Liquid ejection apparatus

A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of heads each comprising an ejection opening group, the ejection opening group comprising one or more ejection openings for ejecting liquid;
• a plurality of caps which are provided respectively corresponding to the plurality of heads, each of the caps comprising a recess for forming a closed space opposed to the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group;
• a mover configured to move each of the caps relative to the heads individually, thereby causing each of the caps to be in either a closed state or an open state, in the closed state the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group being closed off from an outside, in the open state the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group being opened to the outside;
• a plurality of suction tubes respectively connected to the recesses of the caps;
• a sucker configured to suck air in the recesses of the caps;
• a switcher configured to connect or disconnect the sucker with the suction tubes individually;
• and
• a controller configured to control the mover, the sucker, and the switcher, wherein,
• the switcher comprises:
• a case comprising an internal space and a plurality of holes, each of the holes causing the internal space to communicate with an outside of the case, the holes including a first hole connected to the sucker and a plurality of second holes respectively connected to the suction tubes;
• and
• a rotator accommodated in the internal space, the rotator being rotatable along an inner surface defining the internal space in the case, and
• the rotator comprises a passage formed therein, the passage being configured to cause the first hole to communicate with two or more holes out of the plurality of second holes without causing the first hole to communicate with the second holes other than the two or more holes out of the plurality of second holes, depending on a rotational position of the rotator in the internal space.

A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising:

• a head comprising a plurality of ejection opening groups, each ejection opening group comprising one or more ejection openings for ejecting liquid;
• a plurality of caps which are provided respectively corresponding to the plurality of ejection opening groups, each of the caps comprising a recess for forming a closed space opposed to the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group;
• a mover configured to move each of the caps relative to the head individually, thereby causing each of the caps to be in either a closed state or an open state, in the closed state the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group being closed off from an outside, in the open state the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group being opened to the outside;
• a plurality of suction tubes respectively connected to the recesses of the caps;
• a sucker configured to suck air in the recesses of the caps;
• a switcher configured to connect or disconnect the sucker with the suction tubes individually;
• and
• a controller configured to control the mover, the sucker, and the switcher,
• wherein the switcher comprises:
• a case comprising an internal space and a plurality of holes, each of the holes causing the internal space to communicate with an outside of the case;
• and
• a rotator accommodated in the internal space, the rotator being rotatable along an inner surface defining the internal space in the case,
• wherein the suction tubes are respectively connected to the holes,
• wherein the rotator comprises a passage formed therein, the passage being configured to cause the sucker to communicate with two or more holes out of the plurality of holes without causing the sucker to communicate with the holes other than the two or more holes out of the plurality of holes, depending on a rotational position of the rotator in the internal space,
• wherein the holes comprise a plurality of pairs of holes, each of the pairs constituted by two holes adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction of the rotator,
• wherein, in each of the pairs, the two holes are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction at a same angle with respect to a rotation center of the rotator,
• wherein the internal space has a cylindrical shape and the rotator has a columnar shape, and
• wherein all the holes are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction at intervals of central angle x with respect to the rotation center.

A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising:

• a head comprising a plurality of ejection opening groups, each ejection opening group comprising one or more ejection openings for ejecting liquid;
• a plurality of caps which are provided respectively corresponding to the plurality of ejection opening groups, each of the caps comprising a recess for forming a closed space opposed to the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group;
• a mover configured to move each of the caps relative to the head individually, thereby causing each of the caps to be in either a closed state or an open state, in the closed state the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group being closed off from an outside, in the open state the one or more ejection openings belonging to the corresponding ejection opening group being opened to the outside;
• a plurality of suction tubes respectively connected to the recesses of the caps;
• a sucker configured to suck air in the recesses of the caps;
• a switcher configured to connect or disconnect the sucker with the suction tubes individually;
• and
• a controller configured to control the mover, the sucker, and the switcher,
• wherein the switcher comprises:
• a case comprising an internal space and a plurality of holes, each of the holes causing the internal space to communicate with an outside of the case;
• and
• a rotator accommodated in the internal space, the rotator being rotatable along an inner surface defining the internal space in the case,
• wherein the suction tubes are respectively connected to the holes,
• wherein the rotator comprises a passage formed therein, the passage being configured to cause the sucker to communicate with two or more holes out of the plurality of holes without causing the sucker to communicate with the holes other than the two or more holes out of the plurality of holes, depending on a rotational position of the rotator in the internal space,
• wherein the liquid ejection apparatus further comprises an atmosphere communicator configured to cause each of the caps to be in either (i) an atmosphere communication established state in which the recess communicates with an atmosphere, or (ii) an atmosphere communication closed state in which the recess is closed off from the atmosphere, and
• wherein, when the switcher causes the sucker to communicate with the two or more holes, the atmosphere communicator causes the caps connected to the suction tubes connected to the two or more holes communicating with the sucker out of the plurality of caps to be in either the atmosphere communication established state or the atmosphere communication closed state.