Liquid ejection apparatus
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsYoshiharu ARUGA, Toshio KUMAGAI, Hitoshi MATSUMOTO
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a liquid injecting apparatus equipped with a liquid injecting head, which is mounted on a carriage and moved reciprocally in a widthwise direction of a target, and a valve unit, which is mounted on the carriage to be supplied with liquid via a supply passage from a liquid retainer and to supply liquid to the liquid injecting head. The valve unit has a pressure chamber connected to the liquid retainer via the supply passage; a valve, which opens or closes the supply passage to supply liquid to the pressure chamber; and a flexible film member, which is displaced based on a negative pressure generated as liquid in the pressure chamber decreases to thereby operate the valve.
Claims17
1-5. (canceled)
A liquid ejection apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid, a liquid supply passage for supplying liquid in a liquid storing member toward the liquid ejection head, and a valve mechanism, the valve mechanism comprising:
- a chamber being provided between the liquid supply passage and the liquid ejection head, the chamber comprising a flexible part that is displaced on the basis of a differential pressure change between a pressure of the air outside the chamber and a pressure in the chamber;
- a valve being caused to open and close a supply opening between the liquid supply passage and the chamber by the displacement of the flexible part, the valve controlling a supply of the liquid to the chamber;
- an urging member urging the valve in a direction to close the supply opening;
- and
- a holding member urging the flexible part in a direction to expand a volume of the chamber.
A valve mechanism mounted on a liquid ejection apparatus comprising a liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid supplied from a liquid storing member via a liquid supply passage, the valve mechanism comprising:
- a chamber being provided between the liquid supply passage and the liquid ejection head, the chamber comprising a flexible part that is displaced on the basis of a differential pressure change between a pressure of the air outside the chamber and a pressure in the chamber;
- a valve being caused to open and close a supply opening between the liquid supply passage and the chamber by the displacement of the flexible part, the valve controlling a supply of the liquid to the chamber;
- an urging member urging the valve in a direction to close the supply hole;
- and
- a holding member urging the flexible part in a direction to expand a volume of the chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.