CN112297631B

CN112297631B - Fluid reservoir and liquid ejection device

Info

Publication number: CN112297631B
Application number: CN202010753837.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小阿濑崇
Original assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Current assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
Priority date: 2019-07-31
Filing date: 2020-07-30
Publication date: 2024-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-30
Also published as: CN112297631A; JP2021024119A

Abstract

The invention provides a fluid reservoir and a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the volume change amount of a chamber for storing liquid relative to the pressure change of fluid is increased, and the volume change efficiency is improved. An intermediate reservoir as an example of the fluid reservoir includes: a housing; a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber with the housing; and a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber increases. The housing has a plurality of flow paths in communication with the first chamber. The film has a deformation portion protruding in the urging direction by the urging member in the circumferential direction. The film is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction to obtain a cross section through the center of the film, the curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section being smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film than on the side from which the urging member is urged.

Description

Fluid reservoir and liquid ejection device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fluid reservoir for storing a fluid and a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid onto a medium such as paper.

Background

As an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink jet printer that ejects ink (liquid) supplied from a liquid supply source such as an ink tank from an ejection head to a medium such as paper to print. Among such printers, there is a printer in which a fluid reservoir is provided in a middle portion of a liquid supply path that supplies liquid such as ink contained in a liquid supply source to a discharge head, and the fluid reservoir absorbs pressure fluctuation of the liquid (for example, patent document 1).

For example, the liquid ejecting apparatus described in patent document 1 includes a liquid ejecting head and a sub tank mounted on a carriage that reciprocates. A part of the liquid storage chamber disposed in the sub tank is formed by an elastic partition wall. The elastic partition wall is formed with a groove on an inner surface thereof, and is configured to be able to obtain a large displacement amount by the groove.

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2004-284238

Disclosure of Invention

However, although the elastic partition wall is easily deflected by the groove, there is a technical problem that the displacement amount of the elastic partition wall is insufficient. Therefore, the displacement amount of the elastic partition wall is insufficient with respect to the pressure variation of the liquid when the carriage reciprocates, and thus the volume variation amount of the chamber storing the liquid is insufficient with respect to the pressure variation. It should be noted that the above technical problems are substantially the same in fluid reservoirs such as dampers, bumpers, pumps, etc. having a chamber for storing a fluid.

The fluid reservoir for solving the above technical problems comprises: a housing; a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber between the membrane and the housing; and a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which a volume of the first chamber increases, the housing having a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber, the film having a deformed portion in a circumferential direction, the deformed portion protruding in a biasing direction in which the biasing member biases the film so as to cut the film along a virtual plane in the biasing direction to obtain a cross section passing through a center of the film, a curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section being smaller on a side closer to an outer periphery of the film than on a side from which the biasing member receives the biasing force.

The fluid reservoir for solving the above technical problems comprises: a housing; a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber between the membrane and the housing; and a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber decreases, the housing having a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber, the film having a deformed portion in a circumferential direction, the deformed portion protruding in a biasing direction in which the biasing member biases the film so as to cut the film along a virtual plane in the biasing direction to obtain a cross section passing through a center of the film, a curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section being smaller on a side closer to an outer periphery of the film than on a side from which the biasing member receives the biasing force.

The liquid ejecting apparatus for solving the above-described problems includes: a liquid ejection head ejecting liquid; a supply flow path that supplies the liquid contained in the liquid supply source to the liquid ejection head; and a liquid reservoir provided in a middle portion of the supply flow path, the liquid reservoir including: a housing; a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber between the membrane and the housing; and a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which a volume of the first chamber increases, the housing having a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber, the film having a deformed portion in a circumferential direction, the deformed portion protruding in a biasing direction in which the biasing member biases the film so as to cut the film along a virtual plane in the biasing direction to obtain a cross section passing through a center of the film, a curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section being smaller on a side closer to an outer periphery of the film than on a side from which the biasing member receives the biasing force.

The liquid ejecting apparatus for solving the above-described problems includes: a liquid ejection head ejecting liquid; a supply flow path that supplies the liquid contained in the liquid supply source to the liquid ejection head; and a liquid reservoir provided in a middle portion of the supply flow path, the liquid reservoir including: a housing; a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber between the membrane and the housing; and a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber decreases, the housing having a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber, the film having a deformed portion in a circumferential direction, the deformed portion protruding in a biasing direction in which the biasing member biases the film so as to cut the film along a virtual plane in the biasing direction to obtain a cross section passing through a center of the film, a curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section being smaller on a side closer to an outer periphery of the film than on a side from which the biasing member receives the biasing force.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a compound machine including a liquid ejecting apparatus according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the compound machine in a state where the liquid supply source is exposed.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing an internal configuration of the liquid ejection device.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing a liquid supply apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a first face of the intermediate storage body.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the second face of the intermediate storage body.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line F7-F7 in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the surface of the film.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the back surface of the film.

Fig. 10 is a front view of a main part of a tubule structure showing an atmospheric communication path.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line F11-F11 in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a membrane in the damper of the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing a membrane in the damper of the comparative example.

Fig. 14 is a graph showing a change in the volume of liquid in the damper.

Fig. 15 is a side view showing an intermediate storage body of the second embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken along line F16-F16 in fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a liquid supply device in the third embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

An 11 complex machine, a 12 liquid ejecting apparatus, a 13 image reading apparatus, a 15 operation section, a 16 display section, a 17 operation panel, a 18 liquid supply source, a 20 frame, a 21 window section, a 23 housing chamber, a 24 injection port, a 26 visual confirmation surface, a 30 nozzle formation surface, a 31 nozzle, a 32 ejection head, a 33 carriage, a 35 maintenance apparatus, a 36 liquid supply apparatus, a 38 cap, a 39 discharge hose, a 40 discharge pump, a 41 waste liquid housing section, a 43 liquid supply path, a 43a first supply path, a 43b second supply path, a 45 filter, a 46 supply hose, a 50 control section, a 60 intermediate reservoir as one example of a fluid reservoir and a liquid reservoir, a 61 housing, a 61a first side surface, a 61b second side surface, a 61c connection pipe, a 61d connection convex portion, a 61e as one example of an atmospheric communication path, a film 63 first reservoir, 64 second reservoir, 65 upper communication port, 65a first upper communication port, 65b second upper communication port, 66 lower communication port, 66a first lower communication port, 66b second lower communication port, 67 introduction port, 68 introduction flow path, 70 damper, 71 first chamber, 72 membrane, 73 urging member, 75 deformation portion, 75a outer peripheral region, 75b inner peripheral region, 76 outer peripheral region, 77 tubular portion as an example of a connection portion, 77a through hole, 78 second chamber, 79 atmospheric communication port, 81 downstream side space, 82 upstream side space, 83 third supply path, 97 pressing member, 100 liquid supply device, 101 diaphragm mechanism as an example of a liquid reservoir and 104 as an example of a liquid reservoir, buffer as an example of a liquid reservoir, 105 … first housing, 106 … second housing, 111 … housing, 112 … first chamber, 113 … film, 114 … biasing member, 116 … deformation portion, 121 … housing, 123 … film, 124 … biasing member, 125 … first chamber, 126 … deformation portion, X … scanning direction, Y … depth direction, Z … vertical direction, X1 … thickness direction, Y1 … width direction, Z1 … height direction, UD … biasing direction, L1, L2 … liquid level, L11, L21 … liquid level

Detailed Description

First embodiment

Next, a first embodiment of the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment is an ink jet printer that ejects liquid such as ink onto a medium such as paper to print (record) characters, images, or the like on the medium.

As shown in fig. 1, the multi-functional peripheral 11 includes a liquid discharge device 12 and an image reading device 13, and the multi-functional peripheral 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, wherein the image reading device 13 is disposed on the liquid discharge device 12 and covers an upper side of the liquid discharge device 12.

In fig. 1, assuming that the compound machine 11 is placed on a horizontal plane, the Z axis represents the direction of gravity, and the X and Y axes represent directions along the horizontal plane perpendicular to the direction of gravity. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis intersect each other (are orthogonal in this embodiment). In the following description, a direction along the X axis is referred to as a scanning direction X, a direction along the Y axis is referred to as a depth direction Y, and a direction along the Z axis is referred to as a vertical direction Z. One end side in the depth direction Y is referred to as a front side, the other end side opposite to the one end side is referred to as a rear side, and one end side in the scanning direction X as viewed from the front side is referred to as a right side, and the other end side is referred to as a left side.

The front surface side of the liquid ejection apparatus 12 is provided with an operation panel 17, and the operation panel 17 has: an operation unit 15 such as a button for performing various operations of the multifunction device 11, and a display unit 16 for displaying information of the liquid discharge device 12 and the multifunction device 11. Further, a holding portion 19 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 17, and the holding portion 19 holds at least one (5 in this embodiment) liquid supply sources 18 (see fig. 2). The liquid supply sources 18 are provided in the housing 20 of the liquid discharge device 12, and at least one (5 in this embodiment) window 21 is formed in the housing 20 so as to correspond to each liquid supply source 18.

As shown in fig. 2, each liquid supply source 18 has a housing chamber 23 capable of housing a liquid, and the housing chambers 23 each house a different kind of liquid. The plurality of accommodation chambers 23 accommodate, for example, liquids having different colors such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In the present embodiment, 1 first liquid supply source 18A for black is provided on the operation panel 17 side, and 4 second liquid supply sources 18B for color are provided with a smaller storage amount than the first liquid supply source 18A.

The liquid supply source 18 has an injection port 24 through which liquid can be injected into the accommodating chamber 23. The liquid supply source 18 is made of transparent or translucent resin, and can visually confirm the level of the liquid surface of the liquid stored in the storage chamber 23 from the outside.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the liquid supply source 18, a region corresponding to the window 21 of the housing 20 functions as a visual check surface 26 that enables visual check of liquid such as ink in the accommodating chamber 23 from the outside. The visual confirmation surface 26 is provided with a lower limit scale 27 indicating a reference for replenishing the liquid into the accommodating chamber 23 and an upper limit scale 28 indicating a reference for an upper limit of the liquid that can be accommodated in the accommodating chamber 23.

As shown in fig. 3, the liquid supply source 18 has: a front wall 18a constituting a visual confirmation surface 26; and upper and lower walls 18b and 18c intersecting the front wall 18 a.

The liquid ejecting apparatus 12 includes: a liquid ejection head 32 capable of ejecting liquid from a plurality of nozzles 31 open on the nozzle formation surface 30; and a carriage 33 capable of holding the liquid ejection head 32 and reciprocally moving in the scanning direction X. The liquid ejecting head 32 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "ejecting head 32") ejects liquid onto a medium (not shown) while moving, and causes the ejected liquid to adhere to the medium to perform printing.

The liquid ejecting apparatus 12 includes: a maintenance device 35 that maintains the ejection head 32; and a liquid supply device 36 for supplying liquid from the liquid supply source 18 to the ejection head 32.

The maintenance device 35 includes: a cover 38 provided so as to be movable relative to the ejection head 32; and a discharge hose 39 connected to the cover 38. The cap 38 is located below the discharge head 32. Therefore, the cap 38 can accommodate the liquid ejected from the nozzle 31 and the liquid discharged from the nozzle 31 for maintenance.

The cover 38 is configured to be movable between a retracted position separated from the discharge head 32 and a capping position in contact with the nozzle forming surface 30 of the discharge head 32. When the cap 38 is in the capping position, a closed space is formed in which the nozzle 31 opens between the cap 38 and the nozzle forming face 30.

The maintenance device 35 includes a suction pump 40 provided at a middle portion of the discharge hose 39. The liquid ejecting apparatus 12 includes a waste liquid accommodating portion 41, and the waste liquid accommodating portion 41 is connected to a downstream end of a discharge hose 39 extending from a suction pump 40 of the maintenance device 35. The maintenance device 35 drives the suction pump 40 in a state where the cap 38 is separated from the discharge head 32, and conveys the liquid stored in the cap 38 to the waste liquid storage section 41.

The maintenance device 35 drives the suction pump 40 in a state where the ejection head 32 is capped, and depressurizes the closed space formed between the cap 38 and the nozzle formation surface 30. Thereby, the maintenance device 35 discharges foreign substances such as bubbles present in the liquid in the ejection head 32 from the nozzle 31 together with the liquid, and conveys the discharged substances to the waste liquid storage section 41.

Next, the liquid supply device 36 will be described.

A plurality of liquid supply devices 36 (5 in the present embodiment) are provided separately for each of the liquid supply sources 18, but 1 liquid supply source 18 and 1 liquid supply device 36 corresponding to the liquid supply source 18 are shown in fig. 3 for simplicity. Since the respective configurations of the plurality of liquid supply devices 36 provided are substantially the same, the description of 1 liquid supply device 36 will be omitted from the description of the other liquid supply devices 36.

As shown in fig. 3, the liquid supply device 36 includes: a liquid supply path 43 for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid supply source 18 to the discharge head 32; an intermediate reservoir 60 provided in a middle portion of the liquid supply path 43 and capable of storing liquid; and a filter 45 capable of trapping foreign matter such as bubbles. The filter 45 is provided in a middle portion of the second supply path 43b downstream of the intermediate reservoir 60. The intermediate storage 60 is mounted on the carriage 33, and the intermediate storage 60 reciprocates in the scanning direction X as the carriage 33 moves. In the present embodiment, the intermediate reservoir 60 constitutes one example of a fluid reservoir and a liquid reservoir. The intermediate reservoir 60 stores a liquid as an example of the fluid, and buffers the pressure by changing the volume of the stored liquid according to the pressure change of the liquid. From this point of view, the intermediate reservoir 60 is also a pressure buffer.

The liquid supply path 43 may be formed in an elastically deformable hose or may be formed in a flow path forming member made of a hard resin material. The liquid supply path 43 may be formed by attaching a film member to a channel forming member having grooves formed therein.

The liquid supply path 43 includes: a first supply path 43a which is an upstream portion of the intermediate reservoir 60; and a second supply path 43b which is a downstream portion of the intermediate reservoir 60. The liquid supply device 36 includes a supply hose 46 that connects the intermediate reservoir 60 and the liquid supply source 18. The first supply path 43a is formed in the supply hose 46. The second supply path 43b is provided on the carriage 33 and supplies the liquid from the intermediate reservoir 60 to the ejection head 32.

As shown in fig. 3, the intermediate reservoir 60 is located above the discharge head 32 and the liquid supply source 18, and at least a part of the liquid supply source 18 is located below the discharge head 32. That is, the discharge head 32 is located between the intermediate reservoir 60 and the liquid supply source 18 in the vertical direction Z. The positional relationship among the intermediate storage 60, the discharge head 32, and the liquid supply source 18 in the vertical direction Z may be arbitrarily set as long as the configuration is such that liquid can be discharged from the nozzles 31 of the discharge head 32 at the discharge timing and no liquid leaks from the nozzles 31 of the discharge head 32 at the non-discharge timing such as the standby timing.

The intermediate reservoir 60 has a damper 70 (see fig. 4) for absorbing pressure fluctuations of the liquid generated when the carriage 33 moves. That is, the intermediate reservoir 60 temporarily stores the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source 18 via the supply hose 46, and supplies the liquid to the discharge head 32 through the second supply path 43b while reducing pressure fluctuations generated when the carriage 33 reciprocates or the like.

Further, as shown in fig. 3, the liquid ejecting apparatus 12 includes a control unit 50 for controlling the overall operation of the multi-functional peripheral 11. The control unit 50 controls the following operations: an operation of reciprocating the carriage 33, an operation of conveying a medium, an operation of ejecting liquid from the nozzles 31 by the ejection head 32, and a discharge operation (normal cleaning) of sucking and discharging the liquid from the nozzles 31 in order to maintain normal printing, and the like.

As shown in fig. 4, the intermediate reservoir 60 connected to the liquid supply source 18 through the supply hose 46 is provided with a damper 70 that absorbs and reduces pressure fluctuations of the liquid. When printing on a medium, pressure fluctuation due to a water hammer occurs in the liquid in the supply hose 46 in response to acceleration and deceleration of the carriage 33, but abrupt fluctuation in the liquid supply pressure to the discharge head 32 is suppressed by providing the damper 70 in the intermediate reservoir 60, and the liquid from the discharge head 32 can be stably discharged.

The filter 45 provided in the middle of the second supply path 43b connecting the intermediate reservoir 60 and the discharge head 32 prevents the passage of foreign matter contained in the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source 18. Thus, the inflow of foreign matter into the ejection head 32 is suppressed, and the clogging condition of the ejection head 32 or the ejection failure condition of the liquid ejected from the ejection head 32 is reduced.

Since the filter 45 prevents passage of foreign matter and fine bubbles, bubbles flowing from upstream are accumulated on the upstream side of the filter 45. The accumulated bubbles form large air blocks to clog the filter 45, and cause ejection failure of the liquid ejected from the ejection head 32, so that the bubbles need to be periodically discharged. In the present embodiment, the discharge of the bubbles is performed by sucking the liquid from the ejection head 32 side.

As shown in fig. 4, the intermediate reservoir 60 includes a bubble discharge mechanism for discharging bubbles accumulated on the upstream side of the filter 45. The intermediate reservoir 60 includes a first reservoir chamber 63 in which liquid can be stored, a second reservoir chamber 64 formed on an upstream side (upper side) of the first reservoir chamber 63 and in which liquid can be stored, an upper communication path 65 that communicates an upper portion of the first reservoir chamber 63 with an upper portion of the second reservoir chamber 64, and a lower communication path 66 that communicates a lower portion of the first reservoir chamber 63 with a lower portion of the second reservoir chamber 64, as bubble discharge means.

The liquid level of the liquid forming the intermediate reservoir 60 is in a stable (steady) state at the following position: the lower first communication port 66b and the lower second communication port 66a of the lower communication path 66 are located above and below the upper first communication port 65b and the upper second communication port 65a of the upper communication path 65. In this state, air remains in the upper portion of the first storage chamber 63, the upper portion of the second storage chamber 64, and the upper communication path 65. The damper effect is generated by the air, and thus pressure fluctuation of the liquid is further suppressed.

The damper 70 includes: a first chamber 71 for storing a liquid, and a membrane 72 which forms a part of the first chamber 71 and has elasticity. The damper 70 is disposed at a branch portion that branches into the introduction path 68, the introduction path 67, and the lower communication path 66. Therefore, the first chamber 71 communicates with 3 channels of the introduction channel 68, the introduction channel 67, and the lower communication channel 66. That is, the first chamber 71 communicates with the introduction flow path 68 at the inflow port 68 a. The first chamber 71 communicates with the introduction path 67 communicating with the second reservoir chamber 64. The first chamber 71 communicates with the lower communication path 66.

The liquid in the supply hose 46 undergoes pressure fluctuation due to the water hammer action in response to acceleration and deceleration of the carriage 33, but the pressure fluctuation is absorbed and slowed down by the damper 70, and abrupt fluctuation of the liquid supply pressure to the ejection head 32 is suppressed. This can stably discharge the liquid from the discharge head 32.

As shown in fig. 4, the carriage 33 is mounted with a head upstream path as a part of the second supply path 43b communicating with the first reservoir 63 in the intermediate reservoir 60. The head upstream path has a downstream space 81 on the side of the ejection head 32 and an upstream space 82 on the side of the first reservoir 63. The downstream side space 81 and the upstream side space 82 are divided by the filter 45. The downstream side space 81 is narrower than the upstream side space 82. The upstream side space 82 communicates with the first reservoir 63. The downstream space 81 communicates with the discharge head 32 through the third supply path 83.

The filter 45 shown in fig. 4 has a plurality of holes which are hole points through which the liquid can pass. The lower second communication port 66a of the intermediate reservoir 60 is located above the filter 45. As the filter 45, for example, a mesh body such as a metal mesh or a resin mesh, a porous body, or a metal plate perforated with fine through holes can be used. Specific examples of the mesh body include a metal mesh filter and metal fibers. The mesh filter is a filter formed by weaving metal wires, and includes a plain weave, a twill weave, a netherlands plain weave, a netherlands twill weave, and the like.

In particular, in order to prevent foreign matter in the liquid from reaching the nozzle 31, the filter particle size of the filter 45 is preferably set to about 15 μm smaller than the diameter (for example, 20 μm) of the opening of the nozzle 31.

In this case, if the liquid is ink (for example, the surface tension is about 28 mN/m), the bubble point pressure, which is the pressure at which the meniscus formed by the pores of the filter 45 breaks, is about 3 to 5 kPa. In addition, when the Dutch twill weave (5 μm filter size) is used, the bubble point pressure is about 10 to 15 kPa.

If the liquid ejecting apparatus 12 is left unused for a long period of time, air may enter the supply hose 46 to generate bubbles. The bubbles flow into the second storage chamber 64 together with the liquid via the connection pipe 61c, the introduction path 68, and the damper 70. The air bubbles flowing in are accumulated integrally with the air in the upper part of the first storage chamber 63 and the air in the upper part of the second storage chamber 64, but as the inflow amount of the air bubbles increases, the liquid level of the liquid in the first storage chamber 63 and the liquid level of the liquid in the second storage chamber 64 decrease.

When the liquid surface of the ink in the first reservoir 63 drops below a predetermined value, for example, the filter 45 is clogged with air, and a discharge failure of the ink discharged from the discharge head 32 occurs. That is, the amount of bubbles accumulated in the first and second storage chambers 63 and 64 is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to discharge the air bubbles (air) before the liquid level of the liquid in the first storage chamber 63 falls below a predetermined value. For this discharge of the bubbles, a special discharge operation (long-term cleaning) is performed. The special discharge operation in the present embodiment is an operation of sucking and discharging the liquid from the nozzle 31 by the maintenance device 35 for a longer time than in the discharge operation (normal cleaning). That is, the special discharging operation (long-time cleaning) is an operation of performing the discharging operation (regular cleaning) for a longer time than usual. When the predetermined bubble discharge timing is reached, the control unit 50 drives the suction pump 40 of the maintenance device 35 to perform a special discharge operation (long-term cleaning) in a capping state in which the cap 38 is brought into contact with the nozzle formation surface 30 of the discharge head 32. By this special discharge operation, the air bubble mass accumulated on the upstream side of the filter 45 is sucked and discharged from the nozzle 31.

Construction of intermediate storage bodies

Next, the structure of the intermediate storage 60 will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 7. The thickness direction is set to be the thickness direction X1 because the thickness direction is parallel to the scanning direction X when the intermediate storage body 60 is mounted on the carriage 33, and the height direction, which is the direction in which the first storage chamber 63 and the second storage chamber 64 are arranged, is set to be the height direction Z1 because the height direction is parallel to the vertical direction Z, and the direction parallel to the depth direction Y of the liquid ejecting apparatus 12 is set to be the width direction Y1. In fig. 5 to 7, the thin film 62 is shown by a two-dot chain line except for a part thereof, and a flow path and a chamber of the intermediate reservoir 60 are depicted so as to be visible.

One intermediate storage body 60 is provided for each type of liquid, and when the liquid is ink, for example, a plurality of intermediate storage bodies 60 having the same number as the type of liquid color are mounted on the carriage 33. The basic constitution of the plurality of intermediate storages 60 is the same, and therefore, the constitution of one intermediate storage 60 will be described below.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the intermediate storage body 60 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. That is, the intermediate storage body 60 has a rectangular plate shape in which each dimension in the width direction Y1 and the height direction Z1 is longer than the dimension (thickness) in the thickness direction X1. The intermediate storage body 60 includes a housing 61. The case 61 has a substantially rectangular plate shape with a dimension in one direction shorter than that in the other two directions. A plurality of recesses 611, through holes 612, and grooves 613 communicating with each other are formed in the first side surface 61a that is one side surface of the housing 61. As shown in fig. 5, the intermediate reservoir 60 is formed with various channels through which liquid and air flow or various chambers in which liquid is stored inside the intermediate reservoir 60 by joining the film 62 to the first side surface 61a of the housing 61 to seal openings of the recess 611, the through-hole 612, and the groove 613 provided in the housing 61.

As shown in fig. 6, a film 72 (see also fig. 7) is attached to the second side 61b of the case 61 opposite to the first side 61a so as to close the opening of the through hole 612 (see fig. 5 and 7), and the film 62 is bonded to the second side 61b of the case 61. In this example, the film 62 is bonded to both side surfaces 61a, 61b of the case 61 by thermal fusion (annealing). Here, the chamber formed by the housing 61 and the film 72 corresponds to the first chamber 71, and the chamber formed by the film 72 and the film 62 corresponds to the second chamber 78.

As shown in fig. 5, the intermediate storage 60 includes: an introduction flow path 68 for introducing a liquid; a first storage chamber 63 capable of storing liquid; and a second storage chamber 64 disposed vertically above the first storage chamber 63 and capable of storing liquid. The intermediate storage body 60 includes: an upper communication path 65 that communicates the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64; and a lower communication passage 66 that communicates the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64 below the upper communication passage 65.

The housing 61 has a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber 71. The damper 70 is disposed at a position where the first chamber 71 communicates with the introduction passage 68, the introduction passage 67 communicating with the second reservoir chamber 64, and the lower communication passage 66. In this example, the plurality of flow paths are an introduction flow path 68, an introduction path 67, and a lower communication path 66. That is, the damper 70 is disposed at a branch portion that branches into the introduction path 68, the introduction path 67, and the lower communication path 66. The introduction flow path 68 communicates with the first chamber 71 through an inflow port 68a (see fig. 4), and the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source 18 (see fig. 4) side flows into the first chamber 71 of the damper 70 at the inflow port 68 a. The first chamber 71 communicates with the second reservoir chamber 64 through the introduction path 67. The first chamber 71 communicates with the lower communication path 66.

As shown in fig. 6, the intermediate reservoir 60 includes a film 62 as an example of a cover member on the opposite side of the cover film 72 from the side facing the first chamber 71. The film 62 is joined to the housing 61 and the outer peripheral portion of the film 72 on the opposite side to the side facing the first chamber 71. The film 72 attached to the housing 61 is covered with the film 62 together with the atmosphere communication passage 79 provided to the housing 61, and the film 72 is sealed by heat fusion.

As shown in fig. 5, a connection pipe 61c is provided to protrude from the upper end of the intermediate storage body 60. The connection pipe 61c is connected to the other end side of the supply hose 46 (see fig. 3) having one end side connected to the liquid supply source 18 (see fig. 3 and 4). An introduction passage 68 for communicating the connection pipe 61c with the first chamber 71 of the damper 70 is formed in the intermediate reservoir 60 at an upper side of the second reservoir 64. The first chamber 71 is formed at a position diagonally lower than the second reservoir chamber 64 and laterally aligned with the first reservoir chamber 63 via the lower communication passage 66. The introduction flow path 68 extends in such a manner as to bypass the second storage chamber 64 from the connection pipe 61c and is connected to an upper portion of the first chamber 71.

The upper communication path 65 and the lower communication path 66 are disposed at positions opposite to each other across the first storage chamber 63 and the second storage chamber 64 in the width direction Y1. The communication port on the second reservoir chamber 64 side in the lower communication path 66 is referred to as a lower second communication port 66a, and the communication port on the first reservoir chamber 63 side in the lower communication path 66 is referred to as a lower first communication port 66b. On the other hand, the communication port on the second reservoir chamber 64 side in the upper communication path 65 is referred to as an upper second communication port 65a, and the communication port on the first reservoir chamber 63 side in the upper communication path 65 is referred to as an upper first communication port 65b. The lower second communication port 66a is smaller than the upper second communication port 65a. That is, the smallest passage cross-sectional area, which is the passage cross-sectional area of the thinnest portion in the lower communication passage 66, is smaller than the smallest passage cross-sectional area, which is the passage cross-sectional area of the thinnest portion in the upper communication passage 65.

The lower second communication port 66a of the lower communication passage 66 is located below the inflow port 68 a. The lower communication path 66 extends downward from the lower second communication port 66a, is folded back, extends upward, and is connected to the lower first communication port 66b. Specifically, the lower communication path 66 includes: an upstream-side path 66c extending from the lower-side second communication port 66a to a position lower than the lower-side second communication port 66 a; and a downstream-side path 66d extending upward from the downstream side of the upstream-side path 66 c. That is, the lower communication path 66 has a U-shaped bent portion 66e at its lower end, the upstream side path 66c extends straight from the lower second communication port 66a to the lower bent portion 66e, and the downstream side path 66d extends straight upward from the bent portion 66e and communicates laterally to the first reservoir 63. In this case, half of the curved portion 66e constitutes a part of the upstream side path 66c, and the remaining half of the curved portion 66e constitutes a part of the downstream side path 66d.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, a connection protrusion 61d is integrally formed on the lower end surface of the intermediate storage body 60, and the connection protrusion 61d is connected to a connection recess (not shown) provided on the upstream of the head mounted on the carriage 33 (see fig. 3). The connection boss 61d includes a supply pipe 69. The supply pipe 69 constitutes a part of the second supply path 43b (see fig. 4). The intermediate storage body 60 is attached to the carriage 33 as shown in fig. 3 and 4 by fitting the connection convex portion 61d into a connection concave portion (not shown) provided on the upstream of the head mounted on the carriage 33. In a state where the intermediate reservoir 60 is mounted on the carriage 33, a part of the second supply path 43b formed inside the supply pipe 69 communicates with another part of the second supply path 43b that opens in the connection recess. Further, a lever-type engaging member 61h is provided on the upper portion of the rear surface of the housing 61 of the intermediate storage 60. When the intermediate storage body 60 is mounted on the carriage 33, the engagement member 61h engages with the engaged portion on the carriage 33 side, and the intermediate storage body 60 is fixed to the carriage 33.

Damper structure

The structure of the damper 70 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 7 to 9.

As shown in fig. 7, the intermediate storage 60 includes: a membrane 72 having elasticity forming a first chamber 71 with the housing 61; and a biasing member 73 that biases the membrane 72 in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber 71 increases. The urging member 73 is, for example, a conical compression spring constituted by a coil spring. The biasing member 73 may be a normal compression spring, a torsion coil spring, or rubber.

As shown in fig. 7, the film 72 is assembled to the case 61 in a state of sealing the opening of the through hole 612 of the case 61 from the second side surface 61b side.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the film 72 has pins 72a protruding from the peripheral edge portion of the surface facing the first chamber 71, and the pins 72a are inserted into locking holes (not shown) formed in the wall portion of the housing 61 to position the film 72. The housing 61 has a concave wall portion at a portion facing the membrane 72. A biasing member 73 is interposed between the membrane 72 and the concave wall portion. The urging member 73 constituted by a compression spring is externally inserted to a projection 74 projecting from a surface facing the first chamber 71 of the membrane 72, thereby positioning the central portion of the membrane 72 in a position where it can be pressed.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the film 72 has a deformation portion 75 in the circumferential direction, and the deformation portion 75 protrudes in the urging direction UD urged by the urging member 73. As shown in fig. 7, the film 72 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 72, and the curvature of the deformed portion 75 on the cross section is smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film 72 than on the side receiving the urging force from the urging member 73.

The damper 70 has a function of absorbing pressure fluctuation of the liquid stored in the first chamber 71. The damper 70 absorbs pressure fluctuations of the liquid transferred to the introduction path 68 through the supply hose 46 during the movement of the carriage 33. The urging member 73 has a function of adjusting the degree of deflection of the membrane 72 when the pressure varies.

As shown in fig. 7 to 9, the film 72 has an annular outer peripheral portion 76 formed of a thick portion thicker than a thin portion of the central portion at the outer peripheral edge portion. As shown in fig. 7 and 8, a ridge 76a extending in the circumferential direction is provided on the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion 76 of the film 72.

As shown in fig. 7, a convex portion 61g extending along the outer periphery of the opening of the recess 611 (see fig. 5), the through hole 612, and the groove 613 is provided on the first side surface 61a of the housing 61. The first side 61a of the case 61 is sealed by a film 62 welded to the ridge 61g.

As shown in fig. 7, a convex portion 61f extending along the outer periphery of the openings of the film accommodating recess 614 and the groove 613 is provided on the second side surface 61b of the housing 61. The film accommodating recess 614 is provided in an annular recess along the opening periphery of the through hole 612 on the second side surface 61b of the case 61. The film 72 is mounted on the housing 61 in a state in which its outer peripheral portion 76 is accommodated in the film accommodating recess 614. The second side 61b of the case 61 is sealed by the film 62 welded to the raised strips 61f, 76 a. A second chamber 78 is formed between the film 72 and the film 62 covering the opposite side of the film 72 from the side facing the first chamber 71.

The membrane 72 has a tubular portion 77 as an example of a connection portion connected to one end of the atmosphere communication path 79 on the outer peripheral side of the deformation portion 75. The tubular portion 77 has a through hole 77a communicating the second chamber 78 with the atmosphere communication passage 79. The housing 61 is formed with a pipe portion 61e that becomes one end of the atmosphere communication passage 79 on the upstream side.

As shown in fig. 7 to 9, the tubular portion 77 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the deformation portion 75 in the film 72. As shown in fig. 7 and 8, a groove 76b is formed in the outer peripheral portion 76 of the film 72 at a portion corresponding to the through hole 77a of the tubular portion 77. Further, a semicircular arc-shaped ridge 77b connected to the ridge 76a is provided on the outer end surface of the tubular portion 77.

As shown in fig. 7, the tube portion 61e extends in a direction in which the axis of the tube portion 61e coincides with the axis of the tube portion 77 at a position facing the tube portion 77 in a state where the film 72 is assembled to the housing 61. The pipe portion 61e constitutes one end portion of the atmosphere communication path 79. The inner diameter of the through hole 77a of the tubular portion 77 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the tube portion 61 e.

As shown in fig. 7, the tubular portion 77 is connected to the tube portion 61e by press-fitting. The second chamber 78 communicates with the atmosphere communication passage 79 by connection of the tubular portion 77 and the tube portion 61e by press-fitting. Since the tubular portion 77 and the tube portion 61e are connected by press fitting, leakage of the liquid in the first chamber 71 to the atmosphere communication passage 79 at the connection is suppressed.

Here, if the connection structure between the membrane 72 and the atmosphere communication path 79 is such that only the joint of the membrane 62 covers a portion where the groove-shaped flow path of the membrane 72 provided on the second chamber 78 side and the end surface of the groove-shaped atmosphere communication path 79 provided in the housing 61 are aligned with each other, there is a possibility that the liquid in the first chamber 71 leaks from the gap between the end surfaces to the atmosphere communication path 79. Therefore, the tubular portion 77 and the tube portion 61e are connected by press-fitting, and the air in the liquid-to-atmosphere communication passage 79 of the first chamber 71 is reliably blocked. In this way, the connection portion between the flow path portion on the membrane 72 side communicating with the second chamber 78 and the atmosphere communication path 79 ensures good liquid tightness by the press-fitting method.

The film 72 and the film 62 are made of a material having good weldability. In the present embodiment, the film 72 is made of, for example, a styrene-based elastomer. The film 62 has a sheet structure composed of one or more layers, including a polypropylene (PP) layer. The styrenic elastomer and polypropylene have good weldability.

Since the styrene-based elastomer as the material of the film 72 has a poor moisture barrier property, when the styrene-based elastomer is directly exposed to the atmosphere in a thin-walled shape, moisture in the liquid in the first chamber 71 may be evaporated through the film 72. In order to suppress the evaporation of the moisture, the surface of the film 72 facing the second chamber 78 is covered with the film 62 having high moisture barrier property. However, if completely sealed with the film 62, the sealed air within the second chamber 78 may interfere with the deformation of the film 72. Accordingly, the second chamber 78 is open to the atmosphere through the atmosphere communication passage 79.

Structure of atmosphere communication passage

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the intermediate reservoir 60 has an atmosphere communication path 79 for communicating the second chamber 78 with the atmosphere. The atmosphere communication path 79 has a tubule structure. In order to minimize the volume occupied, the air communication passage 79 is not limited to a planar tube path structure along only the side surfaces 61a and 61b of the housing 61, but is formed as a three-dimensional thin tube structure in which the tube path also extends in the thickness direction X1 of the housing 61.

The atmosphere communication path 79 is formed by forming a labyrinth-like thin tube bent in a three-dimensional path on the housing 61. A plurality of holes are formed in the case 61 in parallel, walls separating the holes are partially cut and connected, and a portion of the plurality of holes in parallel is sandwiched from both sides by the film 62 joined to the two side surfaces 61a, 61b, thereby forming a labyrinth-like tubule structure. The second chamber 78 is open to atmosphere using the following path: a path that passes through the through hole 77a of the tubular portion 77 and passes through the three-dimensional labyrinth path shown by the arrow in fig. 10 and 11 from the communication port 79a that is one end of the atmosphere communication path 79 to the atmosphere opening port 79b that opens at the other end of the atmosphere communication path 79.

Detailed structure of film and comparative verification

Fig. 12 shows a cross section through the center of the film 72 obtained by cutting the film 72 with a virtual plane along the urging direction of the urging member 73. As shown in fig. 12, the film 72 has a deformation portion 75 in the circumferential direction, and the deformation portion 75 protrudes in the urging direction UD of the urging member 73. The film 72 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 72, and the curvature of the deformed portion 75 on the cross section is smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film 72 than on the side to which the urging force is applied from the urging member 73.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 12, the curvature of the cross section of the deformed portion 75 is zero (=0) in the outer peripheral region 75a which is a region on the side close to the outer periphery of the film 72, and is uniform in the inner peripheral region 75b which is a region on the side to which the urging member 73 is urged. That is, the curvature (=0) of the outer peripheral region 75a is smaller than the curvature of the inner peripheral region 75 b.

As described above, the deformed portion 75 includes the portion having no curvature and the portion having uniform curvature. In the film 72, the deformation portion 75 is located at a region on the outer peripheral side than the portion biased by the biasing member 73. In the deformed portion 75, a region having no curvature is arranged in an outer peripheral region 75a which is a portion close to the outer periphery, and a region having a curvature is arranged in an inner peripheral region 75b which is located on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral region 75 a.

Fig. 13 shows a damper 90 of a comparative example. The damper 90 of the comparative example includes: a film 92 having elasticity; and a biasing member 93 for biasing the film 92 in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber 91 increases. The film 92 has a deformation portion 95 in the circumferential direction, and the deformation portion 95 protrudes in a direction opposite to the urging direction UD urged by the urging member 93. The film 92 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 92, and the curvature of the deformed portion 95 on the cross section is uniform. The uniform curvature of the deformed portion 95 of the comparative example is substantially the same value as the curvature of the inner peripheral region 75b of the deformed portion 75 of the embodiment. The urging member 93 is constituted by, for example, a compression spring, and is inserted into a protrusion 94 protruding from a surface of the film 92 facing the first chamber 91, so as to be positioned at a position capable of pressing a central portion of the film 92.

Fig. 14 shows measurement results of the volume change of the liquid in the damper with respect to the pressure (negative pressure) applied to the damper, for the damper 70 of the embodiment shown in fig. 12 and the damper 90 of the comparative example shown in fig. 13. In the graph shown in fig. 14, the horizontal axis represents negative pressure, and the vertical axis represents change in the volume of liquid in the damper. The radius of curvature of the inner peripheral region 75b of the deformed portion 75 of the film 72 was set to 2.0mm for the damper 70, and the uniform radius of curvature of the deformed portion 95 of the film 92 was set to 2.1mm for the damper 90. Negative pressure is applied to each of the dampers 70, 90 under the same conditions to change the value of the negative pressure, thereby measuring the change in volume of the liquid in the damper with respect to the negative pressure.

In the graph shown in fig. 14, a curve CL1 drawn with black dots represents the liquid volume change with respect to the negative pressure of the damper 70 having the membrane 72 of the embodiment. In the graph, a curve CL2 drawn with white dots represents a liquid volume change of the damper 90 having the film 92 of the comparative example with respect to the negative pressure. From this graph, it is understood that the damper 70 having the film 72 of the example obtained a volume change of 2 to 3 times that of the damper 90 having the film 92 of the comparative example with respect to the same negative pressure. In the present embodiment, since the damper 70 of the example is used for the intermediate reservoir 60, the deflection of the membrane 72 is secured to be large when negative pressure is applied, and the damper characteristics are improved. When positive pressure is applied, the liquid volume change with respect to the pressure of the damper 70 of the embodiment also has the same tendency as when negative pressure is applied.

Next, the operation of the intermediate reservoir 60 and the liquid ejecting apparatus 12 will be described.

When the control unit 50 receives a print instruction, the liquid discharge device 12 conveys the medium, moves the carriage 33 in the scanning direction X with respect to the conveyed medium, and discharges the liquid from the nozzles 31 of the discharge head 32 during the movement, thereby printing characters or images on the medium. Specifically, while the carriage 33 is moving in the scanning direction X, the ejection head 32 ejects liquid toward the medium, and alternately performs a printing operation of performing printing by one scanning amount and a conveying operation of conveying the medium to the next printing position, thereby printing the medium.

As shown in fig. 3, the supply hose 46 moves following the movement of the carriage 33 in the scanning direction X. As the supply hose 46 accelerates and decelerates, the water hammer action of the liquid within the supply hose 46 may cause pressure fluctuations in the liquid. The pressure fluctuation of the liquid is transmitted to the intermediate reservoir 60 mounted on the carriage 33 through the supply hose 46.

The pressure variation of the liquid transferred to the intermediate reservoir 60 is in turn transferred along the introduction flow path 68 and reaches the damper 70. When the pressure fluctuation is transmitted to the first chamber 71 of the damper 70, the membrane 72 deforms according to the pressure fluctuation, and the volume of the first chamber 71 changes, so that the damper 70 absorbs the pressure fluctuation.

In the deformation portion 75 of the film 72 of the present embodiment, a cross section passing through the center of the film 72 is cut at a virtual surface along the urging direction UD of the urging member 73, and the curvature of the cross section is smaller on the side closer to the outer periphery of the film 72 than on the side from which the urging member 73 is urged (the side closer to the center). According to the damper 70, the volume of the liquid in the damper is greatly changed with respect to the pressure change, compared with the damper 90 of the comparative example in which the film 92 has a uniform curvature shown in fig. 13 (see fig. 14). Therefore, the membrane 72 is deflected by a large amount due to pressure change, and pressure fluctuation can be suppressed more effectively. Further, since the volume change of the liquid that can be obtained is large compared with the occupied area of the membrane 72, the area of the membrane 72 required for obtaining the desired damping effect can be small, and the damper 70 can be miniaturized. By miniaturizing the damper 70, the intermediate reservoir 60 can be miniaturized, thereby contributing to miniaturization of the liquid discharge device 12.

On the other hand, when the predetermined bubble discharge timing is reached, the control unit 50 drives the maintenance device 35 to perform a special discharge operation (long-time purging) and sucks the liquid from the nozzle 31. When the special discharging operation is started, the liquid in the second reservoir chamber 64 flows into the upstream space 82 only through the lower communication passage 66 and through the first reservoir chamber 63. Due to the pressure loss generated in the lower communication passage 66 at this time, a water head difference (head difference) is generated between the liquid in the first reservoir 63 and the liquid in the second reservoir 64. That is, the level of the liquid in the first storage chamber 63 drops. Thus, the air originally stored in the upper portion of the second reservoir chamber 64 flows through the upper communication path 65, passes through the first reservoir chamber 63, and flows into the upstream space 82.

When the maintenance device 35 continues to suck the liquid from the nozzle 31, the liquid level in the first reservoir 63 gradually decreases, and finally the liquid level L11 decreases to the lower end portion of the filter 45. Therefore, the maintenance device 35 can suck and discharge the liquid from the nozzle 31 in a stable state by performing the special discharge operation, and thereby the liquid surface L11 contacts the filter 45.

Thus, the area of the liquid receiving portion of the upstream surface of the filter 45, which is the portion in contact with the liquid, is extremely small. Thus, the flow of the liquid is concentrated on a limited area, and thus the flow of the liquid becomes locally fast, resulting in a large pressure loss caused by the filter 45. When the pressure loss becomes equal to or higher than the bubble point pressure of the filter 45, the air can pass through the filter 45, and the air in the upstream space 82 becomes bubbles and is discharged to the downstream space 81. As the air is discharged from the upstream space 82 to the downstream space 81, the liquid level L21 of the second reservoir chamber 64 rises.

When the special discharge operation is completed, the discharge of the air bubbles (air) from the upstream space 82 to the downstream space 81 is immediately stopped, but the liquid continues to flow to the lower communication path 66, and the liquid surface of the first reservoir 63 and the liquid surface of the second reservoir 64 rise. At this time, since the accumulated bubbles are already discharged, the liquid level of the intermediate reservoir 60 returns to the same height as in the steady state. Note that, since the normal purge operation is shorter than the normal discharge operation, the liquid surface in the first reservoir 63 does not drop to the position of the filter 45, and the accumulated bubbles are not discharged.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The intermediate storage body 60 includes: a housing 61; a membrane 72 having elasticity and forming a first chamber 71 with the housing 61; and a biasing member 73 that biases the membrane 72 in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber 71 increases. The housing 61 has a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber 71. The film 72 has a deformation portion 75 in the circumferential direction, and the deformation portion 75 protrudes in the urging direction UD urged by the urging member 73. The film 72 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 72, and the curvature of the deformed portion 75 on the cross section is smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film 72 than on the side to which the urging force is applied from the urging member 73. Therefore, the displacement amount of the membrane 72 with respect to the change in the liquid pressure can be increased. Therefore, the volume change amount of the first chamber 71 with respect to the pressure change of the liquid can be increased, and the volume change efficiency of the intermediate reservoir 60 can be improved. In addition, since a large deflection of the membrane 72 can be obtained, the occupied area of the membrane 72 used to obtain the required damper capacity can be reduced.

(2) The intermediate reservoir 60 includes a film 62 covering a side of the film 72 opposite to the side facing the first chamber 71. The film 62 is bonded to the outer peripheral portion of the side of the film 72 opposite to the side facing the first chamber 71 and the housing 61. Therefore, since a pressing member or the like for pressing the film 72 is not required, the intermediate reservoir 60 can be reduced in size. In addition, the second chamber 78 formed on the opposite side of the membrane 72 to the side facing the first chamber can suppress evaporation of the liquid in the first chamber 71 through the membrane 72.

(3) The liquid ejecting apparatus 12 includes: a discharge head 32 for discharging a liquid; a liquid supply path 43 for supplying the liquid stored in the liquid supply source 18 to the discharge head 32; an intermediate reservoir 60 provided in a middle portion of the liquid supply path 43; and the intermediate storage body 60 described in the above (1). Therefore, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 12, the displacement amount of the film 72 with respect to the pressure change of the liquid can be increased. Therefore, the volume change amount of the first chamber 71 with respect to the pressure change of the liquid can be increased, and the volume change efficiency can be improved.

(4) The liquid ejecting apparatus 12 includes the intermediate storage body 60 described in (2) above. Therefore, since the intermediate reservoir 60 does not require a member for pressing the film 72, the intermediate reservoir 60 can be reduced in size. Therefore, the liquid ejecting apparatus 12 can be miniaturized.

(6) The housing 61 has an atmosphere communication path 79 for communicating the second chamber 78 with the atmosphere. The atmosphere communication passage 79 has a tubule structure. Therefore, evaporation of a part of the liquid in the first chamber 71 through the membrane 72 can be more effectively suppressed.

(7) The membrane 72 has a tubular portion 77 on the outer peripheral side of the deformation portion 75, and the tubular portion 77 serves as an example of a connection portion to which one end of the atmosphere communication path 79, that is, the tube portion 61e is connected. The tubular portion 77 has a through hole 77a communicating the second chamber 78 with the atmosphere communication passage 79. Accordingly, the tubular portion 77 and the tube portion 61e can be connected by press-fitting, and thus leakage of the liquid in the first chamber 71 into the atmosphere communication path 79 can be suppressed.

(8) The intermediate storage body 60 includes: an introduction flow path 68 for introducing a liquid; a first storage chamber 63 capable of storing liquid; a second storage chamber 64 disposed vertically above the first storage chamber 63 and capable of storing liquid; an upper communication path 65 that communicates the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64; and a lower communication passage 66 that communicates the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64 below the upper communication passage 65. The first chamber 71 communicates with the introduction passage 68, the second reservoir chamber 64, and the lower communication passage 66. Therefore, the liquid can be sucked from the discharge head 32, the air bubbles accumulated in the intermediate reservoir 60 can be discharged, and the pressure buffering capacity that can absorb the pressure fluctuation of the liquid transmitted through the introduction flow path 68 can be improved.

(9) The second chamber 78 is formed so as to inhibit a portion of the liquid in the first chamber 71 from evaporating through the membrane 72. Therefore, an inexpensive elastomer having low moisture barrier properties can be used. In addition, the film 72 does not need to be subjected to a treatment for improving the moisture barrier property or a structure for improving the moisture barrier property.

Second embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 15 and 16. In the second embodiment, a part of the structure of the damper 70 of the intermediate reservoir 60 is different from that of the first embodiment. Otherwise, the same reference numerals are given to the same structures as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 15, the intermediate reservoir 60 of the second embodiment is provided with a damper 70. As in the first embodiment, the damper 70 includes: the casing 61, the elastic membrane 72 forming the first chamber 71 between the casing 61, and the urging member 73 urging the membrane 72 in the direction in which the volume of the first chamber 71 increases. The housing 61 has a plurality of flow paths 66, 67, 68 communicating with the first chamber 71. The film 72 has a deformation portion 75 in the circumferential direction, and the deformation portion 75 protrudes in the urging direction UD urged by the urging member 73. The film 72 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 72, and the curvature of the deformed portion 75 on the cross section is smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film 72 than on the side receiving the urging force from the urging member 73 (the side near the center portion).

As shown in fig. 15, the intermediate storage 60 includes: a pressing member 97 that presses an outer peripheral portion of the film 72 on a side opposite to a side facing the first chamber 71; the cover member 62 covers the pressing member 97 and the side of the film 72 opposite to the side facing the first chamber, and forms an example of the cover member of the second chamber 78 between the pressing member and the film 72. The film 62 is joined to the pressing member 97 and the housing 61.

In the first embodiment described above, although the film 62 is directly bonded to the outer peripheral portion 76 of the film 72, in the present embodiment, the pressing member 97 is disposed between the film 72 and the film 62, and the outer peripheral edge portion of the film 72 is pressed by the pressing member 97, so that the film 72 is fixed to the case 61.

As shown in fig. 15, an annular pressing member 97 is fixed to the outer peripheral edge portion of the film 72. The pressing member 97 is an annular member having substantially the same shape as the outer peripheral portion 76 in the first embodiment. The pressing member 97 is made of a synthetic resin material having good weldability with the film 62. The film 62 is welded to the surface of the pressing member 97 in a state of covering the pressing member 97.

As shown in fig. 16, a convex portion 97a extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the surface (outer surface) of the pressing member 97. The second side 61b of the case 61 is sealed by the film 62 welded to the raised strips 61f, 97a. The pressing member 97 extends in a semicircular arc shape around the outer half of the communication port 79a around the periphery of the communication port 79 a. Therefore, the pressing member 97 also presses the peripheral portions of the through hole 77a and the communication port 79a in the film 72. The pressing member has higher rigidity than the film 72, and therefore the film 72 can be more firmly fixed to the housing 61. The pressing member 97 may be a synthetic resin material or a metal material having poor welding property with the film 62.

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (9) of the first embodiment.

Since the pressing member 97 presses the outer peripheral edge portion of the film 72, the film 72 can be firmly fixed to the housing 61. Therefore, it is possible to avoid such problems as loosening of the fixation of the film 72 to the housing 61 and detachment of the film 72 from the housing 61 during long-term use. Therefore, leakage of the liquid from the gap between the film 72 and the housing 61 can be effectively suppressed for a long period of time.

Further, the film 72 can be fixed to the housing 61 by the film 62. Further, the presence of the second chamber 78 can suppress evaporation of the liquid in the first chamber 71 through the membrane 72.

Third embodiment

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 17. The fluid reservoir according to the present embodiment is a liquid reservoir that stores a liquid as an example of a fluid. The liquid reservoir is mounted in the liquid supply device 100 disposed in the housing 20 of the liquid discharge device 12. The liquid supply device 100 is disposed between the liquid supply source 18 and the supply hose 46 (see fig. 3). The liquid supply device 100 is a diaphragm pump system that sucks in liquid from the liquid supply source 18 and discharges the liquid to the carriage 33 side. In the following description, the direction in which the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source 18 flows is referred to as the downstream side, and the direction opposite to the downstream side is referred to as the upstream side.

As shown in fig. 17, the liquid supply apparatus 100 includes: diaphragm mechanism 101, input check valve 102 disposed upstream of diaphragm mechanism 101, output check valve 103 disposed downstream of diaphragm mechanism 101, and damper 104 disposed downstream of output check valve 103. The liquid supply device 100 includes: a first housing 105 having a recess and a groove formed therein, and a second housing 106 covering a surface of the first housing 105 where the recess and the groove are opened. Diaphragm mechanism 101, input check valve 102, output check valve 103, and damper 104 are assembled using at least a portion of first housing 105 as a separate housing from first housing 105 and second housing 106. Note that in this embodiment, the diaphragm mechanism 101 constitutes one example of a fluid reservoir and a liquid reservoir. Further, the buffer 104 constitutes one example of a fluid reservoir and a liquid reservoir.

The liquid supply source 18 is connected to an introduction passage 108 of the liquid supply device 100 through a supply passage 107. The input check valve 102 is disposed at a position in a middle portion of the introduction flow path 108. The input check valve 102 has a valve body 102a biased in the valve closing direction. The input check valve 102 allows the flow of the liquid from the upstream to the downstream by opening the valve body 102a, and prevents the reverse flow of the liquid from the downstream to the upstream by closing the valve body 102a.

The output check valve 103 is disposed at a position in the middle of the discharge flow path 109. The output check valve 103 has a valve body 103a biased in the valve closing direction. The output check valve 103 allows the flow of the liquid from the upstream to the downstream by opening the valve body 103a, and prevents the reverse flow of the liquid from the downstream to the upstream by closing the valve body 103a.

The diaphragm mechanism 101 includes: the casing 111, the membrane 113 having elasticity and forming the first chamber 112 between the casing 111, and the urging member 114 urging the membrane 113 in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber 112 decreases. The housing 111 has a second chamber 115 at a position opposite to the first chamber 112 through a membrane 113. The first chamber 112 connects the introduction flow path 108 and the discharge flow path 109. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the liquid is stored in the first chamber 71 having the increased volume by the force applied to the membrane 72 by the force applying member 73, and the plurality of flow paths are connected to the first chamber 71 storing the liquid. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the liquid is stored in the first chamber 112 whose volume is reduced by the urging member 114 urging the membrane 113, and the first chamber 112 storing the liquid is connected to the plurality of flow paths 108 and 109.

The film 113 has a deformation portion 116, and the deformation portion 16 protrudes in the urging direction UD urged by the urging member 114 and extends in the entire circumferential direction. The film 113 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 113, and the curvature of the deformed portion 116 on the cross section is smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film 113 than on the side receiving urging force from the urging member 114 (on the inner periphery side near the urging member 114).

First chamber 112 of diaphragm mechanism 101 is connected to pressure pump 117 via flow path 118 connected to connection portion 111a protruding from casing 111. The pressure pump 117 is a pressure reducing pump, but may be a pressurizing pump. When negative pressure is introduced from the pressure pump 117 to the second chamber 115 of the diaphragm mechanism 101, the diaphragm 113 is displaced upward, and the input check valve 102 opens, so that liquid from the upstream is introduced into the first chamber 112. Next, when the second chamber 115 is opened to the atmosphere or pressurized, the output check valve 103 opens, and the liquid in the first chamber 112 is supplied to the damper 104 through the discharge passage 109. At this time, since the diaphragm 113 has the deformed portion 116, the diaphragm mechanism 101 can further increase the once ejectable volume as compared with the deformed portion (fig. 13) of the comparative example having a uniform curvature.

The buffer 104 further includes: the casing 121, a membrane 123 having elasticity and forming a first chamber 122 with the casing 121, and a biasing member 124 biasing the membrane 123 in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber 122 decreases.

The first chamber 122 is connected to the upstream discharge flow path 109 and the downstream discharge flow path 110. The film 123 has a deformation portion 126, and the deformation portion 126 protrudes in the urging direction UD urged by the urging member 124 and extends in the entire circumferential direction. The film 123 is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction UD to obtain a cross section through the center of the film 123, and the curvature of the deformed portion 126 on the cross section is smaller on the side near the outer periphery of the film 123 than on the side receiving urging force from the urging member 124 (on the inner periphery side near the urging member 124). The housing 121 has a second chamber 125 at a position opposite to the first chamber 122 through a membrane 123. For example, a film sealing the opening of the second chamber 125 may be bonded to the case 121, and an atmosphere communication path may be provided to open the second chamber 125 to the atmosphere. In this case, the film 123 may also take the following structure: a tubular portion as an example of the connecting portion is provided on the outer peripheral side of the deformation portion 126, and a tube portion formed at one end of the atmosphere communication passage is connected to the tubular portion by press-fitting. In the damper 104 shown in fig. 17, the pressing member 127 fixed to the film 123 is biased by the biasing member 124, so that the film 123 is biased in the biasing direction UD.

The liquid introduced into the first chamber 122 of the buffer 104 is liable to generate pulsation caused by the pump movement of the diaphragm mechanism 101. The pressure fluctuation due to pulsation is absorbed by deformation of the membrane 123 of the damper 104. At this time, since the membrane 123 has the deformation portion 126 (fig. 12) of the embodiment, the damper 104 can absorb pressure fluctuation more effectively than the deformation portion (fig. 13) of the comparative example having a uniform curvature.

According to the diaphragm mechanism 101 and the shock absorber 104 of the third embodiment described in detail above, even in the configuration in which the liquid is stored in the first chambers 112, 122 having the reduced volumes when the films 113, 123 are biased in the biasing direction UD, the films 113, 123 have the deformed portions 116, 126 having asymmetric curvatures in cross section, and therefore the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. That is, the deflection amount of the films 113 and 123 with respect to the change in the liquid pressure can be increased. Accordingly, the volume change amount of the first chambers 112 and 122 with respect to the pressure change of the liquid increases, and the volume change efficiency improves. Therefore, according to the diaphragm mechanism 101 having the membrane 113 of the embodiment, the volume change efficiency, that is, the pump efficiency is improved as compared with the diaphragm mechanism having the membrane 92 of the comparative example. In addition, according to the buffer 104 having the membrane 123, the volume of the liquid storable in the first chamber 122 with respect to the same hydraulic pressure can be increased as compared with the buffer having the membrane 92 of the comparative example, and thus the volume change efficiency is improved.

The above-described embodiment may be modified as in the modification examples described below. Further, the above-described embodiments and the modifications shown below may be appropriately combined to form further modified examples, or the modifications shown below may be appropriately combined to form further modified examples.

In the first embodiment, the intermediate reservoir 60 may be configured without the bubble discharge mechanism. That is, the intermediate reservoir 60 may be configured without the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64 constituting the bubble discharge mechanism. For example, the bubble discharge mechanism including the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64 may be provided in a head upstream path mounted on the carriage 33 as the mounting portion of the intermediate reservoir 60. The liquid supply device 36 may be configured without a bubble discharge mechanism. In these cases, the intermediate reservoir 60 may have only the damper 70, or may have only one reservoir (buffer) independent of the damper 70. In this case, the intermediate reservoir 60 preferably includes a second chamber 78 and an atmosphere communication path 79 for communicating the second chamber 78 with the atmosphere, and the second chamber 78 is formed between the membrane 72 and the cover member by covering the opposite side of the membrane 72 from the side facing the urging member 73 with the cover member. In this case, the atmospheric communication path 79 is preferably of a fine tube structure.

In the second embodiment, the intermediate reservoir 60 may be configured without the bubble discharge mechanism. That is, the intermediate reservoir 60 may be configured without the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64 constituting the bubble discharge mechanism. For example, the bubble discharge mechanism including the first reservoir 63 and the second reservoir 64 may be provided in a head upstream path mounted on the carriage 33 as the mounting portion of the intermediate reservoir 60. The liquid supply device 36 may be configured without a bubble discharge mechanism. In these cases, the intermediate reservoir 60 may have only the damper 70, or may have only one reservoir (buffer) independent of the damper 70. In this case, the intermediate reservoir 60 preferably includes a second chamber 78 and an atmosphere communication path 79 for communicating the second chamber 78 with the atmosphere, and the second chamber 78 is formed between the membrane 72 and the cover member by covering the opposite side of the membrane 72 from the side facing the urging member 73 with the cover member. In this case, the atmospheric communication path 79 is preferably of a fine tube structure.

In the third embodiment, the diaphragm mechanism 101 may be provided alone as an example of the fluid reservoir. In this case, diaphragm mechanism 101 may be disposed at any position on the flow path that communicates liquid supply source 18 with discharge head 32. For example, diaphragm mechanism 101 may be assembled alone in housing 20 or may be mounted on carriage 33.

In the third embodiment, the buffer 104 may be provided alone as an example of the fluid reservoir. In this case, the damper 104 may be provided at any position on the flow path that communicates the liquid supply source 18 with the ejection head 32. For example, the damper 104 may be incorporated into the housing 20 alone or may be mounted on the carriage 33.

The first chamber 71 of the damper 70 is not limited to the position where the introduction passage 67 communicates with the introduction passage 68 and the second reservoir chamber 64 and the lower communication passage 66. The damper 70 may be provided at a middle portion of the introduction flow path 68. That is, the first chamber 71 may be provided at a middle portion of the introduction flow path 68.

The film 62 as an example of the cover member may be heat-welded, ultrasonic-welded, vibration-welded, or laser-welded to the film 72.

Although the film 62 as an example of the cover member is welded to the film 72, the joining may be performed. For example, the film 62 may be bonded to the film 72 and the housing 61 by an adhesive.

Although the film 62 as an example of the cover member is welded to the film 72 and the case 61, it may be welded only to the case 61 out of the film 72 and the case 61.

As the cover member, a cover made of a resin member may be used. In this case, the welding may be laser welding, ultrasonic welding, or vibration welding. The film 72 and the case 61 may be bonded to each other by an adhesive.

The filter 45 may be arranged on the intermediate storage 60.

The liquid supply source 18 may be any structure capable of containing liquid, and may be, for example, a replaceable cartridge type. In this case, the carriage may be a carriage-mounted type in which the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage 33, or a non-carriage-mounted type in which the ink cartridge is mounted on a bracket on the side of the housing 20. The liquid supply source 18 may be a tank type mounted on a carriage and capable of replenishing liquid.

The material of the film is not limited to an elastomer, and butyl rubber, silicone rubber, fluororubber, or the like may be used. The material of the film is not limited to rubber, and may be a synthetic resin material having elasticity.

The curvature of the outer peripheral region 75a of the deformed portion 75 is not (=0), but may be smaller than the curvature of the inner peripheral region 75b and equal to or larger than "0". In this case, the curvature of the membrane 72 may be continuously changed in the diameter direction of the membrane 72 or may be changed stepwise.

The second chamber 78 may not be provided. For example, if a material having high moisture barrier property is used for the film 72, the second chamber is not required. For example, butyl rubber is used as a material of the film 72 having high moisture barrier property. In this case, the peripheral edge portion of the film 72 is preferably fixed to the housing 61 by the pressing member 97.

The liquid discharge device 12 may be configured without the filter 45.

The liquid ejecting apparatus 12 may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid other than ink. The state of the liquid to be discharged by forming a minute amount of liquid droplets from the liquid discharge device includes a state of being granular, tear-shaped, and streaked. The liquid may be any material that can be ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, the state in which the substance is in a liquid phase may include a liquid body having high or low viscosity, a sol, a gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, and a fluid body such as a liquid metal (molten metal). Further, the present invention includes not only a liquid in one state as a substance, but also a substance obtained by dissolving, dispersing, or mixing particles of a functional material composed of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles in a solvent. As a representative example of the liquid, ink, liquid crystal, or the like as described in the above embodiment can be given. The ink herein refers to a substance including various liquid compositions such as general aqueous ink, oily ink, gel-like ink, and hot-melt ink. Specific examples of the liquid ejecting apparatus include liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used in the production of a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface light emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a biological organic material used for manufacturing a biochip, a liquid ejecting apparatus that is used as a precision pipette and ejects a liquid as a sample, a printing apparatus, a micro-dispenser, or the like. Further, the present invention may be applied to a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a lubricant at a fixed point to a precision instrument such as a timepiece or a camera, or a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a transparent resin liquid such as an ultraviolet curable resin onto a substrate in order to form a micro hemispherical lens (optical lens) or the like used for an optical communication element or the like. In addition, the liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching liquid such as an acid or an alkali in order to etch a substrate or the like.

The fluid stored in the fluid reservoir is not limited to a liquid. The fluid may contain both a gas such as air and a liquid, or may contain only a gas such as air.

The following describes the technical ideas and effects grasped according to the above embodiments and modified examples.

The fluid reservoir is provided with: the membrane has a deformation portion in a circumferential direction, the deformation portion protrudes in a force application direction by the force application member, so that the membrane is cut along a virtual surface in the force application direction to obtain a cross section passing through the center of the membrane, and the curvature of the deformation portion in the cross section is smaller on a side close to the outer periphery of the membrane than on a side applied with force from the force application member.

According to this structure, the displacement amount of the membrane with respect to the pressure change of the fluid can be increased. Therefore, the volume change amount of the chamber (first chamber) storing the fluid with respect to the pressure change of the fluid increases, and the volume change efficiency improves.

The fluid reservoir may further include a cover member that covers a side of the membrane opposite to a side facing the first chamber, and the cover member may be joined to an outer peripheral portion of the side of the membrane opposite to the side facing the first chamber and the housing.

According to this structure, since a member for pressing the membrane is not required, the size of the fluid reservoir can be reduced.

The fluid reservoir is provided with: the membrane has a deformation portion in a circumferential direction, the deformation portion protrudes in a force application direction by the force application member to cut the membrane along a virtual surface in the force application direction to obtain a cross section passing through a center of the membrane, and a curvature of the deformation portion in the cross section is smaller on a side close to an outer periphery of the membrane than on a side receiving force from the force application member.

The liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid, a supply flow path that supplies the liquid contained in a liquid supply source to the liquid ejection head, and a liquid reservoir provided in a midway portion of the supply flow path, the liquid reservoir including: the membrane has a deformation portion in a circumferential direction, the deformation portion protrudes in a force application direction by the force application member, so that the membrane is cut along a virtual plane in the force application direction to obtain a cross section passing through the center of the membrane, and the curvature of the deformation portion in the cross section is smaller on a side close to the outer periphery of the membrane than on a side applied with force from the force application member.

According to this configuration, in the liquid ejecting apparatus, the displacement amount of the film with respect to the pressure change of the liquid can be increased. Therefore, the volume change amount of the chamber (first chamber) storing the fluid with respect to the pressure change of the fluid increases, and the volume change efficiency improves.

The liquid reservoir of the liquid ejection device described above may have a cover member that covers a side of the film opposite to a side facing the first chamber and forms a second chamber between the film, and the cover member may be joined to an outer peripheral portion of the film opposite to the side facing the first chamber and the housing.

According to this structure, since the member for pressing the film is not required, the size of the liquid reservoir can be reduced. Therefore, the liquid ejecting apparatus can be miniaturized.

The liquid reservoir of the liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a pressing member that presses an outer peripheral portion of the film on a side opposite to a side facing the first chamber, and a cover member that covers the pressing member and a side of the film opposite to the side facing the first chamber and forms a second chamber with the film therebetween, the cover member may be joined to the pressing member and the housing.

According to this configuration, in the liquid ejecting apparatus, the film can be fixed to the housing by the cover member. Moreover, the presence of the second chamber can suppress the liquid in the first chamber from evaporating through the film.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the housing may have an atmosphere communication path that communicates the second chamber with the atmosphere, and the atmosphere communication path may have a fine tube structure.

According to this structure, the liquid in the first chamber can be suppressed from evaporating through the film.

In the above-described liquid ejecting apparatus, the case may have an atmosphere communication path that communicates the second chamber and the atmosphere, the film may have a connection portion that is connected to one end of the atmosphere communication path at a position on an outer peripheral side of the deformation portion, and the connection portion may have a through hole that communicates the second chamber and the atmosphere communication path.

According to this configuration, for example, one end of the air communication passage can be connected to the tubular portion by press fitting, so that leakage of the liquid in the first chamber into the air communication passage can be suppressed.

The liquid ejecting apparatus includes: the liquid storage device includes an introduction flow path for introducing a liquid, a first storage chamber capable of storing the liquid, a second storage chamber arranged vertically above the first storage chamber and capable of storing the liquid, an upper communication path for communicating the first storage chamber with the second storage chamber, and a lower communication path for communicating the first storage chamber with the second storage chamber at a position lower than the upper communication path, wherein the first chamber is communicated with the introduction flow path, the second storage chamber, and the lower communication path.

According to this configuration, the liquid ejection head can suck the liquid and discharge the bubbles stored in the liquid reservoir, and the pressure buffering capacity that can absorb the pressure fluctuation of the liquid transferred through the introduction passage can be improved.

The liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid, a supply flow path that supplies the liquid contained in a liquid supply source to the liquid ejection head, and a liquid reservoir provided in a midway portion of the supply flow path, the liquid reservoir including: the membrane has a deformation portion protruding in a direction of being forced by the forcing member in a circumferential direction, so that a cross section passing through a center of the membrane is obtained by cutting the membrane along a virtual plane in the forcing direction, and a curvature of the deformation portion in the cross section is smaller on a side close to an outer periphery of the membrane than on a side receiving the forcing from the forcing member.

According to this configuration, in the liquid ejecting apparatus, the displacement amount of the film with respect to the pressure change of the liquid can be increased. Therefore, the volume change amount of the first chamber with respect to the pressure change of the liquid increases, and the volume change efficiency improves.

Claims

1. A fluid reservoir, comprising:

a housing;

a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber between the membrane and the housing;

a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber increases; and

a cover member covering the membrane,

the housing has a plurality of flow paths communicating with the first chamber and an atmosphere communication path communicating the second chamber with the atmosphere,

the film has a deformation portion in a circumferential direction, the deformation portion protruding in a biasing direction biased by the biasing member,

cutting the film with a virtual plane along the urging direction to obtain a cross section through the center of the film, the curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section being smaller on a side near the outer periphery of the film than on a side from which the urging member is urged,

the membrane having a side facing the first chamber and a side forming the second chamber with the cover member, the membrane having a connection portion at an outer peripheral side than the deformation portion, the connection portion being connected to one end of the atmosphere communication passage, the connection portion having a through hole communicating the second chamber with the atmosphere communication passage,

The cover member is joined to an outer peripheral portion of the film on a side where the second chamber is formed and the housing.

2. A fluid reservoir, comprising:

a housing;

a membrane having elasticity and forming a first chamber between the membrane and the housing; and

a biasing member that biases the film in a direction in which the volume of the first chamber decreases,

the housing has a plurality of flow paths in communication with the first chamber,

the film is cut with a virtual plane along the urging direction to obtain a cross section through the center of the film, and the curvature of the deformed portion on the cross section is smaller on a side near the outer periphery of the film than on a side from which the urging member is urged.

3. A liquid ejecting apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a liquid ejection head ejecting liquid;

a supply flow path that supplies the liquid contained in the liquid supply source to the liquid ejection head; and

a liquid reservoir provided in a middle portion of the supply flow path,

the liquid reservoir is provided with:

a housing;

a cover member covering the membrane,

4. The liquid ejection device of claim 3, wherein,

The liquid reservoir has:

a pressing member that presses an outer peripheral portion of a side of the film opposite to a side facing the first chamber,

the cover member covers a side of the film opposite to a side facing the first chamber and the pressing member,

the cover member is engaged with the pressing member.

5. The liquid ejection device of claim 3, wherein,

the atmosphere communication path has a tubule structure.

6. The liquid ejection device of claim 3, wherein,

the liquid reservoir has:

an introduction flow path for introducing a liquid;

a first storage chamber capable of storing the liquid;

a second storage chamber arranged vertically above the first storage chamber and capable of storing the liquid;

an upper communication path that communicates the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber; and

a lower communication path that communicates the first reservoir chamber and the second reservoir chamber at a position lower than the upper communication path,

the first chamber communicates with the introduction flow path, the second reservoir chamber, and the lower communication path.

7. A liquid ejecting apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a liquid ejection head ejecting liquid;

a liquid reservoir provided in a middle portion of the supply flow path,

the liquid reservoir is provided with:

a housing;

8. A liquid ejecting apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a liquid ejection head ejecting liquid;

a liquid reservoir provided in a middle portion of the supply flow path,

the liquid reservoir is provided with:

A housing;

a pressing member that presses an outer peripheral portion of a side of the film opposite to a side facing the first chamber; and

a cover member covering a side of the film opposite to a side facing the first chamber and the pressing member, and forming a second chamber between the cover member and the film,

the cover member is joined to the outer peripheral portion of the film, the pressing member, and the housing.