Liquid discharge apparatus and maintenance method for the liquid discharge apparatus

A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of pressure chambers that generate a pressure for discharging a liquid;
• a plurality of nozzles that communicate individually with the pressure chambers arranged in one direction and that discharge the liquid from the pressure chambers;
• a common liquid chamber that has an inlet opening through which the liquid flows into the common liquid chamber and a plurality of supply openings which are arranged along an arrangement of the pressure chambers and through which the liquid is supplied individually to the pressure chambers and that has a first region and a second region, wherein a width of the first region is greater than the width of the second region;
• and
• a controller that controls a maintenance by expelling the liquid from the nozzles,
• wherein the common liquid chamber has a first width in the one direction on which the inlet opening is located and a second width in the one direction on which the supply openings are located and the second width is greater than the first width, and
• wherein, during the maintenance, the controller controls expelling the liquid from a first nozzle that is located in the first region and a second nozzle that is located in the second region, wherein the maintenance causes the flow of liquid from the first region toward the second region,
• wherein of the nozzles from which the liquid is expelled during the maintenance, nozzles in the second region each have a less amount of the liquid expelled than each of nozzles in the first region.

A maintenance method for a liquid discharge apparatus which performs a maintenance by expelling a liquid from a plurality of nozzles, the liquid discharge apparatus including

• a plurality of pressure chambers that generate a pressure for discharging a liquid,
• a plurality of nozzles that communicate individually with the pressure chambers arranged in one direction and that discharge the liquid from the pressure chambers,
• a common liquid chamber that includes a plurality of supply openings which are arranged along an arrangement of the pressure chambers and through which the liquid is supplied individually to the pressure chambers and that has a first region where the liquid is supplied to the common liquid chamber and a second region, wherein a flow speed of the liquid flowing toward the supply openings is higher in the second region than in the first region as the liquid flows from the first region to the second region;
• and
• a controller that controls the maintenance by expelling the liquid from the nozzles,
• the maintenance method comprising expelling the liquid from a first nozzle that is located in the first region and a second nozzle that is located in the second region, wherein the maintenance causes the flow of liquid from the first region toward the second region.