Liquid droplet ejection device and liquid feeding method
AssigneeKonica Minolta, Inc.
InventorHikaru HAMANO
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A liquid droplet ejection device including: a liquid droplet ejection head including a nozzle, a supply channel, a discharge channel, a filter, and a communicating channel; and a liquid feeder that performs a liquid feeding operation causing the liquid in the supply channel and the discharge channel to flow in the liquid feeding direction. A mesh diameter of the filter is smaller than an aperture diameter of the nozzle, and the liquid feeder performs the liquid feeding operation in such a way that a pressure loss in the filter is smaller than a first meniscus break pressure at which a meniscus of the liquid ruptures in the filter.
Claims6
A liquid droplet ejection device comprising:
- a liquid droplet ejection head including
- a nozzle that ejects a liquid,
- a supply channel through which the liquid to be supplied to the nozzle runs,
- a discharge channel which communicates with the supply channel and through which the liquid to be discharged without being ejected from the nozzle runs,
- a filter which is provided in the supply channel and through which the liquid running through the supply channel passes, and
- a communicating channel that branches off from the supply channel on an upstream side of the filter in a liquid feeding direction of the liquid and communicates with the discharge channel;
- and
- a liquid feeder that performs a liquid feeding operation causing the liquid in the supply channel and the discharge channel to flow in the liquid feeding direction,
- wherein
- a mesh diameter of the filter is smaller than an aperture diameter of the nozzle, and
- the liquid feeder performs the liquid feeding operation in such a way that a pressure loss in the filter is smaller than a first meniscus break pressure at which a meniscus of the liquid ruptures in the filter.
A liquid feeding method in a liquid droplet ejection device provided with a liquid ejector including a nozzle that ejects a liquid, a supply channel through which the liquid to be supplied to the nozzle runs, a discharge channel which communicates with the supply channel and through which the liquid to be discharged without being ejected from the nozzle runs, a filter which is provided in the supply channel and through which the liquid running through the supply channel passes, and a communicating channel that branches off from the supply channel on an upstream side of the filter in a liquid feeding direction of the liquid and communicates with the discharge channel, wherein a mesh diameter of the filter is smaller than an aperture diameter of the nozzle, the liquid feeding method comprising:
- a liquid feeding step that causes the liquid in the supply channel and the discharge channel to flow in the liquid feeding direction, wherein
- in the liquid feeding step, the liquid is caused to flow in such a way that a pressure loss in the filter is smaller than a first meniscus break pressure at which a meniscus of the liquid ruptures in the filter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.