Liquid consumption apparatus and liquid amount determination method

• US 20070285446A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Shinada, Satoshi, Ishizawa, Taku, Asauchi, Noboru, Katayama, Masayoshi, Okumura, Hideki
• Application Number:
  US11/808,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285446A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/7
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17566 Ink level or ink residue control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns

Abstract

The printer 10 executes an ink end detection process A while a print job is underway and an ink end detection process B when a print job has been completed. In the ink end detection process A, the printer 10 applies a first drive signal to detect that the amount of ink housed in the ink cartridge CA is equal to or less than a prescribed amount. In the ink end detection process B, the printer 10 applies a second drive signal to detect that the amount of ink housed in the ink cartridge CA exceeds the prescribed amount.

Claims

1. A liquid consumption apparatus in which a liquid container that houses liquid is mountable, comprising:

a liquid consumption module that consumes the liquid housed in the liquid container;

a state determination module that determines the state of the liquid consumption apparatus; and

a liquid amount determination module that, depending the state determined by the state determination module, determines, using one of at least two different types of determination processes, whether or not the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount.

2. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the states of the liquid consumption apparatus determined by the state determination module include a first state in which a liquid-consuming operation by the liquid consumption apparatus is underway and a second state in which a liquid-consuming operation by the liquid consumption apparatus has been completed; and

the liquid amount determination module determines whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount via a first determination process when the liquid consumption module is determined to be in the first state and via a second determination process that is different from the first determination process when the liquid consumption module is determined to be in the second state.

3. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed via the detection of whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount.

4. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the liquid amount determination module further executes a third determination process that detects whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container exceeds the prescribed amount when it is determined in the first determination process that the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount.

5. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed by detecting both whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount and whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container exceeds the prescribed amount.

6. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the liquid container includes a detector that detects whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount;

the liquid amount determination module further includes detector drive module that drives the detector and obtains the results of the detection and that is capable to output a first drive signal used to detect that the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount, as well as a second drive signal used to detect that the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container exceeds the prescribed amount; and

the first determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed via the output of the first drive signal to the liquid container from the detector drive module.

7. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 6, wherein where it is determined in the first determination process that the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount, a third determination process in which the second drive signal is output by the detector drive module to the liquid container is executed.

8. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed via the output of the first drive signal and the second drive signal to the liquid container from the detector drive module.

9. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the liquid consumption apparatus is an inkjet printer in which a liquid container including an ink container is mounted and which has a carriage that moves along the main scanning direction;

the liquid consumption module is a print head that is mounted to the carriage and discharges the ink inside the ink container onto a printing medium while moving along the main scanning direction;

the first state is a state in which a print job is being executed and the second state is a state in which print job execution has been completed;

the ink container includes a detector that detects whether the amount of ink housed in the ink container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount;

the liquid amount determination module further includes a detector drive module that drives the detector and obtains the results of the detection and that can output a first drive signal used to detect that the amount of ink housed in the ink container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount, as well as a second drive signal used to detect that the amount of ink housed in the liquid container exceeds the prescribed amount; and

the first determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed via the output of the first drive signal to the ink container from the detector drive module.

10. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 9, wherein where it is determined in the first determination process that the amount of ink housed in the ink container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount, the liquid amount determination module executes a third determination process in which the detector drive module outputs the first drive signal and the second drive signal without moving the carriage.

11. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is carried out by moving the carriage to a prescribed position and having the detector drive module output the first signal and the second signal to the ink container.

12. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the liquid amount determination module further includes detection module that detects whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount and that is capable to output a first drive signal used to detect that the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than the prescribed amount, as well as a second drive signal used to detect that the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container exceeds the prescribed amount; and

the first determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed via the output of the first drive signal to the liquid container from the detection module.

13. The liquid consumption apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the second determination process executed by the liquid amount determination module is executed via the output of the first detection signal and the second detection signal to the liquid container from the detection module.

14. A liquid amount determination method for a liquid consumption apparatus in which a liquid container that houses liquid is mountable, the method comprising:

determining whether the state of the liquid consumption apparatus is a first state in which a liquid-consuming operation by the liquid consumption apparatus is underway or a second state in which a liquid-consuming operation by the liquid consumption apparatus has been completed; and

determining whether the amount of liquid housed in the liquid container is equal to or less than a prescribed amount via a first determination process when the liquid consumption apparatus is determined to be in the first state and via a second determination process that is different from the first determination process when the liquid consumption apparatus is determined to be in a second state.