Liquid ejecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11827016-B2
Application number	US-202217662919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2022
Priority date	May 14, 2021
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

The control section sets, as a first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is circulated by the circulating mechanism, per unit time, during an ejection operation of ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting head. The control section sets, as a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is circulated by the circulating mechanism, per unit time, during a recovery operation of recovering a state of the liquid ejecting head.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head that has a plurality of individual flow channels provided with nozzles, a common supply flow channel through which a liquid is supplied to the plurality of individual flow channels, a common discharge flow channel through which the liquid is discharged from the plurality of individual flow channels, and a bypass flow channel that bypasses the plurality of individual flow channels and causes the common supply flow channel and the common discharge flow channel to communicate with each other;
a circulating mechanism that circulates the liquid, which is supplied from the common supply flow channel, so as to discharge the liquid from the common discharge flow channel through the plurality of individual flow channels or the bypass flow channel; and
a control section that controls an operation of the circulating mechanism, wherein
the control section
sets, as a first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is circulated by the circulating mechanism, per unit time, during an ejection operation of ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, and
sets, as a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is circulated by the circulating mechanism, per unit time, during a recovery operation of recovering a state of the liquid ejecting head.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control section sets, as a third flow rate greater than the first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, per unit period, during a filling operation of filling the liquid ejecting head with the liquid.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the third flow rate is equal to or greater than the second flow rate.

4. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head that has a plurality of individual flow channels provided with nozzles, a common supply flow channel through which a liquid is supplied to each of the plurality of individual flow channels, a common discharge flow channel through which the liquid is discharged from each of the plurality of individual flow channels, and a bypass flow channel that bypasses the plurality of individual flow channels and causes the common supply flow channel and the common discharge flow channel to communicate with each other;
a circulating mechanism that circulates the liquid, which is supplied from the common supply flow channel, so as to discharge the liquid from the common discharge flow channel through the plurality of individual flow channels or the bypass flow channel; and
a control section that controls an operation of the circulating mechanism, wherein
the control section
sets, as a first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is circulated by the circulating mechanism, per unit time, during an ejection operation of ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, and
sets, as a third flow rate greater than the first flow rate, a flow rate of the liquid, which is supplied to the liquid ejecting head, per unit period, during a filling operation of filling the liquid ejecting head with the liquid.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a combined flow channel resistance of the bypass flow channel and the plurality of individual flow channels is greater than a flow channel resistance of the common supply flow channel and is greater than a flow channel resistance of the common discharge flow channel.

6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a flow channel resistance of the bypass flow channel is less than a combined flow channel resistance of the plurality of individual flow channels.

7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when a direction in which the liquid is ejected from the nozzles is defined as a first direction,
a direction orthogonal to the first direction is defined as a second direction, and
a direction orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction is defined as a third direction,
the bypass flow channel has
a first portion which extends along the first direction and is coupled to the common supply flow channel,
a second portion which extends along the first direction and is coupled to the common discharge flow channel, and
a third portion which extends along a plane parallel to both the second direction and the third direction and is coupled to each of the first portion and the second portion.

8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the third portion has a U-shape as viewed in the first direction.

9. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
a flow channel resistance of each of the first portion and the second portion is greater than a flow channel resistance of the third portion.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Eiichiro
• Okui Hiroaki

Classifications

• B41J2/14 Primary

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

• B41J2/175 Primary

  Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor} · CPC title

• B41J2202/12

  with ink circulating through the whole print head · CPC title

• B41J2/07 Primary

  characterised by jet control (B41J2/205 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2/04501

  Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits · CPC title