Liquid ejecting apparatus and pressurizing/depressurizing method thereof
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorMasaaki Ando
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pressurizing/depressurizing method of a liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a print head which ejects liquid, and a supply unit which supplies the liquid to the print head, the method including depressurizing/pressure accumulating in which a depressurization buffer tank is depressurized, and a pressure is accumulated; pressurizing/pressure accumulating in which a pressurization buffer tank is pressurized, and a pressure is accumulated; depressurizing in which the liquid is depressurized so that a pressure is lower than an atmospheric pressure in the supply unit using the depressurization buffer tank; and pressurizing in which the liquid is pressurized so that the pressure is higher than the atmospheric pressure in the supply unit using the pressurization buffer tank.
Claims12
A pressurizing/depressurizing method of a liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a print head which ejects liquid, and a supply unit which supplies the liquid to the print head, the method comprising:
- depressurizing/pressure accumulating in which a depressurization buffer tank is depressurized, and a pressure is accumulated;
- pressurizing/pressure accumulating in which a pressurization buffer tank is pressurized, and a pressure is accumulated;
- depressurizing in which the liquid is depressurized so that a pressure is lower than an atmospheric pressure in the supply unit using the depressurization buffer tank;
- and
- pressurizing in which the liquid is pressurized so that the pressure is higher than the atmospheric pressure in the supply unit using the pressurization buffer tank,
- the depressurizing/pressure accumulating in the depressurization buffer tank and the pressurizing in the supply unit being performed in parallel.
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
- a print head which ejects liquid from nozzles;
- a supply unit which supplies the liquid to the print head;
- a depressurization buffer tank which accumulates a pressure by performing depressurizing;
- a pressurization buffer tank which accumulates a pressure by performing pressurizing;
- a depressurization path which communicates with the supply unit and the depressurization buffer tank;
- a pressurization path which communicates with the supply unit and the pressurization buffer tank;
- and
- a control unit configured to control pressurizing and depressurizing of the depressurization buffer tank, the pressurization buffer tank, the depressurization path, and the pressurization path such that
- a pressure of liquid in the supply unit is depressurized so as to be lower than an atmospheric pressure using the depressurization buffer tank, and the pressure of the liquid in the supply unit is pressurized so as to be higher than the atmospheric pressure using the pressurization buffer tank, and
- the pressure is accumulated in the depressurization buffer tank by performing depressurizing in parallel with the pressurizing of the liquid in the supply unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.