Liquid ejecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12365181-B2
Application number	US-202318308055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2023
Priority date	Apr 28, 2022
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejection head, a circulation control section that controls a circulation operation of circulating the liquid in the first individual flow path, and a minute vibration control section that supplies a drive signal having a first waveform to the first piezoelectric element so as to control a minute vibration operation of causing the liquid in the first nozzle to vibrate to such a degree that the liquid is not ejected from the first nozzle. The circulation control section starts the circulation operation at a first time, and the minute vibration control section starts the minute vibration operation at a second time earlier than the first time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejection head including a first piezoelectric element that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal, a first nozzle that ejects liquid by means of a pressure that is applied when the first piezoelectric element is driven, and a first individual flow path that communicates with the first nozzle, through which the liquid is supplied to the first nozzle, and through which the liquid not ejected from the first nozzle is discharged;
a circulation control section that controls a circulation operation of circulating the liquid in the first individual flow path; and
a minute vibration control section that supplies a drive signal having a first waveform to the first piezoelectric element so as to control a minute vibration operation of causing the liquid in the first nozzle to vibrate to such a degree that the liquid is not ejected from the first nozzle, wherein
the circulation control section starts the circulation operation at a first time, and
the minute vibration control section starts the minute vibration operation at a second time earlier than the first time and is continuing the minute vibration operation at the first time.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cap that seals a nozzle surface provided with the first nozzle; and
a cap control section that controls an unsealing operation of unsealing the nozzle surface sealed by the cap, wherein
the cap control section starts the unsealing operation at a third time later than the second time.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
a time interval between the first time and the second time is shorter than a time interval between the second time and the third time.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an ejection control section that supplies, to the first piezoelectric element, a drive signal having a second waveform different from the first waveform so as to control an ejection operation of causing liquid to be ejected from the first nozzle, wherein
the ejection control section starts the ejection operation after the third time.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the circulation control section ends the circulation operation at a fourth time later than an end of the ejection operation, and
the minute vibration control section ends the minute vibration operation at a fifth time later than the end of the ejection operation.

6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the fourth time is earlier than the fifth time.

7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
a time interval between the fourth time and the fifth time is shorter than a time interval between the first time and the second time.

8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
a time interval between the fourth time and the fifth time is longer than a time interval between the first time and the second time.

9. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cap that seals a nozzle surface provided with the first nozzle; and
a cap control section that controls an unsealing operation of unsealing the nozzle surface sealed by the cap, wherein
the circulation control section ends the circulation operation at a fourth time,
the minute vibration control section ends the minute vibration operation at a fifth time, and
the cap control section ends the unsealing operation at a sixth time earlier than the fourth time and the fifth time.

10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an ejection control section that controls an ejection operation of causing liquid to be ejected from the first nozzle, wherein
the ejection control section ends the ejection operation before the sixth time.

11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the minute vibration control section supplies the drive signal having the first waveform to the first piezoelectric element so as to control the minute vibration operation such that a liquid stream toward the first individual flow path reaches the first individual flow path, the liquid stream being generated in the first nozzle.

12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first individual flow path includes a first pressure chamber positioned upstream of the first nozzle and a second pressure chamber positioned downstream of the first nozzle,
the first piezoelectric element corresponds to the first pressure chamber,
the liquid ejection head further includes a second piezoelectric element that corresponds to the second pressure chamber and that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal, and
the minute vibration control section controls the minute vibration operation by driving both of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element.

13. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the first individual flow path further includes a first narrowed portion that is positioned upstream of the first pressure chamber and of which a flow path resistance is higher than that of the first pressure chamber and a second narrowed portion that is positioned downstream of the second pressure chamber and of which a flow path resistance is higher than that of the second pressure chamber.

14. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejection head including a first piezoelectric element that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal, a first nozzle that ejects liquid by means of a pressure that is applied when the first piezoelectric element is driven, and a first individual flow path that communicates with the first nozzle, through which the liquid is supplied to the first nozzle, and through which the liquid not ejected from the first nozzle is discharged;
a circulation control section that controls a circulation operation of circulating the liquid in the first individual flow path; and
a minute vibration control section that supplies a drive signal having a first waveform to the first piezoelectric element so as to control a minute vibration operation of causing the liquid in the first nozzle to vibrate to such a degree that the liquid is not ejected from the first nozzle, wherein
the circulation control section starts the circulation operation at a first time,
the minute vibration control section starts the minute vibration operation at a second time earlier than the first time,
the liquid ejection head further includes:
a third piezoelectric element that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal;
a second nozzle that ejects the liquid by means of a pressure that is applied when the third piezoelectric element is driven;
a second individual flow path that communicates with the second nozzle, through which the liquid is supplied to the second nozzle, and through which the liquid not ejected from the second nozzle is discharged;
a common supply flow path that is coupled to both of the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path and through which the liquid is supplied to the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path;
a common discharge flow path that is coupled to both of the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path and through which the liquid is discharged from the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path; and
a bypass flow path that is coupled to the common supply flow path and the common discharge flow path and of which a flow path resistance is lower than

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Eiichiro
• Okui Hiroaki
• Hasegawa Yu

Classifications

• B41J2/16505

  Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out · CPC title

• B41J2002/16573

  Cleaning process logic, e.g. for determining type or order of cleaning processes · CPC title

• B41J2/04596

  Non-ejecting pulses · CPC title

• B41J2202/12

  with ink circulating through the whole print head · CPC title

• B41J2/18

  Ink recirculation systems · CPC title