Discharging apparatus and method of discharging fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315432-B2
Application number	US-201715704311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A fluid discharging apparatus includes a storage chamber storing a fluid, a discharge port communicating with the storage chamber, a supply unit supplying the fluid to the storage chamber by pressure, a moving object moving in a first direction toward the discharge port and in a second direction away from the discharge port, a pressure changing mechanism, and a control unit controlling the moving object and the pressure changing mechanism. The control unit performs discharge processing, moving processing, and pressure control processing. In the discharge processing, the moving object moves from a closed position closing the discharge port in the first direction to discharge the fluid. In the moving processing, the moving object moves in the second direction while the fluid is discharged from the discharge port. In the pressure control processing, the pressure changing mechanism suppresses a pressure increase in storage chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid discharging apparatus comprising:
a storage chamber that stores a fluid;
a discharge port that fluidly communicates with the storage chamber, the discharge port being configured to discharge the fluid;
a supply unit that is configured to supply the fluid to the storage chamber by pressure;
a rod that is configured to move in a first direction toward the discharge port and in a second direction away from the discharge port in the storage chamber;
a pressure changing mechanism that is configured to change pressure of the fluid supplied to the storage chamber or pressure of the fluid in the storage chamber;
a memory that is configured to store computer-readable instructions; and
a processor that is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions so as to;
firstly move the rod from a first position to a second position in the second direction, the rod being configured to close the discharge port at the first position, the rod being configured to open the discharge port at the second position;
secondly move the rod from the second position to the first position in the first direction so that the fluid is discharged from the discharge port, the fluid that is emitted outside of the discharge port being in a columnar shape;
thirdly move the rod from the first position to a third position in the second direction while the fluid is in the columnar shape and while the pressure changing mechanism is configured to prevent increasing pressure in the storage chamber so that a state of fluid that exists outside of the discharge port is changed from the columnar shape to a droplet shape when the rod is at the third position; and
fourthly move the rod from the third position to the first position in the first direction so that the rod is configured to close the discharge port when the fluid that exists outside of the discharge port is in the droplet shape.

2. The fluid discharging apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pressure changing mechanism includes a supply valve that is configured to control a supply amount of the fluid to the storage chamber, and
the processor is configured to control the supply valve so as to reduce a flow rate of the fluid flowing into the storage chamber so as to prevent increasing pressure in the storage chamber when the processor is configured to perform the thirdly movement of the rod.

3. The fluid discharging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a buffer room which fluidly communicates with the storage chamber and accommodates the fluid,
wherein the pressure changing mechanism is configured to change a space volume of the buffer room so as to change pressure of the storage chamber, and
the processor is configured to cause the pressure changing mechanism to increase the space volume of the buffer room so as to prevent increasing pressure in the storage chamber when the processor is configured to perform the thirdly movement of the rod.

4. The fluid discharging apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the processor is configured to cause the pressure changing mechanism to reduce the space volume of the buffer room so as to extrude the fluid to the storage chamber and accelerate flowing of the fluid to the discharge port when the processor is configured to perform the second movement of the rod.

5. The fluid discharging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an outflow pipe which is connected to the storage chamber,
wherein the pressure changing mechanism includes a control valve that is configured to control a flow amount of the fluid in the outflow pipe, and
the processor is configured to control the control valve so as to increase a flow rate of the fluid which flows out to the outflow pipe so as to prevent increasing pressure in the storage chamber when the processor is configured to perform the thirdly movement of the rod.

6. A method of discharging a fluid by causing a processor to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory, the method comprising executing on the processor the steps of:
preparing a rod in a storage chamber in which a fluid is stored, the rod being configured to move in a first direction toward a discharge port and in a second direction away from the discharge port, the discharge port fluidly communicating with the storage chamber so as to discharge the fluid;
firstly moving the rod from a first position to a second position in the second direction, the rod being configured to close the discharge port at the first position, the rod being configured to open the discharge port at the second position;
secondly moving the rod from the second position to the first position in the first direction so that the fluid is discharged from the discharge port, the fluid that is emitted outside of the discharge port being in a columnar shape;
thirdly moving the rod from the first position to a third position in the second direction while the fluid is in the columnar shape and while the processor is configured to prevent increasing pressure in the storage chamber so that a state of the fluid that exists outside of the discharge port is charged from the columnar shape to a droplet shape when the rod is at the third position; and
fourthly moving the rod from the third position to the first position in the first direction so that the rod is configured to close the discharge port when the fluid that exists outside of the discharge port is in the droplet shape.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sakai Hirofumi
• Sugai Keigo
• Katakura Takahiro
• Sano Junichi
• Nakamura Shinichi

Classifications

• B41J2/14201

  Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B05C11/1034

  specially designed for conducting intermittent application of small quantities, e.g. drops, of coating material (B05C5/0225, B05C11/1026 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05C5/0225 Primary

  characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet (B05C5/0258, B05C5/0275 take precedence; supply valves upstream the coating head B05C11/1036) · CPC title

• B41J2/17596 Primary

  Ink pumps, ink valves · CPC title

• B41J2202/05

  Heads having a valve · CPC title