Liquid ejecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9039115-B2
Application number	US-201414527070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Oct 30, 2013
Publication date	May 26, 2015
Grant date	May 26, 2015

Abstract

A maintenance pulse is a pulsed waveform that includes an expansion element that causes a pressure chamber to expand, a contraction element that causes the pressure chamber that is expanded by the expansion element to contract, and a reexpansion element that causes the pressure chamber that is contracted by the contraction element to expand again, and satisfies the following condition (1) when a time from the beginning of the contraction element to the beginning of the reexpansion element is given the term T1, and a specific vibration period that is caused in the liquid inside the pressure chamber is given the term Tc.

1.2× Tc≦T 1<1.5× Tc   (1)

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head that has a pressure chamber, which is in communication with a nozzle, and a pressure generation unit that brings about a pressure fluctuation in a liquid inside the pressure chamber, and is capable of ejecting the liquid from the nozzle through actuation of the pressure generation unit; and
a driving signal generation unit that causes a maintenance driving signal, which includes a maintenance pulse that causes the liquid to be ejected from the nozzle, to be generated during maintenance,
wherein the maintenance pulse is a pulsed waveform that includes an expansion element that causes the pressure chamber to expand, a contraction element that causes a pressure chamber that is expanded by the expansion element to contract, and a reexpansion element that causes a pressure chamber that is contracted by the contraction element to expand again, and
satisfies
1.2 ×Tc≦T 1<1.5 ×Tc   (1)

when a time from a beginning of the contraction element to a beginning of the reexpansion element is given the term T1, and a specific vibration period that is caused in the liquid inside the pressure chamber is given the term Tc.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the maintenance pulse satisfies
0.2 ×Tc≦T 2<0.5 ×Tc   (2)

when a time from a beginning of the reexpansion element to an end thereof is given the term T2.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the maintenance pulse satisfies
0.1 ×Vh≦Vhm≦ 0.5 ×Vh   (3)

when a change in voltage of the contraction element is given the term Vh, and a change in voltage of the reexpansion element is given the term Vhm.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a driving signal includes a microvibration pulse that brings about a pressure fluctuation in the liquid inside the pressure chamber to an extent at which liquid is not ejected from the nozzle, and
wherein, the maintenance pulse is applied to the pressure generation unit after the microvibration pulse is applied to the pressure generation unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Junhua

Classifications

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/04588 Primary

  using a specific waveform · CPC title

• B41J2/16526

  by applying pressure only · CPC title