Recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12220925-B2
Application number	US-202117488086-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2020
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

A recording apparatus includes a carriage, a tank, a flow passage, and a valve. The carriage includes a recording head that ejects liquid contained in the tank and supplied from the flow passage. The flow passage includes (i) a fixed flow passage connected to the tank without following a movement of the carriage, (ii) a first flow passage that follows the movement of the carriage and is branched off from the fixed flow passage and connected to the recording head, and (iii) a second flow passage that follows the movement of the carriage and is branched off from the fixed flow passage and connected to the recording head. The valve is provided in one of the first and second flow passages and limits a flow of liquid from the tank to the recording head and allows liquid to flow from the recording head to the tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recording apparatus comprising
a recording head mounted on a carriage and configured to eject liquid, wherein the carriage is configured to reciprocate in a first direction along a scanning direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a tank configured to contain liquid to be supplied to the recording head;
a flow passage that includes (i) a fixed flow passage connected to the tank and is fixed such that the fixed flow passage does not move along with the reciprocating movement of the carriage, (ii) a first flow passage that is branched off from the fixed flow passage at a valve flow passage of the first flow passage, is connected to a carriage joint mounted on the carriage to supply liquid from the tank through the first flow passage to the recording head, and is flexible such that the first flow passage moves along with the reciprocating movement of the carriage, and (iii) a second flow passage that is branched off from the fixed flow passage and the first flow passage, is connected to the carriage joint to supply liquid from the tank through the second flow passage to the recording head, and is flexible such that the second flow passage moves along with the reciprocating movement of the carriage; and
a valve unit having a valve member provided at the valve flow passage in the first flow passage,
wherein the valve member is configured to close the valve flow passage to stop flow of liquid to the recording head through the valve flow passage and not to stop the flow of liquid to the tank,
wherein, when the carriage is decelerated while moving in the first direction, then reverses movement direction, and then is accelerated while moving in the second direction, the valve flow passage is closed by the valve member to stop flow of liquid to the recording head through the valve flow passage and not to stop the flow of liquid to the tank, and
wherein, when the carriage is decelerated while moving in the second direction. then reverses movement direction, and then is accelerated while moving in the first direction, the valve flow passage is not closed by the valve member such that the flow of liquid to the recording head through the valve flow passage and to the flow of liquid to the tank are not stopped.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the valve unit is disposed near the recording head.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the carriage joint is configured to connect each of the first flow passage and the second flow passage to the fixed flow passage, and the valve unit is disposed near the carriage joint.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the valve flow passage is a first valve flow passage,
wherein the valve unit further includes a second valve flow passage through which liquid is to flow even in a state where the first valve flow passage is closed by the valve member,
wherein the second valve flow passage has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the first valve flow passage, and
wherein the second valve flow passage is a branch flow passage connected to the first valve flow passage at two locations with the valve member residing in the first valve flow passage between the two locations.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the second valve flow passage is a groove provided in the valve member.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, in a case where the recording apparatus is configured such that liquid is to flow toward the recording head from the tank, the groove is provided on the recording head side of the first flow passage.

7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tank is a first tank detachably mountable on the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus further comprising a second tank fixed to the recording apparatus and configured to contain liquid supplied from the first tank,
wherein the fixed flow passage is connected to the second tank.

8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the valve member provided at the valve flow passage in the first flow passage is disposed near and offset from where the first flow passage and the second flow passage branch off the fixed flow passage.

9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the valve member is a two-port check valve having both openings located in the first flow passage such that, when closed, the two-way check valve is configured to stop flow of liquid through the first flow passage and not to stop the flow of liquid through the second flow passage.

10. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the recording head includes an ejection port surface having a plurality of ejection ports, where each ejection port is configured to form a meniscus from the liquid to prevent liquid from leaking from the ejection port, and
wherein the closing of the valve flow passage by the valve member is such that the closing the valve flow passage prevents exceeding a meniscus withstanding pressure on the plurality of ejection ports, thereby preventing liquid from leaking from the plurality of ejection ports.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Maruyama Ryohei
• Iimura Kenta
• Kuronuma Daigo
• Sato Takaya
• Abe Tomohito
• Wada Naoaki
• Nagashima Masakazu
• Yamaguchi Toshiaki
• Takahashi Ryutaro

Classifications

• B41J25/001

  Mechanisms for bodily moving print heads or carriages parallel to the paper surface · CPC title

• B41J2/17596 Primary

  Ink pumps, ink valves · CPC title

• B41J2/18

  Ink recirculation systems · CPC title

• B41J2/175 Primary

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