LIQUID DISCHARGE UNIT, LIQUID DISCHARGE DEVICE AND MAINTENANCE METHOD

• Main Author: TOKUYAMA KOJI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 17.01.2023
• Subjects: CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; LINING MACHINES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRINTING; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS

To suppress volumes of air bubble in liquid from increasing excessively, in performing maintenance operation of drawing liquid in a nozzle into a pressure chamber side.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge unit comprises a liquid discharge head 100 that makes a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle for discharging liquid cause pressure fluctuation, and a liquid circulating mechanism 200 that circulates liquid ejected through ejection passages 282 and 292 from the pressure chamber so that the liquid returns to the pressure chamber through supply passages 281 and 291, where a branch part that branches into another passage part 402 which is different from the passage part 292 for circulation communicating with the pressure chamber is provided in the ejection passage. The unit further comprises liquid current generating means 400 that generates liquid currents for drawing liquid in the nozzle into the pressure chamber side, by suctioning liquid in the ejection passages from the branch part to the another passage part, and flow passage switching means 401 that switches flow passage for liquid passing through the branch part to the passage part for circulation or the another passage part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5 【課題】ノズル内の液体を圧力室側へ引き込むメンテナンス動作を行う場合に、液体中の気泡の量が過多状態になるのを抑制する。【解決手段】液体を吐出するノズルに連通する圧力室に圧力変動を生じさせる液体吐出ヘッド１００と、前記圧力室から排出通路２８２，２９２を通じて排出された液体が供給通路２８１，２９１を通じて該圧力室へ戻るように液体を循環させる液体循環機構２００と、を備えた液体吐出ユニットであって、前記排出通路には、前記圧力室に通じる循環用通路部２９２とは異なる別の通路部４０２に分岐する分岐部が設けられ、前記排出通路内の液体を前記分岐部から前記別の通路部へ吸い込むことにより、前記ノズル内の液体を前記圧力室側へ引き込む液流を発生させる液流発生手段４００と、前記分岐部を通過する液体の流路を前記循環用通路部又は前記別の通路部に切り替える流路切替手段４０１とを備える。【選択図】図５