Liquid dispensing device

Abstract

This invention provides a means to reduce the overestimation of the amount of liquid that evaporates from a liquid recovery container when a liquid recovery container that has already been in use is attached to a liquid dispensing device. [Solution] If the controller 130 finds that the first identification information stored in the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50 is different from the second identification information of its own device (Step S203: Yes), and the waste ink tank 50 is not new (Step S205: No), it stores the current count value TK of the real-time clock 136 as the count value T1 of the previous discharge process. The controller 130 calculates the amount of waste ink evaporated from the waste ink tank 50, using the period from the count value T1 of the previous discharge process to the current discharge process as the evaporation period. The controller 130 uses the amount of waste ink evaporated to calculate the first cumulative purge amount C of waste ink stored in the waste ink tank 50.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects liquid.

Background Art

[0002] The inkjet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 collects and accumulates waste ink generated by head cleaning processing. The inkjet recording apparatus can back up a real-time clock when the power is off. The inkjet recording apparatus receives timestamp information from a personal computer. The inkjet recording apparatus sets, as a first condition, that the time during which the power is off exceeds the backup-capable time. The inkjet recording apparatus sets, as a second condition, that the timestamp information has not been received after the power is turned on.

[0003] The inkjet recording apparatus determines that the elapsed cleaning time is indefinite if both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. On the condition that the elapsed cleaning time is determined to be indefinite, the inkjet recording apparatus calculates the accumulated amount of waste ink. To calculate the accumulated amount of waste ink, the inkjet recording apparatus uses a time obtained by adding the backup-capable time to the time that has elapsed since the power was turned on.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The liquid collected in the liquid recovery container through discharge processes such as suction and discharge from the head contains evaporative components. Over time, these evaporative components evaporate from the liquid recovery container, reducing its liquid capacity. The liquid capacity of the liquid recovery container is determined by adding the amount of liquid collected in the container through discharge processes and subtracting the amount of evaporative components that evaporate over time.

[0006] In a liquid discharge device that manages the elapsed time since the last discharge treatment in order to calculate the amount of liquid evaporation from a liquid recovery container, it is conceivable that a liquid recovery container previously used in a different liquid discharge device may be installed in place of the liquid recovery container currently in use. Nevertheless, if, for example, the previously managed elapsed time is used, there is a risk that the elapsed time will be overestimated compared to when the container was used in the other liquid discharge device. As a result, there is a risk that the amount of evaporation will be overestimated and calculated. If the amount of evaporation is calculated to be overestimated compared to the actual amount of evaporation, problems may occur such as liquid overflowing from the liquid recovery container during discharge treatment that is performed because it was judged that the liquid could be stored in the liquid recovery container.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a means to reduce overestimation of the amount of liquid that evaporates from a liquid recovery container when a liquid recovery container that has already been used is attached to a liquid dispensing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The liquid dispensing device according to this disclosure comprises a dispensing unit for dispensing liquid, a housing to which a containment container capable of containing the liquid discharged from the dispensing unit by a discharge process is mounted, and a controller. The discharge process is a process of dispensing liquid from the dispensing unit. The controller is configured to execute the discharge process and calculate the amount of evaporation of the liquid contained in the containment container based on a first elapsed time since the execution of the discharge process. After the containment container is removed from the housing, the controller determines whether the containment container, which is not new, has been mounted in the housing. Based on the determination that the containment container, which is not new, has been mounted in the housing, the controller calculates the amount of evaporation.

[0009] The controller described above is configured to calculate the evaporation amount without taking into account the first elapsed time until it is determined that the non-new containment container has been installed in the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this disclosure, when a liquid recovery container that has already been used is attached to a liquid dispensing device, it is possible to reduce the tendency to overestimate the amount of liquid that evaporates from the liquid recovery container. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an external perspective view of printer 10. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the printer 10. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the recording head 34, the cap 71, and the waste ink tank 50. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of printer 10. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the discharge treatment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the calculation process for the first cumulative purge amount C according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7]Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing at power-on according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing at power-on according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating calculation processing of a first cumulative purge amount C according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing at power-on according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating calculation processing of a first cumulative purge amount C according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating processing at shutdown according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating processing at power-on according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating calculation processing of a first cumulative purge amount C according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating processing upon user operation according to the sixth embodiment. [Modes for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described as appropriate with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely specific examples of the present disclosure, and the embodiments may be modified as appropriate within a range that does not alter the gist of the present disclosure.

[0013] The vertical direction is defined based on the state where the printer 10 is installed in a usable state (the state in Figure 1). The front-rear direction is defined with the direction in which the paper feed tray 23 of the printer 10 is pulled out as the front. The left-right direction is defined when the printer 10 is viewed from the front.

[0014] [First Embodiment] As shown in Figure 1, the printer 10 includes a housing 20, an operation unit 21, a cover 22, a paper feed tray 23, and a paper discharge tray 24. The printer 10 is an example of a liquid ejection apparatus. The operation unit 21 includes a liquid crystal display and a plurality of operation buttons. The operation unit 21 is an example of an input unit. The printer 10 includes a waste ink tank 50, an ink tank 70, and a memory 140. The waste ink tank 50 is an example of a storage container. As shown in Figure 4, the printer 10 includes a controller 130.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the paper feed tray 23 is located at the lower part of the housing 20. The paper discharge tray 24 is located at the lower part of the housing 20 and above the paper feed tray 23. The cover 22 is located on the right portion of the front face of the housing 20. The cover 22 is rotatable relative to the housing 20 at its lower end. When the cover 22 is opened, the waste ink tank 50 and the ink tank 70 are accessible.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the printer 10 includes a feed roller 25, a transport roller 26, a discharge roller 27, a platen 28, and a recording head 34. As shown in Figure 4, the printer 10 includes a carriage 40, a piezoelectric element 45, a transport motor 101, a feed motor 102, and a carriage drive motor 103. The printer 10 includes a cap drive motor 104. As shown in Figure 2, the feed roller 25 is rotatably supported by an arm 29. The arm 29 is rotatably supported by a frame.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the feed roller 25 abuts on the sheet 6 placed on the paper feed tray 23. As shown in Figure 4, the drive of the feed motor 102 is transmitted to rotate the feed roller 25. As shown in Figure 2, when the feed roller 25 rotates, the sheet 6 is fed from the paper feed tray 23 to the transport path 37. The transport roller 26 and the first driven roller 35 are located downstream of the paper feed tray 23 in the transport direction of the sheet 6. The first driven roller 35 sandwiches the sheet 6 between itself and the transport roller 26 by the biasing force of a spring.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, the drive from the transport motor 101 is transmitted, causing the transport roller 26 to rotate. As a result, the sheet 6 is transported in the transport direction. As shown in Figure 2, the discharge roller 27 and the second driven roller 36 are located downstream of the transport roller 26 in the transport direction. As shown in Figure 2, the second driven roller 36, by the biasing force of a spring, clamps the sheet 6 between itself and the discharge roller 27. As shown in Figure 4, the drive from the transport motor 101 is transmitted, causing the discharge roller 27 to rotate.

[0019] As a result, the sheet 6 is transported in the transport direction. As shown in Figure 2, the platen 28 is located between the transport roller 26 and the discharge roller 27 in the front-rear direction. The upper surface of the platen 28 supports the sheet 6. The recording head 34 is located between the transport roller 26 and the discharge roller 27 in the front-rear direction. The recording head 34 is located above the platen 28.

[0020] The recording head 34 is mounted on a carriage 40. The carriage 40 is supported so as to be movable by guide rails that extend along the left-right direction. The carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction by the drive transmitted from the carriage drive motor 103. As the carriage 40 moves, the recording head 34 moves along the left-right direction. The recording head 34 is movable to a maintenance position outside the conveying range of the sheet 6 in the left-right direction.

[0021] The recording head 34 is an example of an ejection unit. As shown in Figure 2, the recording head 34 is supplied with ink from the ink tank 70 through the tube 31. The ink supplied from the ink tank 70 is, for example, water-based ink. Water-based ink contains water-soluble organic solvents and evaporated components such as water, and residual components such as resin fine particles and colorants.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the lower surface of the recording head 34 is the nozzle surface 33A. Multiple nozzles 33 open on the nozzle surface 33A. When the piezoelectric element 45 corresponding to each nozzle 33 is driven, ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle 33.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the cap 71 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The cap 71 is located below the recording head 34 in the maintenance position. The cap 71 has a cup shape that opens upward. The cap 71 is movable vertically by the drive transmitted from the cap drive motor 104. The cap 71 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 33A of the recording head 34 in the maintenance position and covers the openings of all the nozzles 33.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, an outlet 80 is located at the bottom of the cap 71. The outlet 80 is connected to the waste ink tank 50 through the waste ink tube 71A. The waste ink tank 50 is an example of a container. The internal space of the waste ink tube 71A is permeable to fluid flow. A pump 77 is attached to the waste ink tube 71A.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the pump 77 is, for example, a rotary tube pump. The pump 77 is driven by the transport motor 101. When the pump 77 is driven, the internal space of the cap 71 becomes negative pressure. As a result, ink is drawn out from each nozzle 33 of the recording head 34. In other words, the recording head 34 is purged by suction.

[0026] The extracted ink and foreign matter constitute waste ink. The waste ink is discharged into the waste ink tank through waste ink tube 71A. The composition of the waste ink is consistent with that of water-based ink. The waste ink contains evaporated components such as water-soluble organic solvents and water, as well as residual components such as resin particles and colorants. Waste ink is an example of a liquid.

[0027] The waste ink tank 50 is detachably mounted on the housing 20. When the waste ink tank 50 is mounted on the housing 20, it is connected to the waste ink tube 71A, and when it is removed from the housing 20, it is removed from the waste ink tube 71A. The waste ink tank 50 is capable of containing waste ink discharged from the recording head 34. The waste ink tank 50 is equipped with a first EEPROM 51. As shown in Figure 4, the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50 is electrically connected to the ASIC 135 of the controller 130 via an electrical contact 51A. The first EEPROM 51 is an example of a first memory.

[0028] The first EEPROM 51 stores the first cumulative purge amount C, the second evaporation amount D, and the container capacity F. The first cumulative purge amount C is the amount of waste liquid contained in the waste ink tank 50. The second evaporation amount D is the amount of evaporation from the first cumulative purge amount C. The container capacity F is the capacity of the waste ink tank 50. The threshold J is a threshold for determining whether the first cumulative purge amount C has reached a level where a message prompting replacement of the waste ink tank 50 should be displayed.

[0029] The controller 130 controls various operations of the printer 10. The controller 130 calculates the amount of evaporation of the liquid contained in the waste ink tank 50 based on the first elapsed time since the start of the waste ink discharge process. As shown in Figure 4, the controller 130 comprises a CPU 131, an ASIC 135, and a real-time clock 136. The real-time clock 136 periodically increments a count value. The memory 140 comprises a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and a second EEPROM 134.

[0030] The CPU 131, ROM 132, RAM 133, second EEPROM 134, ASIC 135, and real-time clock 136 are connected by an internal bus 137. The second EEPROM 134 is an example of a second memory. ROM 132 stores programs for controlling various operations of the printer 10. RAM 133 is used as a temporary storage area for data and signals used by the CPU 131 when executing programs, or as a work area for data processing. RAM 133 stores a new flag, which is an integer flag data. When the flag data is set, it has a boolean value of 1, representing true, and when reset, it has a boolean value of 0, representing false.

[0031] The second EEPROM 134 stores settings and flags that should be retained even after the printer 10 is powered off. The second EEPROM 134 stores the purge amount A for the discharge process, the second evaporation amount D, the evaporation rate V, the discharge process execution cycle S, and the count value T1 of the previous discharge process. The second EEPROM 134 also stores the evaporation ratio r.

[0032] The second evaporation amount D is the amount of evaporation contained in the waste ink stored in the waste ink tank 50. The evaporation rate V is the amount of waste ink that evaporates per unit time. The purge amount A of the discharge process is a predetermined amount of waste ink discharged in one discharge process. The discharge process execution cycle S is the period of the discharge process, expressed as the count value of the real-time clock 136. The discharge process may be performed when the printer 10 is powered on or when the ink tank 70 is replaced. The count value T1 of the previous discharge process is the count value of the real-time clock 136 when the discharge process was last performed.

[0033] The evaporation ratio r is the proportion of evaporated matter contained in the waste ink. The proportion of evaporated matter contained in the ink is also the evaporation ratio r.

[0034] The ASIC135 incorporates drive circuits for a transport motor 101, a feeding motor 102, a carriage drive motor 103, and a cap drive motor 104. Each drive circuit is connected to its respective motor. The CPU 131 outputs drive signals for each motor to its respective drive circuit according to the program. Each drive circuit outputs a drive current to the corresponding motor according to the drive signal input from the CPU 131. Specifically, the controller 130 drives the feeding motor 102 to feed the sheets 6 into the transport path 37.

[0035] The controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to transport the sheet 6 to the transport roller 26 and discharge roller 27, and to suck up the waste ink with the pump 77. The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40. The controller 130 drives the cap drive motor 104 to move the cap 71 vertically. A piezoelectric element 45 is electrically connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 drives the piezoelectric element 45 to selectively eject ink droplets from multiple nozzles 33.

[0036] The ASIC135 is connected to the control unit 21. The ASIC135 receives a signal from the control unit 21 indicating that a button has been pressed. The ASIC135 outputs display data to the control unit 21 indicating what should be displayed on the liquid crystal display. For example, the ASIC135 displays a message on the liquid crystal display prompting the user to replace the waste ink tank 50.

[0037] [Disposal treatment] The controller 130 periodically performs the ejection process. As shown in Figure 5, in step S1, the controller 130 obtains the current count value TK of the real-time clock 136. In step S2, the controller 130 reads the count value T1 of the previous ejection process from the second EEPROM 134. When performing the first ejection process, the count value of the initial introduction process may be used instead of the count value T1 of the previous ejection process. The count value of the initial introduction process is stored in the second EEPROM 134 during the initial introduction process.

[0038] In step S3, the controller 130 calculates the elapsed time T by subtracting the count value T1 from the current count value TK, as shown in Equation 1. T = TK - T1 …(Formula 1) In step S4, the controller 130 reads the discharge processing cycle S from the second EEPROM 134.

[0039] If the elapsed time T is equal to or greater than the ejection cycle S, the controller 130 responds "Yes" in step S5 and proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the controller 130 performs the ejection process. The controller may also perform the ejection process at other times, such as when the printer 10 is turned on or when the ink tank 70 is replaced. During the ejection process, the controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the recording head 34 to the maintenance position. Then, the controller 130 drives the cap drive motor 104 to tightly attach the cap 71 to the nozzle surface 33A of the recording head 34.

[0040] The controller 130 then drives the transport motor 101 to operate the pump 77. As a result, the internal space of the cap 71 is depressurized, and ink and foreign matter are drawn out from the nozzle 33. The ink and foreign matter discharged from the recording head 34 flow from the internal space of the cap 71 through the waste ink tube 71A into the waste ink tank 50. The controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 for a predetermined time and then stops it. Since the time for which the pump 77 operates in the discharge process is predetermined, the amount of waste ink that flows into the waste ink tank 50 in the discharge process is also predetermined as the purge amount A.

[0041] In step S7, the controller 130 performs the calculation of the first cumulative purge amount C. The controller 130 performs the calculation of the first cumulative purge amount C as a subroutine. After completing step S7, the controller 130 proceeds to step S1. If the elapsed time T is less than the discharge treatment execution cycle S, the controller 130 returns No in step S5 and proceeds to step S1.

[0042] [Calculation process for the first cumulative purge amount C] In the first cumulative purge amount C calculation process, the controller 130 executes the process shown in Figure 6. In step S101, the controller 130 reads the purge amount A and the evaporation ratio r for one discharge process from the second EEPROM 134. In step S102, the controller 130 calculates the first evaporation amount B by multiplying the current purge amount A by the evaporation ratio r, as shown in Equation 2. The first evaporation amount B is the amount of evaporation in the purged ink. B = A × r…(Formula 2)

[0043] In step S103, the controller 130 reads the new item flag from RAM 133. If the waste ink tank 50 is new, the new item flag is set. As a result, step S103 is answered with Yes, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S116.

[0044] In step S116, the controller 130 stores the first evaporation amount B as the second evaporation amount D in the first EEPROM 51. In step S117, the controller 130 stores the purge amount A as a new first cumulative purge amount C in the first EEPROM 51. In step S118, the controller 130 resets the new unit and proceeds to step S112.

[0045] If the waste ink tank 50 is not new, the new flag is reset. As a result, step S103 becomes No, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the controller 130 reads the evaporation rate V of the evaporated portion from the second EEPROM 134. In step S105, the controller 130 calculates the amount of evaporation E at elapsed time T by multiplying the evaporation rate V by the elapsed time T, as shown in equation 3. E = V × T…(Formula 3) The elapsed time T is the elapsed time T calculated in step S3 of Figure 5.

[0046] The elapsed time T is an example of the first and second elapsed times. As detailed in Figure 7, the waste ink tank 50 that was installed in the printer 10 at the time of the previous waste ink discharge process is referred to as waste ink tank 50A. The waste ink tank 50 that was installed in the printer 10 at the time of the current waste ink discharge process is referred to as waste ink tank 50B. The elapsed time T when waste ink tank 50A and waste ink tank 50B are the same is an example of the first elapsed time. The elapsed time T when waste ink tank 50A and waste ink tank 50B are not the same, and waste ink tank 50B is not new is an example of the second elapsed time.

[0047] In step S106, the controller 130 reads the second evaporation amount D from the first EEPROM 51. The second evaporation amount D is the amount of evaporation contained in the waste ink during the previous discharge process. Note that the evaporation amount E is the amount of the second evaporation amount D that evaporated during the elapsed time T, so the evaporation amount E cannot exceed the second evaporation amount D. For this reason, if the evaporation amount E calculated by Equation 3 exceeds the second evaporation amount D, the second evaporation amount D is used as the evaporation amount E.

[0048] In step S107, the controller 130 calculates the third evaporation amount D1 by subtracting the evaporation amount E from the second evaporation amount D and adding the first evaporation amount B, as shown in Equation 4. D1 = D - E + B…(Formula 4) In step S108, the controller 130 stores the third evaporation amount D1 as a new second evaporation amount D in the first EEPROM 51. In step S109, the controller 130 reads the first cumulative purge amount C from the first EEPROM 51. In step S110, the controller 130 subtracts the evaporation amount E from the first cumulative purge amount C and adds the purge amount A, as shown in Equation 5, to obtain the second cumulative purge amount C1. C1 = C - E + A …(Equation 5)

[0049] In step S111, the controller 130 stores the second cumulative purge amount C1 as a new first cumulative purge amount C. The second cumulative purge amount C1 is stored in the first EEPROM 51. In step S112, the controller 130 stores the current count value TK as the count value T1 of the previous discharge process in the second EEPROM 134. In step S113, the controller 130 reads the threshold J of the second cumulative purge amount C1 from the second EEPROM 134.

[0050] If the second cumulative purge amount C1 is greater than or equal to the threshold J, the controller 130 responds "Yes" in step S114 and proceeds to step S115. In step S115, the controller 130 displays a message on the liquid crystal display of the operation unit 21 prompting the replacement of the waste ink tank 50. After processing in step S115, the controller 130 returns to the higher-level routine. If the second cumulative purge amount C1 is less than the threshold J, the controller 130 responds "No" in step S114 and returns to the higher-level routine. After returning to the higher-level routine, the controller 130 proceeds to step S1 as shown in Figure 5.

[0051] [Processing when power is turned on] The waste ink tank 50 is replaced while the printer 10 is powered off. When the printer 10 is powered on, the controller 130 executes the process shown in Figure 7. In step S201, the controller 130 reads the first identification information F1 from the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50. The first identification information F1 is the identification information of the printer 10 in which the waste ink tank 50 was installed. In step S202, the controller 130 reads the second identification information F2 from the second EEPROM 134 of the printer 10. The second identification information F2 is the identification information of the printer 10 in which the waste ink tank 50 is installed.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7, the controller 130 compares the first identification information F1 with the second identification information F2. If the first identification information F1 and the second identification information F2 match, the response is Yes in step S203 and the process ends. This is because if the first identification information F1 and the second identification information F2 match, it means that the waste ink tank 50 has not been replaced. If the first identification information F1 and the second identification information F2 do not match, the response is No in step S203 and the controller 130 proceeds to step S204.

[0053] In step S204, the controller 130 reads the third identification information F3 from the second EEPROM 134. The third identification information F3 is the identification information stored in the first EEPROM 51 of the new waste ink tank 50. The controller 130 compares the first identification information F1 with the third identification information F3. If the waste ink tank 50 is new, the first identification information F1 and the third identification information F3 will match. Therefore, the answer in step S205 is Yes, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S206.

[0054] In step S206, the controller 130 sets the new item flag in RAM 133. If the waste ink tank 50 is not new, the first identification information and the third identification information will not match, resulting in a "No" in step S205, so the controller 130 proceeds to step S207. In step S207, the controller 130 resets the new item flag.

[0055] In step S208, the controller 130 obtains the current count value TK from the real-time clock 136. In step S209, the controller 130 stores the current count value TK in the second EEPROM 134 as the count value T1 of the previous ejection process. In step S210, the controller 130 stores the second identification information F2 in the first EEPROM 51 as the first identification information F1, and terminates the process.

[0056] [Effects and Effects] In this embodiment, when a used waste ink tank 50 that was previously used in another printer 10 is installed, the count value TK at the time of installation is set to the count value T1 from the previous waste ink discharge process. Therefore, the elapsed time until it is determined that the waste ink tank 50 has been installed in the printer 10 is not taken into account when calculating the amount of evaporation. In other words, when calculating the elapsed time, the count value from when the previous waste ink discharge process was performed in the printer 10 is not used. As a result, T used in Equation 3 is the elapsed time since the waste ink tank 50 was installed in the housing 20. Consequently, overestimation of the amount of waste ink evaporated in the waste ink tank 50 is reduced.

[0057] [Second Embodiment] In this embodiment, an example is described in which the previous waste ink discharge time is stored in the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50. The previous waste ink discharge time T2 is data consisting of the date and time when the previous waste ink discharge was performed by another printer 10. The controller 130 according to this embodiment executes the process shown in Figure 8 when the printer 10 is powered on. The processes from steps S301 to S307 in Figure 8 are the same as the processes from steps S201 to S207 in Figure 7. The process in step S311 in Figure 8 is the same as the process in step S210 in Figure 7.

[0058] As shown in Figure 8, in step S308, the controller 130 reads the previous discharge processing time T2 from the first EEPROM 51. In step S310, the controller 130 converts the previous discharge processing time T2 into a count value T3 of the real-time clock 136. The controller 130 stores the reference time and the count value of the reference time. The controller 130 calculates the count value T3 by adding a count number corresponding to the time difference between the previous discharge processing time T2 and the reference time to the count value of the reference time. In step S310, the controller 130 stores the count value T3 of the previous discharge processing time T2 in the second EEPROM 134 as the count value T1 of the previous discharge processing.

[0059] In this embodiment, the controller 130 executes the process shown in Figure 9 as the calculation process for the first cumulative purge amount C. The process from step S401 to step S412 in Figure 9 corresponds to the process from step S101 to step S112 in Figure 6. The process from step S413 to step S418 in Figure 9 corresponds to the process from step S113 to step S118 in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 9, in step S421, the controller 130 converts the count value TK of the current discharge process into time information T4. In step S422, the controller 130 stores the time information T4 in the first EEPROM 51 as the previous discharge process time T2.

[0060] In Figure 8, prior to step S308, the first identification information F1 and the second identification information F2 do not match, resulting in a "No" in step S303. Therefore, the previous ejection processing time T2 obtained in step S8 is the time stored in the first EEPROM 51 by another device. The other device is a device other than the printer 10 that reads the previous ejection processing time T2 from the first EEPROM 51 in step S308. This other device includes printers 10 other than the printer 10 in question.

[0061] [Effects and Effects] Since the count value of the real-time clock 136 is not guaranteed to be simultaneous among the printers 10, the count value may differ depending on the printer 10 even at the same time. In this embodiment, the first EEPROM 51 stores the count value T3 of the previous discharge process at the time T2. Therefore, the amount of evaporation at the first elapsed time can be calculated accurately using the count value T1 of the previous discharge process. Consequently, the tendency to overestimate the amount of evaporation can be reduced.

[0062] [Third Embodiment] In this embodiment, an example is described in which the time zone related to the time of the previous waste ink discharge is stored in the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50. A time zone is an entire region that uses a common standard time or common time. When indicating the standard time or common time of that region, it is indicated by the difference from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time zone may be stored in the second EEPROM 134 before or after the printer 10 leaves the factory. The printer 10 may not perform any printing operations until the time zone is stored in the second EEPROM 134.

[0063] The time zone is stored in the first EEPROM 51 each time the time of the previous ejection process is recorded. The controller 130 according to this embodiment executes the process shown in Figure 10 when the printer 10 is powered on. The processes from step S501 to step S509 in Figure 10 are the same as the processes from step S301 to step S309 in Figure 8. The processes from steps S510 and S511 in Figure 10 are the same as the processes from steps S310 and S311 in Figure 8.

[0064] As shown in Figure 10, in step S521, the controller 130 reads the first time zone TZ1 from the first EEPROM 51. The first time zone TZ1 is the time difference between the standard time used in the printer 10 where the waste ink tank 50 was previously installed and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). As shown in Figure 10, in step S522, the controller 130 reads the second time zone TZ2 from the second EEPROM 134. The second time zone TZ2 is the time difference between the standard time used in the printer 10 where the waste ink tank 50 is newly installed and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). In other words, the second time zone TZ2 is the time zone of the location where the device is located.

[0065] In step S523, the controller 130 calculates the time difference TD by subtracting the first time zone TZ1 from the second time zone TZ2, as shown in equation 6. TD = TZ2 - TZ1 …(Equation 6) If the time difference TD is 0, step S524 is Yes, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S510. If the time difference TD is not 0, step S524 is No, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S525. In step S525, the controller 130 stores the device's second time zone TZ2 as a new first time zone TZ1 in the first EEPROM 51. In step S526, the controller 130 corrects the time difference TD of the previous discharge processing time T2 to determine the second previous discharge processing time T5.

[0066] In step S527, the controller 130 converts the second previous discharge processing time T5 into a count value T3 and proceeds to step S510. The processing from step S510 onward is the same as the processing from step S310 onward in Figure 8. The "self-device" refers to the printer 10, which reads the second time zone TZ2 from the second EEPROM 134 in step S522.

[0067] [Effects and Variations] According to this embodiment, even if the printers 10 are in different time zones, the time difference can be corrected. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the overestimation of the amount of waste ink that evaporates from the waste ink tank 50 due to the time difference. The time zone of the last waste ink discharge time stored in the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50 may be unified to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

[0068] [Fourth Embodiment] In this embodiment, the time elapsed before removal is stored in the first EEPROM 51 of the waste ink tank 50. The time elapsed before removal is the time from when the last discharge process is performed until the waste ink tank 50 is removed from the printer 10. In the calculation process of the first cumulative purge amount C, the controller 130 according to this embodiment executes the process shown in Figure 11. The process from step S601 to step S603 in Figure 11 corresponds to the process from step S101 to step S103 in Figure 6. The process from step S604 to step S618 in Figure 11 corresponds to the process from step S104 to step S118 in Figure 6.

[0069] As shown in Figure 11, in step S621, the controller 130 reads the count value T6 of the elapsed time before removal from the first EEPROM 51. In step S622, the controller 130 calculates the elapsed time T. Specifically, as shown in Equation 7, the count value T1 of the previous discharge process is subtracted from the current count value TK and the count value T6 of the elapsed time before removal is added. T = TK - T1 + T6…(Equation 7) The elapsed time T is the sum of the second elapsed time (TK-T1) and the elapsed time before removal, T6. In step S623, the controller 130 stores 0 as the count value T6 of the elapsed time before removal in the first EEPROM 51 and proceeds to step S604.

[0070] [Shutdown process] When the power to the printer 10 is turned off, the controller 130 performs the process shown in Figure 12 as a shutdown process. Specifically, in step S701, the controller 130 reads the count value T1 of the previous ejection process from the second EEPROM 134. In step S702, the controller 130 obtains the current count value TK of the real-time clock 136. In step S703, the controller 130 calculates the count value T6 of the elapsed time before ejection, as shown in Equation 8. For this purpose, the count value T1 of the previous ejection process is subtracted from the current count value TK. T6 = TK - T1 …(Equation 8)

[0071] In step S704, the controller 130 stores the count value T6 of the elapsed time before removal in the first EEPROM 51. In this way, the count value T6 of the elapsed time before removal, from the last time the discharge process is performed until the waste ink tank 50 is removed, is stored in the first EEPROM 51. The elapsed time before removal is an example of the third elapsed time.

[0072] [Effects and Effects] In this embodiment, the elapsed time T6 before detachment is included in the elapsed time T, making it possible to accurately estimate the amount of waste ink evaporating from the waste ink tank 50.

[0073] [Fifth Embodiment] In this embodiment, the controller 130 sets the evaporation rate E to 0 with respect to the discharge process immediately after a used waste ink tank 50 is installed. Therefore, the controller 130 in this embodiment executes the process shown in Figure 13 when the printer 10 is powered on. The process from steps S801 to S810 in Figure 13 is the same as the process from steps S201 to S210 in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 13, when a waste ink tank 50 that was used in its own device is installed, the controller 130 returns No in step S803 and proceeds to step S811.

[0074] Controller 130 resets the used flag in step S811 and terminates the process. When a waste ink tank 50 that has already been used is installed, Controller 130 becomes No in step S805 and proceeds to step S807. Controller 130 resets the new flag in step S807. Controller 130 sets the used flag in step S812 and proceeds to step S808. The used flag is an integer flag data. When the flag data is set, it has a boolean value of 1, which represents true, and when it is reset, it has a boolean value of 0, which represents false.

[0075] [Calculation process for the first cumulative purge amount C] In calculating the first cumulative purge amount C, the controller 130 executes the process shown in Figure 14. The processes from steps S901 to S918 in Figure 14 correspond to the processes from steps S101 to S118 in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 14, if the waste ink tank 50 is not new, step S903 is No, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S921. If the waste ink tank 50 has been used in another printer 10, step S921 is Yes, and the controller 130 proceeds to step S922. In step S922, the controller 130 resets the used flag.

[0076] In step S923, the controller 130 sets the evaporation amount E to 0 and proceeds to step S906. Since the used flag is reset in step S922, the evaporation amount E that is set to 0 in step S923 is the evaporation amount E that is calculated first after the determination in step S903.

[0077] [Effects and Effects] In this embodiment, the evaporation rate E is set to 0 when the waste ink tank 50, which has already been used, is installed in the printer 10. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of overestimating the amount of waste ink that evaporates from the waste ink tank 50 with a simple process.

[0078] [Sixth Embodiment] In this embodiment, the controller 130 receives a specification from the user of the printer 10 indicating whether the waste ink tank 50 is new or used. The controller 130 also receives a specification indicating whether the waste ink tank 50 was used in its own device or in another device. As shown in Figure 15, in step S1001, the controller 130 displays an operation screen on the liquid crystal display of the operation unit 21. When the user performs an operation using the operation unit 21, an input signal corresponding to that operation is input from the operation unit 21 to the controller 130. In step S1002, the controller 130 receives the input signal.

[0079] When the controller 130 receives an input signal indicating that the waste ink tank 50 has been replaced, it responds Yes in step 1003 and proceeds to step S1004. When the controller 130 receives an input signal indicating that a new waste ink tank 50 has been installed, it responds Yes in step S1004 and proceeds to step S1005. In step S1005, the controller 130 sets the new flag. When the controller 130 receives an input signal indicating that a non-new waste ink tank 50 has been installed, it responds No in step S1004 and proceeds to step S1006. In step S1006, the controller 130 resets the new flag.

[0080] In step S1007, the controller 130 obtains the current count value TK from the real-time clock 136. In step S1008, the controller 130 stores the current count value TK in the second EEPROM 134 as the count value T1 of the previous ejection process, and terminates the process. Even in this manner, the effects and advantages of the above embodiment are achieved.

[0081] [Differentiation] (1) In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the count value of the real-time clock 136 is used as data representing the timing of the discharge treatment. Instead of the count value, time information may be used. To use time information, the controller 130 may convert the count value of the real-time clock 136 into time information.

[0082] (2) In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the evaporation amount E is calculated using the elapsed time T from the time the power was turned on when a waste ink tank 50 that had been installed in another printer 10 is installed. In addition to this, the evaporation amount E may also be calculated using the elapsed time T from the time the power was turned on when a waste ink tank 50 that had been installed in the device is removed and then reinstalled. The controller 130 determines whether or not a waste ink tank 50 that had been installed in the device has been removed and then reinstalled as follows.

[0083] Each waste ink tank 50 in this modified example is assigned unique identification information. The waste ink tank 50 is identified from other waste ink tanks 50 using its identification information. The waste ink tank 50 stores its identification information in the first EEPROM 51. When the power is turned on, the controller 130 reads the fourth identification information F4 of the installed waste ink tank 50 from the first EEPROM 51 and stores it in the second EEPROM 134. If no waste ink tank 50 is installed when the power is turned on, the controller 130 stores an invalid value as the fourth identification information F4 in the second EEPROM 134.

[0084] If the answer is Yes in step S203 of Figure 7, the controller 130 reads the fourth identification information F4 from the second EEPROM 134. The controller 130 then reads the fifth identification information F5 of the waste ink tank 50 from the first EEPROM 51. If the fourth identification information F4 and the fifth identification information F5 match, the controller 130 determines that the waste ink tank 50 was not removed. If the fourth identification information F4 and the fifth identification information F5 do not match, the controller 130 determines that the installed waste ink tank 50 was removed and then reinstalled.

[0085] (3) The above discharge process may be a flushing process in which ink is discharged toward a flushing foam in the waste ink tank. When the discharge process is a flushing process, the waste ink is absorbed by the flushing foam. The amount of evaporation E of the waste ink absorbed from the flushing foam is calculated as shown in steps S101 to S105 of Figure 6. In step S101, the controller 130 uses the discharge amount of one flushing process instead of the purge amount A of one discharge process.

[0086] (4) In the above embodiment, an example in which the recording head 34 is a serial head has been described, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the recording head 34 may be a line head. The operation unit 21 may be a touch panel. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0087] 10…Printer (liquid ejection device) 20…Cabinet 21...Operation section (input section) 34…Recording head (discharge unit) 50…Waste ink tank (container) 51...1st EEPROM (1st memory) 130... Controller 134...Second EEPROM (Second Memory)

Claims

1. A dispensing section for dispensing liquid, A housing is fitted with a container capable of containing the liquid discharged from the discharge section by the discharge process, Equipped with a controller, The above controller is The above discharge process is performed to discharge the liquid from the above discharge section. The system is configured to calculate the amount of evaporation of the liquid contained in the container based on the first elapsed time since the execution of the above discharge process. The above controller is After the above-mentioned container is removed from the above-mentioned housing, it is determined whether the container, which is not new, has been installed in the above-mentioned housing. A liquid dispensing device configured to calculate the evaporation amount without taking into account the first elapsed time until it is determined that the non-new container has been mounted on the housing.

2. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the evaporation amount based on a second elapsed time since the determination that the non-new container has been mounted on the housing.

3. The above-mentioned storage container has a first memory, The first memory mentioned above stores the time of the previous discharge process when the above discharge process was last performed by another device. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the evaporation amount based on the previous discharge processing time, based on the determination that the non-new containment container has been mounted on the housing.

4. It is equipped with a second memory that stores the time zone of the location where the device is placed, The first memory mentioned above stores the time zone of the previous discharge processing time. The above controller is Based on the time difference between the time zone of the previous discharge processing time and the time zone of the device itself, the previous discharge processing time is corrected. The liquid discharge device according to claim 3, wherein the corrected previous discharge time is used as the execution time of the discharge process to determine the first elapsed time.

5. The above-mentioned storage container has a first memory, The first memory mentioned above stores the third elapsed time from the time the discharge process was last executed until the container was removed from the housing. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the evaporation amount based on the sum of the second elapsed time and the third elapsed time.

6. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the non-new container has been mounted on the housing, and after the determination, the first evaporation amount calculated is set to 0.

7. The above-mentioned storage container has a first memory, The first memory mentioned above stores identification information of the installed liquid dispensing device. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines from the identification information whether the non-new container is mounted on the housing.

8. The liquid dispensing device has a second memory for storing the above identification information, The above controller is The identification information stored in the first memory is compared with the identification information stored in the second memory. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 7, which determines that the non-new container has been mounted on the housing, on the condition that the identification information stored in the first memory is different from the identification information stored in the second memory.

9. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 8, wherein the controller stores the identification information stored in the second memory as the identification information of the liquid dispensing device in the first memory, provided that the identification information stored in the first memory is different from the identification information stored in the second memory.

10. Equipped with a second memory, The above controller is The liquid dispensing device according to claim 7, which calculates the evaporation amount taking into account the first elapsed time, on the condition that the identification information stored in the first memory matches the identification information stored in the second memory.

11. It further includes an input section that accepts input from the user, The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines, based on the input, whether the non-new container is mounted in the housing.

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