Liquid ejecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10737504-B2
Application number	US-201916706027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2019
Priority date	Nov 12, 2001
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a liquid injecting apparatus equipped with a liquid injecting head, which is mounted on a carriage and moved reciprocally in a widthwise direction of a target, and a valve unit, which is mounted on the carriage to be supplied with liquid via a supply passage from a liquid retainer and to supply liquid to the liquid injecting head. The valve unit has a pressure chamber connected to the liquid retainer via the supply passage; a valve, which opens or closes the supply passage to supply liquid to the pressure chamber; and a flexible film member, which is displaced based on a negative pressure generated as liquid in the pressure chamber decreases to thereby operate the valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head configured to eject liquid from nozzles provided at a nozzle surface; and
a supply portion configured to supply the liquid, from a liquid container configured to contain the liquid, to the liquid ejecting head;
wherein the supply portion includes:
a container body provided with an opening;
a flexible member, which covers the opening of the container body and forms a storage chamber with the container body; and
a cover configured to cover the flexible member from outside the storage chamber,

wherein the flexible member has a deformable portion configured to deform in a direction in which a volume of the storage chamber changes, and
wherein the cover is provided at a position not in contact with the deformable portion.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cover overlaps with the deformable portion when viewed from a direction in which the opening opens.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the cover is configured to surround the deformable portion.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the cover has a through hole at a position facing the deformable portion.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply portion has a pressure receiving plate disposed adjacent to the deformable portion.

6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply portion has an urging member that is provided in the storage chamber, and
wherein the urging member urges the deformable portion in a direction to increase the volume of the storage member.

7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply portion has a first valve that is provided upstream from the storage chamber, and
wherein the first valve is configured to maintain a pressure of the storage chamber in a negative pressure state.

8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first valve is configured to open the supply portion when pressure downstream from the first valve becomes a predetermined negative pressure.

9. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the supply portion has a second valve that is provided upstream from the first valve, and
wherein the second valve is configured to open and close the supply portion.

10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the supply portion has a second valve that is provided upstream from the first valve, and
wherein the second valve is configured to open and close the supply portion.

11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounting portion to which the liquid container is mounted,
wherein the mounting portion is disposed at a position higher than the nozzle surface.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Aruga Yoshiharu
• Kumagai Toshio
• Matsumoto Hitoshi

Classifications

• B41J2/17556

  Means for regulating the pressure in the cartridge · CPC title

• B41J2/17509

  Whilst mounted in the printer · CPC title

• B41J2/17523

  Ink connection · CPC title

• B41J2/17506

  Refilling of the cartridge · CPC title

• B41J2/14

  Structure thereof {only for on-demand ink jet heads} · CPC title