Liquid ejecting apparatus

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

• a liquid ejection head including
• a first piezoelectric element that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal,
• a first nozzle that ejects liquid by a pressure that is applied when the first piezoelectric element is driven, and
• a first individual flow path
• that communicates with the first nozzle,
• through which the liquid is supplied to the first nozzle, and
• through which the liquid not ejected from the first nozzle is discharged;
• a circulation control section that controls a circulation operation of circulating the liquid in the first individual flow path;
• and
• a minute vibration control section that supplies a drive signal having a first waveform to the first piezoelectric element so as to control a minute vibration operation of causing the liquid in the first nozzle to vibrate to such a degree that the liquid is not ejected from the first nozzle, wherein
• the circulation control section starts the circulation operation at a first time,
• the minute vibration control section starts the minute vibration operation at a second time later than the first time,
• the first individual flow path includes a first pressure chamber positioned upstream of the first nozzle and a second pressure chamber positioned downstream of the first nozzle,
• the first piezoelectric element corresponds to the first pressure chamber,
• the liquid ejection head further includes a second piezoelectric element that corresponds to the second pressure chamber and that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal, and
• the minute vibration control section controls the minute vibration operation by driving both of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element.

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

• a liquid ejection head including
• a first piezoelectric element that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal,
• a first nozzle that ejects liquid by a pressure that is applied when the first piezoelectric element is driven, and
• a first individual flow path
• that communicates with the first nozzle,
• through which the liquid is supplied to the first nozzle, and
• through which the liquid not ejected from the first nozzle is discharged;
• a circulation control section that controls a circulation operation of circulating the liquid in the first individual flow path;
• and
• a minute vibration control section that supplies a drive signal having a first waveform to the first piezoelectric element so as to control a minute vibration operation of causing the liquid in the first nozzle to vibrate to such a degree that the liquid is not ejected from the first nozzle, wherein
• the circulation control section starts the circulation operation at a first time,
• the minute vibration control section starts the minute vibration operation at a second time later than the first time,
• the liquid ejection head further includes:
• a third piezoelectric element that is driven in response to supply of a drive signal;
• a second nozzle that ejects the liquid by a pressure that is applied when the third piezoelectric element is driven;
• a second individual flow path
• that communicates with the second nozzle,
• through which the liquid is supplied to the second nozzle, and
• through which the liquid not ejected from the second nozzle is discharged;
• a common supply flow path that is coupled to both of the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path and through which the liquid is supplied to the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path;
• a common discharge flow path that is coupled to both of the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path and through which the liquid is discharged from the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path;
• and
• a bypass flow path that is coupled to the common supply flow path and the common discharge flow path and of which a flow path resistance is lower than those of the first individual flow path and the second individual flow path,
• the liquid ejecting apparatus further comprises one or more flow mechanisms provided at one or both of a position upstream of the liquid ejection head and a position downstream of the liquid ejection head,
• the circulation control section controls the circulation operation by driving the one or more flow mechanisms, and
• a pressure that is applied to the liquid in the first individual flow path per unit period because of the minute vibration operation is larger than a pressure that is applied to the liquid in the first individual flow path per unit period because of the circulation operation.