JP2009083387A - Recording liquid supply apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a recording liquid supply device that can supply ink and generate negative pressure with a simple structure, and discharges waste ink during maintenance when the pressure in the head tank falls outside the proper pressure range in some way. Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of regenerating negative pressure without the need.
A recording liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention includes a drive unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The driving means is equipped with a recording head that discharges recording liquid supplied from a buffer tank that temporarily stores recording liquid supplied from the main tank via a flexible recording liquid supply flow path from a plurality of nozzles. The carriage that reciprocates in the main scanning direction is moved. The storage means stores the internal pressure change data of the recording liquid supply path that changes in accordance with the acceleration / deceleration data that gives a difference between the acceleration at the time of acceleration and the acceleration at the time of deceleration in the forward path and the return path when the carriage moves in the reciprocating path. . The control means controls the drive means based on acceleration / deceleration data corresponding to desired internal pressure change data stored in the storage means.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording liquid supply apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, a flexible recording liquid supply that supplies recording liquid from a main tank that stores recording liquid to a buffer tank that temporarily stores the recording liquid as the carriage scans. The present invention relates to a technique for controlling the supply of a recording liquid using an inertial force generated in a flow path.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus will be described using an inkjet recording apparatus as an example. The ink jet recording apparatus mainly includes an apparatus main body 1, a paper feed tray 2 for loading paper mounted on the apparatus main body 1, and a detachable attachment to the apparatus main body 1 to record (form) an image. A paper discharge tray 3 for stocking paper is provided. Further, a cartridge loading unit for loading a cartridge that protrudes from the front surface to the front side of the apparatus main body 1 and is lower than the upper surface is disposed at one end of the front surface of the apparatus main body 1 (side of the paper supply / discharge tray section). 4, and an operation / display unit 5 such as operation buttons and a display is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge loading unit 4. The cartridge loading unit 4 contains recording liquids of different colors (hereinafter referred to as inks), for example, black (K) ink, cyan (C) ink, magenta (M) ink, and yellow (Y) ink. A plurality of ink cartridges 6k, 6c, 6m, and 6y (referred to as ink cartridge 6 when not distinguishing colors) can be inserted and loaded from the front side of the apparatus main body 1 to the rear side. A front cover (cartridge cover) 7 that is opened when the ink cartridge 6 is attached or detached is provided on the front side of the cartridge loading unit 4 so as to be openable and closable.

  Next, a mechanism part of an ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the overall structure of the mechanism part in the ink jet recording apparatus, and FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the main part of the mechanism part in the ink jet recording apparatus. A carriage 12 is slidably held in the main scanning direction by a main guide rod 10 and a sub guide rod 11 horizontally mounted on the left and right main side plates 9a and 9b constituting the frame 8 of FIG. 9 is moved and scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9 (carriage main scanning direction) via the timing belt. The carriage 12 includes a plurality of recording heads 13 each including a plurality of liquid ejection heads having a plurality of nozzle rows that eject droplets of colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). The nozzles (ejection ports) are arranged in a direction crossing the main scanning direction, and are mounted with the ink droplet ejection direction facing downward. The recording head 13 has nozzle rows NY, NC, NM, in which a plurality of nozzles for discharging each droplet of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) are arranged on the nozzle surface. NK is provided.

  According to the ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of the image forming apparatus having such a configuration, the recording head 13 which ejects minute ink droplets and adheres to a recording medium such as paper to form image information including characters is provided. A plurality of ink individual liquid chambers, nozzles for communicating with the individual liquid chambers to eject ink droplets, and pressure generation of electromechanical conversion elements and electrothermal transducers provided corresponding to the individual liquid chambers An element is provided, and high-speed, high-density, and high-quality recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle while changing the pressure in the individual liquid chamber according to a recording signal.

  Generally used ink ejection methods of the recording head 13 include a method of using an electrothermal conversion element such as a heater as a pressure generating element used for ejecting ink droplets, and a piezoelectric such as a piezoelectric element. There is a method using an element, and any method can control ejection of ink droplets by an electric signal. The principle of the ink ejection method using an electrothermal conversion element is that a voltage is applied to the electrothermal conversion element to instantaneously boil the ink in the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element, and the rapid change caused by the phase change of the ink at the time of boiling. Ink droplets are ejected at high speed by the foaming pressure. On the other hand, the principle of the ink ejection method using a piezoelectric element is that a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element, whereby the piezoelectric element is displaced and ink droplets are ejected by pressure generated at the time of the displacement.

  In addition, in an ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of an image forming apparatus, a small-capacity ink storage unit is mounted on a carriage, and a large-capacity main cartridge (main tank) is installed on the apparatus main body side. There are known devices that are configured to replenish and supply ink to the ink containing portion, and devices in which an ink containing portion that also functions as a main cartridge is mounted on a carriage. What is known as the role of the ink container is, for example, an ink supply means to the liquid jet head, a bubble discharge means, a pressure fluctuation suppression means accompanying the carriage movement, and a negative pressure generation means for forming a meniscus on the nozzle surface. is there.

Next, an ink supply unit in an ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of an image forming apparatus will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, in an ink jet recording apparatus, conventionally, ink stored in an ink cartridge 6 (6k, 6c, 6m, 6y), which is a main tank, is flexible to a head tank 14 mounted on a carriage 12. In many cases, a supply pump (not shown) is operated through an ink supply tube 15 to supply ink to the head tank 14 and ejected as droplets from the recording head 12 for printing. The timing of supplying ink is after the machine arrives or when the amount of ink in the head tank 14 serving as a buffer decreases. As a pump, a tubing pump or a piston pump for feeding in one direction is widely known. However, there are problems that the configuration is complicated and that it is difficult to downsize the apparatus.

  The ink jet recording apparatus ejects ink stored in the head tank 14 by using the recording head 12. At this time, in order to prevent ink dripping, the head tank 14 needs to have a negative pressure compared to the atmospheric pressure. is there. As a negative pressure forming method, suction by a tubing pump or the like is known. However, there is still a problem that it is difficult to make the configuration complicated and the size of the apparatus small. Conventionally, when the machine is left for a long period of time, the negative pressure in the head tank gradually becomes equal to the atmospheric pressure, and there is a possibility of ink dripping. In such a situation, it is necessary to suck the ink from the recording head 12 using the maintenance / recovery unit 16 shown in FIG. 10, and there is a problem that the ink is wasted.

In order to solve these problems, several proposals have heretofore been made. As one of them, in Patent Document 1, in order to reliably supply ink to an ink jet recording head, when the ink holding amount in the damper unit is less than a predetermined ink holding amount threshold, the carriage is moved and accelerated. A pumping operation for increasing the ink holding amount in the damper unit is performed.
JP 2007-105922 A

  However, all of the conventional examples including the above-described Patent Document 1 require a tubing pump or the like as the ink supply means, and have not solved the problem that the configuration is complicated and the apparatus is difficult to downsize.

  The present invention has been made to solve this problem, and provides a recording liquid supply apparatus capable of supplying ink and forming negative pressure with a simple structure. Further, the pressure in the head tank is somehow outside the proper pressure range. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of regenerating negative pressure without discharging waste ink during maintenance.

  In order to solve the above problems, the recording liquid supply apparatus of the present invention includes a drive unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The driving unit discharges the recording liquid supplied from the buffer tank that temporarily stores the recording liquid supplied from the main tank that stores the recording liquid through the flexible recording liquid supply flow path from the plurality of nozzles. A carriage mounted with a recording head and reciprocating in the main scanning direction is moved. The storage means changes the internal pressure in the recording liquid supply path that changes in accordance with acceleration / deceleration data that gives a difference between the acceleration at the time of acceleration and the acceleration at the time of deceleration on the forward path and the return path when the carriage moves in the reciprocating path. I remember the data. The control means controls the drive means based on acceleration / deceleration data corresponding to desired internal pressure change data stored in the storage means. Therefore, it is possible to provide a recording liquid supply device that does not require a conventional complicated pump configuration and can supply ink and generate negative pressure with a simple structure.

  In addition, acceleration / deceleration data indicates that the acceleration during the acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the forward path is greater than the acceleration during the deceleration, and the acceleration during the acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the backward path is greater than the acceleration during the deceleration. Small first acceleration / deceleration data is included.

  Further, acceleration / deceleration data indicates that the acceleration at the time of acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the forward path is smaller than the acceleration at the time of deceleration, and the acceleration at the time of acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the backward path is greater than the acceleration at the time of deceleration. Large second acceleration / deceleration data is included.

  Further, when supplying the recording liquid from the main tank to the buffer tank, the control means controls the driving means based on the first acceleration / deceleration data.

  Further, when supplying the recording liquid from the buffer tank to the main tank, the control means controls the driving means based on the second acceleration / deceleration data.

  In addition, when a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the buffer tank is provided in the buffer tank, and the internal pressure of the buffer tank detected by this pressure sensor is outside the proper pressure range, the control means sends the first acceleration / deceleration data. Alternatively, the driving means is controlled based on the second acceleration / deceleration data. Therefore, it is possible to reliably maintain the pressure in the head tank within the appropriate pressure range, and it is possible to perform ink supply operation and re-formation of negative pressure in an appropriate situation, resulting in insufficient supply of recording liquid and ink dripping. This can be surely prevented in advance, and the ink can be used effectively because waste ink is not discharged during negative pressure re-formation.

  In addition, by providing a valve element between the buffer tank and the recording liquid supply flow path, ink can be reliably supplied during carriage scanning movement, and the pressure in the head tank can be more reliably maintained when the machine is on standby or stopped. .

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a main tank that stores recording liquid; a buffer tank that temporarily stores recording liquid; and a flexible recording liquid that supplies recording liquid from the main tank to the buffer tank. It has a supply channel, a recording head that discharges the recording liquid supplied from the buffer tank from a plurality of nozzles, and a carriage that carries the recording head and reciprocates in the main scanning direction. The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it includes at least one recording liquid supply device. Therefore, an image forming apparatus having more stable ejection characteristics can be provided.

  According to the recording liquid supply apparatus of the present invention, the recording changes in accordance with the acceleration / deceleration data in which the difference between the acceleration at the time of acceleration and the acceleration at the time of deceleration in the forward path and the return path when the carriage moves in the reciprocating path. By controlling the driving means based on the acceleration / deceleration data corresponding to the internal pressure change data in the liquid supply path, it is possible to control the supply of the recording liquid with a simple structure without requiring a conventional complicated pump configuration. it can.

  First, the principle of the present invention will be outlined below. As described above, the ink stored in the ink cartridge 6 (6k, 6c, 10m, 10y), which is the main tank, is included in the ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of the image forming apparatus. Is supplied to the head tank 14 by operating a supply pump (not shown) via a flexible ink supply tube 15 to the head tank 14 which is a buffer tank mounted on the carriage 12. In many cases, the liquid is ejected as droplets and printed. As described above, in the ink supply mechanism that supplies the ink of the ink cartridge 6 that is the main tank to the head tank 14 that is the buffer tank via the ink supply tube 15, the ink supply tube 15 has an internal structure as the carriage 12 reciprocates. Inertia acts on the ink, causing pressure fluctuations. When the carriage 12 moves along the main guide rod 10 and the sub guide rod 11 in the carriage main scanning direction of FIG. 10, the ink supply tube 15 also moves as the carriage 12 moves. When the ink supply tube 15 moves, an inertial force acts on the ink inside the ink supply tube 15. This inertial force is generated during acceleration / deceleration of the carriage 12, and the ink in the ink supply tube 15 vibrates, resulting in pressure fluctuation. The result of measuring this state is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, it can be seen that pressure is generated inside the ink supply tube 14 during each acceleration / deceleration in the forward path and the return path of the carriage 12. Therefore, the present invention can control the internal pressure of the ink supply tube by controlling the acceleration at the time of acceleration / deceleration in the reciprocating path of the carriage using this phenomenon, and control the internal pressure of the ink supply tube to supply the ink. Is to control.

  Next, the principle of the present invention will be described in more detail. FIGS. 2 and 3 are characteristic diagrams showing the relationship between the carriage speed and the ink supply tube internal pressure in the recording liquid supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the first carriage scanning speed profile shown in FIG. 2, the acceleration of the scanning movement of the carriage is made steep when the forward path is accelerated and when the backward path is decelerated. That is, the acceleration during acceleration of the carriage 12 when the carriage 12 moves in the forward path is larger than the acceleration during deceleration, and the acceleration during acceleration of the carriage 12 when the carriage 12 moves in the backward path is smaller than the acceleration during deceleration. To do. By doing so, a large negative pressure is generated in the internal pressure of the ink supply tube, and ink can be fed from the ink cartridge 6 which is the main tank of FIG. 10 to the head tank 14. On the other hand, in the second carriage scanning speed profile shown in FIG. 3, the acceleration of the scanning movement of the carriage is made steep during deceleration of the forward path and acceleration of the backward path. That is, the acceleration at the time of acceleration of the carriage 12 when the carriage 12 moves in the forward path is smaller than the acceleration at the time of deceleration, and the acceleration at the acceleration of the carriage 12 when the carriage 12 moves in the backward path is larger than the acceleration at the time of deceleration. To do. By doing so, a large positive pressure is generated in the internal pressure of the ink supply tube, and ink can be fed from the head tank 14 to the ink cartridge 6.

  The configuration of the recording liquid supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention using the principle of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 showing the configuration. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 9 denote the same components. According to the recording liquid supply apparatus 20 of the present embodiment shown in the figure, the ink stored in the ink cartridge 6 is supplied to the head tank 14 mounted on the carriage 12 via the flexible ink supply tube 15. Further, the carriage 12 is moved in the main scanning direction by the main scanning motor 21. Further, the recording liquid supply apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment includes a motor driver 22 that controls the driving of the main scanning motor 21 and a plurality of first and second carriage scanning speed profiles shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. A carriage scanning speed profile storage unit 23 for storing a carriage scanning speed profile, a pressure sensor 24 for detecting the pressure inside the head tank 14, an ink supply after the apparatus is loaded or when the ink amount in the head tank 14 decreases, and In order to control ink supply such as when the internal pressure of the head tank 14 detected by the pressure sensor 24 falls outside the proper pressure range, the controller 25 includes a controller 25 that controls the scanning movement of the carriage 12. The main scanning motor 21 uses a pulse motor, and the control unit 25 controls the acceleration during acceleration / deceleration in the scanning movement of the carriage 12 by changing the duty ratio of the driving pulse supplied to the main scanning motor 21. Can do.

  Here, the pressure sensor 24 can detect a change in pressure inside the main tank due to ejection or scanning movement of the carriage 12. As shown in FIG. 5, when the pressure P in the head tank 14 is smaller than −100 mmAq (larger on the negative pressure side), bubbles are involved by overnegative pressure, leading to non-ejection. On the other hand, if it is larger than −10 mmAq (larger toward the positive pressure side), the meniscus holding force of the nozzle cannot be maintained, leading to the occurrence of ink dripping. Therefore, the pressure P in the head tank 14 is preferably −10 ≦ P ≦ −100 (mmAq) as an appropriate pressure range. Therefore, the pressure P in the head tank 14 is −100 mmAq when the ink is supplied within the proper pressure range of FIG. 5 and after the apparatus arrives or when the ink amount of the head tank 14 decreases, or outside the proper pressure range of FIG. 4, the control unit 25 in FIG. 4 reads the first carriage scanning speed profile shown in FIG. 2 stored in the carriage scanning speed profile storage unit 23 and supplies a control signal to the motor drive 22. The motor drive 22 supplies a drive signal based on the control signal to the main scanning motor 21. The main scanning motor 21 suddenly accelerates the forward scanning and the returning in the main scanning movement of the carriage 12 as shown in FIG. 2, and sends ink from the ink cartridge 6 to the head tank 14. On the other hand, when the pressure P in the head tank 14 is larger than −10 mmAq outside the appropriate pressure range in FIG. 5, the control unit 25 in FIG. 4 stores the first in FIG. 3 stored in the carriage scanning speed profile storage unit 23. The carriage scanning speed profile 2 is read and a control signal is supplied to the motor drive 22, and the motor drive 22 supplies a drive signal based on the control signal to the main scanning motor 21. In the main scanning movement of the carriage 12 as shown in FIG. 3, the main scanning motor 21 performs rapid acceleration when the forward path is decelerated and when the return path is accelerated, and feeds ink from the head tank 14 to the ink cartridge 6. In addition, since the waste ink is not discharged during the negative pressure re-formation, the ink can be used effectively. The pressure sensor 24 is an example, and for example, a configuration in which the volume of the head tank 14 is detected by a displacement meter or the like may be used. The appropriate pressure range in the head tank 14 may also change depending on the position configuration of the ink cartridge 6 and the recording head 13 and the water repellent ability of a water-repellent surface (not shown) of the recording head 13.

Next, the operation of the recording liquid supply apparatus of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 6 showing the operation flow.
First, when the power is turned on, the internal pressure of the head tank 14 is detected using the pressure sensor 24 of FIG. 4 (step S101). If the detection result shows that the internal pressure of the head tank 14 is within the appropriate range (step S102; YES), the control unit 25 of FIG. 4 stores the first carriage shown in FIG. 2 stored in the carriage scanning speed profile storage unit 23. The scanning speed profile is read and a control signal is continuously supplied to the motor drive 22. The motor drive 22 supplies a drive signal based on the control signal to the main scanning motor 21. In the main scanning movement of the carriage 12 as shown in FIG. 2, the main scanning motor 21 continuously performs rapid acceleration when the forward path is accelerated and when the carriage is decelerated, and sends ink from the ink cartridge 6 to the head tank 14 (step). S103). If the pressure is outside the proper pressure range (step S102; NO) and the pressure P in the head tank 14 is smaller than −100 mmAq (step S104; YES), there is a risk of non-ejection due to bubble entrainment. The unit 25 reads the first carriage scanning speed profile shown in FIG. 2 stored in the carriage scanning speed profile storage unit 23, supplies a control signal to the motor drive 22, and the motor drive 22 drives based on the control signal. The main scanning motor 21 supplies a signal to the main scanning motor 21. The main scanning motor 21 performs rapid acceleration at the time of acceleration of the forward path and deceleration of the return path in the main scanning movement of the carriage 12 as shown in FIG. To the head tank 14 (step S105). Thereafter, the process returns to step S101, and the internal pressure of the head tank 14 is detected again using the pressure sensor 24, and the process is repeated until the internal pressure of the head tank 14 falls within an appropriate range. Further, when the pressure P in the head tank 14 is larger than −10 mmAq (step S106; YES), since the nozzle meniscus cannot be held and there is a risk of ink dripping, the control unit 25 reads out the second carriage scanning speed profile shown in FIG. 3 stored in the carriage scanning speed profile storage unit 23 and supplies a control signal to the motor drive 22. The motor drive 22 drives the drive signal based on the control signal. 3 is supplied to the main scanning motor 21. The main scanning motor 21 rapidly accelerates when the carriage 12 in the main scanning movement as shown in FIG. (Step S107). Thereafter, the process returns to step S101, and the internal pressure of the head tank 14 is detected again using the pressure sensor 24, and the process is repeated until the internal pressure of the head tank 14 falls within an appropriate range.

  As described above, according to the recording liquid supply apparatus of the present embodiment, the internal pressure of the ink supply tube is controlled by controlling the acceleration at the time of acceleration / deceleration in the reciprocating path of the carriage without using an ink supply means such as a tubing pump. The ink supply can be controlled by controlling the pressure inside the ink supply tube.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another configuration of the recording liquid supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 denote the same components. In the recording liquid supply apparatus 20 of the present embodiment shown in the figure, the ink supply tube 15 connecting the ink cartridge 6 of the main tank and the head tank 14 is near the head tank 14, and the ink supply tube 15 A valve body 26 that can be opened and closed is provided at a location that does not affect the movement. The valve body 26 is composed of, for example, an electromagnetic valve, and is configured to open when the carriage is moved by a control signal from the control unit 25 and close when the carriage is stopped or in a standby state. Thereby, it is possible to reliably feed ink when the carriage moves. Further, when the machine is stopped or in a standby state, the valve body 26 is closed and there is no ink flow, so that the pressure of the head tank 14 is maintained in the proper pressure range. The electromagnetic valve body 26 is an example, and may be, for example, a poppet valve, a pilot valve, or other configurations.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications and substitutions are possible as long as they are described in the scope of the claims.

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relationship between carriage speed and ink supply tube internal pressure change. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relationship between a carriage speed and an ink supply tube internal pressure in the recording liquid supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a relationship between a carriage speed and an ink supply tube internal pressure in the recording liquid supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording liquid supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating detected head tank pressure and a phenomenon generated in a recording head. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the recording liquid supply apparatus of the present embodiment. It is the schematic which shows another structure of the recording liquid supply apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the mechanism part in an inkjet recording device. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the mechanism part in an inkjet recording device.

Explanation of symbols

6; ink cartridge, 12; carriage, 13; recording head,
14; head tank; 15; ink supply tube;
20; recording liquid supply device; 21; main scanning motor; 22; motor driver;
23; carriage scanning speed profile recording unit; 24; pressure sensor;
25; control part, 26; valve body.

Claims (8)

A main tank for storing the recording liquid; a buffer tank for temporarily storing the recording liquid; a flexible recording liquid supply channel for supplying the recording liquid from the main tank to the buffer tank; and the buffer tank An image forming apparatus comprising: a recording head that discharges the recording liquid supplied from a plurality of nozzles; and a carriage that is mounted with the recording head and reciprocates in the main scanning direction.
Drive means for moving the carriage;
Internal pressure change data in the recording liquid supply path that changes in accordance with acceleration / deceleration data that gives a difference between the acceleration at the time of acceleration and the acceleration at the time of deceleration in the forward path and the return path when the carriage moves in a reciprocating path. Storage means for storing
And a control means for controlling the drive means based on the acceleration / deceleration data corresponding to the desired internal pressure change data stored in the storage means.   The acceleration / deceleration data indicates that the acceleration during acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the forward path is greater than the acceleration during deceleration, and the acceleration during acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the backward path The recording liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising first acceleration / deceleration data smaller than the acceleration of the recording liquid.   The acceleration / deceleration data indicates that the acceleration during acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the forward path is smaller than the acceleration during deceleration and the acceleration during acceleration of the carriage when the carriage moves in the backward path The recording liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second acceleration / deceleration data larger than the acceleration of.   The control unit controls the driving unit based on the first acceleration / deceleration data when supplying the recording liquid from the main tank to the buffer tank. Recording liquid supply device.   The control unit controls the driving unit based on the second acceleration / deceleration data when supplying the recording liquid from the buffer tank to the main tank. Recording liquid supply device.   A pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure of the buffer tank is provided in the buffer tank, and when the internal pressure of the buffer tank detected by the pressure sensor is outside an appropriate pressure range, the control means The recording liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is controlled based on acceleration / deceleration data or the second acceleration / deceleration data.   The recording liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a valve body between the buffer tank and the recording liquid supply flow path. A main tank for storing the recording liquid; a buffer tank for temporarily storing the recording liquid; a flexible recording liquid supply channel for supplying the recording liquid from the main tank to the buffer tank; and the buffer tank In an image forming apparatus comprising: a recording head that discharges the recording liquid supplied from a plurality of nozzles; and a carriage that carries the recording head and reciprocates in the main scanning direction.
An image forming apparatus comprising at least one recording liquid supply device according to claim 1.

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