JP2024005790A - liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To improve convenience when replenishing a liquid storage container with liquid. SOLUTION: A liquid storage container that stores liquid to be supplied to a recording head that discharges the liquid and includes a liquid injection port that injects the liquid from the liquid injection container; a liquid receiver provided below and capable of storing a smaller amount of liquid than the amount of liquid that can be accommodated by the liquid container; and a liquid detection means provided in the liquid receiver for detecting the presence or absence of liquid in the liquid receiver. and. [Selection diagram] Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device.

Conventionally, in a liquid discharging device that allows a user to refill a liquid container with liquid through an inlet, a configuration is known in which a sensor inside the liquid container detects whether or not there is a predetermined amount of liquid in the liquid container. It is being Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an ink detection means disposed within an ink storage section detects whether the ink is full, and an ink detection means is also provided in an atmosphere opening section provided above the ink storage section. ing.

JP2010-58375

However, with the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to appropriately detect the timing at which replenishment of ink to an ink tank starts or ends. Therefore, when a user refills an ink tank with ink from an ink injection container such as an ink bottle, it may not be possible to know whether the ink is being refilled properly, which may impair the user's convenience. there were.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve convenience when replenishing a liquid storage container with liquid.

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejection device according to the present invention includes a liquid storage container that contains a liquid to be supplied to a recording head that ejects the liquid and includes a liquid injection port that injects the liquid from a liquid injection container; a liquid receiving part that is provided inside the storage container and below the liquid inlet, and that can store a smaller amount of liquid than the amount of liquid that can be stored in the liquid storage container; and a liquid detection means for detecting the presence or absence of liquid in the liquid receiving portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve convenience when replenishing a liquid container with liquid.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a liquid ejection device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of a liquid ejection device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the liquid ejection device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an ink tank and electrode pins in the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for detecting ink replenishment in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an ink tank and electrode pins in a second embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for detecting ink replenishment in the second embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an outline of a liquid ejecting device (hereinafter referred to as a recording device) 11 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the recording device 11 includes a housing (exterior part) 20 and a recording head 13 (see FIG. 2) as a liquid ejection head that performs a recording operation of ejecting ink as a liquid onto a recording medium 21. . Further, a liquid storage container (hereinafter referred to as an ink tank) 15 (see FIG. 2) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head 13 is provided. In this embodiment, the ink tank 15 is covered by a housing 20. Further, the upper part of the housing 20 is provided with a scanner unit 17 that performs a document reading operation, an access cover 24 on which the scanner unit 17 is mounted, and an operation input section 18 that allows the user to perform operations such as inputting commands.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the recording device 11. The recording device 11 includes a feeding section 50 that feeds the recording medium 21, a conveyance roller 16 that conveys the recording medium 21, and a discharge section 40 (see FIG. 1) that discharges the recording medium 21. The recording medium 21 is fed into the recording apparatus 11 from the feeding section 50 by rollers (not shown). The fed recording medium 21 is conveyed by the conveying roller 16 while the recording head 13 performs a recording operation. The recording medium 21 on which recording has been completed is discharged from the discharge section 40 to the outside of the recording apparatus 11.

The recording device 11 also includes a main chassis (not shown), a timing belt (not shown), and a carriage motor 22. The carriage 12 is supported by the main chassis and is driven by a carriage motor 22 via a timing belt, and moves along the main scanning direction (X direction) that intersects the conveyance direction (Y direction) of the recording medium 21 . In this embodiment, the transport direction and the main scanning direction are perpendicular to each other. The recording head 13 has an ejection opening surface formed with ejection openings (not shown) for ejecting ink, and is mounted on the carriage 12 so that the ejection surface faces the recording medium 21 during the recording operation of the recording head 13. A recording head 13 mounted on a carriage 12 discharges ink droplets while moving in the main scanning direction, and performs a recording operation of recording one band of images on a recording medium 21. After one band of images is recorded on the recording medium 21, the recording medium 21 is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the conveyance direction by the conveyance rollers 16 (intermittent conveyance operation). By repeating the recording operation for one band and the intermittent conveyance operation, an image is recorded on the entire recording medium 21.

A maintenance unit (not shown) is provided within the movement area of the carriage 12 in the main scanning direction. The maintenance unit is arranged at a position where it can face the ejection port surface of the recording head 13. The maintenance unit includes a cap (not shown) for capping the ejection port surface, and a suction unit that performs a suction recovery operation to suck ink from the ejection port in the capped state and remove residual air bubbles and thickened ink from the ejection port. It is equipped with a recovery mechanism (not shown), etc. The ejection performance of the recording head 13 is maintained by the maintenance process of the maintenance unit.

Further, the recording device 11 includes an ink flow path 14 corresponding to each ink, and the recording head 13 and the ink tank 15 are connected to each other by the ink flow path 14 for each color. A black ink tank 151 is provided on the left side of the discharge section 40 when viewed from the front of the recording device 11 (front in the Y direction), and a cyan ink tank 152, a magenta ink tank 153, and a yellow ink are provided on the right side of the discharge section 40. A tank 154 is provided. If there is no particular need to distinguish between them, the four ink tanks are collectively referred to as the ink tank 15.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the recording device 11. As shown in FIG. The CPU 301 is a control unit that controls the entire recording apparatus 11. A communication interface (hereinafter referred to as I/F) 302 is a communication control means that connects the recording device 11 and an external device (not shown) and controls the transmission and reception of signals. The external device serving as a host is an information processing device such as a PC (personal computer) or a mobile device. Recorded data created by an external device based on image data such as documents and photographs is input to the recording device 11 via the communication I/F 302. The communication method for communication performed between the recording device 11 and the external device is not particularly limited, but for example, LAN (Local Area Network), USB (Universal Serial Bus), or the wireless communication standard Wi-Fi (registered trademark). ) etc.

The memory 303 is a memory unit composed of storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM). The memory 303 serves, for example, as a storage unit for storing programs that define the operation of the CPU 301 and parameters necessary for various controls of the recording device 11, or as a buffer unit that temporarily stores recording data received by the communication I/F 302. used as. The memory 303 is also used to record information that should be retained even when the power of the recording device 11 is turned off. The information to be held includes data for determining the presence or absence of liquid (ink) in the ink tank 15 and its determination results, as well as the amount of ink ejected from the print head 13 and the amount of ink consumed by the recovery operation of the print head 13. Examples include the results of measuring the amount of ink used.

The motor control circuit 304 is a driver for driving various motors 305 including a conveyance motor (not shown) for conveying a recording medium, the carriage motor 22, and the like. These motors 305 are composed of stepping motors, DC motors, and the like.

The sensor control circuit 306 controls various sensors 307 including an optical sensor for detecting the leading edge and trailing edge of the recording medium 21 being conveyed and a mechanical sensor for detecting opening/closing of the access cover 24. It is a sensor control means. The head control circuit 308 is a drive control means for driving the recording head 13. The head control circuit 308 reads recorded data from the memory 303 via the CPU 301 in synchronization with the position of the recording head 13 detected by an encoder sensor (not shown), and outputs the read recorded data to the recording head 13. .

The power supply circuit 309 and the A/D conversion circuit 310 supply power to the electrode pin 401 (see FIG. 4) in the ink tank 15, thereby improving the electrical characteristics between the electrode pin 402 (see FIG. 4) and the electrode pin 402 (see FIG. 4). Configure a detection unit that detects the value. The power supply circuit 309 is a current-carrying unit that supplies power to the electrode pins 401 inside the ink tank 15 . The power supply circuit 309 is controlled by the CPU 301 and supplies a constant current or constant voltage to the electrode pin 401 when detecting ink replenishment, which detects the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink tank 15 (the presence or absence of ink at a predetermined position). . The A/D conversion circuit 310 calculates electrical characteristic values between an electrode pin 401 (see FIG. 4) on the side to which power is supplied and an electrode pin 402 (see FIG. 4) connected to the ground (GND). Detection is performed, and a detection signal obtained by converting the feature value into a digital signal is output. The detection signal is input to the CPU 301, and based on the characteristic value indicated by the detection signal, the CPU 301 determines the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink tank 15 or the presence or absence of ink at a predetermined position (height) in the ink tank 15. do.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an ink tank and an electrode pin. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the connection between electrode pins 401 and 402 provided on the ink tank 15 and the control structure of the recording apparatus 11. The CPU 301 includes a power supply control section 411, an A/D conversion control section 412, a threshold voltage determination section 413, a detection data extraction section 415, a detection data control section 416, and a discharge processing control section 414. There is. The CPU 301 is connected to GND via a discharge circuit 405 in addition to a power supply circuit 309 and an A/D conversion circuit 310.

Detection of ink replenishment in the ink tank 15 using the electrode pins 401 and 402 will be described. First, under the control of the CPU 301, a setting signal for setting the ink tank 15 to be subjected to the ink detection operation and a start signal for starting ink replenishment detection are input from the detection data control unit 416 to the power supply control unit 411. Ru. When the start signal is input, the power supply control unit 411 instructs the power supply circuit 309 to execute ink replenishment detection. Specifically, the power supply control unit 411 outputs a pulse energization setting signal corresponding to the above-mentioned setting signal to the power supply circuit 309. The pulse energization setting signal is a signal that becomes High level when ink replenishment detection is executed, and becomes Low level when ink replenishment detection is not executed.

The power supply circuit 309 supplies a predetermined current or applies a predetermined voltage between the two electrode pins 401 and 402 for a predetermined time based on the input of the pulse energization setting signal. If either or both of the two electrode pins 401 and 402 is not in contact with ink, the power supplied to the electrode pins 401 and 402 is cut off between the electrode pins. Therefore, for example, when a constant current is supplied, a high level voltage is detected between the two electrode pins 401 and 402. In this embodiment, the electrode pin 402 is provided so that the lower end of the electrode pin 402 is located at a distance H1 from the bottom surface of the ink tank 15. Therefore, when the height of the ink stored in the ink tank 15 is less than H1, even if the electrode pin 401 contacts the ink, the electrode pin 402 does not contact the ink, and a high level voltage is detected. be done.

On the other hand, when the height of the ink stored in the ink tank 15 is equal to or higher than H, both of the two electrode pins 401 and 402 come into contact with the ink. At this time, a current flows between the electrode pins 401 and 402 due to the conductive action of the ink, and a voltage corresponding to the resistance value of the ink is detected. The voltage detected between the two electrode pins 401 and 402 is converted into digital data by an A/D conversion circuit 310, and then taken into an A/D conversion control section 412 provided within the CPU 301. The voltage value taken into the A/D conversion control unit 412 is compared with a predetermined threshold value in a threshold voltage determination unit 413, and the comparison result is determined. The detection data extraction unit 415 extracts and holds the remaining amount of ink in each ink tank 15, that is, the presence or absence of ink at a predetermined position, as detection information.

In this embodiment, when the above-mentioned ink replenishment detection is performed, in order to prevent erroneous detection of the voltage value, a process of discharging the electric charge charged in the ink is performed in advance. The process of discharging the charge is performed before the power supply circuit 309 supplies power to the electrode pin 401, and is performed by connecting the electrode pin 401 to the discharge circuit 405 by the discharge process control unit 414.

A receiving portion 407 is provided inside the ink tank 15 as a liquid receiving portion in which electrode pins 401 and 402 serving as liquid detecting means are provided so as to penetrate through the bottom surface. The receiving portion 407 is disposed below the injection port 406 which is a liquid injection port for replenishing ink from the outside, and when ink is replenished from the injection port 406, the receiving portion 407 temporarily The structure is such that ink accumulates in this receiving portion 407. A discharge port 408 serving as a liquid discharge port is provided on the bottom surface of the receiving portion 407 , and the ink accumulated in the receiving portion 407 is discharged from the discharge port 408 toward the bottom surface of the ink tank 15 . The receiving portion 407 is provided spaced apart from the bottom surface of the ink tank 15 in the height direction, and is provided at a height H1 from the bottom surface of the ink tank 15 in this embodiment.

The amount of ink discharged from the discharge port 408 per second is configured to be smaller than the amount of ink replenished from the inlet 406 per second. For example, the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 408 in the XY directions is configured to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the inlet 406 in the XY directions. Further, the cross-sectional area of the discharge port 408 in the XY direction is configured to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the ink outlet (not shown) of the ink bottle serving as a liquid injection container in the XY direction when the ink outlet (not shown) is attached to the inlet port 406. Good too. As a result, while ink is being replenished from the injection port 406, ink continues to be stored in the receiving portion 407. When ink replenishment is completed, there is no more ink flowing into the receiving portion 407, so all the ink accumulated in the receiving portion 407 is discharged from the discharge port 408 toward the bottom of the ink tank 15, and the receiving portion 407 is removed as shown in FIG. 4(c). ) will be empty as shown. Note that since the discharge port 408 is configured as described above, if ink continues to be replenished, the ink injected from the injection port 406 as shown in FIG. 407 is temporarily stored. The amount of ink that exceeds the amount of ink that can be accommodated in the receiving portion 407 overflows from the end of the receiving portion 407 and falls toward the bottom of the ink tank 15. Therefore, during ink replenishment, the ink injected from the inlet 406 falls from the outlet 408 of the receiving portion 407 and the end of the receiving portion 407 to the bottom of the ink tank 15 . Since the receiving portion 407 is provided inside the ink tank 15, the volume of the receiving portion 407 is set to be smaller than the volume of ink that the ink tank 15 can store.

As described above, since the electrode pins 401 and 402 are provided so as to penetrate the bottom surface of the receiving part 407, both electrode pins 401 and 402 come into contact with the ink when ink is collected in the receiving part 407. , the detected voltage becomes Low level. In this way, the presence or absence of ink in the receiving portion 407 can be detected using the electrode pins 401 and 402. Since ink begins to accumulate in the receiving portion 407 when replenishment of ink from the inlet 406 begins, the timing at which replenishment of ink to the ink tank 15 has started can be detected. Furthermore, when the voltage is no longer detected after the voltage is detected between the two electrode pins 401 and 402, it is also possible to detect that the replenishment of ink from the outside has ended. Based on these detected data, the detected data control unit 416 controls display on the display panel of the operation input unit 18. Examples of displays on the display panel include notifying the user that ink refilling has been completed, and calculating the amount of ink replenishment from the time from the start to the end of ink refilling and displaying the remaining ink amount. Examples include those that update and display the .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for detecting ink replenishment. The detection data control unit 416 starts ink replenishment detection according to instructions from the CPU 301. The start timing is, for example, the timing when the user opens the access cover 24, or the timing when an operation performed by the user on the recording device 11 to replenish ink is detected. When the start signal is input, the detection data control unit 416 inputs a pulse energization setting signal to the power supply circuit 309 corresponding to the target ink tank 15. The power supply circuit 309 applies a constant current to the electrode pin 401 in synchronization with the pulse energization setting signal input from the detection data control unit 416 . In step S501, the A/D conversion circuit 310 detects the inter-electrode voltage value (AD value) Vs between the electrode pins 401 and 402. In step S502, a detection signal indicating the interelectrode voltage value Vs detected in step S501 is acquired by the threshold voltage determination unit 413 via the A/D conversion control unit 412. The threshold voltage determination unit 413 compares the interelectrode voltage value Vs indicated by the acquired detection signal with the threshold voltage Vth. As a result of the comparison, if it is determined that Vs≧Vth (YES), it is determined that there is no ink in the receiving portion 407, and the process returns to S501. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S502 that Vs<Vth (NO), it is determined that there is ink in the receiving portion 407, and the process proceeds to step S503. As described above, when ink is injected into the ink tank 15, the ink accumulates in the receiving portion 407, so in step S503, the CPU 301 determines that the ink tank 15 has been replenished with ink. Next, in step S504, a timer is activated by the time measuring unit 410 provided in the CPU 301, and the start time of ink replenishment is recorded.

In step S505, the A/D conversion circuit 310 detects the interelectrode voltage value Vs between the electrode pins 401 and 402. In step S506, the threshold voltage determination unit 413 compares the interelectrode voltage value Vs and the threshold voltage Vth, and determines whether the interelectrode voltage value Vs is equal to or higher than Vth. If it is determined in step S506 that Vs<Vth (NO in step S506), the process returns to step S505, and repeats step S505 and S506 is repeated. If it is determined in step S506 that Vs≧Vth (YES in step S506), it is determined that there is no ink in the receiving portion 407, and the process proceeds to step S507. When the injection of ink into the tank 15 is completed, the ink is discharged from the discharge port 408 of the receiving part 407, and the ink in the receiving part 407 becomes empty.Therefore, in step S507, the CPU 301 finishes refilling the ink tank 15 with ink. It is determined that this has been done, and the process proceeds to step S508. In step S508, the timer 410 provided in the CPU 301 stops the timer, and records the end time of ink injection.

In step S509, the amount of ink replenished into the ink tank 15 is calculated from the end time recorded in step S508. That is, the CPU 301 calculates the amount of ink injected into the ink tank 15 from step S504 to step S508. When step S509 ends, the ink replenishment detection process ends.

Note that in steps S503 and S507, the CPU 301 may notify the user of the start or end of ink injection, such as "Start ink injection" or "End ink injection" on the display panel of the operation input unit 18. Further, the notification method is not limited to display on the screen, but may also be light, sound, vibration, etc.

In the configuration of this embodiment, the lower end of the electrode pin 401 is provided at a height H2 from the bottom surface of the ink tank 15. Therefore, when there is no ink in the receiving portion 407, that is, when the ink tank 15 is not refilled with ink, by detecting the voltage between the electrode pins 401 and 402, the ink level is raised to H2. It is also possible to detect whether the When it is detected that the liquid level is not at H2, information that prompts the user to replenish ink may be displayed on the display panel of the operation input unit 18. The notification method is not limited to display on the screen, but may also be light, sound, vibration, etc.

With the above configuration, it is possible to start and complete ink replenishment and to detect the ink replenishment amount with high precision. can be shown more accurately.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described below, but the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will be omitted. In the first embodiment, two electrode pins 401 and 402 are used to detect ink replenishment, but in this embodiment, three electrode pins are used to detect ink replenishment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the ink tank 15 and electrode pins in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the power supply circuit 309 is connected to electrode pins 401, 402, and 403, which are liquid detection means, and the electrode pins 401, 402, and 403 are connected to the ground via switches 404a, 404b, and 404c. The switches 404a, 404b, and 404c are also collectively referred to as a switch 404. Further, the electrode pins 401, 402, and 403 are also connected to the A/D conversion circuit 310 and the discharge circuit 405.

In this embodiment, since three electrode pins are provided, it is possible to individually detect the presence or absence of ink in the receiving portion 407 and the presence or absence of ink at a predetermined position. When detecting the presence or absence of ink between the electrode pins 401 and 402, the power supply control unit 411 determines whether the electrode pins 402 are present before supplying power to the electrode pins 401 to the power supply circuit 309. The CPU 301 controls the switch 404b to connect to the ground. Even when detecting the presence or absence of ink between the electrode pins 401 and 403 or between the electrode pins 402 and 403, before supplying power to one electrode pin, the other electrode pin is detected. The CPU 301 controls the switch 404 and connects it to the ground. In addition, when detecting ink replenishment between any electrode pins, before detecting the inter-electrode voltage, the discharge processing control unit 414 is operated, and the electrode pin to which power is supplied by the power supply circuit 309 is operated. Processing for connecting to the discharge circuit 405 is performed. This discharges the electric charge stored in the ink in advance. Note that the switch 404 and the discharge circuit 405 can also be configured as one unit.

The lower end of the electrode pin 402 is provided at a position where the distance (height) from the bottom surface of the ink tank 15 is H1, similar to the electrode pin 402 in the first embodiment. The lower ends of the electrode pins 401 and 403 are provided at a position where the distance (height) from the bottom surface of the ink tank 15 is H2. Thereby, it is possible to detect whether the liquid surface height (liquid level) of the ink stored in the ink tank 15 has reached H2 and H1. Specifically, by detecting the presence or absence of ink between the electrode pins 402 and 403, it is possible to detect whether the ink level in the ink tank 15 is at H1. Furthermore, by detecting the presence or absence of ink between the electrode pins 401 and 403, it is possible to detect whether the ink level in the ink tank 15 is at H2. Detection of the amount of ink in the ink tank 15 is performed at predetermined timing, such as during a printing operation of the printing apparatus 11 or when the printing apparatus 11 is powered on.

In this embodiment, when the ink level falls below H2, the user can be prompted to replenish the ink through the display panel of the operation input unit 18. Further, if the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank 15 exceeds H1 when replenishing the ink, it is possible to notify the user that the ink in the ink tank 15 is full. Note that the electrode pins 401, 402, and 403 cannot detect the liquid level H0, where the ink level in the ink tank 15 is lower than H2 and there is only a small amount remaining. When the liquid level is H0 or close to H0, the amount of ink ejected from the recording head 13 and the amount of ink consumed in the recovery operation are determined from the state in which the ink level is detected to be H2. The determination can be made by the CPU 301 calculating the ink amount using . In addition, the remaining amount of ink when the liquid level is between H1, H2, and H0 is determined by the amount of ink replenishment calculated from the ink replenishment time shown in the first embodiment and the amount consumed after ink replenishment. It is possible to calculate and estimate the amount of ink based on the calculated amount of ink.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for detecting ink replenishment in this embodiment. The detection data control unit 416 starts ink replenishment detection according to instructions from the CPU 301. The start timing is, for example, the timing at which an operation performed by the user on the recording device 11 to replenish ink is detected, such as the timing at which the user opens the access cover 24 to replenish ink.

When ink replenishment detection is started, in step S701, the CPU 301 detects the presence or absence of ink between the electrode pins 401 and 402, and determines whether the ink level in the ink tank 15 exceeds H1. do. At the time when ink replenishment detection starts, no ink is flowing into the receiving portion 407, and by detecting the voltage between the electrode pins 401 and 402, it is determined whether the liquid level in the ink tank 15 is at H1. It is possible to detect whether or not the If it is determined in step S701 that the ink level is higher than H1 (YES), the process proceeds to step S715, where the user is informed through the operation input unit 18 that the ink tank is full and that ink replenishment is not necessary. Notification is made and ink replenishment detection is terminated.

If it is determined in step S701 that the ink level does not exceed H1 (NO), the process proceeds to step S702, where the CPU 301 controls the switch 404b to connect the electrode pin 402 to the ground. Then, a constant current is applied from the power supply circuit 309 to the electrode pin 401, and an interelectrode voltage value Vs1 between the electrode pins 401 and 402 is detected by the A/D conversion circuit 310. In step S703, the threshold voltage determination unit 413 compares the interelectrode voltage value Vs1 detected in step S702 with a threshold voltage Vth for determining the presence or absence of ink at a predetermined position. As a result of the comparison, if it is determined that Vs1≧Vth (YES), the CPU 301 determines that there is no ink in the receiving portion 407, and the process returns to step S702.

If it is determined in step S703 that Vs1<Vth, the CPU 301 determines that there is ink in the receiving portion 407, the process proceeds to step S704, and determines that replenishment of ink to the ink tank 15 has started. do. Next, in step S705, a timer is activated by the time measuring unit 410 provided in the CPU 301, and the start time of ink replenishment is recorded. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, ink accumulates in the receiving portion 407 and begins to be discharged from the discharge port 408 toward the bottom surface of the ink tank 15.

In step S706, the CPU 301 controls the switch 404c to connect the electrode pin 403 to ground. Then, a constant current is applied from the power supply circuit 309 to the electrode pin 402, and an interelectrode voltage value Vs2 between the electrode pins 402 and 403 is detected by the A/D conversion circuit 310. In step S707, the threshold voltage determination unit 413 compares the interelectrode voltage value Vs2 with the threshold voltage Vth in order to determine the presence or absence of ink at a predetermined position. As a result of the comparison, if the CPU 301 determines that Vs2<Vth, the process advances to step S711. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank 15 is at a position higher than H1. Further, if the lower end of the discharge port 408 is located at a position lower than H1, the ink is already not discharged from the receiving portion 407 when the ink level reaches H1. Therefore, when the ink level is at H1, ink accumulates in the receiving portion 407.

In step S711, the CPU 301 notifies the user through the display panel of the operation input unit 18 that the ink tank 15 has become full due to ink replenishment, and the process advances to step S712.

If it is determined in step S707 that Vs2≧Vth, the CPU 301 determines that the ink level in the ink tank 15 is not at H1, and proceeds to step S708. Subsequently, in step S708, the CPU 301 controls the switch 404 to connect the electrode pin 403 to the ground. Then, a constant current is applied from the power supply circuit 309 to the electrode pin 401, and an interelectrode voltage value Vs3 between the electrode pins 401 and 403 is detected by the A/D conversion circuit 310. In this embodiment, the control in subsequent steps does not change depending on the magnitude of the voltage value Vs3 detected in step S708. However, by comparing Vs3 and the threshold voltage Vth, it is possible to detect whether the liquid level in the ink tank 15 is below or above H2. Using this detection, a display may be displayed on the operation input unit 18 to notify that the ink level is at H2.

In step S710, similarly to step S703, the inter-electrode voltage value Vs1 between the electrode pins 401 and 402 is detected, and the threshold voltage determination unit 413 compares it with the threshold voltage Vth to determine whether or not there is ink in the receiving unit 407. do. As a result of the comparison in the threshold voltage determining unit 413, if it is determined that Vs1<Vth (NO), the CPU 301 determines that there is ink in the receiving unit 407, and returns to step S706. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S710 that Vs1≧Vth, the CPU 301 determines that there is no ink in the receiving portion 407, and proceeds to step S712.

In step S712, the CPU 301 determines that replenishment of ink to the ink tank 15 has been completed. At this time, the CPU 301 may notify the user via the display panel of the operation input unit 18, such as urging the user to remove the ink bottle inserted into the inlet 406. The process then proceeds to step S713, where the timer 410 provided in the CPU 301 stops the timer and records the end time of ink replenishment.

In step S714, the amount of ink replenished into the ink tank 15 is calculated from the time measured by the time measurement unit 410 from the start of ink replenishment to the end of ink replenishment. This makes it possible to start and complete ink replenishment and to detect the ink replenishment amount with high precision while detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank 15. The remaining amount of ink can be displayed more accurately. Note that if the answer is YES in step S707 and the process proceeds to step S711, the ink replenishment detection process may be ended without going through step S714.

Note that this configuration can also be configured as follows.

(1)
a liquid storage container that contains a liquid to be supplied to a recording head that discharges the liquid, and includes a liquid injection port that injects the liquid from a liquid injection container;
a liquid receiving part that is provided inside the liquid storage container and below the liquid inlet, and has a smaller amount of liquid that can be stored than the amount of liquid that can be stored in the liquid storage container;
A configuration of a liquid ejecting device, characterized in that the liquid ejecting device includes: a liquid detection means that is provided in the liquid receiving section and detects the presence or absence of liquid in the liquid receiving section.

(2)
The configuration of the liquid ejecting device according to (1), wherein the liquid receiving section stores the liquid injected from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container through the liquid injection port.

(3)
The configuration of the liquid ejecting device according to (1) or (2), wherein the liquid receiving portion is provided spaced apart from the bottom surface of the liquid storage container in the height direction.

(4)
Liquid discharge according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the liquid receiving section includes a liquid discharge port that discharges the liquid stored in the liquid receiving section into the inside of the liquid storage container. Device configuration.

(5)
The configuration of the liquid ejecting device according to (4), wherein the cross-sectional area of the liquid discharge port is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the liquid inlet.

(6)
The configuration of the liquid ejecting device according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user based on information detected by the liquid detection unit.

(7)
The notification means is characterized in that the notification means notifies the user that injection of liquid from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container via the injection port has started based on the detection information by the liquid detection means. The configuration of the liquid ejection device according to (6).

(8)
The notification means may notify the user that injection of the liquid from the liquid injection container through the injection port into the liquid storage container has been completed based on the detection information by the liquid detection means. The configuration of the liquid ejection device according to (7).

(9)
Any one of (1) to (8), characterized in that it further comprises an estimating means for estimating the amount of liquid injected from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container based on the detection information of the liquid detection means. Configuration of the liquid ejection device described in .

(10)
The configuration of the liquid ejection device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the liquid detection means includes a first electrode and a second electrode provided in the liquid receiving portion.

(11)
The configuration of the liquid ejecting device according to (10), wherein the liquid detecting means further includes a third electrode provided inside the liquid container at a position not passing through the liquid receiving portion.

11 Recording device 15 Ink tank 401, 402, 403 Electrode pin 406 Inlet 407 Receiver

Claims (11)

a liquid storage container that contains a liquid to be supplied to a recording head that discharges the liquid, and includes a liquid injection port that injects the liquid from a liquid injection container;
a liquid receiving part that is provided inside the liquid storage container and below the liquid inlet, and has a smaller amount of liquid that can be stored than the amount of liquid that can be stored in the liquid storage container;
A liquid ejecting device characterized by comprising: a liquid detection means that is provided in the liquid receiver and detects the presence or absence of liquid in the liquid receiver. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiving section stores the liquid injected from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container through the liquid injection port. 2. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiving portion is provided spaced apart in a height direction from a bottom surface of the liquid storage container. 2. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiving section includes a liquid discharge port that discharges the liquid stored in the liquid receiving section into the inside of the liquid storage container. 5. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 4, wherein a cross-sectional area of the liquid discharge port is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the liquid inlet. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify a user based on information detected by the liquid detection unit. The notifying means notifies the user that injection of liquid from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container via the liquid injection port has started based on the detection information by the liquid detection means. The liquid ejection device according to claim 6. The notification means notifies the user that injection of the liquid from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container via the liquid injection port has been completed based on the detection information by the liquid detection means. The liquid ejection device according to claim 7. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an estimating means for estimating the amount of liquid injected from the liquid injection container into the liquid storage container based on the detection information of the liquid detection means. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid detection means includes a first electrode and a second electrode provided in the liquid receiving portion. 11. The liquid ejecting device according to claim 10, wherein the liquid detecting means further includes a third electrode provided inside the liquid container at a position not passing through the liquid receiving portion.

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