor 114 at one location and monitor the ink level. It is possible to easily determine whether or not a certain amount of ink has evaporated.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 5, the second ink reservoir 112 of this embodiment is provided with a liquid level sensor 114 at a position slightly above the bottom. Since the ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112, the components in the ink may precipitate on the bottom of the second ink reservoir 112 while the inkjet printer 10 is used for a long period of time. Can happen. However, since the liquid level sensor 114 is provided at a position slightly above the bottom of the second ink reservoir 112, it is possible to avoid a situation in which it is difficult to detect the ink level even if sediment is accumulated at the bottom. It becomes possible to do.

  In addition, an opening / closing valve 116 is provided at the bottom of the second ink reservoir 112 of this embodiment. When ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112 by performing heavy flushing, first, the on-off valve 116 is opened to discharge the ink in the second ink reservoir 112, and then the on-off valve 116 is opened. The ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112 by closing. Of course, if only the ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112, a new ink may be added on the old ink, but this will leave the old ink indefinitely. For this reason, the old ink is solidified, the bottom of the second ink reservoir 112 gradually rises, and eventually the liquid level sensor 114 is buried, and the ink level may not be detected. Alternatively, old ink and new ink may be mixed, and the viscosity of the entire ink in the second ink reservoir 112 may increase from the beginning, and the correlation with the ink in the ejection head 24 may deteriorate. On the other hand, in the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment, before the ink is stored in the second ink reservoir 112, the on-off valve 116 is opened to discharge the old ink, and then new ink is stored. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the possibility that these problems will occur.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6, in the flushing process of this embodiment, when the on-off valve 116 of the second ink reservoir 112 is opened and the accumulated ink is discharged, the on-off valve 116 is closed. In the above description, it is assumed that heavy flushing is performed to collect ink in the second ink reservoir 112. However, heavy flushing may be started before the on-off valve 116 is closed, and the on-off valve 116 may be closed in the middle of heavy flushing. By so doing, even if the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 is thickened, it can be discharged from the on-off valve 116 by washing away with new ink ejected by heavy flushing. For this reason, it is possible to keep the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 in the same state as the ink in the ejection head 24. As a result, the degree of viscosity increase of the ink in the ejection head 24 can be accurately determined. It is possible to grasp and perform heavy flushing at an appropriate timing.

  Also, in general, in an ink jet printer, when ink thickening has progressed to such an extent that it cannot be recovered by heavy flushing, an operation called cleaning that forcibly sucks out the ink in the ejection head 24 using a suction pump Is done. Since this cleaning operation also consumes a large amount of ink, it is desirable to perform it only when it is really necessary, as in the case of the heavy flushing described above. The idea of determining the execution timing of heavy flushing based on the evaporation amount of ink stored in the container can be applied very effectively even when determining the execution timing of the cleaning operation. In the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment, a cleaning operation is performed based on such an idea. Hereinafter, a process in which the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment performs a cleaning operation will be described.

C. Cleaning operation of this embodiment:
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of processing executed when the inkjet printer 10 of this embodiment performs a cleaning operation. Similar to the flushing process described above with reference to FIG. 3, this process is also a process that starts automatically when power is supplied to the inkjet printer 10. However, unlike the above-described flushing process, in order to start the cleaning process of FIG. 7, the carriage 20 is retracted to the home position and the cap unit 140 is pressed against the bottom surface of the ejection head 24. It is assumed that

  When the cleaning process is started, first, it is determined whether or not the liquid level of the ink accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142 is lowered to the position of the liquid level sensor (step S200). As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the first ink reservoir 142 is provided inside the waste liquid tank 120, and is supplied to the first ink reservoir 142 when the ink is discharged from the suction pump 150. It has become so. Further, a liquid level sensor 144 such as a Hall element is provided on the side surface of the first ink reservoir 142, and the liquid level of the ink accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142 can be detected. ing. As long as the liquid level sensor 144 can detect the liquid level of the ink in the first ink reservoir 142, as with the liquid level sensor 114 provided in the second ink reservoir 112, any type of liquid level sensor 144 can be used. An element may be used.

  As will be described later, ink is supplied to the first ink reservoir 142 every time a cleaning operation is performed. In a normal state, the liquid level of the first ink reservoir 142 is Above the liquid level sensor 144. For this reason, in the normal case, since it is determined as “no” in step S200, it is in a state of constantly monitoring whether or not the ink level has decreased.

  As described with reference to FIG. 2, since the upper surface of the first ink reservoir 142 is open, water and volatile components are gradually evaporated from the ink accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142, Along with this, the position of the ink liquid level in the first ink reservoir 142 decreases. As a result, it is determined that the ink level in the first ink reservoir 142 has fallen to the position of the liquid level sensor 144 (step S200: yes). Thus, when it is confirmed that the ink level in the first ink reservoir 142 has dropped, the cleaning operation is started.

  When starting the cleaning operation, first, a timer is set (step S202). Subsequently, driving of the suction pump 150 is started (step S204). As described above, at the time of the cleaning operation, the cap 140 is pressed against the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 to form a sealed space. Therefore, when the suction pump 150 is driven, the pressure in the sealed space gradually becomes negative. To go.

  When the driving of the suction pump 150 is started, the on-off valve 146 provided at the bottom of the first ink reservoir 142 is subsequently opened (step S206). Then, the ink remaining in the first ink reservoir 142 is discharged to the waste liquid tank 120 through the on-off valve 146. At this time, if the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 is thickened, it takes time to discharge. Therefore, after the opening / closing valve 146 is opened, it is determined whether or not a predetermined opening time has elapsed (step). (S208), it is in a standby state until the opening time elapses. The opening time of the on-off valve 146 is typically set to about 2 seconds. During this time, the suction pump 150 is driven, but in about 2 seconds from the start of driving, the sealed space between the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 and the cap portion 140 is still at a negative pressure level. The discharged ink does not flow into the first ink reservoir 142. Further, at this stage, since the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 is lowered to the position of the liquid level sensor 144, the ink remaining in the first ink reservoir 142 is not so much. Therefore, if the on-off valve 146 is opened for about 2 seconds, all the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 can be discharged.

  In FIG. 8, in response to the ink level in the first ink reservoir 142 dropping to the position of the liquid level sensor 144, the suction pump 150 starts to be driven, and the on-off valve 146 is opened, A state in which the ink in the one ink reservoir 142 is discharged to the waste liquid tank 120 is shown. In such a state, all the ink remaining in the first ink reservoir 142 is discharged.

  Thus, when the opening / closing valve 146 is opened for a predetermined opening time (step S208: yes), it is considered that the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 has been discharged. Close (step S210). Then, after a while, the pressure in the sealed space formed between the bottom surface of the ejection head 24 and the cap portion 140 is sufficiently reduced, and the ink in the ejection head 24 is sucked out from the ejection nozzle. The sucked ink is collected in the cap unit 140, and then sucked out by the suction pump 150 and discharged to the first ink reservoir 142. At this stage, the opening / closing valve 146 of the first ink reservoir 142 is already closed, so that the ink discharged from the suction pump 150 is accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which ink sucked from the ejection head 24 by driving the suction pump 150 is supplied to the first ink reservoir 142 with the on-off valve 146 closed. In the cleaning process of the present embodiment, the suction pump 150 is driven in such a state to forcibly suck out the ink in the ejection head 24 and determine whether or not a predetermined suction time has elapsed (see FIG. 7). Step S212). That is, in the cleaning process of this embodiment, when it is determined that the ink level in the first ink reservoir 142 has fallen below the level sensor 144 (step S200: yes), the timer is set (step S202) and suction is performed. Since the pump 150 is driven to start suction (step S204), it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer has reached a predetermined suction time. If it is determined that the predetermined suction time has not been reached (step S212: no), the suction pump 150 is continuously driven. As a result, ink accumulates in the first ink reservoir 142 more and more.

  Here, the volume of the first ink reservoir 142 is set to be smaller than the volume of ink sucked out by one cleaning operation. For this reason, if ink is supplied from the suction pump 150 while the on-off valve 146 at the bottom of the first ink reservoir 142 is closed, the first ink reservoir 142 will eventually be filled with ink, and the overflowed ink will Then, it flows into the waste liquid tank 120. FIG. 10 shows a state where the ink supplied from the suction pump 150 overflows from the first ink reservoir 142 and flows into the waste liquid tank 120. Thus, the ink that has flowed into the waste liquid tank 120 is once absorbed by the absorbent 122 and then processed by evaporating.

  If the cleaning operation is performed as described above, it is determined that a predetermined suction time has elapsed (step S212 in FIG. 7: yes), and thus the driving of the suction pump 150 is stopped (step S214). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the power of the inkjet printer 10 has been turned off (step S216). If the power has not been turned off (step S216: no), the process returns to the top of the process, and the series of processes described above is performed. repeat. That is, it is monitored whether or not the ink level in the first ink reservoir 142 has fallen below the position of the level sensor 144. As a result of performing the cleaning operation described above, the first ink reservoir 142 is filled with ink, but the upper surface side of the first ink reservoir 142 is in contact with the atmosphere. As time passes, the moisture and volatile components of the ink evaporate, and the ink level in the first ink reservoir 142 falls. When the ink level drops below the position of the level sensor 144 provided in the first ink reservoir 142 (step S200: yes), the timer is set and the suction pump 150 is started to be driven ( In steps S202 and S204), a cleaning operation is executed.

  As described above, in the ink jet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the cleaning operation is also performed every time the ink accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142 evaporates by a certain amount. Since the cleaning operation consumes a large amount of ink as in the case of heavy flushing, it is desirable to perform the cleaning operation only when necessary. In this respect, in the inkjet printer 10 of the present embodiment, the timing for executing the cleaning operation is also determined based on the timing at which a certain amount of ink accumulated in the first ink reservoir 142 evaporates. Only when the cleaning operation can be performed. Below, this point is demonstrated easily.

  First, for the reason described in the flushing process of this embodiment, it is extremely difficult to accurately grasp the degree of thickening of the ink in the ejection head 24 even if the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere are continuously measured. is there. In contrast, the ink stored in the first ink reservoir 142 is exactly the same ink supplied from the ink cartridge 26 as the ink in the ejecting head 24, and the ejecting head 24 is also the first ink. The reservoir 142 is also exposed to almost the same environment. From this, it is considered that the ink in the ejection head 24 and the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 have a very high correlation of the degree of thickening. Therefore, if an appropriate evaporation amount is set in advance and the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 evaporates by the set evaporation amount, the cleaning operation is performed only at the timing that is really necessary. It becomes possible to execute.

  The ink stored in the first ink reservoir 142 is also ink that is sucked out by the cleaning operation and discarded in the waste liquid tank 120. Therefore, since ink is stored in the first ink reservoir 142, the consumption of ink is not newly increased.

  Further, the volume of the first ink reservoir 142 is set to a smaller volume, similar to the volume of the second ink reservoir 112. That is, the volume is set to be small enough to cause the ink to overflow when all the ink sucked out by the cleaning operation is received by the first ink reservoir 142. For this reason, after the cleaning operation, the first ink reservoir 142 is always filled with ink. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a liquid level sensor 144 at one location and monitor the ink liquid level by a predetermined amount. It is possible to easily determine whether or not the ink has evaporated.

  In addition, the position where the liquid level sensor 144 is provided is also slightly above the bottom of the first ink reservoir 142. For this reason, even if the ink jet printer 10 is used for a long period of time and the components in the ink are precipitated in the first ink reservoir 142, the ink liquid level can be reliably detected.

  Further, when the ink is stored in the first ink reservoir 142 by performing the cleaning operation, the on-off valve 146 is opened to discharge the ink in the first ink reservoir 142. For this reason, the old ink remains in the bottom of the first ink reservoir 142 forever, and the ink is solidified or mixed with newly supplied ink to increase the viscosity of the entire ink in the first ink reservoir 142. Can be avoided.

  As described with reference to FIG. 9, in the cleaning process of the present embodiment, the ink is supplied from the suction pump 150 after the on-off valve 146 of the first ink reservoir 142 is closed. However, the opening / closing valve 146 may be closed after ink is supplied from the suction pump 150. In this way, even if the ink in the first ink reservoir 142 is thickened, it can be washed out with new ink supplied from the suction pump 150 and discharged from the on-off valve 146.

D. Modified example:
There are several variations in the embodiment described above. Hereinafter, these modified examples will be briefly described.

D-1. First modification:
In the cleaning operation of the present embodiment described above, it has been described that the ink discharged from the suction pump 150 falls by gravity and is supplied into the first ink reservoir 142. However, ink may be supplied into the first ink reservoir 142 by pumping from the suction pump 150.

  FIG. 11 illustrates a first ink reservoir 142 as such a modification. In the illustrated example, the discharge port of the suction pump 150 is connected to the vicinity of the bottom of the first ink reservoir 142 by a tube, and when the suction pump 150 is driven, the discharge pump 150 enters the first ink reservoir 142 via the tube. Ink is pumped. Of course, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, a tube connected to the discharge port of the suction pump 150 may be inserted from above the first ink reservoir 142 to near the bottom.

  Also in the first ink reservoir 142 of such a modification, when the suction pump 150 is driven and the cleaning operation is performed, the ink accumulates in the first ink reservoir 142 and eventually becomes full. Ink overflows from the top of the ink reservoir 142. FIG. 11 shows a state where the full ink overflows from the first ink reservoir 142.

  When the tube is connected to the first ink reservoir 142 from the discharge port of the suction pump 150, air is supplied from the tube for a while after the suction pump 150 is driven, and the first ink reservoir 142 enters the first ink reservoir 142. Bubbles can occur. However, since the volume of the first ink reservoir 142 is set smaller than the amount of ink sucked out by the cleaning operation, the ink always overflows as shown in FIG. 11 in the latter half of the cleaning operation. . Even if bubbles are generated inside the first ink reservoir 142, the bubbles are discharged together with the overflowing ink. For this reason, after the cleaning operation is completed, an ink liquid level in which no bubbles are present is formed inside the first ink reservoir 142. Therefore, the liquid level sensor 144 can be used to accurately detect the ink liquid level. Is possible.

D-2. Second modification:
In the above-described embodiments, the heavy flushing and the cleaning operation have been described on the assumption that the flushing operation or the cleaning operation is started as soon as the ink in the second ink reservoir 112 or the first ink reservoir 142 decreases by a predetermined amount. However, it is not necessary to immediately link the information that the predetermined amount of ink has been reduced to the start of the flushing operation or the cleaning operation. Based on such information, the timing for starting the flushing operation or the cleaning operation indirectly can be determined. It may be determined. For example, by measuring the time required for a predetermined amount of ink to decrease, it is possible to grasp the easiness of ink evaporation (or easiness of volatilization). Therefore, the timing for performing heavy flushing or cleaning operation may be determined based on this information. For example, if it is determined that the environment is such that the ink is difficult to evaporate, the amount of ink consumption can be suppressed by reducing the frequency of performing the heavy flushing or cleaning operation.

  Although the printing apparatus of the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to all the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the rough structure of the fluid injection apparatus of a present Example using an inkjet printer as an example. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the maintenance mechanism mounted in the inkjet printer of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which showed the flow of the flushing process which the inkjet printer of a present Example performs. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the inkjet printer of a present Example performed regular flushing. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the on-off valve of the 2nd ink reservoir was opened and ink was discharged to a waste liquid tank. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that heavy flushing was performed toward a 2nd ink reservoir part, positioning an ejection head. It is explanatory drawing which showed the flow of the cleaning process which the inkjet printer of a present Example performs. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the ink in the first ink reservoir is discharged to the waste liquid tank by driving the suction pump and opening the on-off valve of the first ink reservoir. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the ink sucked out from the ejection head by the suction pump was supplied to the 1st ink reservoir. It is explanatory drawing which showed a mode that the ink supplied from the suction pump overflowed from the 1st ink reservoir part, and flowed into a waste liquid tank. It is explanatory drawing which illustrated the 1st ink reservoir of the modification.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Inkjet printer, 20 ... Carriage, 24 ... Ejection head,
26 ... Ink cartridge, 30 ... Drive mechanism, 40 ... Platen roller,
100 ... Maintenance mechanism, 110 ... Flushing receiving part,
112 ... Second ink reservoir, 114 ... Liquid level sensor, 116 ... Open / close valve,
120 ... Waste liquid tank, 130 ... Wiper blade, 140 ... Cap part,
142: first ink reservoir, 144: liquid level sensor, 146: on-off valve,
150 ... Suction pump

Claims (8)

A fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid from the ejecting head by guiding the fluid in the container to the ejecting head,
A fluid reservoir that retains the fluid outside the ejection head in a state where at least some of the components contained in the fluid can communicate with the atmosphere;
Fluid decrease detecting means for detecting that the fluid in the fluid reservoir has decreased by a predetermined amount;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: fluid ejecting means for ejecting the fluid in the ejecting head when it is detected that the fluid in the fluid reservoir has decreased by the predetermined amount. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1,
A decrease time measuring means for measuring a decrease time required for the fluid in the fluid reservoir to decrease by the predetermined amount;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: an evaporation rate information acquiring unit configured to acquire information related to an evaporation rate of the fluid supplied into the ejecting head based on the decrease time. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The fluid ejection device, wherein the fluid reservoir is provided with a discharge valve for discharging the fluid accumulated inside. A fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In order to avoid the property of the fluid supplied to the ejection head from deteriorating to a predetermined level or more, fluid ejection and ejection means for ejecting and ejecting the fluid from the ejection head is provided.
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the fluid reservoir is a reservoir configured to accumulate the fluid ejected by the fluid ejecting and discharging means. The fluid ejection device according to claim 4,
The fluid ejection / ejection means is a means for ejecting and ejecting a first specified amount of the fluid from the ejection head,
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the liquid reservoir is a reservoir in which a maximum capacity capable of storing the fluid is set to be smaller than the first specified amount. A fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A fluid suction / discharge means for sucking and discharging the fluid from the ejection head in order to avoid deterioration of the properties of the fluid supplied to the ejection head;
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the fluid reservoir is a reservoir configured to accumulate the fluid sucked by the fluid suction / discharge means. The fluid ejection device according to claim 6,
The fluid suction / discharge means is means for sucking and discharging a second specified amount of the fluid from the ejection head,
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the liquid reservoir is a reservoir in which a maximum capacity capable of storing the fluid is set to be smaller than the second specified amount. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5 or 7,
A waste fluid tank into which the fluid discharged from the ejection head flows in order to avoid deterioration of the properties of the fluid supplied to the ejection head;
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the fluid reservoir is a reservoir configured to allow a fluid overflowing from the fluid reservoir to flow into the waste fluid tank.

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