Liquid supply device

Abstract

To appropriately detect an ink amount in an ink pack.SOLUTION: A liquid supply device comprises: a deformable liquid storage body that stores liquid to be supplied to a liquid discharge head which discharges the liquid onto a recording medium; a liquid supply channel for supplying the liquid from the liquid storage body to the liquid discharge head; a liquid reservoir chamber that is provided on the liquid supply channel and makes the liquid flow from the liquid storage body into the liquid discharge head through variation in volume; liquid drawing means that expands the volume of the liquid reservoir chamber by reducing pressure of a space outside the liquid reservoir chamber, thereby drawing the liquid from the liquid storage body into the liquid reservoir chamber; pressing means that presses the liquid storage body from the outside; and control means configured to control to: display a first display on a display unit in a case that the volume of the liquid reservoir chamber of when the pressing means is pressing the liquid storage body is below a predetermined amount; and display a second display on the display unit in a case that the volume of the liquid reservoir chamber of when the liquid drawing means is reducing the pressure of the space is below the predetermined amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a type of liquid supply device, there is known one that supplies liquid to a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid onto a recording medium. In such a liquid supply device, as a method for replenishing ink that decreases as the ink is consumed, a method of replacing a container called an ink tank or the like, which is configured to be detachable from a printer or the like and has ink stored therein, has been used. Further, as one of such containers, a container called an ink pack or the like, which has a flexible member at least partially and has a variable volume, such as a bag shape, has also been used. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for calculating the amount of ink remaining in an ink pack based on a soft count.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, soft count is to measure in advance an appropriate amount of ink droplets ejected from an ink ejection port, the amount of ink sucked and discharged from the ink ejection port, etc., and multiply the measured value by the number of ejected ink droplets, the number of times of suction and discharge, etc. to calculate the consumption amount of ink. However, since the appropriate amount of ejected ink droplets, the amount of ink sucked and discharged, etc. vary depending on the state of the inkjet printer, the environment where the printer is placed, etc., there may be a certain degree of error in calculating the consumption amount in the configuration described in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to appropriately detect the amount of ink in an ink pack.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The liquid supply device according to the present invention includes a deformable liquid container that stores a liquid to be supplied to a liquid discharge head that discharges the liquid onto a recording medium, a liquid supply passage for supplying the liquid from the liquid container to the liquid discharge head, a liquid storage chamber provided in the liquid supply passage that allows the liquid to flow from the liquid container to the liquid discharge head due to a change in volume, a liquid drawing means that expands the volume of the liquid storage chamber by depressurizing the space outside the liquid storage chamber and draws the liquid from the liquid container into the liquid storage chamber, a pressing means that presses the liquid container from the outside, and a control means that controls to display a first display on a display unit when the volume of the liquid storage chamber is less than a predetermined amount when the pressing means is pressing the liquid container, and to display a second display on the display unit when the volume of the liquid storage chamber is less than a predetermined amount when the liquid drawing means is depressurizing the space.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the amount of ink in the ink pack can be appropriately detected.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] (First Embodiment) In FIG. 1, as an example of an apparatus to which the liquid supply apparatus of the present invention is applied, a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus (hereinafter, recording apparatus 1000) is shown. The recording head 10 includes a discharge port that discharges ink, which is a liquid, onto a recording medium, and records an image, characters, etc. on the recording medium by discharging the ink from the discharge port onto the recording medium. The recording head 10 is provided with a negative pressure regulator 11. The negative pressure regulator 11 is configured such that the valve is closed when the negative pressure in the discharge head is below a predetermined value, and the valve opens when the negative pressure in the discharge head becomes greater than the predetermined value so that ink can flow into the recording head 10.

[0010] The cap 20 is a cap mechanism that can move in the ±Z direction in the drawing by a drive mechanism (not shown). The cap 20 is configured to be movable between a capping position where it contacts the discharge port surface where the discharge port of the recording head 10 is formed and covers the discharge port (capping), and a separation position where it is separated from the discharge port surface and exposes the discharge port. FIG. 1 shows the case where the cap 20 is in the separation position. A suction pump 22 is connected to the cap 20 via a cap tube 21, and is configured such that ink can be sucked from the discharge port by driving the suction pump 22. The ink sucked from the discharge port by driving the suction pump 22 is sent to a waste ink tank (not shown) via a waste ink tube 23 connected to the suction pump 22 and is stored and held in the waste ink tank.

[0011] The ink supply device 100 provided in the recording device 1000 will be described. In the recording device 1000 of the present embodiment, an ink pack 110 is detachably attached by a configuration (not shown). Inside the ink pack 110, an ink bag 111 as a liquid container in which ink is stored is housed. The ink bag 111 is provided with a rubber stopper 112. When the ink pack 110 is attached to the recording device 1000 of the present invention, a hollow ink supply needle 121 is configured to penetrate the rubber stopper 112. By the ink supply needle 121 penetrating the rubber stopper 112, the ink in the ink bag 111 can flow into the first ink supply channel (first liquid supply channel) 122. In addition to the configuration in which the ink pack 110 is attached to the recording device 1000, a configuration may be adopted in which only the ink bag 111 is detachably attached to the recording device 1000.

[0012] At least a part of the ink bag 111 uses a flexible member and is deformable according to the capacity of the ink stored inside and the external pressure. The state of the ink bag 111 shown in FIG. 1 is the state when the maximum amount of ink that the ink bag 111 can accommodate is stored, that is, it shows the state of a new (unused) ink pack 110. In the present embodiment, about 1,000 ml of ink is stored in a new ink pack 110.

[0013] In a state where the ink pack 110 is attached to the recording device 1000, the ink bag 111 is placed on the inclined plate 114. The inclined plate 114 is pushed up in the +Z direction in the figure by a push-up spring 113, but its position is regulated by a stopper (not shown) so that the position of the inclined plate does not rise above a predetermined position. The predetermined position is, for example, the position where the upper surface of the ink bag 111 contacts the inner surface of the ink pack 110 in a new state.

[0014] The ink storage chamber 130 is provided in a second ink supply channel (second liquid supply channel) 123 that communicates with a first ink supply channel 122 connected to an ink supply needle 121. A part of the ink storage chamber 130 is a flexible part 131, and the flexible part 131 is composed of a flexible member such as rubber. Due to the flexible part 131, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 can be varied by driving a retraction pump 141 described later. FIG. 1 shows the case where the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is maximum. Note that, in the present embodiment, the maximum value of the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is 1.5 ml. A stopper or the like is provided in the ink storage chamber 130 so that the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 does not exceed a predetermined maximum amount.

[0015] In the present embodiment, the ink in the ink storage chamber 130 is configured to be supplied to the recording head 10 with a smaller flow path resistance than supplying the ink in the ink bag 111 to the recording head 10 via the second ink supply channel 122. For example, the flow path resistance can be adjusted by making the second ink supply channel 123 larger than the flow path diameter of the first ink supply channel 122 or by restricting the amount of ink flowing from the first ink supply channel 122 into the ink storage chamber 130.

[0016] When ink is consumed by being discharged from the discharge port of the recording head 10 from the state of FIG. 1, the flexible part 131 deforms toward the second ink supply channel 123 side, and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 decreases. The ink storage chamber 130 is provided in a partition wall 142, and a retraction pump 141 is connected to the partition wall 142. The space 149 is a space whose outer periphery is covered by the partition wall 142 and the ink storage chamber 130. When the retraction pump 141 is driven, the air in the space 149 between the ink storage chamber 130 and the partition wall is sucked and discharged by the retraction pump 141. That is, the retraction pump 141 decompresses the space around the ink storage chamber 130. The retraction pump 141 is open to the atmosphere when not driven, and in this case, the space 149 communicates with the atmosphere and has an atmospheric pressure.

[0017] When the air in the space 149 is sucked and discharged, the space 149 is depressurized and becomes a negative pressure. Due to the action of this negative pressure, the flexible portion 131 is pulled upward in the figure, and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 tends to expand. At this time, if there is a sufficient amount of ink in the ink bag 111 to fill the expanded volume of the ink storage chamber 130, the ink flows into the ink storage chamber 130, and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 expands to the maximum volume. That is, the drawing pump 141 serves to draw the ink from the ink bag 111 into the ink storage chamber 130 by its drive.

[0018] A check valve 125 is provided between the first ink supply channel 122 and the second ink supply channel 123. By the check valve 125, the inflow of ink from the first ink supply channel 122 to the second ink supply channel 123 is allowed, but the flow of ink from the second ink supply channel 123 to the first ink supply channel 122 is restricted. Also, a check valve 126 is provided between the second ink supply channel 123 and the third ink supply channel 124 that communicates the second ink supply channel 123 with the negative pressure regulator 11. By the check valve 126, the inflow of ink from the second ink supply channel 123 to the third ink supply channel 124 is allowed, but the flow of ink from the third ink supply channel 124 to the second ink supply channel 123 is restricted. Due to the action of the check valves 125 and 126, the ink inflow path when the ink flows into the ink storage chamber 130 is limited to the path where the ink flows from the first ink supply channel 122 to the ink storage chamber 130.

[0019] Inside the partition wall 142, a photo interrupter including a light emitting portion 151 and a light receiving portion 152 is provided. On the flexible portion 131 of the ink storage chamber 130, a light shielding plate 153 that reciprocates in the ±Z direction in the figure as the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 increases and decreases is provided. In this way, with the light shielding plate 153 and the photo interrupter as the main components, a detection sensor for detecting whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume is configured.

[0020] The detection sensor detects whether the ink storage chamber 130 has a volume equal to or greater than a predetermined volume based on whether the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 is received by the light receiving unit 152, or in other words, whether the light is blocked by the light shielding plate 153. In the present embodiment, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 when the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 starts to be blocked by the light shielding plate 153, that is, the predetermined volume, is 1 ml. Also, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 when it is most reduced is 0.5 ml.

[0021] When the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 expands to 1 ml or more, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 is blocked by the light shielding plate 153. When the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 does not reach 1 ml, the light shielding plate 153 does not block the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151. With this configuration, when the volume in the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151 is blocked by the light shielding plate 153, so that the light receiving unit 152 does not receive light and it can be determined that there is ink. Also, when the volume in the ink storage chamber 130 is less than the predetermined amount, since the light shielding plate 153 does not block the light emitted from the light emitting unit 151, the light receiving unit 152 receives light and it can be determined that the remaining ink amount is small. With the above configuration, it is possible to detect whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. Note that the predetermined volume may be appropriately set according to the dimensions of the product, the maximum volume of the ink bag 111, etc.

[0022] The ink supply device 100 is provided with a pressing mechanism including a pressing plate 161, a rotating cam 162, and a pressing release spring 163. This pressing mechanism is configured such that when the rotating cam 162 is located at the top dead center, it presses the ink bag 111, and when it is located at the bottom dead center, the pressing force on the ink bag 111 is released by the restoring force of the pressing release spring 163. The rotating cam 162 rotates as the pressing motor (not shown) rotates. FIG. 1 shows the case where the rotating cam 162 is located at the bottom dead center. The pressing plate 161 has a width substantially equal to the width of the ink bag 111 (the width in the X direction in the figure). Note that the pressing mechanism in the present embodiment is configured such that even when the rotating cam 162 is located at the top dead center, the ink bag 111 is not completely crushed when the amount of ink stored in the ink bag 111 is at the maximum amount.

[0023] Next, the control system of the recording device 1000 will be briefly described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. 2.

[0024] 250 is a block diagram of the control system of the recording device 1000 in the present embodiment, and 200 is a block diagram of the control system of the ink supply device 100. The recording device 1000 is connected to a host computer 290 via, for example, a USB interface (not shown). The host computer 290 includes a printer driver 291 stored in the form of software. The printer driver 291 generates print data from image data such as documents and photos desired by the user in response to a print command by the user, and transmits it to the recording device 1000 of the present invention.

[0025] 251 is a reception buffer for holding print data and the like transmitted from the host computer 290 to the recording device 1000 of the present invention. The print data and the like held in the reception buffer 251 are transferred to the RAM 202 under the management of the CPU 201 and temporarily stored. The ROM 203 stores programs and fixed data necessary for various controls of the recording device 1000. The NVRAM 204 is a non-volatile memory for storing information that should be stored even when the power of the recording device 1000 is turned off.

[0026] Various motors 211, such as a motor for driving the drawing pump 141 and the suction pump 22, a motor for rotating the rotary cam 162, and a motor for moving the cap 20 up and down, are controlled by a motor driver 210. Also, various sensors 221 including the detection sensors described above are controlled by a sensor controller 220.

[0027] The recording apparatus 1000 in the present embodiment includes a display unit and an operation unit (not shown). The display unit displays various information of the recording apparatus 1000, and user instructions are input via the operation unit. The display unit / operation unit 261 is controlled by a display unit / operation unit controller 261. Also, the recording head 10 is controlled by a head driver 270. Note that the CPU 201 executes various processing operations such as calculation, control, determination, and setting together with the RAM 202, ROM 203, and NVRAM 204.

[0028] Hereinafter, the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the recording apparatus 1000 during the execution of the ink remaining amount detection sequence, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the ink remaining amount detection sequence. In FIG. 3, those denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same elements, and thus the description thereof is omitted. The ink remaining amount detection sequence is executed before the start of an operation involving ink consumption, such as ink being ejected from the ejection port of the recording head 10.

[0029] When the ink remaining amount detection sequence starts (step S400), first, it proceeds to step S401, and a determination is made as to whether the ink remaining amount low flag is off. Although details will be described later, the ink remaining amount low flag is turned on when it is detected in this ink remaining amount detection sequence that the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink pack 110 has decreased. First, the case where a substantially new ink pack 110 is attached to the recording apparatus 1000 of the present invention will be described. When a new ink pack 110 is attached, the ink remaining amount low flag is off. Therefore, the determination result in step S401 is Yes, and it proceeds to step S410.

[0030] In step S410, a determination is made as to whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than the predetermined volume using the above-described detection sensor. As described above, when an operation of consuming ink, such as discharging ink from the ink ejection port of the recording head 10, is performed, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 decreases. Therefore, in many cases, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is less than the predetermined volume. Therefore, here, the case where the determination result in step S410 is No, that is, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is less than the predetermined volume, will be described first. When the result in step S410 is No, the state of the recording apparatus 1000 is, for example, the state shown in FIG. 3a, and here, the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is in the state where it has decreased the most.

[0031] When the determination result in step S410 is No, that is, when the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is less than the predetermined volume, it proceeds to step S411, and the pressing operation by the above-described pressing mechanism is performed. Specifically, the rotating cam 162 is rotated half a turn from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, and the ink bag 111 is pressed by the pressing plate 161. Then, it waits for a certain period of time in step S412 and proceeds to step S413, and again, a determination is made as to whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than the predetermined volume using the detection sensor. Here, in step S412, a wait of 0.5 seconds is performed, but the wait time may be set as appropriate.

[0032] If the determination result in step S413 is Yes, that is, when the ink in the ink bag 111 is extruded by the pressing operation in step S411 and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S414. At this time, the recording apparatus 1000 is in the state shown in FIG. 3b.

[0033] In step S414, the pressing of the ink bag 111 by the pressing mechanism is released. Specifically, the rotation cam 162 is rotated half a turn from the top dead center to the bottom dead center to release the pressing on the ink bag 111. At this time, the recording apparatus 1000 becomes in the same state as the state shown in FIG. 1. After step S414, the process proceeds to step S415, and a display indicating that there is ink in the ink pack 110 is performed on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000 of the present invention, and the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S499).

[0034] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S413 is No, that is, when the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 does not become equal to or greater than the predetermined volume even when the pressing operation in step S411 is performed, the process proceeds to step S421. Here, the fact that the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 does not become equal to or greater than the predetermined volume even when the pressing operation is performed means that almost no ink in the ink bag 111 is extruded toward the ink storage chamber 130 side. That is, the remaining ink amount in the ink bag 111 is small. The state of the recording apparatus 1000 at this time is the state shown in FIG. 3c, and the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111 is about 100 ml to 200 ml. In step S421, the pressing of the ink bag 111 by the pressing mechanism is released in the same manner as in step S414.

[0035] When step S421 ends, the process proceeds to step S422, and the ink remaining amount low flag is turned on. Then, in step S423, soft counting is started. Soft counting means measuring in advance the liquid volume per ink droplet ejected from the ejection port and the liquid volume of the ink sucked and discharged from the ejection port by the suction pump 22, storing them in the ROM 203, etc., and multiplying the number of ejected ink droplets and the number of suction and discharge times, etc., to calculate the consumption amount of the ink. However, since the droplet volume of the ink droplets ejected from the ejection port and the liquid volume of the ink sucked and discharged vary depending on the state of the inkjet printer and the environment where the printer is placed, etc., the accuracy of the soft counting is not high and has an error of ±15%.

[0036] After the ink remaining amount low flag is turned on, when a new ink pack 110 is attached to the recording device 1000, the ink remaining amount low flag is switched off. The usage information of the ink pack 110 is written from a chip (not shown) provided in the ink pack 110 to a read / write unit (not shown) provided in the recording device 1000. The recording device 1000 determines the usage information of the ink pack 110 by reading the information of the chip by the read / write unit.

[0037] Note that when step S423 starts, a remaining amount of 100 ml is stored as the count value of the soft count in a predetermined area (soft counter) in the RAM 202 and the NVRAM 204. If the ink in the ink pack 110 almost runs out during the operation involving ink consumption, ink non-ejection from the ejection port will occur. Therefore, to avoid this, the remaining amount of 100 ml, which is the minimum value of the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111, is stored.

[0038] When step S423 ends, in step S424, a display indicating that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 has decreased is made on the display unit of the recording device 1000 of the present invention, and the ink remaining amount detection sequence ends (step S499).

[0039] After the ink remaining amount detection sequence ends, if an operation involving ink consumption is executed, the ink consumption amount at that time is calculated by software counting, and the count value of the software counter is updated from the previously stored value to a value obtained by subtracting the calculated value.

[0040] If the determination result in step S410 is Yes, that is, if it is determined that the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S415. After displaying that there is ink on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, the ink remaining amount detection sequence ends (step S499).

[0041] Next, the case where the determination result in step S401 is No will be described. If the ink remaining amount low flag is ON in step S401, the process proceeds to step S431. Then, in step S431, the driving of the suction pump 141 is started. When the driving of the suction pump 141 is started, a certain time wait is performed in step S432, and the process proceeds to step S433, where it is determined again by the detection sensor whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume. Here, a 1.0 - second wait is performed in step S412, but the wait time may be set as appropriate.

[0042] If the determination result in step S433 is Yes, that is, if the ink in the ink bag 111 is sucked out by driving the suction pump 141 in step S431 and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S434. At this time, the state of the recording apparatus 1000 is as shown in FIG. 3d. In step S434, the driving of the suction pump 141 started in step S431 is stopped. As described above, the space 149 where the driving of the suction pump 141 is stopped communicates with the atmosphere.

[0043] When step S434 ends, the process proceeds to step S435. After displaying the indication of low ink remaining amount on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S499). Note that after the ink remaining amount detection sequence ends, when performing an operation involving ink consumption, before starting the operation, it is confirmed whether the ink consumption amount by the operation exceeds the count value of the soft counter. If it exceeds, the operation is not started. Also, on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000 of the present invention, an indication that there is almost no remaining ink in the ink pack 110 is given. (Hereinafter, the indication that there is almost no remaining ink in the ink pack 110 is also referred to as the indication of no ink remaining amount.) Note that in the present embodiment, the operation with the maximum ink consumption amount is the recovery operation when most strongly recovering the ejection performance of the recording head, and the ink consumption amount at that time is 7 ml.

[0044] If the determination result in step S433 is No, that is, even when the drawing pump 141 is driven in step S431 and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is less than the predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S441. Here, the fact that the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 does not become equal to or more than the predetermined volume even when the drawing pump 141 is driven means that almost no ink in the ink bag 111 is sucked into the ink storage chamber 130 by driving the drawing pump 141. That is, almost no ink remains in the ink bag 111. At this time, the recording apparatus 1000 is in the state shown in FIG. 3e.

[0045] In step S441, the driving of the drawing pump 141 is stopped and the space 149 communicates with the atmosphere. After step S441, the process proceeds to step S442, and the soft count started in step S423 is terminated. After terminating the soft count, the process proceeds to step S443, where an indication of no ink remaining amount is given on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, and then the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S499).

[0046] In this embodiment, it has been detected that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 has decreased due to the above configuration. By this detection, when the ink remaining amount is not displayed, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 is minimized as much as possible. Hereinafter, a description of the specific effects will be given.

[0047] When it is not detected that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 has decreased, that is, when only soft counting is used, the maximum value of the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 when the ink remaining amount is not displayed is calculated. As described above, about 1,000 ml of ink is stored in a new ink pack 110. More specifically, 1,000 ml ± 2%, that is, 980 ml to 1,020 ml of ink is stored.

[0048] In the recording apparatus 1000 according to this embodiment, the ink consumption amount of the operation with the highest ink consumption is the recovery operation when the discharge performance of the recording head 10 is most strongly recovered, and the ink consumption amount is 7 ml. Since the recovery operation cannot be immediately stopped midway, when an instruction to perform the recovery operation with an ink consumption amount of 7 ml is issued by the CPU 201 when the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 is less than 7 ml, the recovery operation is not started. In this case, the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000 will display that the ink remaining amount is not available.

[0049] When performing soft counting, it is necessary to perform the counting in consideration of the lower limit of the error difference in the amount of ink stored in a new ink pack 110 and the ink consumption amount for the above-described recovery operation. Therefore, when a new ink pack 110 is installed in the recording apparatus 1000, the amount of ink that can be consumed in soft counting is 980 ml - 7 ml = 973 ml at the minimum.

[0050] As described above, since an error of ±15% may occur in the count by soft count, when calculating the ink consumption amount in each operation, the maximum value of the tolerance is used. This is because if the ink pack runs out during an operation involving ink consumption, non-discharge from the ejection port may occur. Here, if the actual ink consumption amount in each operation is the minimum value of the tolerance, a deviation of ±15% will occur between the soft count value and the actual ink consumption amount.

[0051] Therefore, in the soft count value, when the above 973 ml is counted, the actually consumed ink amount is, in the case where the amount is the smallest, 973 ml ÷ 1.15 × 0.85 = 719 ml.

[0052] Furthermore, as described above, there may be 1,020 ml of ink stored in a new ink pack 110 installed in the recording apparatus 1000 of the present invention. Therefore, in the recording apparatus 1000 of the present invention, when the ink remaining amount is not displayed, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 is, in the case where the amount is the largest, 1,020 ml - 719 ml = 301 ml. Thus, when only soft count is used, there is a possibility that up to 301 ml of ink remains in the ink pack 110 when the ink remaining amount is not displayed. 301 ml is approximately 30% of the amount of ink stored in a new ink pack 110, which is about 1,000 ml.

[0053] When detecting the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 using the ink remaining amount detection sequence according to this embodiment, the amount of ink that may remain in the ink pack 110 when the ink remaining amount is not displayed will also be described.

[0054] When it is detected in step S413 of the ink remaining amount detection sequence that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 is less than a predetermined amount, the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111 is 100 ml to 200 ml as described above. At this time, in step S423, the soft counter stores the remaining amount of 100 ml and starts the soft count. Thereafter, when adding the 7 ml required for the recovery operation with the maximum ink consumption to the amount of consumable ink in the soft count, the minimum amount is 100 ml - 7 ml = 93 ml. From here, when the soft count value counts the above 93 ml, the actually consumed ink amount, in the case where the amount is the smallest, is 93 ml ÷ 1.15 × 0.85 = 69 ml.

[0055] On the other hand, when it is detected in step S413 of the ink remaining amount detection sequence that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 is less than a predetermined amount, the maximum amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111 is 200 ml. Therefore, when the ink remaining amount is not displayed on the display unit in step S424, the possible amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110, in the case where the amount is the largest, is 200 ml - 69 ml = 131 ml. This is about 13% of the amount of ink stored in the new ink pack 110, which is about 1,000 ml.

[0056] As described above, there may be a large difference in the detection values between the case of calculating the remaining ink amount using only the soft counter and the case of calculating the remaining ink amount based on the ink remaining amount detection sequence using the detection sensor of the present embodiment. Specifically, when the ink remaining amount is set to zero, the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111 is about 30% in the case of the soft counter, and about 13% in the case of the present embodiment, which can be reduced by about 17%. Therefore, the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 can be calculated more appropriately.

[0057] (Second Embodiment) Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0058] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the second embodiment. This sequence is also executed before the start of an operation involving ink consumption, such as when ink is suction-discharged from the discharge port of the recording head 10, similar to the first embodiment. In the ink remaining amount detection sequence in this embodiment, soft counting is performed from the time when a new ink pack 110 is attached to the recording apparatus 1000. Here, the count value of the soft count is stored in a region (hereinafter also referred to as the second soft counter) different from the regions (soft counters) in the RAM 202 and the NVRAM 204 that store the count value of the soft count in the first embodiment. Note that, also in the ink remaining amount detection sequence in this embodiment, the regions (soft counters) in the RAM 202 and the NVRAM 204 used in the soft count of the first embodiment are used for the same purpose as in the first embodiment. Also, for the ink consumption amount for each operation used in the soft count, the maximum value of the tolerance is used, similar to the first embodiment.

[0059] When the ink remaining amount detection sequence starts (step S500), the process proceeds to step S501, and it is determined whether the ink remaining amount low flag is off. If the determination result in step S501 is Yes, that is, if the ink remaining amount low flag is off, the process proceeds to step S510.

[0060] In step S510, it is determined whether the value of the second soft counter is 200 ml or more for the remaining amount. If the determination result is Yes, that is, if the value of the second soft counter is 200 ml or more for the remaining amount, the process proceeds to step S529. Then, in step S529, after displaying that there is ink on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S599).

[0061] If the determination result in step S510 is No, that is, if the value of the second soft counter is less than the remaining amount of 200 ml, the process proceeds to step S511, where it is determined whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume. If the determination result in step S511 is Yes, that is, if the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than the predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S529, where an ink presence indication is given on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000. Thereafter, the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S599).

[0062] If the determination result in step S511 is No, that is, if the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is less than the predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S512, where, as in the first embodiment, the ink bag 111 is pressed by the pressing mechanism. Specifically, the rotating cam 162 is rotated half a turn from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, and the ink bag 111 is pressed by the pressing plate 161.

[0063] When step S512 is completed, after a 0.5 - second wait in step S513, in step S514, the pressing performed in step S512 is released. Specifically, the rotating cam 162 is rotated half a turn from the top dead center to the bottom dead center to release the pressing on the ink bag 111.

[0064] When step S514 is completed, the process proceeds to step S515, where the pressing operation is performed again. Then, after a certain time wait in step S516, in step S517, the pressing operation is released. Here, in step S516, a 0.5 - second wait is performed, but the wait time may be set as appropriate. Thereafter, in step S518, the ink bag 111 is pressed again, in step S519, a certain time wait is performed, and the process proceeds to step S520. In step S519, a 0.5 - second wait is performed, but the wait time may be set as appropriate. That is, before the determination in step S520, in steps S512 to S519, three pressing operations are performed.

[0065] In step S520, it is determined whether the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume. If the determination result is Yes, that is, when the ink in the ink bag 111 is extruded by the three pressing operations in steps S512 to S519 and the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined volume, the process proceeds to step S521.

[0066] In step S521, the rotation cam 162 is rotated half a turn from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, and the pressing performed in step S518 is released. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S529. After displaying that there is ink on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S599).

[0067] If the determination result in step S520 is No, that is, if the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 does not become equal to or greater than the predetermined volume even after the three pressing operations in steps S512 to S519 are performed, the process proceeds to step S522. If the ink in the ink bag 111 is hardly extruded toward the ink storage chamber 130 even after the three pressing operations are performed, the remaining ink amount in the ink bag 111 is in a state of being reduced. The amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111 at this time is 100 ml to 150 ml.

[0068] In step S522, similar to step S521, the pressing of the ink bag 111 is released. Thereafter, in step S523, the ink remaining amount low flag is turned on. In step S524, similar to step S423 of the first embodiment, soft counting to the soft counter is started. At this time, the remaining amount of 100 ml is stored in the soft counter. When step S524 ends, the process proceeds to step S525. After displaying that the ink remaining amount is low on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, the ink remaining amount detection sequence is terminated (step S599).

[0069] After the ink remaining amount detection sequence ends, if an operation involving ink consumption is executed, the ink consumption amount at that time is calculated by software counting, and the count value of the software counter is updated from the previously stored value to the value obtained by subtracting the calculated value.

[0070] If the result of the determination in step S501 is No, that is, if the ink remaining amount low flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S531 and the processes after step S531 are executed. More specifically, the processes of steps S531 to S543 are executed. However, since the processes of steps S531 to S543 are the same as the processes of steps S431 to S443 in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0071] Note that when an operation involving ink consumption is executed after the ink remaining amount detection sequence ends, before the start of the operation, it is confirmed whether the ink consumption amount by the operation exceeds the count value of the software counter. If it exceeds, the operation is not started. Also, the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000 of the present invention performs a display indicating that there is no remaining ink.

[0072] As described above, when the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the second embodiment is adopted, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 can be further predicted more accurately than when the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the first embodiment is used. The specific effects will be described below.

[0073] When only software counting is used, the maximum value of the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 when the display indicating no remaining ink is performed is 301 ml, the same as in the first embodiment. This is approximately 30% of the amount of ink, about 1,000 ml, stored in the new ink pack 110.

[0074] On the other hand, in step S523 of the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the second embodiment, when it is detected that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 has decreased, the amount of ink remaining in the ink bag 111 is, as described above, 100 ml to 150 ml. At this time, the soft counter stores a remaining amount of 100 ml. That is, from this time on, the amount of ink consumable in the soft count is, as in the case of the first embodiment, when the amount is the smallest, 100 ml - 7 ml = 93 ml. Note that also in the recording apparatus 1000 in the second embodiment, among the operations that cannot be immediately stopped in the middle, the ink consumption amount of the operation with the largest ink consumption amount is 7 ml, the same as in the first embodiment.

[0075] Also, similar to the first embodiment, when the soft count value counts the above 93 ml, the amount of ink actually consumed, when the amount is the smallest, is 93 ml ÷ 1.15 × 0.85 = 69 ml. Also, in the second embodiment, when it is detected that the remaining ink amount in the ink pack 110 has decreased, there may be 150 ml of ink remaining in the ink bag 111. Therefore, in the ink supply device in the second embodiment, the amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 when the ink remaining amount is not displayed is, when the amount is the largest, 150 ml - 69 ml = 81 ml. Here, 81 ml is about 8% of the amount of ink stored in the new ink pack 110, which is about 1,000 ml.

[0076] As described above, when the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the second embodiment is used, the maximum amount of ink remaining in the ink pack 110 when the ink remaining amount is not displayed can be further reduced compared to the case where the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, in the first embodiment, where there is a possibility that about 13% of the ink remains with respect to the storage amount in the new ink pack 110, it can be reduced to about 8%, and the remaining amount of ink in the ink pack 110 can be calculated more appropriately.

[0077] (Third Embodiment) Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that descriptions of configurations similar to those of the first and second embodiments will be omitted.

[0078] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a recording apparatus 1000 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 6, those denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same elements as in FIG. 1, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, pigment ink is used as the ink accommodated in the ink bag 111 and supplied to the recording head 10. Since the pigment ink contains a pigment component, if left standing, the pigment will settle and unevenness will occur in the pigment concentration of the ink. If recording on a recording medium is performed by the recording head 10 in a state where there is unevenness in the pigment concentration of the ink, the image quality may be affected, and it is required to make the pigment concentration of the ink uniform.

[0079] The recording apparatus 1000 in the present embodiment includes an on-off valve 601 provided in the first ink supply channel 122 and capable of closing the first ink supply channel 122. Here, FIG. 6 shows a case where the on-off valve 601 does not close the first ink supply channel 122.

[0080] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an ink agitation sequence in the present embodiment. The ink agitation sequence is performed when the power of the recording apparatus 1000 is turned on and at regular intervals, and here it is executed every 4 hours (however, except when the power is off and during operations such as printing and recovery operations). When the ink agitation sequence starts (step S700), first, it proceeds to step S701 to determine whether the ink remaining amount low flag is off. Here, the on / off state of the ink remaining amount low flag is switched by the ink remaining amount detection sequence in the first or second embodiment.

[0081] If the determination result in step S701 is Yes, that is, if the ink remaining amount low flag is off and the ink remaining amount low display is being performed on the display unit of the recording apparatus 1000, the process proceeds to step S702. In step S702, it is determined whether the elapsed time since the end of the previous agitation operation (details will be described later) is 480 hours, that is, 20 days or more. If the determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to step S703.

[0082] In step S703, the on-off valve 601 is closed and the first ink supply passage 122 is blocked. When the first ink supply passage 122 is blocked, the process proceeds to step S704 and an agitation operation is performed for 2 minutes. Specifically, after rotating the rotation cam 162 once, an operation of waiting for 0.5 seconds is repeated about 80 times. By repeating this pressing operation and pressing release operation on the ink bag 111, the ink in the ink bag 111 is agitated, and the unevenness of the pigment concentration in the ink bag 111 due to the sedimentation of the pigment is eliminated. The time required for the rotation cam 162 to make one rotation is 1 second. The wait time and the rotation speed of the rotation cam 162 may be set as appropriate.

[0083] When step S704 ends, the process proceeds to step S705 and the on-off valve 601 is opened. That is, the blockage of the first ink supply passage 122 is released. Then, in step S706, after storing the end time of the agitation operation in step S704 in the NVRAM 204, the ink agitation sequence ends (step S799).

[0084] If the determination result in step S702 is No, that is, if the elapsed time since the end of the previous stirring operation is less than 480 hours, the process proceeds to step S710. In step S710, it is determined whether the elapsed time since the end of the previous stirring operation is 240 hours or more, that is, 10 days or more. If the determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to step S711. In step S711, when the on-off valve 601 is closed, the process proceeds to step S712, and a stirring operation similar to that in step S704 is performed for about 1 minute. After that, in step S713, the on-off valve 601 is opened, and after the end time of the stirring operation in step S712 is stored in step S714, the ink stirring sequence is terminated (step S799).

[0085] If the determination result in step S710 is No, that is, if the elapsed time since the end of the previous stirring operation is less than 240 hours, the process proceeds to step S720. In step S720, it is determined whether the elapsed time since the end of the previous stirring operation is 120 hours or more, that is, 5 days or more. If the determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to step S721. Then, in step S721, after the on-off valve 601 is closed, the process proceeds to step S722, and a stirring operation similar to the above is performed for about 30 seconds. After that, in step S723, the on-off valve 601 is opened, and after the end time of the stirring operation in step S722 is stored in step S724, the ink stirring sequence is terminated (step S799).

[0086] If the determination result in step S720 is No, that is, if the elapsed time since the end of the previous stirring operation is less than 120 hours, the ink stirring sequence is terminated as it is (step S799). Note that the times serving as the respective determination criteria in steps S702, S710, and S720 may be appropriately changed according to the properties of the ink, the capacity of the ink pack 110, and the environment such as the temperature. Further, the times for continuing the stirring operation in steps S704, S712, and S722 may be similarly changed as appropriate.

[0087] If the result of the determination in step S701 is No, that is, if the ink remaining amount low flag is on, the ink stirring sequence is terminated (step S799) without performing stirring or the like. This is because when the ink remaining amount low flag is on, as shown in Fig. 3(c), the height of the ink bag 111 in the gravitational direction is low, and even if the pigment settles, the unevenness of the pigment concentration in the ink bag 111 does not significantly affect the recording by the recording head 10.

[0088] As described above, in the recording apparatus 1000 according to the present embodiment, when 5 days have elapsed since the end of the previous stirring operation and the power of the recording apparatus 1000 is on, a stirring operation for 30 seconds is performed. However, as described above, this is not the case when the ink remaining amount low flag is on. Also, when an operation such as printing or a recovery operation is being performed at that time, the stirring operation is performed after the end of the operation. Further, when the ink pack 110 is replaced, instead of the elapsed time since the end of the previous stirring operation, the elapsed time from the time of replacement is used for the determination in step 702, step 710, and step 720.

[0089] The 1-minute stirring operation is performed depending on the timing of the previous stirring operation, but when the power of the recording apparatus 1000 of Example 3 is off between just over 5 days and just under 10 days, and then the power is turned on. Similarly, the 2-minute stirring operation is performed depending on the timing of the previous stirring operation, when the power is off between just over 15 days and just under 20 days, and then the power is turned on.

[0090] According to the above configuration, even when the ink bag 111 contains pigment ink in which one component in the ink easily settles, by performing the stirring operation, the pigment concentration in the ink can be made uniform, and the influence on the recording by the recording head 10 can be reduced.

[0091] (Other Embodiments) In the configuration of the recording apparatus 1000 according to the first to third embodiments described above, a detection sensor mainly composed of a photointerrupter is used as a sensor for detecting whether or not the volume of the ink storage chamber 130 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and other detection sensors such as those that measure electrical resistance and detect contact or non-contact between electrodes may be used.

[0092] Also, in the configuration of the recording apparatus 1000 according to the first to third embodiments, a pressing mechanism mainly composed of a pressing plate 161, a rotating cam 162, and a pressing release spring 163 is employed as pressing means for pressing the ink bag 111 from the outside. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and it is also possible to adopt a form of pressing means such as pressing the ink bag by applying air pressure from the outside of the ink bag 111.

[0093] Further, the present invention is applicable to apparatuses that consume liquids other than recording apparatuses, and is also applicable to apparatuses that consume liquids that do not contain coloring materials such as reaction liquids, in addition to ink, as the liquid.

[0094] Note that the present invention can also adopt the following configurations (1) to (6).

[0095] (1) A deformable liquid container that stores a liquid to be supplied to a liquid discharge head that discharges the liquid onto a recording medium, A liquid supply flow path for supplying the liquid from the liquid container to the liquid discharge head, A liquid storage chamber provided in the liquid supply flow path, through which the liquid flows from the liquid container to the liquid discharge head due to a change in volume, Liquid drawing means for expanding the volume of the liquid storage chamber by decompressing the space outside the liquid storage chamber and drawing the liquid from the liquid container into the liquid storage chamber, Pressing means for pressing the liquid container from the outside, When the volume of the liquid storage chamber when the pressing means presses the liquid container is less than a predetermined amount, a first display is performed on the display unit, and when the volume of the liquid storage chamber when the liquid drawing means decompresses the space is less than a predetermined amount, a second display is performed on the display unit. Control means for controlling; A configuration of a liquid supply device, characterized in that it comprises.

[0096] (2) The first display is a display indicating that the amount of liquid contained in the liquid container is small, and the second display is a display indicating that there is no liquid contained in the liquid container. A configuration of the liquid supply device according to (1).

[0097] (3) The pressing means is displaceable between a pressing position for pressing and deforming the liquid container and a pressing release position for not pressing the liquid container. A configuration of the liquid supply device according to (1) or (2).

[0098] (4) Detection means for receiving light emitted from a light emitting unit by a light receiving unit is provided, the liquid storage chamber is provided with a light shielding unit that is displaced according to a change in volume, and the detection means is configured such that the light shielding unit blocks the light emitted from the light emitting unit as the volume of the liquid storage chamber expands. A configuration of the liquid supply device according to any one of (1) to (3), characterized in that it detects that the volume of the liquid storage chamber is equal to or more than a predetermined amount.

[0099] (5) The pressing means repeatedly displaces between the pressing position and the pressing release position to stir the liquid contained in the liquid container. A configuration of the liquid supply device according to (3).

[0100] (6) When the first display is being performed on the display unit by the control means, the stirring is not performed. A configuration of the liquid supply device according to (5).

Explanation of reference numerals

[0101] 10 Recording head 130 Ink reservoir 131 Flexible part 141 Drawing pump 110 Ink pack 111 Ink bag

Claims

1. A liquid container that stores a liquid to be supplied to a liquid ejection head that ejects the liquid onto a recording medium, the liquid container being deformable; A liquid supply passage for supplying the liquid from the liquid container to the liquid ejection head; A liquid storage chamber provided in the liquid supply passage, through which the liquid flows from the liquid container to the liquid ejection head due to a change in volume; Liquid drawing means for expanding the volume of the liquid storage chamber by depressurizing the space outside the liquid storage chamber and drawing the liquid from the liquid container into the liquid storage chamber; Pressing means for pressing the liquid container from the outside; Control means for performing a first display on a display unit when the volume of the liquid storage chamber is less than a predetermined amount while the pressing means is pressing the liquid container, and performing a second display on the display unit when the volume of the liquid storage chamber is less than a predetermined amount while the liquid drawing means is depressurizing the space. A liquid supply device comprising the above is provided.

2. The liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the first display indicates that the amount of liquid stored in the liquid container is small, and the second display indicates that there is no liquid stored in the liquid container.

3. The liquid supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressing means is displaceable between a pressing position for pressing and deforming the liquid container and a pressing release position for not pressing the liquid container.

4. The liquid supply device according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for receiving light emitted from a light emitting unit by a light receiving unit, wherein the liquid storage chamber includes a light shielding portion that is displaced according to a change in volume, and the detection means detects that the volume of the liquid storage chamber is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount when the light shielding portion blocks the light emitted from the light emitting unit according to an expansion of the volume of the liquid storage chamber.

5. The liquid supply device according to claim 3, wherein the liquid stored in the liquid container is agitated by repeatedly displacing the pressing means between the pressing position and the pressing release position.

6. The liquid supply device according to claim 5, wherein the agitation is not performed when the first display is being performed on the display unit by the control means.

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