JP2005254679A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a dust remover having a valve adhering to a filter provided in a channel at the time of ink circulation/restoration operation in which bubble removing efficiency and reliability of valve action are enhanced at the time of ink circulation/restoration operation. <P>SOLUTION: An internal liquid chamber 204 being connected with a first connection hole 206 for receiving ink at the time of ink circulation/restoration operation, and an internal liquid chamber 205 being connected with a second connection hole 207 for delivering ink at the time of ink circulation/restoration operation are formed in a dust remover 200 while being partitioned by a filter 201. The internal liquid chamber 204 is located below the filter 201 and arranged with a flexible valve 208 adhering to the filter 201 at the time of ink circulation/restoration operation. The first connection hole 206 is connected with one end of the internal liquid chamber 204 and, at the end part on the opposite side thereof, a section 209 communicating with the valve 208 is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus including a dust removing device that removes dust in a flow path of a liquid such as ink discharged from a recording head.

  Conventionally, in an apparatus for supplying ink to a liquid passage having a minute cross-sectional area such as a nozzle, as represented by an ink jet recording apparatus, dust in the liquid passage, precipitates from the ink, and liquid passage due to bubbles It was necessary to prevent clogging. In particular, in an ink jet recording apparatus, ink is supplied from an ink tank to a discharge port through a common liquid chamber in order to prevent clogging of a discharge port for discharging ink droplets due to dust, precipitates, or even bubbles. There is known a configuration in which a dust removing device having a filter for removing minute dust and bubbles is provided in a flow path.

  5 and 6 are schematic cross-sectional views showing the overall configuration of the dust removing device 120 provided in such a conventional ink jet recording apparatus.

  The dust removing device 120 shown in these drawings is provided in, for example, a circulation flow path connected to the recording head, and the ink 102 is circulated in the circulation flow path by a pump so that the inside of the recording head and the ink supply system is This is used for the ink circulation recovery operation for removing the bubbles 105 and dust 104. That is, in this case, the ink 102 pumped from the ink tank by the pump reaches the recording head via the ink forward path, and is further returned from the recording head to the ink tank via the ink backward path. Provided. At this time, at the dust removing device 120, the ink 102 flowing in from the inflow tube 121 passes through the filter 101 before reaching the outflow tube 122, and the dust 104 is caught by the filter 101 and removed.

  At this time, the air bubbles 106 existing in the ink forward path, the ink return path, and the recording head are returned to the ink tank and discharged into the atmosphere in the ink tank. Therefore, at the time of pumping by the pump, it is necessary to allow the bubbles 105 to pass through the filter 101 of the dust removal device 120 provided in the middle of the ink forward path and the ink return path.

  On the other hand, when supplying the ink 102 from the ink tank to the recording head via the ink return path during recording, the ink 102 is generally supplied by a capillary force acting on the ink 102 in the recording head or the like without pumping. Is done. At this time, it is necessary to prevent the bubbles 105 from passing through the filter 101 of the dust removing device 120. The reason is that if the bubble 105 enters the recording head and enters the nozzle leading to the discharge port, the discharge becomes unstable, and in the worst case, it causes ink non-discharge.

  In recent years, printing speeds have been increasing in inkjet recording apparatuses. For this reason, for example, techniques such as increasing the number of nozzles of the head and increasing the discharge frequency have been adopted. According to such a method, since the area that can be printed per unit time is widened, the printing speed can be easily increased, but the amount of ink consumed per unit time also increases. As a result, the flow rate of the ink 102 flowing through the filter 101 of the dust removing device 120 also increases. When the ink 102 flows through the filter 101, a pressure loss always occurs before and after the filter 101. Since this pressure loss is proportional to the flow rate of the ink 102, the pressure loss before and after the filter increases as the ink flow rate increases.

  On the other hand, if the pressure in the common liquid chamber of the recording head exceeds the atmospheric pressure, the ink 102 leaks from the nozzle, and if the pressure is too low, an appropriate ink discharge amount cannot be maintained. It is necessary to keep in the range of 0.3 kP to -2.0 kP. However, when the ink flow rate increases and the pressure loss of the filter 101 increases, the pressure in the common liquid chamber decreases and deviates from the appropriate pressure range. Therefore, in general, in a configuration where the ink flow rate is increased, an increase in pressure loss is prevented by increasing the area of the filter 101 at the same ratio. However, when an experiment is performed, even in the dust removing device 120 having a configuration in which the area of the filter 101 is increased, if the gas is mixed in the flowing ink 102, the bubbles 105 accumulated on the upstream side of the filter 101 are further increased. It has been confirmed that the effective filtration area of the filter 101 does not increase in proportion to increasing the area of the filter 101.

  Regarding the problem due to the bubbles 105 in the filter 101, in the prior invention (Patent Document 1), it is proposed to provide a valve that is in close contact with the high pressure side (upstream side) of the filter during the above-described ink circulation recovery operation. . In this configuration, the pressure difference between the front and the back is reduced during recording to prevent the passage of bubbles, and the valve is opened, and the pressure difference between the front and rear of the filter is increased during the ink circulation recovery operation to allow the bubbles to pass efficiently. Therefore, the valve is in close contact with the filter surface.

  7 and 8 are schematic cross-sectional views showing the entire configuration of the dust removing device 120 provided in such a conventional ink jet recording apparatus. In these drawings, the same components as those in FIGS. 5 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The valve 107 shown in these drawings is supported so as to swing and open near the corner of the filter 101 of the dust removing device 120, and can be brought into close contact with the surface of the filter 101 in a closed state. .

  At the time of recording, the ink flows slowly from the direction of the arrow a to the direction of the arrow b, so that the valve 107 swings around the support portion near the corner of the filter 101 without closely contacting the surface of the filter 101. At this time, since the pressure difference before and after the filter 101 is small, the bubbles do not pass through the filter 101.

On the other hand, during the ink circulation recovery operation, since the ink flows quickly from the direction of the arrow a to the direction of the arrow b, the valve 107 moves in the direction of the arrow c in FIG. (Indicated by a chain line). As a result, the effective filtration area of the filter 101 is reduced, and the pressure difference between the front and rear of the filter 101 is increased, so that bubbles are efficiently passed through and removed through the portion of the filter 101 where the valve 107 is not in close contact. Can do.
Japanese Patent No. 3160411

  However, as a result of detailed observation, it has been found that the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following further improvements.

  First, during the ink circulation recovery operation, as shown in FIG. 8, the bubble 105 may enter the filter 101 on the downstream side of the valve 107, and the efficiency of the bubble passing through the filter 101 may be reduced. . If the bubble that has entered the downstream side of the valve 107 becomes large, it will eventually come out between the valve 107 and the filter 101 and pass through the filter 101 due to the pressure difference across the filter 101. However, the relatively small bubbles remaining between the valve 107 and the filter 101 are less likely to pass directly through the filter 101 due to the influence of the surface tension, and the ink 102 flowing from the direction a causes the valve 107 to flow. Since it pushes almost uniformly, it is difficult to come out between the valve 107 and the filter 101. And while air bubbles remain between the filter 101 and the valve 107 in this manner, the adhesion of the valve 107 to the filter 101 decreases, so the pressure difference across the filter 101 decreases, The efficiency of passing through the filter 101 is lowered, and the removal efficiency is lowered.

  Further, as described above, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the valve 107 does not close at the time of recording because the flow rate of the ink 102 is relatively small. Due to the flow of ink, a force is applied to the valve 107 in a direction in which the valve 107 is brought into close contact with the filter 101. At the time of recording, if it is possible to prevent a force from being applied to the valve 107 in the closing direction, the reliability of the operation of the valve 107 can be further improved.

  In view of the above-described prior art, the present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus having a filter and a dust removal device having a valve that is in close contact with the filter during the ink circulation recovery operation. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of improving the reliability of valve operation.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid storage unit that supplies liquid to a recording head that discharges liquid, a flow channel for supplying liquid from the storage unit to the recording head, and a flow channel In the ink jet recording apparatus having a liquid feeding means for feeding a liquid provided therein and a dust removing apparatus including a filter provided in the flow path, at least one of the dust removing apparatuses is based on the liquid feeding means. An internal liquid chamber that is connected to one end of a connection hole into which liquid flows when liquid is fed is formed on one side of the filter, and is placed in the internal liquid chamber, and is in close contact with the filter when liquid is fed by the liquid feeding means The valve further includes a communication portion formed at a portion of the internal liquid chamber disposed at the end opposite to the connection hole. To do.

  According to this configuration, when ink is pumped to the dust removal device by the liquid feeding means during the ink circulation recovery operation, the valve first comes into close contact with the filter at the end on the first connection hole side into which the ink flows. . Thereafter, the ink hardly passes through the filter on the end side where the filter is blocked by the valve, so that the ink flows from this end side to the opposite end side, whereby the valve is connected to the first connection. The filter is in close contact with the filter from the hole side to the opposite end side. As a result, even if air bubbles enter between the filter and the valve, the air bubbles are pushed out from the first connection hole side toward the end portion on the opposite side, and the valve formed on this end portion side. It is led to the communication part.

  A dust removal apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is provided in a liquid storage section that supplies liquid to a recording head that discharges liquid, a flow path for supplying liquid from the storage section to the recording head, and the flow path. In addition, in the ink jet recording apparatus having the liquid feeding means for feeding the liquid and the dust removing apparatus including the filter provided in the flow path, at least one of the dust removing apparatuses is based on the liquid feeding means of the filter. There is further provided a valve disposed on the upstream side of the liquid feeding direction and in close contact with the filter when the liquid is fed by the liquid feeding means, and the dust removal apparatus includes a liquid ejected from the recording head. When the liquid is supplied, the liquid flows in a direction opposite to the liquid feeding direction by the liquid feeding means and in a direction away from the filter.

  In this configuration, the valve is pushed in a direction away from the filter by the flow of the liquid when the liquid is supplied as the liquid is discharged from the recording head. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the valve from coming into close contact with the filter when the liquid is supplied as the liquid is discharged from the recording head.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, during the ink circulation recovery operation, the valve is sequentially brought into close contact with the filter from the end on the first connection hole side into which the liquid flows toward the end on the opposite side. In order to prevent bubbles from remaining between the valve and the filter, improve the reliability of the valve's close contact with the filter, pass the bubbles efficiently through the filter, and improve the bubble removal efficiency. Can do. By improving the bubble removal efficiency during the ink circulation recovery operation, when supplying the liquid accompanying the liquid ejection from the recording head, the liquid can be reduced while reducing the bubble passing through the filter and being guided to the recording head side. The recording head can be efficiently supplied.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, when supplying the liquid accompanying the liquid discharge from the recording head, the valve is pushed in the direction away from the filter by the flow of the liquid, thereby improving the reliability of the operation of the valve. Can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a dust removing device 200 provided in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a valve 208 from the filter 201 side of the dust removing device 200 of FIG. It is the plane sectional view which looked at the side. FIG. 3 shows an overall configuration of a supply system of a liquid (hereinafter simply referred to as ink) such as ink 15 supplied to the recording head 14 of the ink jet recording apparatus provided with the dust removing apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. FIG.

  The dust removal apparatus 200 of this embodiment has a lower first housing 202 and an upper second housing 203, and a filter 201 is attached in an internal space formed by these. As a result, an internal liquid chamber 204 is formed below the filter 201 by the first housing 202, and an internal liquid chamber 205 is formed above the filter 201 by the second housing 203. It is partitioned by 201. The first housing 202 and the second housing 203 are provided with a first connection hole 206 and a second connection hole 207, respectively, which are entrances and exits for the ink 15. Therefore, the ink 15 that has entered the dust removal device 200 from one of the first connection hole 206 and the second connection hole 207 always passes through the filter 201 and exits the dust removal device 200 from the other.

  A film-like valve 208 is disposed in the internal liquid chamber 204 formed by the first housing 202. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the internal liquid chamber 204 has a rectangular planar shape, and the valve 208 similarly has a rectangular planar shape, and the inner wall of the internal liquid chamber 204 is formed around the valve 208. It is sized to create a slight gap between them. As the valve 208, a valve having a specific gravity greater than that of the ink 15 and having an appropriate waist that does not bend while having flexibility. As such a valve 208, for example, a resin film such as a PET film or a PPS film having a thickness of about 100 μm can be suitably used.

  The first connection hole 206 is connected to the internal liquid chamber 204 in the vicinity of one end portion of the first housing 202, and therefore in the lower position near the first end portion 208 a of the valve 208. In the valve 208, a communication portion 209 that communicates with the upper surface and the lower surface of the valve 208 is formed in the vicinity of the end portion 208 b opposite to the first end portion 208 a. Two rib-like convex portions 210 extending along the valve 208 in the direction connecting the first end portion 208a and the second end portion 208b are provided along the valve 208 at the bottom portion of the internal liquid chamber 204. By providing the convex portion 210, the valve 208 is prevented from sticking to the bottom of the internal liquid chamber 204. Further, the presence of the convex portion 210 allows the ink 15 to pass between the first connection hole 206 and the communication portion 209 of the valve 208 even when the valve 208 is positioned on the bottom side of the internal liquid chamber 204. A flow path can be secured.

  The internal liquid chamber 205 formed by the second housing 203 is isolated from the internal liquid chamber 204 by the filter 201 at the bottom. The internal liquid chamber 205 gradually decreases in cross-sectional area from the bottom to the top and is connected to the second connection hole 207 at the upper end.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the supply system of the ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink tank (storage unit) 8 that stores ink 15. In the ink tank 8, two tubes 216 and 217 forming a flow path through which the ink 15 flows are disposed. One of these tubes 217 is connected to one end of the recording head 14 via a dust removal device 200A similar to that shown in FIGS. At this time, in the dust removing device 200A, the second connection hole 207A is connected to the ink tank 8 side, and the first connection hole 206A is connected to the recording head 14 side. The other tube 216 is connected to the other end of the recording head 14 via a pump (liquid feeding means) 9 and a dust removal device 200B similar to that shown in FIGS. At this time, in the dust removing device 200B, the first connection hole 206B is connected to the ink tank 8 side, and the second connection hole 207B is connected to the recording head 14 side. As a result, the pump 9, the dust removal device 200 </ b> A, the common liquid chamber of the recording head 14 (schematically indicated by the broken line in FIG. 3), and the dust removal device 200 </ b> B are sequentially returned from the ink tank 8 to the ink tank 8. A flow path is formed.

  Although not shown in detail, the recording head 14 has a plurality of ink discharge port arrays connected to the common liquid chamber via nozzles. During recording, ink droplets are generated by the operation of the recording head drive circuit. Is discharged. At this time, the consumed ink is supplied to the recording head 14 via the tubes 216 and 217.

  In this supply system, during the ink circulation recovery operation, the pump 9 is driven to cause the tube 216 to flow in the direction from the ink tank 8 side toward the recording head 14 side as indicated by the arrow d in FIG. Then, the ink 15 in the ink tank 8 returns to the ink tank 8 through the pump 9, the dust removing device 200B, the common liquid chamber of the recording head 14, and the dust removing device 200B in this order.

  The operation of the dust removal apparatuses 200A and 200B at this time will be described. In addition, since operation | movement of the dust removal apparatuses 200A and 200B in this case is the same, it demonstrates collectively as the dust removal apparatus 200 below.

  During the ink circulation recovery operation, the ink 15 is caused to flow relatively quickly by the pump 9. In the dust removing device 200, the ink 15 flows from the first connection hole 206 as indicated by an arrow a in FIG. 1, and therefore the flow of the ink 15 is first near the first end portion 206 of the valve 208. collide. As a result, the first end 208 a side of the valve 208 is brought into close contact with the filter 201 by the pressure applied from the ink 15. When the portion of the valve 208 on the first end 208 a side is in close contact with the filter 201, the ink 15 can hardly pass through the filter 201 in this portion, and therefore the second end 208 b side along the valve 208 is not allowed. Flowing into. Due to the flow of the ink 15 in the internal liquid chamber 204, the valve 208 gradually expands from the portion on the first end portion 208a side to the portion close to the filter 201 from the portion on the second end portion 208b side. Finally, the entire valve 208 comes into close contact with the filter 201. Therefore, the ink 15 finally passes through only the portion of the filter 201 corresponding to the communication portion 209 of the valve 208.

  At this time, since the flow rate of the ink 15 is relatively large and the region through which the ink 15 passes is narrowed in this way, a sufficient pressure difference is generated before and after the filter 15, thereby not only the ink 15 but also the ink 15. The bubbles contained in can also be efficiently passed through the filter 201. Therefore, by this ink circulation recovery operation, even if bubbles are present inside the supply system, the bubbles can be efficiently guided to the ink tank 8 to be discharged and removed.

  Next, an ink supply operation that accompanies ink ejection from the recording head 14 during recording will be described.

  In this case, the ink 15 is supplied to the recording head 14 from the ink tank 8 via the tube 217 and the dust removing device 200A, or via the tube 216 and the dust removing device 200B, by the capillary force acting on the ink 15 in the recording head 14. Is done.

  At this time, in the dust removing device 200A, the ink 15 enters from the second connection hole 207A and flows out from the first connection hole 206A. Therefore, the flow direction of the ink 15 is a direction in which the valve 208A is separated from the filter 201A, and the valve 208 can be prevented from being in close contact with the filter 201. For this reason, the area | region through which the ink 15 passes of the filter 201A is made wide, the differential pressure before and behind the filter 201A is suppressed, and only the ink 15 is allowed to pass through the filter 201A efficiently without passing bubbles through the filter 201A. The recording head 14 can be supplied.

  On the other hand, in the dust removal device 200B, the ink 15 enters from the first connection hole 206B and flows out from the second connection hole 207B, as in the ink circulation recovery operation. However, at this time, the flow rate of the ink 15 is slower than that during the ink circulation recovery operation, and thus the valve 208 can be prevented from being in close contact with the filter 201. As a result, also in the dust removal device 200B, the area of the filter 201A through which the ink 15 passes is widened, the differential pressure before and after the filter 201A is suppressed, and only the ink 15 is passed through the filter 201B without allowing bubbles to pass through the filter 201A. Can be efficiently passed and supplied to the recording head 14.

In the present embodiment described above, during the ink circulation recovery operation, the valve 208 gradually expands the region closely contacting the filter 201 from the first end 208a side to the second end 208b side. For this reason, even if air bubbles enter between the valve 208 and the filter 201, the air bubbles are pushed by the close-contact operation of the valve 208 and guided to the communicating portion 209 side of the valve 208. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the bubbles from staying between the valve 208 and the filter 201 during the ink circulation recovery operation, and to improve the reliability of the operation in which the valve 208 is in close contact with the filter 201. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently pass the bubbles through the filter 201 and improve the removal efficiency of the bubbles. Further, by improving the bubble removal efficiency during the ink circulation recovery operation, at the time of supplying the ink accompanying the ink ejection from the recording head 14, the bubble is prevented from being guided to the recording head side through the filter 201. Ink can be efficiently supplied to the recording head.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the configuration in which ink is supplied from both sides of the tubes 216 and 217 when ink is ejected from the recording head 14 has been described. However, the ink may be supplied from either one. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a supply system having a configuration in which ink supply during ink ejection is performed only from the tube 217 side. In FIG. 4, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The dust removal device 200 on the tube 217 side is the same as that of the first embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the dust removal device 300 on the tube 216 side has no valve, and the internal liquid chamber formed in the housing is partitioned by the filter 301 between the connection holes at both ends. Have. At this time, since the dust removal device 300 is not used to supply the ink 15 when ink is supplied along with ink discharge, the filter 301 of the dust removal device 300 suppresses pressure loss that occurs when ink is supplied due to ink discharge. Therefore, it is not necessary to prevent air bubbles from passing through, so that it can be made relatively small. Therefore, the area of the filter 301 of the dust removal device 300 is smaller than the area of the filter 201 of the dust removal device 200 provided with the valve 208, for example, 1/10 or less. By reducing the area of the filter 301 in this way, a pressure difference large enough to allow air bubbles to pass can be generated before and after the filter 301 during the ink circulation recovery operation.

  In the ink circulation recovery operation in this supply system, the pump 9 is driven so as to cause the tube 216 to flow in the direction from the ink tank 8 toward the recording head 14, as indicated by an arrow d in FIG. Therefore, the ink 15 in the ink tank 8 returns to the ink tank 8 through the pump 9, the dust removal device 300, the common liquid chamber of the recording head 14, and the dust removal device 200 in this order.

  At this time, since the area of the filter 301 of the dust removing device 300 that is not provided with a valve is relatively small, a sufficient pressure difference is generated before and after the filter 301, and bubbles flowing along with the ink 15 are efficiently removed. Can be passed through. On the dust removal device 200 side, the ink 15 flows in from the first connection hole 206 and flows out from the second connection hole 207. Therefore, as described in the first embodiment, the valve 208 is in close contact with the filter 201. To do. As a result, a pressure difference sufficient to allow air bubbles to pass therethrough can also be generated before and after the filter 201.

  In this way, even if bubbles are present inside the supply system, the bubbles can be efficiently guided to the ink tank 8 to be discharged and removed.

  When ink is ejected from the recording head 14 such as during recording, the ink 15 is supplied from the ink tank 8 to the recording head 14 via the tube 217 and the dust removal device 200 by the capillary force acting on the ink 15 in the recording head 14. At this time, in the dust removal apparatus 200, the ink 15 flows from the second connection hole 207 side to the first connection hole 206 side, and thus the valve 208 flows away from the filter 201. For this reason, the valve 208 is not in close contact with the filter 201, the area of the filter 201 through which the ink 15 passes is increased, the pressure difference between the front and rear of the filter 201 is suppressed, and the passage of bubbles is prevented. It can be supplied efficiently.

  In the first embodiment, the valve 208B of the dust removal device 200B on the tube 216 side uses the difference in the flow rate of the ink 15 during the ink circulation recovery operation and when the ink is supplied as the ink is ejected to recover the ink circulation. It is configured to be in close contact with the filter 201B during operation, and not to be in close contact with the filter 201B when supplying ink accompanying ink ejection. On the other hand, in the dust removal apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the valve 208 is operated by utilizing the fact that the flow of the ink 15 is reversed between the ink circulation recovery operation and the ink supply accompanying the ink ejection. It has become. Therefore, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the valve 208 can be operated even when the difference in the flow velocity of the ink 15 between the ink circulation recovery operation and the ink supply accompanying ink ejection is relatively small. The reliability of the operation can be improved. At this time, the dust removing device 300 on the tube 216 side functions to remove the dust by letting the ink 15 pass only during the ink circulation recovery operation, so that the configuration can be made simple and inexpensive.

Note that, in this embodiment, the effect of improving the operation reliability so that the valve does not adhere to the filter when ink is supplied due to ink ejection is generally the direction of ink flow during the ink circulation recovery operation of the filter. It can be obtained in an ink jet recording apparatus using a dust removing device that is arranged on the upstream side and flows when ink is supplied along with ink discharge in a direction opposite to that during the ink circulation recovery operation and in a direction that separates the valve from the filter. it can.
(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the dust removal apparatus 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is further improved in reliability by devising a form of using the dust removal apparatus 200. That is, in this embodiment, the position of the filter 201 and the valve 208 is gradually increased from the side of the first housing 202 where the first connection hole 206 is provided toward the side where the communication portion 209 of the valve 208 is provided. Try to be high. This can be realized, for example, by arranging the dust removing device 200 at an angle.

  In this configuration, bubbles that have flowed together with the ink 15 from the communication hole 206 are easily moved to the communication portion 209 side of the valve 208 by buoyancy. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the bubbles from staying between the valve 208 and the filter 201 at a position closer to the first connection hole 206 than the communication portion 209. Further, even if some bubbles remain in the internal liquid chamber 204, the bubbles are still buoyant, and a communication portion 209 is provided in the valve 208 of the uppermost portion of the internal liquid chamber 204, that is, the internal liquid chamber 204. Therefore, when the ink is supplied to the recording head 104, the remaining bubbles can be prevented from moving to the recording head 14 side.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically the dust removal apparatus with which the inkjet recording head of the 1st Embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is sectional drawing which looked at the valve side from the filter side of the dust removal apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the supply system of an ink provided with the dust removal apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the ink supply system of the inkjet recording head of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the dust removal apparatus with which the inkjet recording device of a prior art example is equipped. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the dust removal apparatus with which the inkjet recording device of another prior art example is equipped. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the dust removal apparatus with which the inkjet recording device of another prior art example is equipped. It is sectional drawing which shows the other state of the dust removal apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

8 Ink tank (storage part)
9 Pump (liquid feeding means)
14 Recording Head 201 Filter 204 Internal Liquid Chamber 206 First Connection Hole 208 Valve 209 Communication Portion

Claims (4)

The liquid storage section that supplies the liquid to the recording head that discharges the liquid, the flow path for supplying the liquid from the storage section to the recording head, and the liquid provided in the flow path In an ink jet recording apparatus having a liquid feeding means for performing the above and a dust removing device including a filter provided in the flow path.
At least one of the dust removing devices has an internal liquid chamber formed on one side of the filter, and a connection hole into which the liquid flows when the liquid is fed by the liquid feeding means. It further has a flexible valve that is disposed and is in close contact with the filter when liquid is fed by the liquid feeding means, and the connection hole of the internal liquid chamber is connected to the valve. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein a communicating portion that communicates with an upper surface and a lower surface of the valve is formed at a portion disposed at an end portion on the opposite side.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the filter and / or the valve is gradually increased from the connection hole side toward the side where the communication portion is formed.   In at least one of the dust removal devices having the valve, the liquid is supplied by the liquid supply means when the liquid is supplied as the liquid is discharged from the recording head. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus flows in a direction opposite to that of the ink jet recording apparatus. The liquid storage section that supplies the liquid to the recording head that discharges the liquid, the flow path for supplying the liquid from the storage section to the recording head, and the liquid provided in the flow path In an ink jet recording apparatus having a liquid feeding means for performing the above and a dust removing device including a filter provided in the flow path.
At least one of the dust removing devices is disposed on the upstream side of the filter in the liquid feeding direction of the liquid by the liquid feeding means, and adheres to the filter when the liquid is fed by the liquid feeding means. The dust removing device further includes a liquid feeding direction of the liquid by the liquid feeding means when the liquid is supplied as the liquid is discharged from the recording head. An inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the valve flows in a direction away from the filter in the reverse direction.

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