Liquid feed valve unit and liquid ejection device

A liquid feed valve unit for feeding a liquid from a liquid storing part for storing the liquid to a liquid ejection head for ejecting the liquid, the liquid feed valve unit comprising:

• a liquid accommodating member having a concave part forming a liquid accommodating chamber communicating with the liquid ejection head, and communicating with the liquid storing part through a tube disposed between the liquid storing part and the liquid accommodating member;
• a flexible member blocking an opening of the concave part;
• a valve configured and arranged to block a connecting passage between the liquid accommodating chamber and the liquid storing part, and to open the connecting passage when the flexible member flexes in a direction in which an internal volume of the liquid accommodating chamber decreases, the valve being separate from the flexible member;
• an urging mechanism urging the valve so that the valve opens the connecting passage in a reduced-pressure state in which a pressure in the liquid accommodating chamber is less than a predetermined pressure, and so that the valve blocks the connecting passage in a state other than the reduced-pressure state;
• a pushing mechanism configured and arranged to push a pressure-receiving plate and a peripheral part of the flexible member around the pressure-receiving plate, the pushing mechanism being configured and arranged to contain air, the pressure-receiving plate being provided on a center portion of the flexible member;
• and
• a control unit configured to switch between operating in a releasing mode for pushing the peripheral part and the pressure-receiving plate by the pushing mechanism to forcibly open the valve in a blocking state where the valve blocks the connecting passage, and a blocking mode for releasing the peripheral part and the pressure-receiving plate from being pushed by the pushing mechanism to close the valve.