Printer
US-2020254771-A1 · Aug 13, 2020 · US
Printer
US10889125B2 · US · B2
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication number | US-10889125-B2 |
| Application number | US-202016785795-A |
| Country | US |
| Kind code | B2 |
| Filing date | Feb 10, 2020 |
| Priority date | Feb 12, 2019 |
| Publication date | Jan 12, 2021 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 2021 |
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- Title
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- Abstract
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Abstract
Official abstract text for this publication.
Provided is a printer including an ink tank having a mark at a side surface of the ink tank, a print head performing printing by using ink in the ink tank, a photoelectric conversion device provided outside the side surface having the mark among side surfaces of the ink tank, and detecting light from the ink tank, and a processing unit determining a position of an interface of the ink based on an output of the photoelectric conversion device and detecting an amount of ink in the ink tank based on a position of the mark and the position of the interface.
First claim
Opening claim text (preview).
What is claimed is: 1. A printer comprising: an ink tank having a mark at a side surface of the ink tank; a print head performing printing by using ink in the ink tank; a photoelectric conversion device provided outside the side surface having the mark among side surfaces of the ink tank, and detecting light from the ink tank in a period during which a light source emits light; and a processing unit determining a position of an interface of the ink based on an output of the photoelectric conversion device and detecting an amount of ink in the ink tank based on a position of the mark and the position of the interface. 2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit determines the position of the mark based on the output of the photoelectric conversion device. 3. The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising: a non-volatile storage circuit for storing information indicating the position of the mark, wherein the processing unit detects the amount of ink by reading the information indicating the position of the mark from the non-volatile storage circuit. 4. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric conversion device includes a first linear image sensor provided at a substrate and a second linear image sensor provided at the substrate, and the processing unit estimates an inclination of the photoelectric conversion device with respect to the ink tank based on the position of the mark determined by the first linear image sensor and the position of the mark determined by the second linear image sensor. 5. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric conversion device includes a first linear image sensor provided at a substrate and a second linear image sensor provided at the substrate, and the processing unit estimates an inclination of the ink tank with respect to a horizontal plane based on the position of the interface determined by the first linear image sensor and the position of the interface determined by the second linear image sensor. 6. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric conversion device is a linear image sensor. 7. The printer according to claim 6 , wherein the linear image sensor is provided such that a long side direction of the linear image sensor corresponds to a vertical direction. 8. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the mark has a shape including a line in a horizontal direction. 9. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the ink tank is provided with a slit as an optical separator for separating light in a vertical direction at the side surface, and a length of the mark in the vertical direction is longer than a pitch of the slit.
Assignees
Inventors
Classifications
using vibration or ultra-sons for ink level indication · CPC title
Outer structure · CPC title
Ink cartridges · CPC title
using optical means for ink level indication · CPC title
- B41J2/17566Primary
Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title
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Frequently asked questions
Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.
- What does patent US10889125B2 cover?
- Provided is a printer including an ink tank having a mark at a side surface of the ink tank, a print head performing printing by using ink in the ink tank, a photoelectric conversion device provided outside the side surface having the mark among side surfaces of the ink tank, and detecting light from the ink tank, and a processing unit determining a position of an interface of the ink based on …
- Who is the assignee on this patent?
- Seiko Epson Corp
- What technology area does this patent fall under?
- Primary CPC classification B41J2/17566. Mapped technology areas include Operations & Transport.
- When was this patent published?
- Publication date Tue Jan 12 2021 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
- What related patents are in patentsdb?
- We list 6 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).