Liquid circulation device and liquid discharging apparatus
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHiroyuki Ishikawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquid circulation device includes a housing having an outlet and an inlet, a circulation unit configured to convey liquid out of the housing through the outlet and recover liquid into the housing through the inlet, a liquid supplying unit configured to supply liquid into the housing, an air conveying unit configured to convey air into and out of the housing, a level detecting unit configured to detect a level of the liquid in the housing, a pressure sensing unit configured to detect a pressure of the air in the housing, and a control unit configured to control a pressure of the liquid in the housing by controlling the liquid supplying unit or the air conveying unit, based on the level and the pressure of the air.
Claims12
A liquid circulation device for circulating liquid through an inkjet head, comprising:
- a liquid container having:
- first and second chambers separated by a partition and communicable through a first hole formed on a wall of the first chamber and a second hole formed on a wall of the second chamber,
- an outlet formed on the second chamber, and
- an inlet formed on the first chamber,
- the outlet being directly connected to the inkjet head through a supply pipe;
- a circulation pump connected between the first and second holes and configured to convey the liquid out of the liquid container through the outlet to the inkjet head and recover the liquid from the inkjet head into the liquid container through the inlet;
- a liquid pump configured to supply liquid into the first chamber of the liquid container;
- and
- an air pump directly connected to the liquid container and configured to convey air into the liquid container, wherein
- pressure in the liquid container is increased by the liquid supplied by the liquid pump into the liquid container and by the air conveyed by the air pump into the liquid container, and
- the inlet through which the liquid pump supplies the liquid into the first chamber is positioned higher than the first hole.
An inkjet device comprising:
- a head including a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge liquid;
- a medium conveyer;
- and
- a liquid circulation device configured to circulate the liquid through the head, the liquid circulation device including:
- a liquid container having:
- first and second chambers separated by a partition and communicable through a first hole formed on a wall of the first chamber and a second hole formed on a wall of the second chamber,
- an outlet formed on the second chamber, and
- an inlet formed on the first chamber,
- the outlet being directly connected to the inkjet head through a supply pipe;
- a circulation pump connected between the first and second holes and configured to convey the liquid out of the liquid container through the outlet to the head and recover liquid from the head into the liquid container through the inlet;
- a liquid pump configured to supply liquid into the first chamber of the liquid container;
- and
- an air pump directly connected to the liquid container and configured to convey air into the liquid container, wherein
- pressure in the liquid container is increased by the liquid supplied by the liquid pump into the liquid container and by the air conveyed by the air pump into the liquid container, and
- the inlet through which the liquid pump supplies the liquid into the first chamber is positioned higher than the first hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.