Patent Grant
8128210
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-189068, filed Jul. 20, 2007, Japanese Patent No. 2007-189075, filed Jul. 20, 2007, and Japanese Patent No. 2007-318034, filed Dec. 10, 2007 are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for supplying fluid within a fluid ejecting apparatus.
2. Related Art
One example of a fluid ejection apparatus currently known in the art is an ink jet printer which includes a recording head which is filled with an ink or a preservative solution during the manufacturing process, such as in the apparatuses described in JP-A-2002-283590 and JP-A-2004-114647, which are referred to as off-carriage printers.
In another configuration currently known in the art, the fluid ejecting apparatus is an ink jet printer wherein an ink container that contains ink is arranged separately from the recording head. One example of such a configuration is described in JP-A-2005-47258.
When an ink jet printer is manufactured with a recording head filled with ink, or the like, it may be necessary to refill the ink in the recording head after a number of printing processes have been performed. This is particularly true in instances where the printer is an off-carriage printer, because the amount of ink that is needed to flow from the ink container to the recording head is relatively large. When a printer is manufactured without an attached ink container, an additional member is needed to seal the area where the supply needle that supplies the ink from the ink container is required.
In addition, when the printer is manufactured without an attached ink container, the quality of ink in the recording head may possibly deteriorate because air may be allowed to enter the ink flow passage or the ink container.
These problems not only apply to ink jet printers including ink containers that contain liquid ink and recording head that discharges liquid ink, but also apply to all fluid ejecting apparatuses that include a fluid containing portion that contains fluid and a fluid discharge portion that discharges fluid.
An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that makes it possible to suppress entry of foreign matter into a fluid containing portion in a fluid ejecting apparatus before the apparatus is used.
Aspects of the invention may be implemented as the following embodiments or application examples.
A first embodiment of the invention is a fluid ejecting apparatus includes a fluid containing portion, a fluid discharging portion, a flow passage forming portion and a valve mechanism. The fluid containing portion contains fluid. The fluid discharging portion discharges the fluid. The flow passage forming portion forms a fluid flow passage that extends from the fluid containing portion to the fluid discharging portion. The valve mechanism is able to open or close the fluid flow passage. The fluid ejecting apparatus is placed in an initial state before the fluid ejecting apparatus is used, wherein the fluid is filled in the fluid containing portion, at least a portion of the fluid flow passage from the fluid containing portion to the valve mechanism is filled with the fluid, and the fluid flow passage is closed by the valve mechanism.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method of filling fluid in a fluid ejecting apparatus. The fluid ejecting apparatus includes a fluid containing portion that contains the fluid, a fluid discharging portion that discharges the fluid, a flow passage forming portion that forms a fluid flow passage that extends from the fluid containing portion to the fluid discharging portion, a valve mechanism that is able to open or close the fluid flow passage, and a vacuum device that vacuums the inside of the fluid flow passage. The method includes closing the fluid flow passage using the valve mechanism, generating a negative pressure in the fluid flow passage from the fluid discharging portion to the valve mechanism by performing a vacuuming operation with the vacuum device, opening the fluid flow passage using the valve mechanism, and closing the fluid flow passage by the valve mechanism after the fluid contained in the containing portion fills the fluid flow passage from the containing portion to the valve mechanism.
Note that the aspects of the invention may be implemented in various forms. For example, the aspects of the invention may be implemented in a fluid ejecting apparatus, a fluid discharging apparatus, a printing apparatus, a method of manufacturing these apparatuses, a method of filling fluid to these apparatuses, and the like.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described in the following order using the following exemplary embodiments.
The printer 10 includes a main housing 20 that accommodates a print mechanism portion 50. The main housing 20 is provided with a paper feed tray 12 and a paper output tray 14. The paper feed tray 12 introduces a print sheet P, which is supplied to the print mechanism portion 50, into the main housing 20. The paper output tray 14 delivers a print sheet P, which is ejected from the print mechanism portion 50, outward from the main housing 20. The details of the print mechanism portion 50 will be described more fully below.
A control portion 40 is accommodated in the main housing 20 and is capable of controlling portions of the printer 10. In the present embodiment, the control portion 40 includes application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) that include the hardware, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The control portion 40 has installed software that implements various functions of the printer 10.
An upper housing 30 is arranged on the upper face of the main housing 20. The upper housing is an accommodation case that accommodates a plurality of ink packs 310. The upper housing 30 is coupled to the main housing 20 so as to pivot about a rotation shaft 350. The plurality of ink packs 310, which serve as ink supply sources, contain liquid inks of a variety of different colors.
In the present embodiment, each ink pack 310 is formed of a flexible, substantially rectangular oblate bag having a substantially elliptical cross section. Each ink pack 310 has a pack port 60 provided at one side. Ink may be delivered through the pack port 60. In the present embodiment, the plurality of ink packs 310 are held so that one side of each of the ink packs 310 is raised and the ink packs 310 are obliquely stacked. In the present embodiment, four ink packs 301 corresponding to four colors of ink, that is, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, are accommodated in the upper housing 30. Note that the number of ink packs 310 or the color of ink contained in each ink pack 310 may be modified. For example, six ink packs 310 corresponding to six colors of ink, including light cyan and light magenta may be provided in addition to the above four colors in the upper housing 30.
The upper housing 30 is provided with an ink supply portion 330 to which the pack port 60 of each ink pack 310 is connected. A supply tube 340 is connected to the ink supply portion 330. The supply tube 340 leads ink, which is delivered from the ink packs 310 to the ink supply portion 330, to the print mechanism portion 50. The supply tube 340 internally comprises four tubular flow passages which correspond to the four ink packs 310. The ink supply portion 330 and the supply tube 340 cooperatively form part of an ink flow passage that extends from the ink packs 310 to a recording head 810 of the print mechanism portion 50, which will be described more fully below.
The supply tube 340 has a coupling 410. A portion of the supply tube 340 has a curved portion as described more fully below, so that the portion is formed of a material having a relatively higher flexibility, such as a polyethylene-based elastomer. In addition, another portion of the supply tube 340 may be formed of a material having a relatively low flexibility, such as polypropylene.
As shown in
A plurality of holders 380 are provided inside the upper housing 30, and comprise holders for the ink packs 310. Each holder 380 includes an inclined plate 381 that is inclined with respect to the holder guide 362. The ink pack 310 is mounted on the upper surface of the inclined plate 381 of each holder 380 so that the one of the surfaces of the oblate bag portion of the ink pack 310 is in contact with the upper surface of the inclined plate 381. In the present embodiment, at least portion of the surface of each ink pack 310, which contacts the inclined plate 381 of the holder 380, is adhered to the inclined plate 381 of the holder 380 with double-stick tape. A base portion 382 is formed on the lower side of the inclined plate 381 in each holder 380. The base portion 382 is insertable in the holder guide 362. The base portion 382 of each holder 380, once inserted in the holder guide 362, is fixedly fastened to the lower housing portion 360 with fixation screws 388 and 389, which serve as fastening members, as described more fully below. The plurality of holders 380 are arranged parallel to one another at intervals along the inner bottom portion of the lower housing portion 360 so that the inclined plate 381 of one holder 380 is located above the ink pack 310 mounted on the adjacent holder 380. As shown in
In this way, in the present embodiment, because each of the ink packs 310 is mounted on a corresponding one of the inclined plates 381 of the holders 380, the plurality of ink packs 310 may be overlappingly accommodated with high efficiency while preventing the weight of the ink pack 310 from being exerted on the adjacent ink pack 310. In addition, because the ink packs 310 are held from below, regardless of whether the upper housing 30 is opened or closed, it is possible to prevent the ink packs 310 from being excessively pressed against the abutting holders 380 by their own weight.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Inside the main housing 20, a home position, where the carriage 80 is placed in a standby state, is provided in a non-print area that is located on one end of the printer 10 and outside the print area where the platen 530 is arranged. A maintenance mechanism portion 70 that maintains the carriage 80 is provided at the home position.
As shown in
A second carriage member 820, a third carriage member 830, a fourth carriage member 840, and a fifth carriage member 850 are laminated on the recording head 810 in the stated order. The fifth carriage member 850 constitutes the upper face of the carriage 80. The fifth carriage member 850 has four ink introducing ports 859 that are connected to the supply tube 340 and that form part of the ink flow passage. The fourth carriage member 840 is laminated between the fifth carriage member 850 and the third carriage member 830. The fourth carriage member 840 has four upstream trap chambers 842 that are in fluid communication with the ink introducing ports 859 of the fifth carriage member 850. The third carriage member 830 is laminated between the fourth carriage member 840 and the second carriage member 820. The third carriage member 830 has four ink flow passages 834, four regulator valves 836 and four ink flow passages 838. The four ink flow passages 834 are in fluid communication with the upstream trap chambers 842 of the fourth carriage member 840 through filters 846. The four regulator valves 836 each adjust to reduce the pressure of ink flowing downstream to the recording head 810. The four ink flow passages 838 allow the ink from the regulator valves 836 to flow downstream to the recording head 810. The second carriage member 820 is laminated between the third carriage member 830 and the recording head 810. The second carriage member 820 has four downstream trap chambers 822 that are in fluid communication with the ink flow passages 838 of the third carriage member 830. The downstream trap chambers 822 are in fluid communication with the nozzles 812 through filters 826.
The carriage 80 is formed with the gas recovery chamber 841 and the gas recovery chamber 821. The gas recovery chamber 841 adjoins the upstream trap chambers 842 via a transmission wall 844. The gas recovery chamber 821 adjoins the downstream trap chambers 822 via a transmission wall 824. The gas recovery chamber 821 and the gas recovery chamber 841 are provided to remove bubbles that are included in ink inside the ink flow passage. That is, the carriage 80 has a hollow needle 852 that is connectable with the detachable connecting portion 750, shown in
The maintenance mechanism portion 70 is provided with a branch portion 716 that branches the vacuum tube 715 shown in
In step S110, the ink packs 310 that contain ink are connected to the ink supply portion 330 shown in
In step S120, the head cap 740 of the maintenance mechanism portion 70 shown in
Through the above described ink filling process, the printer 10 is placed in a state (hereinafter, referred to as “first initial state”) where at least portion of the ink flow passage that extends from the ink packs 310 to the recording head 810 or portion of the recording head 810 itself is filled with ink. After that, the printer 10 is shipped for user use. That is, the printer 10 is placed in the first initial state before the initial use of the printer 10 after the ink packs 310 are filled with ink. Thus, it is not necessary to fill the printer 10 with a distribution-purpose ink or a preservative solution. In addition, before the printer 10 is used, it is possible to suppress entry of foreign matter, such as distribution-purpose ink, air, or the like, from entering the ink packs 310. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of ink contained in the ink packs 310, due to deaeration or the like. Moreover, when the user initially uses the printer 10, the ink packs 310 are already installed in the printer 10. This eliminates attachment work of the ink packs 310 by the user, reducing the burden on the user. Furthermore, because the printer 10 remains in a state (first initial state) where the ink flow passage is filled with ink until the user starts using the printer 10, the ink flow passage is accustomed to being filled ink and, as a result, filling of ink into the ink flow passage after the user starts using is smoothly performed.
Note that the ink filling process shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
The motor driving circuit 42 of the present embodiment further includes a stepping motor driving circuit 45. The printer 10 of the present embodiment is configured to use the configuration of an existing on-carriage printer that includes a scanner mechanism at a portion corresponding to the upper housing 30. The motor driving circuit 42 includes the stepping motor driving circuit 45, which serves as a driving circuit for a scanner motor SM. The scanner motor SM is, for example, four-phase stepping motor. The stepping motor driving circuit 45, for example, performs driving of the scanner motor SM with W1-2 phase excitation.
In the present embodiment, the choking DC motor 910 is driven by the stepping motor driving circuit 45. The choking DC motor 910 is connected to the A-phase terminal of the stepping motor driving circuit 45. The choking DC motor 910 is driven using a microstep driving signal for the stepping motor driving circuit 45.
During a period of time (referred to as “period T2”) when 80 ms elapses from the end of the period T1, the stepping motor driving circuit 45 applies an electric current to the choking DC motor 910, which is the reverse direction from the applied electric current that was applied during the period T1. Note that the magnitude of electric current at this time is preferably as close to 0 as possible. An electric current during the period T2 is applied in a direction reverse to that of the electric current applied during the period T1 in order to quickly stop the choking DC motor 910. In some instances, although an electric current is not applied to the choking DC motor 910 during the period T2, as is indicated by the broken line in
Note that the applied electric current and the output electric current of the choking DC motor 910 at the time when the magnet portion 930 is moved from the nearest state to the farthest state to open the hollow flow passages 335 are reverse electric currents from the direction of the electric current and the output electric current applied when the hollow flow passages 335 are closed as shown in
In this way, the choking DC motor 910 is driven by the stepping motor driving circuit 45. Thus, an existing circuit may be effectively used and, as a result, a new circuit component is not necessary. In addition, an existing design may be utilized and, hence, the work for designing a new design may be reduced. Furthermore, a motor that does not require highly accurate rotation control, such as the choking DC motor 910, may be controlled without feedback control.
In step S112 the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by operating the choke valve mechanism 900. In step S120, the head cap 740 of the maintenance mechanism portion 70 is connected to the carriage 80. In step S132, the vacuum pump 710 performs a vacuuming operation. As the vacuum pump 710 performs the vacuuming operation, a negative pressure is applied to the ink vacuum chamber 741, thus vacuuming the inside of the ink flow passage through the nozzles 812 of the recording head 810. At this time, because the hollow flow passages 335 of the ink supply portion 330 are closed by the choke valve mechanism 900, a negative pressure is generated in portion of the ink flow passage on the side of the recording head 810. In the meantime, cleaning fluid that remains in the ink flow passage is drained. On the other hand, a negative pressure is not applied to portion of the ink flow passage on the side of choke valve mechanism 900 where the ink packs 310 are located, so that ink continuously remains in the ink packs 310. In step S140, the printer 10 is placed on standby for a predetermined period of time in order to maintain the negative pressure generated in the portion of ink flow passage on the side of the choke valve mechanism 900 where the recording head 810 is located.
In step S150, the hollow flow passages 335 (shown in
Through the above described ink filling process according to the second embodiment, the printer 10 is placed in a state (hereinafter, referred to as “second initial state”) where at least a portion of ink flow passage is filled, from the position facing the ink packs 310 to the position where the choke valve mechanism 900 is located. After that, the printer 10 is shipped and the user starts using it. That is, the printer 10 is placed in the second initial state before the initial use of the printer 10 after the ink packs 310 have been filled with ink. Thus, filling material that will be unnecessary after the use of the printer 10, such as distribution-purpose ink or a preservative solution, is not required. In addition, before the use of the printer 10, it is possible to suppress entry of foreign matter, such as distribution-purpose ink, air, or the like, into the ink packs 310. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of ink contained in the ink packs 310. This is particularly true when the printer is shipped in the second initial state, because the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by the choke valve mechanism 900, with the ink filling the portion of ink flow passage from the position facing the ink packs 310 to the position of the choke valve mechanism 900.
Moreover, when the user initially uses the printer 10, the ink packs 310 are already installed in the printer 10. This eliminates attachment work of the ink packs 310 by the user, and reduces the burden on the user. Furthermore, because the printer 10 remains in a state where the ink flow passage is filled with ink until the user starts using the printer 10, the ink flow passage is acclimated to ink and, as a result, the filling of ink into the ink flow passage after the user starts using may be smoothly performed.
In addition, in the ink filling process according to the second embodiment, the nozzles of the recording head 810 are not filled with ink before the initial use of the printer 10. This can suppress the occurrence of clogged nozzles 812 due to the ambient environment between the time that the printer 10 is shipped until the initial use of the printer 10, and also can suppress the occurrence of ink leakage from the nozzles, and the like.
In addition, in the ink filling process according to the second embodiment, a negative pressure is generated equally at portions of the four ink flow passages, which respectively correspond to four colors of ink, on the side of the recording head 810 with respect to the choke valve mechanism 900 through vacuum operation by the vacuum pump 710 (step S132 of
Furthermore, in the ink filling process according to the second embodiment, after the hollow flow passages 335 are closed (step S112 of
Note that the ink filling process (see
As shown in
After the cleaning process of the ink supply system is performed in steps S60 to S90, as in the case of the ink filling process of the second embodiment, the ink packs 310 that contain ink are connected to the ink supply portion 330 (step S110). Then, the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by operating the choke valve mechanism 900 (step S112), and a vacuuming operation is initiated (step S134) by starting driving of the vacuum pump 710. As the vacuum pump 710 performs vacuuming operation, a negative pressure is applied to the ink vacuum chamber 741, thus vacuuming the inside of the ink flow passage through the nozzles 812 of the recording head 810. At this time, a negative pressure is applied to the ink supply system on the recording head 810 side of the ink supply system. However, because the hollow flow passages 335 of the ink supply portion 330 are closed by the choke valve mechanism 900, the negative pressure is not applied to the portion of the ink flow passage on the ink packs 310 side of the choke valve mechanism 900. The printer 10 is then placed on standby in this state for a predetermined period of time (step S144).
At step S150, the hollow flow passages 335 are opened by operating the choke valve mechanism 900. Thus, the ink flow passage establishes communication from the carriage 80 to the supply needles 320. Then, a vacuuming operation drains cleaning fluid that fills the ink supply system into the head cap 740, and ink flows from the ink packs 310 into the ink flow passage. After the ink fills the ink flow passage up to the position of the choke valve mechanism 900, driving of the vacuum pump 710 is stopped (step S151) and then the printer 10 is maintained in this state for a predetermined standby period of time (step S152). By so doing, at least the portion of ink flow passage from the position facing the ink packs 310 to the position of the choke valve mechanism 900 is filled with ink, whereas the remaining portion of the ink flow passage and the recording head 810 are filled with cleaning fluid. In this state, the intersection between the ink supplied from the ink packs 310 and the cleaning fluid supplied to fill the ink flow passage in the cleaning process is located at the choke valve mechanism 900.
Then, the head cap 740 of the maintenance mechanism portion 70 is separated from the carriage 80 (step S153). Then, the vacuum pump 710 is started again (step S154). Thus, cleaning fluid accumulated in the head cap 740 is drained. The vacuum operation by the vacuum pump 710 at this time is also referred to as idle vacuum operation. After the cleaning fluid in the head cap 740 has been drained, driving of the vacuum pump 710 is stopped (step S155). After that, the head cap 740 of the maintenance mechanism portion 70 is connected to the carriage 80 again (step S156), and the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by operating the choke valve mechanism 900 (step S160). Note that the operation by which the choke valve mechanism 900 closes the hollow flow passages 335 may be performed after the standby step in step S152.
In the above described ink filling process according to the third embodiment, the printer 10 is placed in a state (hereinafter, referred to as “third initial state”) where at least the portion of ink flow passage from the position facing the ink packs 310 to the position of the choke valve mechanism 900 is filled with ink supplied from the ink packs 310, and the remaining portion of the ink flow passage, including the recording head 810, is filled with cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink). During this time, the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by the choke valve mechanism 900. After that, the printer 10 is shipped and the user starts using it. That is, the printer 10 is placed in the third initial state before the initial use of the printer 10. Thus, before the printer 10 is used, it is possible to suppress entry of foreign matter, such as cleaning fluid, air, or the like, into the ink packs 310. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the quality of ink contained in the ink packs 310 and the occurrence of mixture of ink in the ink packs 310 and the cleaning fluid. That is, in the second initial state, because the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by the choke valve mechanism 900, ink that fills the portion of ink flow passage from the ink packs 310 to the choke valve mechanism 900 may be maintained after shipment. This reliably suppress entry of foreign matter into the ink packs 310.
Moreover, when the user initially uses the printer 10, the ink packs 310 have already been installed in the printer 10. This eliminates attachment work of the ink packs 310 and reduces the burden on the user. Furthermore, because the printer 10 remains in a state (third initial state) where the ink flow passage is filled with ink (both ink supplied from the ink packs 310 and distribution-purpose ink) until the user starts using the printer 10, the surface of a material that forms the ink flow passage is adapted to ink and, as a result, filling of ink into the ink flow passage after the user starts the printing process is more easily performed.
In addition, in the third initial state, because the portion of ink flow passage, other than the portion filled with ink supplied from the ink packs 310, and the recording head 810 are filled with cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink after shipment, even when the printer is subject to a high-temperature environment, it is possible to suppress an increase in internal pressure in the ink supply system or the recording head 810 to thereby make it possible to suppress ink leakage at coupling portions, or the like. Moreover, because the cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink) does not contain a color material (dye or pigment) which is a solid content, even when the printer 10 is subject to a high-temperature environment, clogged nozzles 812 do not occur.
In addition, in the ink filling process according to the third embodiment, a negative pressure is generated equally at portions of the four ink flow passages, which respectively correspond to four colors of ink through vacuum operation by the vacuum pump 710. After that, the hollow flow passages 335 corresponding to the four ink flow passages are opened by operating the choke valve mechanism 900 in order to fill the four ink flow passages with ink. This suppresses occurrences where the ink flow passages are non-uniformly filled, making it possible to achieve a more favorable ink filling process.
Furthermore, in the ink filling process according to the third embodiment, after the hollow flow passages 335 are closed by operating the choke valve mechanism 900, a vacuuming operation is performed by the vacuum pump 710. This makes it possible to check for any malfunctions in the choke valve mechanism 900.
Note that the ink filling process of the third embodiment, as well as the ink filling process of the first and second embodiments, the ink filling process may be performed when one or plurality of ink packs 310 run out of ink after the user starts using the printer 10. During this process, after removing the empty ink pack 310 and cleaning the ink supply system (including refilling the cleaning fluid), the new or refilled ink packs 310 may be connected in step S110. Then, step S112 and the following steps may be performed. Following these processes, the printer 10 is returned to the state where at least the portion of ink flow passage from the position facing the ink packs 310 to the position of the choke valve mechanism 900 is filled with ink supplied from the ink packs 310, and the remaining portion of the ink flow passage, including the recording head 810, is filled with cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink) with the hollow flow passages 335 being closed by the choke valve mechanism 900.
Note that the aspects of the invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but they may be modified into various alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The following alternative embodiments are, for example, applicable.
In the ink filling process of the second embodiment described above, the hollow flow passages 335 may be closed after the ink flow passage to the recording head 810 of the carriage 80 is filled with ink. However, as in the case of the second embodiment, when the hollow flow passages 335 are closed after the ink flow passage is filled with ink to the position of the choke valve mechanism 900, it is desirably possible to suppress a decrease in quality of ink. In addition, when the hollow flow passages 335 are closed before ink fills the ink flow passage to the recording head 810 of the carriage 80, it is desirably possible to suppress the occurrence of clogged nozzles 812 or ink leakage.
Furthermore, in the ink filling process of the second embodiment, after closing the hollow flow passages 335 by the choke valve mechanism 900 and performing vacuum operation by the vacuum pump 710, the hollow flow passages 335 are opened to thereby fill the ink flow passage with ink. However, the ink flow passage may be filled with ink in such a manner that vacuum operation is performed while the hollow flow passages 335 are opened.
In the above embodiments, the configuration of the printer 10 is just illustrative, and another configurations may be employed. For example, it is not necessary that the motor driving circuit 42 (shown in
Furthermore, it is not necessary that the choke valve mechanism 900 is provided at the ink supply portion 330 but the choke valve mechanism 900 may be provided at any portion of the ink flow passage from the ink packs 310 to the recording head 810. In addition, the configuration of the choke valve mechanism 900 may employ any configuration as far as it can open and close the ink flow passage.
In addition, in the ink filling process of the above embodiments, the vacuuming of the ink flow passage is performed by the vacuum pump 710. However, when the printer 10 includes another pump that is able to vacuum the ink flow passage, the vacuum operation in the ink filling process may be performed by other pump. Furthermore, in the ink filling process, the head cap 740 need not be connected to the carriage 80.
In addition, the configuration of the carriage 80 in the above embodiments is illustrative and another configurations may be employed as the configuration of the carriage 80. For example, it is not necessary that the carriage 80 includes the gas recovery chambers 841 and 821, the hollow needle 852, the regulator valves 836, or the like.
Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the plurality of ink packs 310 respectively contain inks of mutually different colors, however, the plurality of ink packs 310 may contain inks of the same color.
In the above embodiments, the upper housing 30 is pivotally connected to the main housing 20 but upper housing 30 may also be slidably connected to the main housing 20. By so doing, the ink packs 310 may be accommodated in the upper housing 30.
In addition, in the above embodiments, the holders 380 may be arranged so that the orientation in which the holders 380 are arranged in the lower housing portion 360 is substantially aligned along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 350 as shown in
According to the embodiment shown in
In addition, as shown in
In the above described embodiment, the fluid ejecting apparatus is embodied as the ink jet recording apparatus, however, the invention is not so limited. The aspects of the invention may be embodied as a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink, such as liquids, including a liquid body in which particles of functional material are dispersed and a flowage body such as gel, or fluids other than liquid, such as solids that may be flowed and ejected.
For example, the aspects of the invention may be embodied as liquid ejecting apparatuses which eject a liquid body that contains materials such as electrode materials or color materials through dispersion or solution, for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an electroluminescence (EL) display, a field emission display, or the like. The invention may also be embodied as a liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects a bio-organic material for manufacturing a bio-chip, or a liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects a sample of liquid in a precision pipette. Furthermore, the fluid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a pinpoint quantity of lubricating oil to a precision machine, such as a clock, a watch or a camera, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a transparent resin liquid, such as an ultraviolet curing resin, for forming a microscopic semi-spherical lens on a substrate (optical lens) used for an optical communication element, or the like, or in a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etchant, such as acid or alkali, in order to perform etching on a substrate. The invention may also be embodied as a flowage ejecting apparatus that ejects a gel, or fine particle ejection recording apparatus that ejects solid, which is, for example, particles such as a toner. Thus, the aspects of the invention may be applied to any one of these ejecting apparatuses.
Furthermore, the ink may comprise water-based ink or an oil-based ink.
In the ink filling process according to the third embodiment, cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink) is supplied to fill the ink supply system in the cleaning process (step S70), however, liquid other than the cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink) may be supplied to fill the ink supply system as far as the liquid does not contain a solid content. In addition, the third initial state may be a state in which the recording head 810 is filled with cleaning fluid (distribution-purpose ink) and the ink flow passage is not filled with cleaning fluid, or conversely may be a state in which the ink flow passage is filled with cleaning fluid and the recording head 810 is not filled with cleaning fluid.
In the flowchart (
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-189068 | Jul 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-189075 | Jul 2007 | JP | national |
| 2007-318034 | Dec 2007 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6273103 | Enz et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 7334883 | Campillo et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
| 7367663 | Matsumoto | May 2008 | B2 |
| 7387377 | Yoshino et al. | Jun 2008 | B2 |
| 7681967 | Silverbrook et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
| 7699449 | Yoshino et al. | Apr 2010 | B2 |
| 7780276 | Guhse et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 05-116339 | May 1993 | JP |
| 2002-283590 | Oct 2002 | JP |
| 2004-114647 | Apr 2004 | JP |
| 2005-047258 | Feb 2005 | JP |
| 2007-083640 | Apr 2007 | JP |
| 2007-160916 | Jun 2007 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090021564 A1 | Jan 2009 | US |
