Liquid discharge device

Abstract

Provided is a liquid discharge apparatus having: a head; comprising a liquid reservoir chamber and an atmosphere communication path; a liquid flow path; a switching assembly; and a controller performing a disconnection process and a discharge process after the disconnection process. The volume of the air portion in the reservoir portion is controlled so as to satisfy formulas: # imgabs0 # and [Delta] Plt; = Pm. Po represents one atmospheric pressure. [Delta] V represents a change in the volume of the air portion due to a change in the volume of the liquid caused by discharging the predetermined amount of liquid during the discharging process. [Delta] P represents a change in the pressure of the air portion as a function of a change in the volume of the liquid during the discharge. Pm represents the pressure resistance of the meniscus formed by the liquid in the nozzle.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a Chinese patent application with an application date of September 24, 2021, an invention title of "Liquid Discharge Device", and an application number of 202180066241.4. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a liquid discharge device that can perform a discharge operation to discharge a liquid onto a sheet. Background Art

[0003] Liquid discharge devices that can discharge a liquid onto a sheet are known. The liquid to be discharged can be supplied from a reservoir section through a liquid supply path and discharged onto the sheet from a nozzle of a head. The reservoir section can have: an injection port through which a liquid for refilling can be injected; and an atmosphere communication path. During the discharge operation performed by the head, the injection port can be closed by a lid. At the same time, during the discharge operation, the liquid supply path and the atmosphere communication path can be opened to the outside atmosphere by a valve unit that can operate in conjunction with a user's operation. Such a liquid discharge device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-081120. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Sometimes, during the discharge operation, the sheet may jam in the liquid discharge device, and the jammed sheet may undesirably contact the head. The sheet that contacts the head may cause the liquid to leak from the nozzle of the head to the outside and contaminate the sheet. In this regard, when the liquid supply path and the atmosphere communication path are opened during the discharge operation, air can enter the reservoir section through the atmosphere communication path while the liquid leaks out, and the liquid can continuously leak and spread to a greater extent.

[0005] In order to suppress the leakage of the liquid to a smaller degree, it can be considered that the liquid supply path and the atmosphere communication path should be closed. However, in the case where the liquid supply path and the atmosphere communication path are closed, as the discharge operation continues, depending on the amount of the liquid stored in the reservoir section, the air pressure in the reservoir section may soon drop. As a result, during the discharge operation, the liquid may not preferably form a meniscus in the nozzle, and the liquid may not be discharged correctly.

[0006] An advantage of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid discharge device in which a greater degree of liquid leakage and liquid discharge failure that may occur during the discharge operation can be suppressed.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a liquid discharging device having a head, a reservoir section, a liquid flow path, a switching component, and a controller. The head has nozzles, and the head is configured to discharge a liquid through the nozzles. The reservoir section has: a liquid reservoir chamber configured to store the liquid; and an air communication path that connects the inside and the outside of the liquid reservoir chamber through an air section in the reservoir section. The liquid flow path connects the head and the liquid reservoir chamber for the liquid to flow in the liquid flow path. The switching component is configured to switch the state of the air communication path between a connected state and a disconnected state. In the connected state, the inside and the outside of the liquid reservoir chamber are connected. In the disconnected state, the inside and the outside of the liquid reservoir chamber are disconnected. The controller is configured to execute: a disconnection process in which the controller controls the switching component to switch the state of the air communication path from the connected state to the disconnected state; and a discharging process after the disconnection process in which the controller controls the head to discharge the liquid through the nozzles. The volume Vb of the air section is set to satisfy formulas (1) and (2): …(1); and ΔP <= Pm…(2). Po represents an atmospheric pressure. ΔV represents the change in the volume of the air section caused by the change in the volume of the liquid due to discharging a predetermined amount of the liquid during the discharging process. ΔP represents the change in the pressure of the air section according to the change in the volume of the liquid during the discharging process. Pm represents the pressure resistance of the meniscus formed by the liquid in the nozzles.

[0008] Optionally, ΔV may represent the change in the volume of the air section caused by the change in the volume of the liquid due to discharging the predetermined amount of the liquid during the discharging process under specified conditions to record a specified image on a sheet.

[0009] Optionally, the specified image may be a pattern image defined by the International Organization for Standardization. The specified conditions may be continuously recording the pattern image for a specified time length.

[0010] Optionally, the specified time length may be 30 seconds. The pattern image may be a multicolor pattern image. The specified conditions may be continuously recording the pattern image on the A4-sized sheet in a standard mode defined by the International Organization for Standardization for 30 seconds.

[0011] Optionally, the controller may be configured to perform a connection process, in which, in response to the duration of the discharging process reaching 30 seconds, the controller controls the switching component to switch the state of the atmosphere communication path from the disconnected state to the connected state.

[0012] Optionally, the predetermined amount may be equal to or greater than the volume of the liquid to be discharged from the head in order to record an image for one pass on a specified sheet under the condition that the amount of the liquid discharged from the head per unit time is the maximum amount.

[0013] Optionally, the predetermined amount may be equal to or greater than the volume of the liquid to be discharged from the head in order to record an image in the entire printable area on one surface of a specified sheet under the condition that the amount of the liquid discharged from the head per unit time is the maximum amount.

[0014] Optionally, the liquid discharging device may further include a sheet storage section. The specified sheet may be the largest-sized sheet that can be stored in the sheet storage section.

[0015] Optionally, the liquid discharging device may further include a sheet storage section. The specified sheet may be the largest-sized sheet that can be selected by a user's operation from among sheets of different sizes that can be stored in the sheet storage section.

[0016] Optionally, the controller may be configured to: in response to the amount of change in the pressure of the air portion caused by the discharging process reaching ΔP, perform a connection process, in which the controller controls the switching component to switch the state of the atmosphere communication path from the disconnected state to the connected state.

[0017] Optionally, the reservoir section may have an indicator that indicates the surface level of the maximum amount of the liquid that can be stored in the liquid reservoir chamber. The volume Vb may be the volume of the air portion when the surface level of the liquid is at a position substantially the same as the indicator.

[0018] Optionally, the reservoir section may have an air chamber located at an upper position relative to the liquid reservoir chamber, and the air chamber is configured to store at least a part of the air portion.

[0019] Optionally, the reservoir section may have a liquid supply path that connects the inside and outside of the liquid reservoir chamber. The air chamber may be located at an upper position relative to the lower end of the liquid supply path.

[0020] Optionally, the reservoir portion may further have an outer wall that defines the liquid reservoir chamber from the outside. A part of the outer wall may be deformable by a pressure change inside the reservoir portion.

[0021] Optionally, after starting to record an image on the sheet during the discharging process, the controller may be configured to: alternately repeat the connecting process and the disconnecting process multiple rounds. A disconnecting period between the disconnecting process in a round later than the first round and the connecting process immediately after the disconnecting process in the round later than the first round may be longer than a disconnecting period between the disconnecting process in the first round and the connecting process immediately after the disconnecting process in the first round.

[0022] Optionally, the controller may have a memory that stores an execution timing for performing the connecting process for each of the multiple rounds. The controller may be configured to: after the liquid is injected into the liquid reservoir chamber, perform the connecting process at the execution timing corresponding to the first round.

[0023] Optionally, the liquid reservoir chamber may include a plurality of liquid reservoir chambers. The atmosphere communication path may connect the inside and outside of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers through the air portion.

[0024] Optionally, the liquid reservoir chamber may include a plurality of liquid reservoir chambers. The atmosphere communication path may include a plurality of atmosphere communication paths, and each of the plurality of atmosphere communication paths connects the inside and outside of each of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers through each of the plurality of air portions. The switching component may be configured to collectively switch a state of the plurality of atmosphere communication paths between a connected state in which the inside and outside of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers are connected and a disconnected state in which the inside and outside of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers are disconnected. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of the printer 100 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 Figure 3 is a top plan view according to this embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a region (including the reservoir portion 220 and adjacent structures) in the internal structure.​​​​​​ Figure 4 Figure 4 is an explanatory view of the memory section 220 and the adjacent structure as viewed from the front side when the head 200 is located at the capping position P21 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5A Figure 5A is a right side view of the memory section 220 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5B Figure 5B is according to this embodiment of the present disclosure at Figure 5A is an explanatory view of the vertical section C1 of the memory section 220 cut along the dash-dotted line VB-VB indicated in and viewed from the front side. Figure 6A Figure 6A is according to this embodiment of the present disclosure at Figure 5A is an explanatory view of the vertical section C2 of the memory section 220 cut along the dash-dotted line VI-VI indicated in and viewed from the front side. Figure 6B Figure 6B is an explanatory view according to this embodiment of the present disclosure, showing how to determine the volume Vb of the air portion in the memory section 220. Figure 7 Figure 7 is an explanatory view of the memory section 220 and the adjacent structure when the head 200 is separated from the capping position P21 in the printer 100 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating the functional blocks in the printer 100 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 9A Figure 9A is a part of a flowchart illustrating the steps in the image recording process to be performed in the printer 100 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 9B Figure 9B is another part of the flowchart illustrating the steps in the image recording process to be performed in the printer 100 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 10A Figure 10A is an explanatory view of the vertical section of the memory section 220 as viewed from the front side according to the second variant of this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 10B Figure 10B shows the execution timing table and pointers stored in the EEPROM in the printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11A Figure 11A ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Diagram of a variant of the opener member 250 connecting to the atmospheric communication path 221K according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11B Figure 11B Diagram of the variant of the opener member 250 disconnecting the atmospheric communication path 221K according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12A Figure 12A Diagram of a variant of the cap 260 and the lifting assembly at the capped position P31 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12B Figure 12B Diagram of the variant of the cap 260 and the lifting assembly at the uncapped position P32 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0026] In the following paragraphs, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that various connections may be described between elements in the following description. These connections are generally and unless otherwise specified can be direct or indirect, and this specification is not intended to limit in this regard.

[0027] In the following description, the orientation from the root of the handle toward the pointing head indicated by the pointing arrow will be expressed by the term "orientation", and the reciprocating mobility along the line extending through the handle and the pointing head of the arrow will be expressed by the term "direction".

[0028] Moreover, the positional relationship within the printer 100 and each part or article included in the printer 100 will be mentioned based on the attitude of the printer 100 under normal usable conditions as indicated by the Figure 1 bidirectional pointing arrow in. For example, in Figure 1 the vertical axis between the upper side and the lower side is defined as the up-down direction 7. The side forming the opening 330 is defined as the front 320, and the axis between the front side and the rear side opposite to the front side is defined as the front-rear direction 8. The right hand side and the left hand side of the user facing the front 320 of the printer 100 are defined as the right side and the left side, respectively. The axis between the right side and the left side is defined as the left-right direction 9. The up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 intersect orthogonally. In the following description, the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9 may be referred to as the vertical direction 7 and the width direction 9, respectively. Overall Structure of Printer 100

[0029] As shown in Figure 1 the printer 100 as an example of a liquid ejection device can use an inkjet recording method on a sheet M (see Figure 2 ​​​​​​)A multicolor image is recorded on the sheet in multiple colors, for example, four (4) colors. The sheet M can be a sheet of, for example, paper or an OHP film. However, it should be noted that the method of recording an image on the sheet M does not necessarily have to be limited to inkjet recording, but can be in different recording methods such as, for example, thermal inkjet recording, which is also called bubblejet (registered trademark) recording. Internal structure of printer 100

[0030] As shown in Figure 2 The printer 100 shown in has a feeder tray 110, a discharge tray 120, a feeder 130, an outer guide 140, an inner guide 150, a pair of conveyor rollers 160, a pair of discharge rollers 170, a platen 180, a carriage 190, a head 200, a conveyor 210 (see Figure 3 ), a storage unit 220, a lid 230, a valve unit 240 (see Figure 5B ), an opener member 250 (see Figure 4 ), a cap 260 (see Figure 4 ), and a controller 270 (see Figure 8 ). At least the conveyor 210, the valve unit 240, and the opener member 250 can form a switching assembly. Housing 300

[0031] As shown in Figure 1 The housing 300 shown in can have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing 300 can be supported by a frame (not shown) arranged inside. On the front 320, an opening 330 that opens forward is formed. Feeder tray 110

[0032] As an example of a sheet storage section for storing the sheet M, the feeder tray 110 can be installed in the housing 300 through the opening 330. As shown in Figure 2 On the bottom 111 of the feeder tray 110, one or more sheets M can be stacked in the vertical direction 7. The guide member 112 extends from the rear end of the bottom 111 upward and backward to a position close to below the lower end of the outer guide 140. Discharge tray 120

[0033] In the housing 300, at a position above the feeder tray 110, a sheet outlet 370 is formed. Through the sheet outlet 370, the sheet M on which an image has been recorded in the printer 100 can be discharged. The sheet M on which an image has been recorded can be called the printed material M. The discharge tray 120 is arranged at a position in the front lower part with respect to the sheet outlet 370. The discharge tray 120 can support the printed material M. Feeder 130

[0034] As shown inFigure 2 The feeder 130 shown in [Fig. 0] includes a shaft 131, a feeder arm 132, a feeder roller 133, and a driving force transmission component 134.

[0035] The shaft 131 is supported by a frame (not shown) and extends in the width direction 9 at a position above the bottom 111. The feeder arm 132 is supported by the shaft 131 at its base end. The feeder arm 132 is pivotable in the circumferential direction 3B of the shaft 131. The feeder arm 132 extends rearward and downward from this base end. The feeder roller 133 is attached to the distal end of the feeder arm 132. The feeder roller 133 is rotatable in the circumferential direction 3C of a shaft 135 parallel to the shaft 131. The driving force transmission component 134 may include a gear train and a drive belt and may be disposed inside the feeder arm 132.

[0036] The overall behavior of the feeder 130 is described here. The feeder roller 133 may contact the uppermost sheet M among the sheets M stacked on the bottom 111 of the feeder tray 110. The driving force transmission component 134 may transmit the force generated by a feeder motor 271 (see Figure 8 ) for feeding the sheet M to the feeder roller 133. The feeder roller 133 may be rotated by the transmitted force and apply a backward conveying force to the uppermost sheet M. Thereby, the uppermost sheet M may be conveyed backward on the bottom 111 and guided to the conveyor path P by the inclined surface of the guide member 112 through the sheet inlet P0. Conveyor path P

[0037] As shown in Figure 2 , inside the housing 300, a conveyor path P for conveying the sheet M is formed. The sheet inlet P0 forms the upstream end of the conveyor path P and is disposed directly above the extending end of the guide member 112. The conveyor path P is a so-called U-turn path and includes a curved path P1 and a straight path P2. The curved path P1 curves substantially forward and upward from the sheet inlet P0. The straight path P2 extends substantially linearly forward from the downstream end of the curved path P1 to the sheet outlet 370. Outer guide 140, inner guide 150

[0038] The outer guide 140 and the inner guide 150 respectively define the outermost and innermost portions of the curved path P1.

[0039] The conveyance of the sheet M is described here. The sheet M fed to the sheet inlet P0 may be guided by the outer guide 140 and the inner guide 150 to be conveyed in the curved path P1. Thereafter, the sheet M may be transferred to the conveyor roller pair 160. Conveyor roller pair 160

[0040] The conveyor roller pair 160 includes a driving roller 161 and a pinch roller 162. The driving roller 161 and the pinch roller 162 are arranged to be in contact with each other in the vertical direction 7 across the downstream end of the curved path P1 and extend in the width direction 9 along the downstream end of the curved path P1. In this embodiment, the driving roller 161 contacts the pinch roller 162 from above. However, alternatively, the driving roller 161 may contact the pinch roller 162 from below.

[0041] The driving roller 161 can be rotated by the force generated by a conveyor motor 272 (see Figure 8 ) for conveying the sheet M. The pinch roller 162 can be rotated by the rotation of the driving roller 161. The driving roller 161 and the pinch roller 162 can pinch the sheet M and rotate to convey the sheet M forward, for example, in the conveying orientation 4. Thus, the sheet M can be conveyed downstream in the straight path P2. The discharge roller pair 170

[0042] As shown in Figure 2 , the discharge roller pair 170 includes a driving roller 171 and a toothed roller 172. The driving roller 171 and the toothed roller 172 are located at a position between the pressing plate 180 and the sheet outlet 370 in the straight path P2, and are positioned to be in contact with each other in the vertical direction 7 across the straight path P2 and extend in the width direction 9 along the straight path P2. In this embodiment, the toothed roller 172 contacts the driving roller 171 from above. However, alternatively, the toothed roller 172 may contact the driving roller 171 from below.

[0043] The driving roller 171 can be rotated by the force generated by the conveyor motor 272. The toothed roller 172 can be rotated by the rotation of the driving roller 171. The driving roller 171 and the toothed roller 172 can pinch the sheet M and rotate to convey the sheet M further downstream in the conveying orientation 4. Thus, the sheet M can be discharged to the outside through the sheet outlet 370. The pressing plate 180

[0044] The pressing plate 180 is located between the conveyor roller pair 160 and the discharge roller pair 170 in the front-rear direction 8. The pressing plate 180 has a support surface 181 that extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the width direction 9. The support surface 181 defines the lowermost part of the straight path P2 and can support the sheet M conveyed by the conveyor roller pair 160 from below. The support surface 181 can be formed by the upper end surfaces of a plurality of ribs that protrude upward from the pressing plate 180 and extend longitudinally in the front-rear direction 8. However, alternatively, the support surface 181 may be the flat upper surface of the pressing plate 180. The carriage 190

[0045] As shown in Figures 2 - 3 , the printer 100 further has guide rails 191A, 191B arranged inside the housing 300. As shown inFigure 2 As shown, the guide rails 191A and 191B are located at a position higher than the support surface 181 and are supported by a frame (not shown). In a top plan view, as in Figure 3 As shown, the guide rails 191A and 191B are arranged to be spaced apart in the front-rear direction 8 to be located on both sides of the support surface 181 and extend longitudinally in the width direction 9. In other words, the support surface 181 of the platen 180 is located between the guide rails 191A and 191B in the front-rear direction 8.

[0046] As in Figure 3 The carriage 190 shown has a width smaller than the width of the platen 180 and is arranged to extend across the guide rails 191A and 191B in the front-rear direction 8. The carriage 190 can be moved on the guide rails 191A and 191B by a force transmitted through the conveyor 210 to reciprocate in the width direction 9. In the following paragraphs, the direction in which the carriage 190 can move may be referred to as the scanning direction 9. The head 200

[0047] As in Figure 2 The head 200 shown has: a lower surface 201; an upper surface 202; a plurality of nozzles 203; and an ink flow path 204 as an example of a liquid flow path. The plurality of nozzles 203 are formed to be arranged along the front-rear direction 8 and the width direction 9 on the lower surface 201. In Figure 2 In, among the plurality of nozzles 203, only the nozzles 203 arranged along the front-rear direction 8 are shown. Each nozzle 203 has a downward discharge opening. The head 200 is mounted on the carriage 190 such that the lower surface 201 of the head 200 can move in the scanning direction 9 at a position separated from above the support surface 181 together with the carriage 190. In this regard, the lower surface 201 defines the uppermost part of the straight path P2.

[0048] The head 200 houses piezoelectric devices (not shown) corresponding to the nozzles 203 on a one-to-one basis. A drive waveform modulated by the controller 270 can be applied to these piezoelectric devices in the head 200, and thereby the head 200 can discharge ink downward through the nozzles 203 in the discharge orientation 7D and consume the ink stored in the head 200. The conveyor 210 (a part of the switching assembly)

[0049] As in Figure 3The transporter 210 shown in the figure includes two (2) pulleys 211 and an endless belt 212. The transporter 210 forms part of a switching assembly and can switch the state of the valve body 242, which will be further described below, between an open state and a closed state. These pulleys 211 are separated from each other in the width direction 9 on the guide rail 191A. Each pulley 211 can rotate in the circumferential direction about its axis extending in the vertical direction 7. The endless belt 212 is tensioned around the pulleys 211 and is coupled to the carriage 190. One pulley 211, for example, the right pulley 211, is coupled to a carriage motor 273 for driving the carriage 190 (see Figure 8 ). The carriage motor 273 can operate under the control of the controller 270 and generate a driving force. The right pulley 211 can be driven by the driving force from the carriage motor 273 to rotate in the forward or reverse direction. Therefore, the head 200 coupled to the endless belt 212 can reciprocate in the width direction 9 between a preset capping position P21 and a flushing position P22 between these pulleys 211. The capping position P21 can be at a position substantially the same as that of the cap 260 separated from the platen 180 to the right and from the frame 301 (see Figure 4 ) in the width direction 9. The flushing position P22 is separated to the left from the platen 180. The ink receiver 194 is arranged at the flushing position P22.

[0050] While the carriage 190 moves left or right under the control of the controller 270 in one swath or one pass, the head 200 can move above an ink discharge range R11 (see Figure 7 ), which will be further described below. The head 200 and the ink reservoir chamber 220B are connected by ink flow paths 204 that allow liquid to flow therein. While moving in the width direction 9, the head 200 can discharge the ink supplied from the reservoir section 220 through the ink flow paths 204. In other words, one line of an image can be recorded on the sheet M in one pass. Reservoir section 220, lid 230

[0051] As shown in Figure 4 , Figure 5A and Figure 6B , the reservoir section 220, which is an ink tank, is attached to the upper surface 202 of the head 200 such that the reservoir section 220 cannot be easily detached from the head 200. In other words, the printer 100 in this embodiment can be a so-called carriage-integrated printer, in which the reservoir section 220 and the head 200 are mounted on the carriage 190 (see Figure 3) Above. The storage unit 220 can be located entirely above the head 200. Optionally, however, the storage unit 220 can be at least partially above the upper surface 202 of the head 200, and another part of the storage unit 220 can be below the upper surface 202 of the head 200.

[0052] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5A , the storage unit 220 has an outer wall 221, four (4) upper indicators 223U, four (4) lower indicators 223L, and four (4) lids 230. Also, as shown in Figure 6A , the storage unit 220 has a plurality of partition walls 222 and a cylindrical wall 224.

[0053] As shown in Figure 5B and Figures 6A - 6B , the outer wall 221 defines an internal space 220A of the storage unit 220 from the external environment. The storage unit 220 can be mainly made of a light-transmissive material such as transparent resin. Thus, the user can visually identify the amount of ink stored in the storage unit 220.

[0054] As shown in Figure 4 , Figures 5A - 5B and Figure 6A , the outer wall 221 includes a bottom wall 221A, a first front wall 221B, a rear wall 221C, a first upper wall 221D, a second upper wall 221E, a second front wall 221F, a left side wall 221G, and a right side wall 221H. The bottom wall 221A, the first upper wall 221D, and the second upper wall 221E are in a substantially rectangular form in a plan view along the vertical direction 7. The first front wall 221B, the second front wall 221F, and the rear wall 221C are substantially rectangular in a view along the front-rear direction 8.

[0055] The bottom wall 221A extends on the upper surface 202 of the head 200. The front edge and the rear edge of the bottom wall 221A are substantially parallel to the front-rear direction 8.

[0056] The first front wall 221B and the rear wall 221C extend upward from the front edge and the rear edge of the bottom wall 221A respectively. The extended end, i.e., the upper end, of the first front wall 221B is positioned lower than the extended end of the rear wall 221C.

[0057] The first upper wall 221D extends between the upper end of the first front wall 221B and an intermediate position P41 (see Figure 5A ) between the first front wall 221B and the rear wall 221C. The second upper wall 221E extends between the upper end of the rear wall 221C and the intermediate position P41.

[0058] In the first upper wall 221D, as shown in Figure 6AAs shown, four (4) through holes 221J are formed through the first upper wall 221D in the vertical direction 7, through which ink can be injected into the reservoir portion 220.

[0059] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5A the second front wall 221F extends between the rear edge of the first upper wall 221D and the front edge of the second upper wall 221E.

[0060] As shown in Figure 4 the left side wall 221G and the right side wall 221H close the left and right ends of the reservoir portion 220, respectively.

[0061] Next, reference will be made to Figure 5B and Figure 6A to describe the plurality of partition walls 222. Figure 5B Shows a vertical cross-section C1 of the reservoir portion 220 taken along the dash-dotted line VB-VB indicated in Figure 5A . Figure 6A Shows a vertical cross-section C2 of the reservoir portion 220 taken along the dash-dotted line VI-VI indicated in Figure 5A . The vertical cross-section C1 and the vertical cross-section C2 are both parallel to the vertical direction 7 and the width direction 9. The vertical cross-section C1 extends from the second upper wall 221E to the bottom wall 221A, and the vertical cross-section C2 extends from the upper end of the lid 230 to the bottom wall 221A.

[0062] The plurality of partition walls 222 includes three (3) vertical partition walls 222A and one vertical partition wall 222B. The three (3) vertical partition walls 222A and the vertical partition wall 222B, together with the outer wall 221, define the internal space 220A into four (4) ink reservoir chambers 220B (an example of a liquid reservoir chamber), one air chamber 220C, and one valve placement space 220D.

[0063] These vertical partition walls 222A are arranged spaced apart from each other in the width direction 9 in the internal space 220A. In particular, these vertical partition walls 222A extend upward from the bottom wall 221A at different positions and extend in the front-rear direction 8 and the vertical direction 7. Each vertical partition wall 222A is connected to the first upper wall 221D at a position between two adjacent through holes 221J in the width direction 9 (see Figure 6A ). At the same time, none of these vertical partition walls 222A is connected to the second upper wall 221E (see Figure 5B)。In other words, the extending ends of the vertical partitioning walls 222A are separated from below the second upper wall 221E. Each vertical partitioning wall 222A is connected to the first front wall 221B at its front end and to the rear wall 221C at its rear end. None of these vertical partitioning walls 222A is connected to the second front wall 221F.

[0064] The vertical partitioning wall 222B extends downward from the second upper wall 221E at a position separated leftward from the right side wall 221H and extends in the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The vertical partitioning wall 222B extends in the vertical direction 7 to a position separated from above the extending end of the vertical partitioning wall 222A.

[0065] The four ink storage chambers 220B are spaces surrounded by the bottom wall 221A, the first front wall 221B, the rear wall 221C, the first upper wall 221D, the left side wall 221G, the right side wall 221H, and the three vertical partitioning walls 222A. The four ink storage chambers 220B can store ink of four (4) different colors (e.g., yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). Each ink storage chamber 220B can be connected to the outside of the storage portion 2210 through a corresponding through hole 221J.

[0066] The air chamber 220C is a space surrounded by the second front wall 221F, the rear wall 221C, the second upper wall 221E, the left side wall 221G, and the right side wall 221H. The air chamber 220C is located at an upper position relative to the upper index 223U. The air chamber 220C can store at least a part of the air, i.e., the air portion, in the storage portion 220. Optionally, the air chamber 220C can be surrounded by other partitioning walls or can be a so-called labyrinth flow path.

[0067] As shown in Figure 5B , the valve placement space 220D is a space defined by the second upper wall 221E, the right side wall 221H, and the vertical partitioning wall 222B and houses the valve unit 240. The lower side of the valve placement space 220D opens downward. Therefore, the valve placement space 220D is continuous with the ink storage chamber 220B through the air chamber 220C.

[0068] As shown in Figure 4 , the upper index 223U is arranged on the outer surface of the first front wall 221B and is arranged at a position close to the upper edge of the first front wall 221B. Each upper index 223U is arranged on the front side of a corresponding ink storage chamber 220B. These upper indices 223U are located at the same position in the vertical direction 7 and are arranged at intervals in the width direction 9.

[0069] The lower index 223L is disposed on the outer surface of the first front wall 221B and is disposed at a position lower than the upper index 223U. Each lower index 223L is disposed at a lower position relative to a corresponding upper index 223U. These lower indices 223L are located at the same position in the vertical direction 7 and are arranged at intervals from each other in the width direction 9.

[0070] Each of the upper index 223U and the lower index 223L has a linear form extending in the width direction 9. The upper index 223U and the lower index 223L can be marked on the outer surface of the first front wall 221B by engraving, embossing, or applying a coloring agent. Each upper index 223U is a symbol indicating the surface level of the maximum amount of ink that can be stored in the ink reservoir chamber 220B behind the upper index 223U. Each lower index 223L is a symbol indicating the surface level of the ink at which the ink reservoir chamber 220B should be refilled with ink.

[0071] As shown in Figure 6A the cylindrical wall 224 extends cylindrically upward and downward from the circumferential edge of the through hole 221J in the first upper wall 221D. Each cylindrical wall 224 has an injection port 224A at its upper end. In other words, the upper end of each cylindrical wall 224 forms the injection port 224A. The injection port 224A is an opening that opens upward or outward from the reservoir portion 220. The inner circumferential surface of each cylindrical wall 224 defines an ink supply path 224B that continues from the injection port 224A through the through hole 221J to the ink reservoir chamber 220B. In other words, the injection port 224A is continuous with the ink reservoir chamber 220B, and the ink supply path 224B connects the inside and the outside of the ink reservoir chamber 220B. The lower end of the ink supply path 224B is positioned lower than the air chamber 220C. In other words, the air chamber 220C is located at an upper position relative to the lower end of the ink supply path 224B.

[0072] Figure 4 、 Figure 5A and Figure 6A The lid 230 shown in

[0073] can be formed of, for example, a flexible resin. The lid 230 can be attached by the user to the upper end of the cylindrical wall 224 and can be detached from the upper end of the cylindrical wall 224 to close and open the injection port 224A. Figures 5A - 5B As shown in

[0074] In the bottom wall 221A, four (4) outflow ports 221L are formed at positions corresponding to the lower ends of the four ink storage chambers 220B. Each outflow port 221L is a through hole formed vertically through the bottom wall 221A and is continuous with a corresponding ink flow path 204. Through the outflow ports 221L, the ink in the ink storage chambers 220B can be supplied to the head 200. In the present embodiment, the air chamber 220C is completely positioned above the outflow ports 221L. However, optionally, the air chamber 220C may be at least partially located in an upper position relative to the outflow ports 221L. Valve unit 240, opener member 250 (a part of the switching assembly)

[0075] As shown in Figure 5B the valve unit 240 has a spring 241 and a valve body 242.

[0076] The spring 241 may be a compression coil spring, and its natural length is substantially equal to or greater than the distance in the width direction 9 between the right side wall 221H and the vertical partition wall 222B. The spring 241 is accommodated in the valve placement space 220D, and its axis is aligned parallel to the width direction 9. The left end of the spring 241 is fixed to the vertical partition wall 222B. The valve body 242 is fixed to the right end of the spring 241.

[0077] When the opener member 250 does not contact the valve body 242, with the inner surface of the right side wall 221H serving as a valve seat, the valve body 242 can close the atmosphere communication path 221K by the pushing force of the spring 241. Thus, the atmosphere communication path 221K is placed in a disconnected state, in which the ink storage chamber 220B and the outside of the storage unit 220 are disconnected.

[0078] As shown in Figure 4 the frame 301 is arranged inside the housing 300. The frame 301 extends in the vertical direction 7 at a position separated from the cap 260 to the right, and the frame 301 faces the right side wall 221H of the storage unit 220 in the width direction 9. The opener member 250 extends from the frame 301 in the width direction 9 to the atmosphere communication path 221K (see Figures 5A - 5B)project to the left at a consistent position. The cross-sectional area of the opener member 250 at the cross-section along the vertical direction 7 and the front-back direction 8 is smaller than the opening of the atmosphere communication path 221K over the entire range in the width direction 9. The length of the opener member 250 in the width direction 9 is greater than the distance between the valve body 242 and the frame 301 when the head 200 is at the capping position P21. When the carriage 190 moves in the width direction 9, and shortly before the head 200 on the carriage 190 reaches the capping position P21, the protruding end of the opener member 250 can enter the atmosphere communication path 221K and contact the valve body 242. While the head 200 stays in the capping position P21, the valve body 242 is separated from the right side wall 221H by the contact force from the opener member 250 against the pushing force of the spring 241. Thus, the valve body 242 can open the atmosphere communication path 221K. In other words, the opener member 250 can switch the valve body 242 from the closed state to the open state. Therefore, the valve body 242 can open and close the atmosphere communication path 221K switchably. Accordingly, the atmosphere communication path 221K can be placed in a connected state in which the ink reservoir chamber 220B and the exterior of the reservoir unit 220 are connected to communicate with each other. Cap 260

[0079] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 7 , the cap 260 is located at a position substantially the same as the head 200 in the front-back direction 8 and has a generally rectangular box shape in the top view plan. The upper end of the cap 260 is open upward. The cap 260 can be formed of an elastic material such as rubber.

[0080] The cap 260 is supported by a lifting assembly 261 by a frame 302 extending in the front-back direction 8 and the width direction 9. The lifting assembly 261 can vertically move the cap 260 between the capping position P31 and the decapping position P32 by the driving force generated under the control of the controller 270 by a lifting motor 274 (see Figure 8 ). As shown in Figure 4 , the capping position P31 is the position where the upper end of the cap 260 contacts the lower surface 201 of the head 200 located at the capping position P21. The cap 260 at the capping position P31 can cover the nozzle 203 formed in the lower surface 201 of the head 200. As shown in Figure 7 , the decapping position P32 is lower than the capping position P31 and is the position where the upper end of the cap 260 is separated from the lower surface 201 of the head 200.

[0081] On the bottom 262 of the cap 260, a plurality of through holes 263 are formed, but in Figure 4 and Figure 7Only one through-hole 263 is shown. A tube 264 is connected to each through-hole 263 at one end such that the through-hole 263 and the tube 264 are in fluid communication. The other end of the tube 264 is connected to a pump (not shown). When the cap 260 is in the capping position P31, the pump can be activated by the controller 270. Accordingly, the remaining obstacles and ink in the head 200 can be evacuated and collected on the cap 260. The collected obstacles on the cap 260 can be transported through the tube 264 to a waste tank (not shown). Volume Vb of the air portion

[0082] Next, referring to Figure 6B , the volume Vb of the air portion will be described. This air portion is the cavity which is the part of the internal space 220A not occupied by ink. The volume Vb is the volume of the air portion when the surface of the ink is at a vertical position substantially the same as the upper index 223U. The volume Vb can be determined in the following manner while being designed by the manufacturer.

[0083] While the valve body 242 (see Figure 5B ) closes the atmosphere communication path 221K, in other words, while the atmosphere communication path 221K is in the disconnected state, the discharging process can be executed under the control of the controller 270. This discharging process is a process in which the head 200 discharges ink onto the sheet M on the support surface 81 under specified conditions to record a specified image based on the specified image data. This discharging process will be further described below. During the discharging process, as time goes by, with the atmosphere communication path 221K in the disconnected state, the ink in the ink reservoir chamber 220B can be consumed, and the volume of the air portion can increase; thus, the air pressure in the air portion can decrease.

[0084] Meanwhile, the printer 100 can execute a flushing operation before or during recording an image on the sheet M in the discharging process. In particular, the head 200 can discharge ink through the nozzle 203 at the ink receiver 194 under the control of the controller 270. Therefore, through the flushing operation, the volume of the air portion can increase even more, and as time goes by, the air pressure in the air portion can decrease. In this embodiment, the discharging process includes the operation of the controller 270 for the flushing operation.

[0085] In this regard, the duration of the discharging process can be a factor for changing the air pressure in the reservoir portion 220.

[0086] In this embodiment, when the atmosphere communication path 221K is in the disconnected state, the air pressure of the air portion in the reservoir portion 220, i.e., one atmospheric pressure (1 atm), can be represented by the symbol Po. While the change in the volume of the air portion due to the change in the volume of the ink caused by the discharging process can be represented by the symbol ΔV and the change in the pressure of the air portion can be represented by the symbol ΔP, the volume Vb is controlled to satisfy the formula: …(Vb equals (Po + ΔP) multiplied by ΔV divided by ΔP)(1).

[0087] Moreover, while the pressure resistance of the meniscus formed by the ink in the nozzle 203 can be represented by the symbol Pm, ΔP satisfies the formula: ΔP <= Pm…(ΔP is less than or equal to Pm)(2).

[0088] The pressure resistance Pm can be determined in advance based on the specifications of the ink and the head 200. To calculate the pressure resistance Pm of the ink meniscus, the surface tension of the genuine ink provided by the manufacturer or distributor of the printer 100 and the contact angle with the genuine ink can be used. In particular, if the diameter of each nozzle 203 is d, the surface tension of the ink can be represented by the symbol σ, and the contact angle of the ink at 201 below the nozzle 203 can be represented by the symbol θ, then Pm can be obtained from the following formula: …(Pm equals 4 multiplied by σ multiplied by cosθ divided by d)(3). At the same time, the diameter d of the nozzle 203 can be based on the exit diameter of the nozzle 203.

[0089] The surface tension σ can be obtained, for example, by the Wilhelmy method. The contact angle θ can be the contact angle when the ink droplet lands on 201 which is a flat ink discharge surface, and can be obtained, for example, by the θ / 2 method.

[0090] The specified image is a multicolor pattern image defined in ISO / IEC 24734 established by the International Organization for Standardization. The color pattern image is an image defined in ISO / IEC 24734 and described by image data in a predetermined data format (doc format, xls format, pdf format, etc.).

[0091] The specified condition is to continuously record the specified image on a sheet of A4 size as an example of the sheet for 30 seconds in the standard mode defined in ISO / IEC 24734, and 30 seconds is an example of the specified time length. The specified condition particularly includes the resolution (CR × LF) and the margin size. The resolution can be, for example, 600 × 300 dpi. In the case of the doc format, the margin size is 34.3 mm on each of the top and bottom, and 29.2 mm on each of the left and right sides of the sheet. In the case of the xls format, the margin size is 3 mm on each of the top and bottom, and 3 mm on each of the left and right sides of the sheet. Controller 270

[0092] As in Figure 8As shown in the figure, the controller 270 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, and an ASIC that are interconnected via an internal bus. The ROM, RAM, and EEPROM are examples of memories. The ROM can store programs to control operations in the printer 100. The CPU can run programs by using the RAM and the EEPROM.

[0093] The ASIC is electrically connected to the motors 271 - 274. The ASIC can generate and output control signals V21, V22, V23, and V24 to rotate the feeder motor 271, the conveyor motor 272, the carriage motor 273, and the lift motor 274, respectively.

[0094] The controller 270 has a total consumption counter for each of the four colors of ink in the EEPROM, for example. This total consumption counter can be used to cumulatively estimate the amount of ink consumed in the reservoir unit 220. The accumulation performed by the total consumption counter can start immediately after the ink injection process.

[0095] The controller 270 has a timer 275 that is an internal circuit of the CPU. This timer 275 can accumulate the time length from the point when the start command is input to the point when the stop command is input as a duration according to an instruction from the CPU. When this duration reaches a predetermined time threshold, the timer 275 returns a response indicating the reach to the CPU. This time threshold is set to a time length shorter than the time length that can cause the meniscus breakage in the nozzle 203 due to the increased negative pressure in the internal space 220A. The time length that can cause the meniscus breakage in the nozzle 203 can be predetermined in advance by experiments, for example, when the printer 100 is designed by the manufacturer. In this embodiment, this time threshold is 30 seconds (which is an example of the specified condition), or it can be a time length including 30 seconds and a margin. The image recording process performed by the controller 270

[0096] When the printer 100 is waiting for image recording, the head 200, the cap 260, and the valve unit 240 are in Figure 4At the position shown. In this arrangement, the head 200 waits at the original position, which in this embodiment can be the capping position P21. At the same time, the capping position P21 can also be the origin from which the head 200 starts to move in the width direction 9. However, optionally, the original position can be any position between the platen 180 and the cap 260 in the width direction 9, or can be at a position to the right relative to the cap 260. The cap 260 stays at the capping position P31 and covers the nozzle 203 of the head 200. The valve body 242 is subjected to the contact force of the opener member 250 and opens the atmosphere communication path 221K to place the atmosphere communication path 221K in a connected state. The lid 230 closes the injection port 224A (see Figure 6A ).

[0097] When the printer 100 is waiting or running an image recording process, the controller 270 can receive a print job and store the received print job in, for example, the RAM. The sender of the print job can be a personal computer or a smart phone that can communicate with the printer 100. The print job is an execution command for the image recording process and includes at least image data and setting information. The image data describes the image to be recorded in the image recording process. The image data can describe the image to be recorded on a single sheet M or multiple images to be recorded on multiple sheets M. The setting information describes the settings for the image recording process, and these settings include, for example, the print mode, the size of the sheet M, the margins on the sheet M, and the resolution of the image. It can be noted that the size of the sheet M, the margins on the sheet M, and the resolution of the image have been explained previously.

[0098] The controller 270 can select one of the print jobs stored in the RAM and start the image recording process based on the selected print job (see Figures 9A to 9B ).

[0099] As shown in Figure 9A , in S101, the controller 270 generates drive signals in the RAM based on the image data and the setting information. These drive signals can be used to drive the piezoelectric devices in the head 200, and these drive signals are generated for all passes required to record the image described by the image data for each of the inks of different colors.

[0100] In S102, the controller 270 performs an estimation process and an accumulation process for the estimated total consumable amount of the ink. The estimated total consumable amount is the amount of each ink consumed by the head 200 when all the drive signals generated in S101 drive the piezoelectric devices. Moreover, in S102, the controller 270 adds the estimated total consumable amount of the ink to the counter value in the corresponding total consumption counter.

[0101] In S103, the controller 270 determines whether any current counter value exceeds a volume threshold. This volume threshold indicates a predetermined amount of ink that can be stored in the ink storage chamber 220B between the lower index 223L and the upper index 223U. In this embodiment, the volume thresholds for the four inks are the same. When the controller 270 determines that any current counter value exceeds the volume threshold, the controller 270 proceeds to S117. When the controller 270 determines that none of the current counter values exceed the volume threshold, the controller 270 proceeds to S104.

[0102] In S104, the controller 270 determines whether the empty flag in the RAM or EEPROM is off. This empty flag can be set to off after an ink injection process (S117 - S119) which will be further described below. The empty flag can be set to on during a remaining amount confirmation process in S115 (see Figure 9B ). When the empty flag is off, the controller 270 proceeds to S105; but when the empty flag is on, the controller 270 proceeds to S117.

[0103] In S105, the controller 270 performs a flushing process. Specifically, as an earlier step in the flushing process, the controller 270 performs a separation step in which the controller 270 outputs a control signal V24 to control the lifting assembly 261 to lower the cap 260 from the capping position P31 to the uncapping position P32 through the lifting motor 274 (see Figure 7 ).

[0104] As a later step in the flushing process, the controller 270 moves the head 200 in the width direction 9 to the flushing position P22. Specifically, the controller 270 outputs a control signal V23 to the carriage motor 273 to control the conveyor 210 to move the carriage 190 in the width direction 9. While the carriage 190 is being moved, the controller 270 determines the updated position of the head 200 based on the signal output from the linear encoder 193 (see Figure 3 ). The controller 270 continues to move the head 200 in the width direction 9 towards the flushing position P22 until the updated position matches the flushing position P22. When the updated position of the head 200 matches the flushing position P22, the controller 270 stops the head 200 at the flushing position P22 and controls the head 200 staying on the ink receiver 194 to discharge the ink at the ink receiver 194. Thus, the flushing process is performed. During the flushing process, the controller 270 starts the timer 275 to time the time between the start and end of ink discharging from the head 200.

[0105] After the flushing process, further in S105, the controller 270 executes a movement process, where the controller 270 outputs a control signal V23 to the carriage motor 273 and moves the head 200 from the flushing position P22 to the original position, i.e., the capping position P21. At the same time, the controller 270 periodically monitors the updated position of the head 200, and when the updated position matches the capping position P21, the controller 270 stops outputting the control signal V23. The process in S105 ends here.

[0106] In S106, the controller 270 selects, from those drive signals stored in the RAM, a drive signal for one unit of a one-pass operation to be performed in the discharging process in S110 (see Figure 9B ).

[0107] In S107, the controller 270 executes a cueing process and controls the conveyance of a sheet M in the feeder tray 110 to a queuing position, which is a position directly below the sheet sensor 205 (see Figure 2 ) in the straight path P2. The sheet sensor 205 may be arranged at a position close to the front end of the platen 201. The sheet sensor 205, which is an optical sensor, is arranged to face the support surface 181 of the platen 180.

[0108] During the queuing process, in particular, the controller 270 outputs a control signal V21 to the feeder motor 271 to control the feeder roller 133 to convey the sheet M in the curved path P1. Thereafter, the controller 270 outputs a control signal V22 to the conveyor motor 272 to control the conveyor roller pair 160 to convey the sheet M to the queuing position in the straight path P2. While outputting the control signal V22, the controller 270 periodically obtains a signal from the sheet sensor 205 and stops outputting the control signal V22 in response to a change in the level of the obtained signal. Thus, in the case where the leading edge of the sheet M is located at the queuing position, the sheet M can pause on the support surface 181.

[0109] In S108, based on the size of the sheet M and the margin size included in the setting information in the print job, the controller 270 determines the ink dischargeable range R11 (see Figure 4 ). The ink dischargeable range R11 is the range where ink can be discharged onto the sheet M on the support surface 181 and is the difference obtained by subtracting the margin size from each side of the sheet M.

[0110] In S109 (see Figure 9B) In this case, the controller 270 outputs a control signal V23 to the carriage motor 273 to move the head 200 from the capping position P21 to a position directly above the start position of the discharge within the ink discharge range R11. This start position of the discharge is the initial position for the head 200 when recording an image for a single pass on the sheet M on the support surface 181.

[0111] Before S109, in other words, when the head 200 is at the capping position P21, as shown in Figure 4 , the atmosphere communication path 221K is in a connected state. From this position, in S109, while the head 200 moves from the capping position P21 to a position above the ink discharge range R11, the valve body 242 separates from the opener member 250 and closes the atmosphere communication path 221K by the pushing force of the spring 241 (see Figure 7 ). Therefore, the atmosphere communication path 221K is changed to a disconnected state. S109 is an example of a disconnection process in which the switching component places the atmosphere communication path 221K in a disconnected state.

[0112] Moreover, in S109, the controller 270 executes a measurement start process. Specifically, as the controller 270 starts to output the control signal V23, in other words, as the head 200 starts to move from the capping position P21, the controller 270 executes a measurement start process in which the controller 270 starts the timer 275 to start measuring time.

[0113] In S110, the controller 270 executes: a conveyance process of conveying the head 200 in the scanning direction 9, i.e., the width direction 9; and a discharge process. The conveyance process of conveying the head 200 in the scanning direction 9 can be hereinafter referred to as a scanning process. Specifically, in this scanning process, the controller 270 outputs a control signal V23 to the carriage motor 273 to control the conveyor 210 to convey the head 200 in the scanning direction 9 in a one-way manner, i.e., to the right or left, for a single pass.

[0114] In the case where the atmosphere communication path 221K is being closed and while the control signal V23 is being output during the scanning process, the discharge process can be executed. Specifically, while the head 200 is moving above the ink discharge range R11, the controller 270 applies the drive signal of the selected unit in S106 (see Figure 9A ) or S114 (see Figure 9B ) to the piezoelectric device in the head 200. Therefore, the piezoelectric device can be driven and ink can be discharged from the head 200 through the nozzle 203. Accordingly, an image for this pass along the scanning direction can be recorded on the sheet M.

[0115] The output drive signal has ended during this pass, and the controller 270 stops outputting the control signal V23. Moreover, the controller 270 commands the timer 275 to stop measuring. Thereafter, the controller 270 exits S110.

[0116] In S111, the controller 270 performs a condition determination process to determine whether a predetermined connection condition is satisfied. Specifically, the controller 270 may determine whether the duration measured by the timer 275 reaches a time threshold. More specifically, based on whether the controller 270 receives a response from the timer 275 on or before S111, the controller 270 may determine whether the duration reaches the time threshold. If the controller 270 does not receive a response from the timer 275, the controller 270 may determine that the duration has not reached the time threshold, and the controller 270 may proceed to S113. If the controller 270 receives a response from the timer 275, the controller 270 may determine that the duration reaches the time threshold, and the controller 270 may proceed to S112.

[0117] In S112, the controller 270 performs a retraction process and a connection process to move the head 200 so as to reciprocate in the scanning direction 9 between the updated position and the capping position P21. Specifically, the controller 270 obtains the updated position of the head 200 based on the signal from the linear encoder 193 (see Figure 3 ), and the controller 270 saves the updated position as the recovery position for the ink ejection process in, for example, the RAM. Moreover, similar to S105 (see Figure 9A ), the controller 270 may move the head 200 to the right to retract to the capping position P21 (i.e., the retraction process). When the head 200 reaches the capping position P21, the valve body 242 may receive the contact force of the opener member 250, and the valve body 242 changes the atmosphere communication path 221K to the connected state (i.e., the connection process). Thereafter, the controller 270 moves the head 200 from the capping position P21 to the left to return to the recovery position. Further, in S112, the controller 270 issues a reset command from the CPU to initialize the timer 275.

[0118] In S113, the controller 270 determines whether the entire image of the sheet M has been completely recorded. When the controller 270 determines that the image recording is not completed, the controller 270 proceeds to S114, or when the controller 270 determines that the image recording is completed, the controller 270 proceeds to S115.

[0119] In S114, the controller 270 selects, from those drive signals, the drive signal for another unit for the next pass. Further, the controller 270 performs an intermittent conveyance process. In particular, in this intermittent conveyance process, the controller 270 outputs a control signal V22 to the conveyor motor 272 to control the conveyor roller pair 160 to convey the sheet M forward, for example, by a distance equal to a single pass in the conveyance orientation 4, and the controller 270 controls the conveyor roller pair 160 to stop rotating. The controller 270 proceeds to S109.

[0120] In S115, the controller 270 performs a discharging process to discharge the printed material M. In particular, the controller 270 may output a control signal V22 to the conveyor motor 272 to control the conveyor roller pair 160 and the discharge roller pair 170 to discharge the printed material M through the sheet outlet 370 onto the discharge tray 120.

[0121] Further, in S115, the controller 270 performs a remaining amount confirmation process, and when the controller 270 determines, based on a signal output from a liquid amount sensor (not shown) in the storage unit 220, that the surface of the ink discharging is above the lower index 223L, the controller 270 sets the empty flag to OFF. On the other hand, when the controller 270 determines that the surface of any ink is equal to or lower than the lower index 223L, the controller 270 determines that the amount of at least one ink in the storage unit 220 has reached the injection threshold amount, and sets the empty flag to ON.

[0122] In S116, the controller 270 determines whether the image recording of all the images on the sheet M is completed. When the controller 270 determines that the image recording is not completed, the controller 270 proceeds to S104 (see Figure 9A ); or when the controller 270 determines that the image recording is completed, the controller 270 ends the image recording process shown in Figures 9A to 9B . Ink injection process (S117 - S119)

[0123] In S117 (see Figure 9A)In this case, the controller 270 executes the ink injection process. Specifically, the controller 270 executes a movement process, in which, similar to S106, the controller 270 moves the head 200 from the updated position to the capping position P21. The controller 270 may output an audio message or an image to warn the user that at least one ink reservoir chamber 220B needs to be refilled with ink. The user who recognizes the warning can access the reservoir unit 220 and open the lid 230, and then perform a predetermined process for refilling. The user may attach a bottle (not shown) containing ink to the injection port 224A and pour the ink in the bottle into the ink reservoir chamber 220B until the surface of the ink reaches the upper index 223U. In S118, the user may input a notification indicating that the ink reservoir chamber 220B has been refilled through, for example, an operation interface (not shown) in the printer 100. In response to the user's input, in S119, the controller 270 initializes the counter value to zero (0), sets the empty flag to off, and resets the timer 275. Thereafter, the controller 270 proceeds to S105. Benefit

[0124] In the above embodiment, during the intermittent conveyance process, the sheet M being conveyed in the straight path P2 may contact the nozzle 203 of the head 200, and the ink in the head 200 may leak out and contaminate the sheet M. However, in this case, after S109, the atmospheric communication path 221K is placed in the disconnected state. Therefore, the negative pressure in the internal space 220A of the reservoir unit 220 can be maintained. Accordingly, the aggravation of ink leakage that may occur during the intermittent conveyance process or the discharge process can be suppressed. At the same time, based on the above-described formulas (1) and (2), the volume Vb of the air portion is determined in advance. In other words, the volume Vb of the air portion is controlled to satisfy the formulas (1) and (2). Moreover, the connection process in S112 can be executed under the condition that the connection condition is satisfied in S111 (see Figure 9B ). This allows the air pressure in the internal space 220A, which has become negative due to the discharge process, to return to the atmospheric pressure of 1 atm. Therefore, even if the volume of the air portion changes during the discharge process, the ink can preferably form a meniscus in the nozzle 203.

[0125] According to the embodiment described above, the user can easily visually recognize the surface liquid level of the ink in the ink reservoir chamber 220B with reference to the upper index 223U. Therefore, the user can easily pour the ink into the ink reservoir chamber 220B and stop pouring at the liquid level of the upper index 223U. Accordingly, while the amount of ink that may be refilled preferably can be reduced, the ink can preferably form a meniscus in the nozzle 203 even if the volume of the air portion changes during the discharge process.

[0126] According to the embodiments described above, the air chamber 220C is located at an upper position relative to the ink storage chamber 220B. Therefore, ink cannot easily enter the air chamber 220C, and in the absence of ink, air can be easily and sufficiently sucked into the air chamber 220C during the connection process.

[0127] According to the embodiments described above, the air chamber 220C is located at an upper position relative to the lower end of the ink supply path 224B. Therefore, again, ink cannot easily enter the air chamber 220C, and in the absence of ink, air can be easily and sufficiently sucked into the air chamber 220C during the connection process.

[0128] According to the embodiments described above, the reservoir unit 220 has: the plurality of ink storage chambers 220B; and an atmosphere communication path 221K that connects the inside and outside of the ink storage chamber 220B. The switching component can switch the state of the atmosphere communication path 221K between a connection state in which the plurality of ink storage chambers 220B are collectively connected to the outside and a disconnection state in which the plurality of ink storage chambers 220B are collectively disconnected from the outside. Therefore, the controller 270 can be relieved of the burden of individually switching the state of the ink storage chamber 220B. Variant Example

[0129] Although examples of implementing the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art will understand that there are many variations and permutations of the liquid discharge device that fall within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. It should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims need not be limited to the specified features or actions described above. Instead, the specified features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms for implementing the claims. At the same time, the terms used to represent the components in the above embodiments need not be the same as the terms recited in the appended claims, but the terms used in the above embodiments can only be regarded as examples of the claimed subject matter. Variants of the present embodiment will be described below. First Variant Example (First Variant Example of the Reservoir Unit 220)

[0130] As a first variant example of the reservoir unit 220, at least a part of the outer wall 221 can be deformed by a pressure change in the air portion in the reservoir unit 220. For example, a part of the outer wall 221 can be made of a resin film that can be elastically deformed by a pressure change, while another part of the outer wall 221 can be made of a resin in a form thicker than the resin film that cannot be deformed by a pressure change.

[0131] According to the first modification example, when the pressure of the air portion decreases, due to the deformation of the deformable portion of the outer wall 221, the volume of the air portion can be decreased. Therefore, the increase in the negative pressure in the air portion caused by the discharging process can be suppressed. As a result, the number of times of performing the connection process can be reduced, and the number of images that can be recorded per unit time, i.e., ipm, can be increased. Second modification example (second modification example of the reservoir portion 220)

[0132] In the above embodiment, the air chamber 220C is not divided into a plurality of segments. However, for example, as shown in Figure 10A , the internal space 220A in the reservoir portion 220 can be divided into four (4) segments by three (3) vertical partition walls 222A, and each segment has an ink reservoir chamber 220B and an air chamber 220C. In other words, the reservoir portion 220 can include four (4) ink reservoir chambers 220B, four (4) air chambers 220C, and four (4) air portions. With this arrangement, each ink reservoir chamber 220B can be individually connected to the outside of the reservoir portion 220 through one of the four air portions in the four (4) individual air communication paths 221K as an example of the plurality of atmospheric communication paths. Moreover, for each air chamber 220C, a separate valve placement space 220D can be arranged at the right position with respect to the air chamber 220C. In each valve placement space 220D, a valve unit 240 can be arranged. The frame 301 can have four (4) opener members 250, and each opener member 250 corresponds to one of the four valve units 240. As the head 200 moves to the capping position P21, the opener members 250 can collectively and substantially simultaneously switch the respective valve units 240 to the connected state, and as the head 200 leaves the capping position P21, the opener members 250 can switch the corresponding valve unit 240 to the disconnected state. Third modification example (modification example of the image recording process)

[0133] As a third modification example, the controller 270 can set a time threshold Ti (see Figure 10B ) as a variable value in the timer 275. When the printer 100 is shipped from the factory or when the printer 100 is powered on, the time threshold T1 can be set in the timer 275.

[0134] The EEPROM can store as shown in Figure 10BThe execution timing table shown in. The execution timing table can define a time threshold Ti for each round i of the connection process, that is, the execution timing for executing the connection process (S112). The symbol i represents natural numbers such as 1, 2,..., n - 1, n. In other words, the execution timing table defines time thresholds T1, T2,..., Tn - 1, Tn corresponding to rounds 1, 2,..., n - 1, n respectively. The time threshold T1 can be, for example, 30 seconds. The time thresholds T2,..., Tn can be greater than the time thresholds T1,..., Tn - 1 respectively. However, optionally, the time thresholds T2,..., Tn do not have to be greater than the time thresholds T1,..., Tn - 1 respectively, as long as at least one of the time thresholds T2,..., Tn is greater than the time threshold T1.

[0135] Moreover, as shown in Figure 10B , the EEPROM can have a pointer indicating the next time threshold Ti to be set in the timer 275. When the printer 100 is shipped from the factory, the time threshold T2 can be set in the pointer.

[0136] The controller 270 can set the time threshold Ti indicated by the pointer in the timer 275 after initializing the timer 275 in S112 (see Figure 9B ). Moreover, the controller 270 can update the time threshold Ti indicated by the pointer with the new time threshold Ti + 1. However, when the number of round i is n (i = n), the controller 270 can update the time threshold Ti indicated by the pointer with the time threshold T1.

[0137] The controller 270 can set the time threshold T1 indicated by the pointer in the timer 275 after initializing the timer 275 in S119 (see Figure 9A ). Benefits of the third variant

[0138] According to the Figures 9A to 9B process shown in, the controller 270 can alternately repeat the connection process (S112) and the disconnection process (S109) for multiple rounds. In the third variant, the controller 270 can set the time threshold Ti for the timer 275 according to the execution timing table (see Figure 10B ); thus, the disconnection period between the disconnection process in a round later than the first round and the connection process immediately following the disconnection process in a round later than the first round can be longer than the disconnection period between the disconnection process in the first round and the connection process immediately following the disconnection process in the first round. Therefore, as the image recording continues for a longer time, the number of times of switching components to execute the withdrawal process and the connection process while the image is being recorded can be reduced.

[0139] Moreover, in a case where at least one of the time thresholds T2, …, Tn is greater than the time threshold T1, the number of times the switching component performs the retreat process and the connection process while the image is being recorded can still be reduced compared to the embodiments described earlier.

[0140] Moreover, in the third modification example, the timer 275 can be set to the time threshold T1 in S119, which is after the ink is injected into the ink reservoir chamber 220B. Accordingly, the connection process (S112) that will be performed for the first time after the ink injection can be executed in response to the elapsed time reaching the time threshold T1. In other words, after the ink is injected into the ink reservoir chamber 220B, the controller 270 can execute the connection process at the execution timing of the first round. Therefore, even if the volume of the air portion changes due to the discharge process after the refilling, the ink can preferably form a meniscus in the nozzle 203. Fourth modification example (modification example of the image recording process)

[0141] In the embodiments described earlier, the controller 270 executes the connection process based on the elapsed time measured by the timer 275. Alternatively, instead of the timer 275, the controller 270 can have an air pressure sensor to detect the air pressure of the air portion. With the air pressure sensor, the controller 270 does not need to start timing by the timer 275 in S109, stop timing by the timer 275 in S110, or reset the timer 275 in S112 and S119. Instead, the controller 270 can determine the amount of the changed air pressure by subtracting the air pressure detected by the air pressure sensor in S110 from one atmospheric pressure, and in S111, determine whether the amount of the change in the air pressure has reached ΔP, which is the air pressure threshold. If the controller 270 determines in S111 that the amount of the change in the air pressure has reached ΔP, the controller 270 can proceed to S112, and if the controller 270 determines in S111 that the amount of the change in the air pressure has not reached ΔP, the controller 270 can proceed to S113. Fifth modification example (modification example of the switching component)

[0142] The switching component does not necessarily have to include the conveyor 210, the valve unit 240, and the opener member 250, but can be constituted by, for example, a solenoid valve. The solenoid valve can include a solenoid and a valve body made of, for example, iron. The controller 270 can apply an electric current to the solenoid, and thereby the valve body can be attracted to the solenoid. Accordingly, the atmospheric communication path 221K can be changed to the connected state. On the other hand, when the controller 270 does not apply an electric current to the solenoid, the valve body can be separated from the solenoid, and the atmospheric communication path 221K can be changed to the disconnected state. Sixth modification example (modification example of the opener member 250)

[0143] In the above-described embodiment, the opener member 250 protrudes from the frame 301 toward the valve body 242 (see, for example, Figure 4 ). However, alternatively, as shown in Figures 11A to 11B , the opener member 250 may protrude outward from the outer wall 221 of the valve body 242 through the atmospheric communication path 221K. With this arrangement, as the head 200 moves toward the capping position P21, the opener member 250 may contact the frame 301, and thereby the valve body 242 may change the atmospheric communication path 221K to a connected state (see Figure 11A ). On the other hand, as the head 200 moves away from the capping position P21, the opener member 250 may separate from the frame 301, and thereby the valve body 242 may change the atmospheric communication path 221K to a disconnected state (see Figure 11B ). Seventh modification example (modification example of the cap 260 and the lifting assembly 261)

[0144] In the above-described embodiment, the lifting assembly 261 may move between the capping position P31 and the decapping position P32 by the driving force transmitted from the lifting motor 274. Alternatively, the cap 260 and the lifting assembly 261 may be moved by using the carriage 190 that moves in the scanning direction 9. While the cap 260 and the lifting assembly 261 have a known configuration, in the following paragraphs, the description of the cap 260 and the lifting assembly 261 will be simplified.

[0145] The cap 260 may have a contact member 265 that can contact the carriage 190 moving in the scanning direction 9 as shown in Figure 12B . As the contact member 265 is pushed by the carriage 190, the cap 260 may move in the scanning direction 9.

[0146] The lifting assembly 261 may have a first guide surface 266, a second guide surface 267, and an inclined surface 268. The first guide surface 266 may extend in the front-rear direction 8 and the width direction 9 at a position to the right with respect to the platen 180, and the first guide surface 266 may support the cap 260 at the decapping position P32. The second guide surface 267 may extend in the front-rear direction 8 and the width direction 9 at a position to the right with respect to the first guide surface 266, and the second guide surface 267 may support the cap 260 at the capping position P31. The inclined surface 268 is a flat surface that connects the right end of the first guide surface 266 and the left end of the second guide surface 267.

[0147] The cap 260 moving in the scanning direction 9 may move between the first guide surface 266 and the second guide surface 267 via the inclined surface 268. Therefore, when the cap 260 is supported by the second guide surface 267 (seeFigure 12A ) When the cap 260 is in the capping position P31, the cap 260 can cover the nozzle 203 (not shown in Figures 12A to 12B ). On the other hand, when the cap 260 is supported by the first guiding surface 266 (see Figure 12B ), the cap 260 can be in the decapping position P32. Eighth modification example (alternative example of the volume of the air portion)

[0148] In the above embodiment, the symbol ΔV represents the change in the volume of the air portion caused by the change in the volume of the ink in the reservoir unit 220 when a predetermined volume of ink is discharged onto the sheet M under specified conditions during the discharging process to record a specified image. However, alternatively, ΔV can be determined in the following manner. The feeder tray 110 can be adapted to store sheets M of different sizes on the bottom 111. In other words, the feeder tray 110 can store a sheet M of one of the different sizes. The feeder tray 110 is an example of a sheet storage unit. For example, ΔV can be equal to or greater than the volume of ink that can be discharged from the head 200 to record a specified image (such as a solid image) in one pass on a specified sheet M under a specified ink amount condition where the amount of ink discharged from the head 200 per unit time is the maximum amount. As another example, ΔV can be equal to or greater than the volume of ink that can be discharged from the head 200 to record an image in all printable areas on one side of a specified sheet M under a specified ink amount condition where the amount of ink discharged from the head 200 per unit time is the maximum amount. The specified sheet M can be the sheet M of the largest size among the multiple sheets M of different sizes that can be stored in the feeder tray 110. Eighth modification example (other matters)

[0149] For example, the printer 100 can have a plurality of feeder trays 110. The plurality of feeder trays 110 are another example of a sheet storage unit. Each of the plurality of feeder trays 110 can store sheets M of different sizes. The controller 270 can execute the image recording process described earlier with the sheet M of the size selected by the user through the operation of an operation panel (not shown) (see Figures 9A to 9B ). With this arrangement, the specified sheet M can be the sheet M of the largest size among the sheets M of different sizes that can be stored in the plurality of feeder trays 110 and can be selected by the user's operation. More examples

[0150] As another example, the liquid discharge device does not have to be limited to the printer 100 as described above, but can be a multifunction peripheral machine, a copier, and a fax machine. The multifunction peripheral machine can be a device equipped with multiple functions among a printing function, a copying function, and a facsimile transmission / reception function.

[0151] As another example, when the switching component is constituted by a solenoid valve, the printer 100 may have a line-form print head instead of the serial-form print head 200. In the printer 100 with the line-form print head 200, the head 200 may not be conveyed in the scanning direction 9, but may be held stationary at a position above the platen 180.

[0152] As another example, the printer 100 may not be limited to an integrated carriage printer, but may be a so-called off-carriage printer, in which the reservoir unit 220 may not be mounted on the carriage 190, but may be positioned separately from the carriage 190. When the printer 100 is an off-carriage printer, the reservoir unit 220 may not move in the width direction 9 inside the housing 300; thus, the switching component may preferably be constituted by a solenoid valve.

[0153] As another example, the reservoir unit 220 may not have the plurality of ink reservoir chambers 220B to store the plurality of different colors of ink, but may have a single ink reservoir chamber 220B to store a single color of ink such as black ink. In other words, the reservoir unit 220 may not have the three vertical partition walls 222A. With this arrangement, again, the volume Vb of the air portion can still be determined to satisfy equations (1) and (2).

[0154] Meanwhile, if the reservoir unit 220 only has a single reservoir chamber 220B to store a single color of ink alone, the designated image may be a monochromatic pattern image described in ISO / IEC 24734 established by the International Organization for Standardization. The designated conditions may be the same as the designated conditions in the above embodiments.

[0155] As another example, the reservoir unit 220 may not be an ink tank fixed to the head 200, but may be a cartridge detachably attached to the head 200.

Claims

1. A liquid discharging device, comprising: a head having a nozzle, the head being configured to discharge a liquid through the nozzle; a reservoir portion having: a liquid reservoir chamber configured to store the liquid; and an air communication path that connects the interior and exterior of the liquid reservoir chamber through an air portion in the reservoir portion; a liquid flow path that connects the head and the liquid reservoir chamber for the liquid to flow in the liquid flow path; a switching component configured to switch the state of the air communication path between a connected state in which the interior and exterior of the liquid reservoir chamber are connected and a disconnected state in which the interior and exterior of the liquid reservoir chamber are disconnected; and a controller configured to perform: a disconnection process in which the controller controls the switching component to switch the state of the air communication path from the connected state to the disconnected state; and a discharging process after the disconnection process, in which the controller controls the head to discharge the liquid through the nozzle, wherein a volume Vb of the air portion is set to satisfy formulas (1) and (2): …(1); and ΔP <= Pm…(2), where Po represents an atmospheric pressure, where ΔV represents a change in the volume of the air portion caused by a change in the volume of the liquid due to discharging a predetermined amount of the liquid during the discharging process, where ΔP represents a change in the pressure of the air portion according to the change in the volume of the liquid during the discharging process, and where Pm represents a pressure resistance of a meniscus formed by the liquid in the nozzle.

2. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1, wherein ΔV represents a change in the volume of the air portion caused by a change in the volume of the liquid due to discharging the predetermined amount of the liquid during the discharging process under specified conditions to record a specified image on a sheet.

3. The liquid discharging device according to claim 2, wherein the specified image is a pattern image defined by the International Organization for Standardization, and wherein the specified conditions are continuously recording the pattern image for a specified time length.

4. The liquid discharging device according to claim 3, wherein the specified time length is 30 seconds, wherein the pattern image is a multicolor pattern image, wherein the specified conditions are continuously recording the pattern image on the A4-sized sheet in a standard mode defined by the International Organization for Standardization for 30 seconds.

5. The liquid discharging device according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to perform a connection process in which, in response to the duration of the discharging process reaching 30 seconds, the controller controls the switching component to switch the state of the air communication path from the disconnected state to the connected state.

6. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1, The predetermined amount is an amount of the volume of the liquid to be discharged from the head in order to record an image for one pass on a specified sheet under the condition that the amount of the liquid discharged from the head per unit time is the maximum amount, which is equal to or greater than the maximum amount of the liquid discharged from the head per unit time.

7. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount is an amount of the volume of the liquid to be discharged from the head in order to record an image in the entire printable area on one surface of a specified sheet under the condition that the amount of the liquid discharged from the head per unit time is the maximum amount.

8. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 6 and 7, further comprising a sheet storage section, wherein the specified sheet is the sheet having the maximum size that can be stored in the sheet storage section.

9. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 6 and 7, further comprising a sheet storage section, wherein the specified sheet is the sheet having the maximum size that can be selected by a user's operation among sheets of different sizes that can be stored in the sheet storage section.

10. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: in response to the amount of change in the pressure of the air section caused by the discharge process reaching ΔP, perform a connection process, in which the controller controls the switching component to switch the state of the atmosphere communication path from the disconnected state to the connected state.

11. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reservoir section has an index indicating the surface level of the maximum amount of the liquid that can be stored in the liquid reservoir chamber, and wherein the volume Vb is the volume of the air section when the surface level of the liquid is at the same position as the index.

12. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reservoir section has an air chamber located at an upper position relative to the liquid reservoir chamber, and the air chamber is configured to store at least a part of the air section.

13. The liquid discharge device according to claim 12, wherein the reservoir section has a liquid supply path connecting the inside and the outside of the liquid reservoir chamber, and wherein the air chamber is located at an upper position relative to the lower end of the liquid supply path.

14. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reservoir section further has an outer wall that defines the liquid reservoir chamber from the outside, and wherein a part of the outer wall can be deformed by a change in pressure inside the reservoir section.

15. The liquid discharge device according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to alternately repeat the connection process and the disconnection process multiple rounds after starting to record an image on a sheet during the discharge process, and The disconnection period between the disconnection process in a round later than the first round and the connection process immediately following the disconnection process in the round later than the first round is longer than the disconnection period between the disconnection process in the first round and the connection process immediately following the disconnection process in the first round.

16. The liquid discharge device according to claim 15, wherein the controller has a memory that stores the execution timing for performing the connection process for each of the multiple rounds, and wherein the controller is configured to perform the connection process at the execution timing corresponding to the first round after the liquid is injected into the liquid reservoir chamber.

17. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the liquid reservoir chamber includes a plurality of liquid reservoir chambers, and wherein the atmosphere communication path connects the inside and outside of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers through the air portion.

18. The liquid discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the liquid reservoir chamber includes a plurality of liquid reservoir chambers, wherein the atmosphere communication path includes a plurality of atmosphere communication paths, and each of the plurality of atmosphere communication paths connects the inside and outside of each of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers through each of the plurality of air portions, and wherein the switching component is configured to collectively switch the states of the plurality of atmosphere communication paths between a connected state in which the inside and outside of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers are connected and a disconnected state in which the inside and outside of the plurality of liquid reservoir chambers are disconnected.

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