Abstract: A liquid droplet jetting apparatus which jets liquid droplets of a liquid onto a recording medium includes: a jetting head having a channel unit in which a plurality of nozzles for jetting the liquid droplets and a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the nozzles respectively are formed, and a pressure applying section which applies a pressure to the liquid inside the pressure chambers; and a controller having a pressure calculating section which calculates a pressure in the channel unit, and controlling the pressure applying section to execute: a duty limiting in which a jetting amount of the jetting head for a predetermined time period is limited to a first jetting amount when the pressure in the channel unit calculated by the pressure calculating section satisfied a predetermined condition; and a flushing in which the pressure applying section is driven irrespective of a jetting operation onto the recording medium.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a recording head having nozzles to discharge ink and a storage chamber for storing the ink which is supplied to the nozzles from an ink source. The chamber includes an inlet to which the ink flows from the ink source and an outlet from which the ink flows out to the nozzles, two walls opposite to each other and parallel to a flow direction of the ink flowing to the outlet from the inlet, and an annular rim formed along edges of the two walls. The chamber includes a pair of ribs for adjusting an ink flow, which are provided in one of the walls, protrude from the one towards the other, and extend parallel to the flow direction apart from the other. The other wall has flexibility and the ribs are spaced from the rim inside the rim.

Abstract: A liquid droplet jetting apparatus includes a jetting head unit which jets liquid droplet from nozzles, and which is displaced in a jetting direction in which the liquid droplets are jetted and in an opposite direction opposite to the jetting direction, a capping mechanism including a cap covering a nozzle opening surface in which the nozzles of the jetting head unit open, and performing a capping operation in which the cap is moved in the opposite direction from a stand-by position, which is away from the nozzle opening surface, to a capping position at which the cap covers the nozzle opening surface, a stopper which is arranged with a spacing distance from the jetting head unit, and which regulates a displacement of the jetting head unit in the opposite direction, and a first buffer which is arranged between the jetting head unit and the stopper.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus comprises an ejecting head including a passage which is connected to a sub-tank and an ejecting pressure applying device which applies a feed pressure to the liquid inside the passage, a main tank detector which detects that a main tank is mounted to a main tank mounting portion, a suction pump which applies a negative pressure to an air layer inside the sub-tank to discharge air from inside the sub-tank to outside, and a controller configured to control the suction pump and the ejecting pressure applying device, based on information from the main tank detector. The controller causes the suction pump to discharge the air from inside the sub-tank to outside and causes the ejecting pressure applying device to eject the liquid from a nozzle, when the main tank detector detects that the main tank is mounted to the main tank mounting portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming portion that forms an image on a surface of a sheet, a feeding device that feeds the sheet in a sheet feeding direction, a sheet receiving portion, and an engagement portion selectively moves between a first position and a second position. When the engagement portion is in the first position, the engagement portion engages the leading end of the sheet. When the engagement portion is in the second position, the engagement portion does not engage the sheet. When the engagement portion is in the first position, the engagement portion engages a leading end of the sheet before a trailing end of the sheet passes the feeding device. The sheet receiving portion receives the sheet after the engagement portion engages the leading end of the sheet.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, an ink tank and a flexible ink supply member. The carriage is provided with an ink channel which supplies the recording head with ink that is supplied from the ink supply member and a valve body which controls the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel, the valve body being disposed so as to be movable in a movement direction of the carriage. In an ordinary state the valve body is urged relative to the ink channel so as to be located at a position where to restrict the supply of ink to the recording head. When the carriage is moved in such a direction that a positive ink pressure acts in a direction from the ink supply member to the recording head, the valve body is kept at the position due to inertia thereof.

Abstract: An inkjet head for ejecting ink droplets is disclosed which includes: a nozzle unit having metal thin plates and a piezoelectric device, adapted to eject the ink droplets; a printed circuit board supplying to the piezoelectric device a drive signal for causing the nozzle unit to eject the ink droplets; a support supporting the nozzle unit and the printed circuit board in opposing relationship to each other; an earth contact disposed on the nozzle unit; a ground contact disposed on the printed circuit board, held at a reference potential; an electrically conductive elastic member disposed between the earth and ground contacts, such that portions of the elastic member are in electrical contact with the earth and ground contacts, respectively; and a movement limiter limiting movement of the elastic member to thereby prevent the elastic member from being disengaged from the earth and ground contacts.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, an ink channel supplying the recording head with ink and a valve body controlling the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel. The ink channel has a valve accommodation room and a valve opening formed in a wall surface located at one end of the valve accommodation room. In an ordinary state the valve body is urged to be in contact with the wall surface and to close the valve opening. In that state, a first area of the valve body, on which a pressure in a direction of opening the valve body from the valve opening acts, is smaller than a second area of the valve body, which is on an opposite side to the first area and on which a pressure within the valve accommodation room acts.

Abstract: An ink storage chamber has a middle wall and a damper wall, which are in parallel to a flow direction of ink and which face each other vertically with a distance therebetween, and a surrounding wall surrounding a circumference of a space between the middle wall and the damper wall. On the middle wall, there is formed a pair of flow regulating ribs projecting toward the damper wall and extending substantially in parallel to the flow direction in a state of having a distance from the damper wall. A space sandwiched by the pair of flow regulating ribs is a main flow region, and spaces between the flow regulating ribs and the surrounding wall is sub-flow regions. A distance between the middle wall and the damper wall in the sub-flow regions is smaller than that in the main flow region. Accordingly, a wasted ink amount during purging can be reduced.

Abstract: A liquid droplet ejecting apparatus comprises an ejecting head including a passage which is connected to a sub-tank and an ejecting pressure applying device which applies a feed pressure to the liquid inside the passage, a main tank detector which detects that a main tank is mounted to a main tank mounting portion, a suction pump which applies a negative pressure to an air layer inside the sub-tank to discharge air from inside the sub-tank to outside, and a controller configured to control the suction pump and the ejecting pressure applying device, based on information from the main tank detector. The controller causes the suction pump to discharge the air from inside the sub-tank to outside and causes the ejecting pressure applying device to eject the liquid from a nozzle, when the main tank detector detects that the main tank is mounted to the main tank mounting portion.

Abstract: An inkjet printer including: (a) a recording head operable to eject an ink onto a recording medium so as to perform a recording operation on the recording medium; (b) an ink source unit provided to store the ink that is to be supplied to the recording head; and (c) an ink delivery unit provided to delivery the ink supplied from the ink source unit, to the recording head. The ink delivery unit has a delivery chamber which has a delivery chamber inlet and a delivery chamber outlet, such that the ink can be delivered through the delivery chamber inlet from the ink source unit, and such that the ink can be delivered through the delivery chamber outlet toward the recording head. The delivery chamber is defined by a wall held in substantially parallel with a horizontal plane, and is elongated in a direction parallel with the wall. The delivery chamber inlet and outlet of the delivery chamber are positioned in respective positions which are substantially diagonal relative to each other.

Abstract: An ink jet printer including a stationary frame; a tank supporter which is provided in the stationary frame and which supports at least one ink storing tank storing at least one sort of ink; a recording head which records an image on a recording medium by ejecting a droplet of the ink, and which has at least one ink flow inlet; at least one ink delivering tank which delivers the ink and has at least one ink flow outlet; at least one ink supply tube which is provided between the tank supporter and the ink delivering tank and through which the ink is supplied from the ink storing tank to the recording head via the ink delivering tank, wherein the delivering tank provides at least a portion of at least one ink delivering channel connecting between the ink supply tube and the recording head; a head holder which includes a main portion holding the recording head and the ink delivering tank, and which is movable relative to the stationary frame so that the recording head records the image on the recording medium; a

Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus includes: a head; an ink storage chamber communicating with the head; a gas distributing chamber in which a gas introducing hole is formed; a buffer chamber in which a communicating hole for communicating with the gas distributing chamber, and an atmosphere opening hole for opening to the atmosphere are formed; a combination valve which is capable of opening and closing the gas introducing hole and the communicating hole; a gas introducing mechanism which introduces the compressed air through the gas introducing hole to the head to jet the ink forcibly, and a positive-pressure control valve which opens the atmosphere opening hole when a pressure in the buffer chamber exceeds a predetermined value. It is possible to operate a positive-pressure purge while suppressing an excessive increase in the pressure inside the liquid storage chamber, without increasing a size and a cost of the apparatus.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head which discharges an ink onto a recording medium to form an image thereon; a sub tank which is movable together with the recording head and which stores the ink to be supplied to the recording head; an ink supplement section which supplements the sub tank with the ink; and a controller which controls the ink supplement section. The controller controls the ink supplement section to supplement the sub tank with the ink when a residual-ink amount of the ink contained in the sub tank is not more than a threshold value, and the controller is capable of changing the threshold value. Therefore, the number of times of the ink supplement operation is reduced as much as possible by flexibly changing the threshold value depending on the situation while avoiding the discontinuity of the recording operation.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a discharge head which discharges a liquid from a discharge port onto a recording medium to form an image, a sub tank which is movable together with the discharge head and which stores the liquid to be supplied to the discharge head, a liquid supplement section which supplements the sub tank with the liquid, a purge section which performs a purge operation in which the liquid in the sub tank is pressurized to be fed to the discharge head, and the liquid in the discharge head is forcibly discharged from the discharge ports, a judging mechanism which judges whether or not an amount of the liquid in the sub tank is not more than a predetermined amount V1, and a controller which controls the liquid supplement section and the purge section.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a recording head having nozzles to discharge ink and a storage chamber for storing the ink which is supplied to the nozzles from an ink source. The chamber includes an inlet to which the ink flows from the ink source and an outlet from which the ink flows out to the nozzles, two walls opposite to each other and parallel to a flow direction of the ink flowing to the outlet from the inlet, and an annular rim formed along edges of the two walls. The chamber includes a pair of ribs for adjusting an ink flow, which are provided in one of the walls, protrude from the one towards the other, and extend parallel to the flow direction apart from the other. The other wall has flexibility and the ribs are spaced from the rim inside the rim.

Abstract: A volume of an ink-deliver chamber is efficiently utilized to dampen pressure changes of ink within the chamber, and prevent air bubbles produced in the chamber from flowing into an ink-jet recording head. In addition, an ink-jet recording apparatus having a plurality of ink-deliver chambers in a small space, is provided. Two ink cases are stacked on each other, which each include two ink-deliver chambers that accommodate different inks. Open sides of the four ink-deliver chambers are closed by flexible films. An ink-deliver chamber has an ink-flow inlet through which ink is introduced, and an ink-flow outlet through which ink flows to the ink-jet recording head, and the ink-flow inlet and outlet are provided at respective positions that are substantially most distant from each other such that almost all portions of an inner space of the ink-deliver chamber, where ink flows, are located between the ink-flow inlet and outlet.

Abstract: A sealing structure includes a first and a second passage-forming member having respective surfaces where fluid inlet ports and fluid outlet ports, or vice versa, are respectively open, and an elastic member interposed between the surfaces and including: a plate-like body which has an inlet-side and an outlet-side surface and through which through-holes are perpendicularly formed such that the inlet and outlet ports are communicated via the through-holes and open ends of the inlet and outlet ports are smaller than those of the through-holes; a first protruding portion protruding from one of the inlet- and outlet-side surfaces in an axial direction of the through-holes to contact the first passage-forming member and form inner circumferential surfaces encircling the through-holes; and a second protruding portion axially protruding from the other surfaces toward the second passage-forming member to form inner circumferential surfaces encircling the through-holes.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a carriage, an ink tank and a flexible ink supply member. The carriage is provided with an ink channel which supplies the recording head with ink that is supplied from the ink supply member and a valve body which controls the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel, the valve body being disposed so as to be movable in a movement direction of the carriage. In an ordinary state the valve body is urged relative to the ink channel so as to be located at a position where to restrict the supply of ink to the recording head. When the carriage is moved in such a direction that a positive ink pressure acts in a direction from the ink supply member to the recording head, the valve body is kept at the position due to inertia thereof.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, an ink channel supplying the recording head with ink and a valve body controlling the supply of ink to the recording head in the ink channel. The ink channel has a valve accommodation room and a valve opening formed in a wall surface located at one end of the valve accommodation room. In an ordinary state the valve body is urged to be in contact with the wall surface and to close the valve opening. In that state, a first area of the valve body, on which a pressure in a direction of opening the valve body from the valve opening acts, is smaller than a second area of the valve body, which is on an opposite side to the first area and on which a pressure within the valve accommodation room acts.