Liquid supplying device, liquid ejecting apparatus, and liquid supplying method

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

• a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid;
• a first liquid flow path that can supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting unit;
• a first intermediate storage that is provided on the first liquid flow path and stores the liquid;
• a second liquid flow path that can supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting unit without going through the first intermediate storage;
• a second intermediate storage that is provided on the second liquid flow path and stores the liquid;
• a liquid supply source holding unit that holds a liquid supply source accommodating the liquid and is connected to the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage such that the liquid accommodated in the liquid supply source can be supplied to the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage;
• a common liquid flow path that is connected to an end portion of the first liquid flow path on a liquid ejecting unit side and an end portion of the second liquid flow path on the liquid ejecting unit side such that the liquid can be supplied from the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage to the liquid ejecting unit;
• a liquid pressure regulating mechanism that is provided on the common liquid flow path and has a pressure chamber, which is a pressure chamber that can store the liquid and of which at least a part is formed of a flexible wall that can be deformed by a change in a pressure inside the pressure chamber;
• a pressure regulating mechanism that can regulate pressures inside the first intermediate storage and inside the second intermediate storage;
• and
• a control unit that controls the pressure regulating mechanism such that the inside of one intermediate storage, out of the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage, is depressurized and the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply source to the one intermediate storage.

A liquid supplying method of a liquid supplying device,

• the liquid supply device including
• a first liquid flow path that can supply liquid to a liquid ejecting unit which ejects the liquid,
• a first intermediate storage that is provided on the first liquid flow path and stores the liquid,
• a second liquid flow path that can supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting unit without going through the first intermediate storage, and
• a second intermediate storage that is provided on the second liquid flow path and stores the liquid, and of alternately repeating an operation of supplying, which is automatically depressurizing the inside of one intermediate storage, out of the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage, and supplying the liquid from the liquid supply source accommodating the liquid to the one intermediate storage while supplying the liquid from the other intermediate storage to the liquid ejecting unit, with respect to the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage, a common liquid flow path that is connected to an end portion of the first liquid flow path on a liquid ejecting unit side and an end portion of the second liquid flow path on the liquid ejecting unit side such that the liquid can be supplied from the first intermediate storage and the second intermediate storage to the liquid ejecting unit, and a liquid pressure regulating mechanism that is provided on the common liquid flow path and has a pressure chamber, which is a pressure chamber that can store the liquid and of which at least a part is formed of a flexible wall that can be deformed by a change in a pressure inside the pressure chamber, the method comprising:
• supplying the liquid from the one intermediate storage to the liquid ejecting unit by stopping the depressurization of the inside of the one intermediate storage in a case where a storage amount inside the one intermediate storage is a first set value and by depressurizing the inside of the other intermediate storage in a case where a storage amount inside the other intermediate storage is a second set value that is smaller than the first set value;
• and
• automatically supplying the liquid from the one intermediate storage to the liquid ejecting unit by stopping the depressurization of the inside of the one intermediate storage in a case where a storage amount inside the other intermediate storage is the second set value while the inside of the one intermediate storage is being depressurized.