Valve, pressure controlling apparatus, liquid ejecting apparatus, and method of opening and closure valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9476507-B2
Application number	US-201514944514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2015
Priority date	Nov 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A valve includes a seat having a through hole through which ink flows and a valve body that is configured to be in contact with the seat to close the through hole such that the valve is in a closed state and to be separate from the seat to open the through hole such that the valve is in an open state. At least one of the seat and the valve body is configured to move relative to the other of the seat and the valve body while the valve is in the closed state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve comprising:
a seat having a through hole through which a liquid flows; and
a valve body that is configured to be in contact with the seat to close the through hole such that the valve is in a closed state and to be separate from the seat to open the through hole such that the valve is in an open state, wherein
at least one of the seat and the valve body is configured to move relative to the other of the seat and the valve body while the valve is in the closed state,
wherein the closed state includes: a first state in which the valve body gets in contact with the seat caused by relative moving of at least one of the seat and the valve body in the open state in a first direction; and a second state in which a contact surface of the valve body that is in contact with the seat is rubbed against the seat in a direction intersecting the first direction.

2. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the closed state further includes a state in which a contact surface of the valve body that is in contact with the seat is rubbed against the seat in the first direction.

3. A pressure controlling apparatus comprising:
the valve according to claim 2 ;
a first channel that is located on one side of the through hole in the seat of the valve and in which the valve body of the valve is disposed;
a second channel that is located on another side of the through hole; and
a movable portion configured to move the valve body by being displaced depending on pressure in the second channel.

4. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the valve body and the seat includes an elastic contact portion that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat, and the elastic contact portion is elastically deformed during the second state.

5. The valve according to claim 4 , wherein the elastic contact portion is hollow.

6. The valve according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the valve body and the seat includes a curved contact surface that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat.

7. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the seat and the valve body are in contact with each other after at least one of the seat and the valve body of the valve in the open state moves relative to the other of the seat and the valve body in a first direction, and
at least one of the valve body and the seat includes an inclined contact surface that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat and is inclined with respect to the first direction.

8. The valve according to claim 7 , wherein one of the valve body and the seat includes the inclined contact surface, and
the other of the valve body and the seat includes a curved contact surface.

9. A pressure controlling apparatus comprising:
the valve according to claim 1 ;
a first channel that is located on one side of the through hole in the seat of the valve, the valve body of the valve being positioned in the first channel;
a second channel that is located on another side of the through hole; and
a movable portion configured to move the valve body by being displaced depending on pressure in the second channel.

10. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
the pressure controlling apparatus according to claim 9 ;
a pressure regulator configured to increase a pressure in the first channel so as to be larger than a pressure in the second channel of the pressure controlling apparatus; and
a liquid ejecting head configured to eject liquid supplied through the second channel, wherein
the pressure regulator increases the pressure in the first channel to be larger than the pressure in the second channel while the seat and the valve body that is moved due to the displacement of the movable portion are in contact with each other, such that at least one of the seat and the valve body moves relative to the other of the seat and the valve body with the contact between the seat and the valve being maintained.

11. A method of opening and closing a valve including a valve body and a seat having a through hole, the method comprising:
moving at least one of the seat and the valve body relative to the other of the seat and the valve body such that the valve is in one of an open state in order to open the through hole and allow a liquid to pass through the through hole and a closed state in order to close the through hole and not allow the liquid to pass through the through hole; and
moving at least one of the seat and the valve body relative to the other of the seat and the valve body while the valve is in the closed state,
wherein at least one of the valve body and the seat includes an elastic contact portion that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat, and the elastic contact portion is elastically deformed during the closed state.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the valve is disposed between a first channel located on one side of the through hole and a second channel located on another side of the through hole, the valve body being disposed in the first channel, and
the valve body is moved relative to the seat by a movable portion displaced depending on the pressure in the second channel such that the valve is one of the open state and the closed state.

13. The method of opening and closing the valve according to claim 12 , further comprising increasing the pressure in the first channel to be larger than the pressure in the second channel such that the valve body moves relative to the seat during the closed state.

14. The method of opening and closing the valve according to claim 11 , wherein the elastic contact portion is hollow.

15. The method of opening and closing the valve according to claim 11 , wherein at least one of the valve body and the seat includes a curved contact surface that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat.

16. The method of opening and closing the valve according to claim 11 , wherein the seat and the valve body are in contact with each other after at least one of the seat and the valve body of the valve in the open state moves relative to the other of the seat and the valve body in a first direction, and
at least one of the valve body and the seat includes an inclined contact surface that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat and is inclined with respect to the first direction.

17. The method of opening and closing the valve according to claim 16 , wherein one of the valve body and the seat includes the inclined contact surface and the other of the valve body and the seat includes a curved contact surface.

18. A valve comprising:
a seat having a through hole through which a liquid flows; and
a valve body that is configured to be in contact with the seat to close the through hole such that the valve is in a closed state and to be separate from the seat to open the through hole such that the valve is in an open state, wherein
at least one of the seat and the valve body is configured to move relative to the other of the seat and the valve body while the valve is in the closed state,
wherein at least one of the valve body and the seat includes an elastic contact portion that is in contact with the other of the valve body and the seat, and the elastic contact portion is elastically deformed during the closed state.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Akahane Fujio
• Morikoshi Koji
• Otsuki Makoto
• Kinoshita Ryota

Classifications

• F16K1/36

  Valve members (for double-seat valves F16K1/44 {; for butterfly valves F16K1/222, F16K1/223}) · CPC title

• F16K1/42 Primary

  Valve seats (for double-seat valves F16K1/44) · CPC title

• B41J2/17556

  Means for regulating the pressure in the cartridge · CPC title

• F16K27/02

  of lift valves (for reducing the flow resistance of screw-spindle lift-valves F16K1/06) · CPC title

• B41J2/17596

  Ink pumps, ink valves · CPC title