Liquid discharger and liquid stirring method

A liquid discharger, comprising:

• a head including nozzles to discharge liquid from the nozzles;
• a container connected to the head to accommodate the liquid to be supplied to the head and to be discharged from the nozzles;
• an irreversible pump including an inflow port and an outflow port;
• a first three-way valve including (a1) a first pump port connected to the inflow port of the irreversible pump and (a2) a first container port connected fluidly to the container;
• a second three-way valve including (b1) a second pump port connected to the outflow port of the irreversible pump and (b2) a second container port connected to the container;
• and
• a controller to control the irreversible pump, the first three-way valve, and the second three-way valve to alternately pressurize and decompress the container,
• wherein the first container port of the first three-way valve is directly connected the second container port of the second three-way valve to form a ring-shaped channel so that the irreversible pump, the first three-way valve, and the second three-way valve form a ring-shaped pressure unit connected to the container with a single channel to pressurize and decompress the container;
• and
• the controller is further configured to (I) pressurize the container, opening the first pump port and closing the first container port of the first three-way valve, and opening the second pump port and the second container port to fluidly connect the irreversible pump via the second three-way valve to the container, and (II) decompress the same container that is pressurized in (I), opening the first pump port and the first container port to fluidly connect the irreversible pump via the first three-way valve to the container, and opening the second pump port and closing the second container port of the second three-way valve.

A liquid discharger, comprising:

• a head including nozzles to discharge liquid from the nozzles;
• a container connected to the head to accommodate the liquid to be supplied to the head and to be discharged from the nozzles;
• a fluid channel including a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel, one end the first channel being connected to the container and another end of the first channel being connected to the second channel and the third channel;
• an irreversible pump including an inflow port and an outflow port;
• a first three-way valve including (a1) a first pump port connected to the inflow port of the irreversible pump and (a2) a first container port connected fluidly to the container the second channel;
• a second three-way valve including (b1) a second pump port connected to the outflow port of the irreversible pump and (b2) a second container port connected to the third channel;
• and
• a controller to control the irreversible pump, the first three-way valve, and the second three-way valve to alternately pressurize and decompress the container,
• the controller configured to (I) pressurize the container, opening the first pump port and closing the first container port of the first three-way valve, and opening the second pump port and the second container port to fluidly connect the irreversible pump via the second three-way valve, the third channel, and the first channel to the container, and (II) decompress the same container that is pressurized in (I), opening the first pump port and the first container port to fluidly connect the irreversible pump via the first three-way valve, the second channel, and the first channel to the container, and opening the second pump port and closing the second container port of the second three-way valve.