Liquid storage device and liquid filling method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021162766-A1
Application number	US-202017103307-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 24, 2020
Priority date	Dec 3, 2019
Publication date	Jun 3, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A liquid filling method of filling a liquid storage device including a first tank that stores a liquid to be supplied to an ejection head ejecting the liquid and a second tank that stores the liquid to be supplied to the first tank through a connection port provided in the first tank with the liquid, the method including: injecting the liquid from a liquid storage container into the first tank through a first liquid introduction port provided in the first tank, in a state where a second liquid introduction port provided in the second tank is closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid filling method of filling a liquid storage device including a first tank that stores a liquid to be supplied to an ejection head ejecting the liquid and a second tank that stores the liquid to be supplied to the first tank through a connection port provided in the first tank with the liquid, the method comprising:
injecting the liquid from a liquid storage container into the first tank through a first liquid introduction port provided in the first tank, in a state where a second liquid introduction port provided in the second tank is closed.

2 . The liquid filling method according to claim 1 , wherein
the first tank includes a first valve that opens or closes the first liquid introduction port, and the method further comprises: opening the first liquid introduction port by the first valve when injecting the liquid into the first tank.

3 . The liquid filling method according to claim 2 , wherein
the second tank includes a second valve that opens or closes the second liquid introduction port, and the method further comprises: closing the second liquid introduction port by the second valve when the first liquid introduction port is opened.

4 . The liquid filling method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
opening the first liquid introduction port by the first valve and closing the second liquid introduction port by the second valve, when the liquid is injected into the first tank through the first liquid introduction port; and closing the first liquid introduction port by the first valve and opening the second liquid introduction port by the second valve, when the liquid is injected into the second tank through the second liquid introduction port.

5 . The liquid filling method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
flowing the liquid into a liquid flow path that connects the first tank and the second tank, when the first tank and the second tank are filled with a predetermined amount of the liquid, the first valve opens the first liquid introduction port, and the second valve opens the second liquid introduction port.

6 . The liquid filling method according to claim 1 , wherein
the second tank further includes a third valve that opens or closes an atmospheric communication port allowing an inside of the second tank to communicate with an atmosphere, the method further comprises: closing the atmospheric communication port by the third valve before injecting the liquid into the first tank; and opening the atmospheric communication port by the third valve after injecting the liquid into the second tank.

7 . The liquid filling method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a filling amount of the liquid in at least one of the first tank and the second tank.

8 . The liquid filling method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a filling amount of the liquid in both the first tank and the second tank.

9 . A liquid storage device comprising:
a first tank that stores a liquid to be supplied to an ejection head ejecting the liquid; a second tank that stores the liquid to be supplied to the first tank through a connection port provided in the first tank; and a first liquid introduction port provided in the first tank and allowing direct injection of the liquid into the first tank.

10 . The liquid storage device according to claim 9 , wherein
the first tank includes a first valve that opens the first liquid introduction port when directly injecting the liquid into the first tank.

11 . The liquid storage device according to claim 9 , wherein
the second tank is sealable when the first liquid introduction port is opened.

12 . The liquid storage device according to claim 10 , wherein
the second tank includes a second liquid introduction port being sealable when the first liquid introduction port is opened.

13 . The liquid storage device according to claim 12 , wherein
the second tank includes a second valve that closes the second liquid introduction port when the first liquid introduction port is opened.

14 . The liquid storage device according to claim 13 , wherein
the first valve opens the first liquid introduction port and the second valve closes the second liquid introduction port, when directly injecting the liquid into the first tank, and the first valve closes the first liquid introduction port and the second valve opens the second liquid introduction port, when directly injecting the liquid into the second tank.

15 . The liquid storage device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a filling amount detection material that detects a filling amount of the liquid in at least one of the first tank and the second tank.

16 . The liquid storage device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a filling amount detection material that detects a filling amount of the liquid in both the first tank and the second tank.

17 . The liquid storage device according to claim 9 , wherein
the second tank further includes an atmospheric communication port that allows an inside of the second tank to communicate with an atmosphere and a third valve that opens or closes the atmospheric communication port, and a wall that forms a boundary surface between the inside of the second tank and the atmosphere and allows gas to pass through and does not allow the liquid to pass through is provided on a bottom surface of the second tank.

18 . The liquid storage device according to claim 17 , wherein
an air flow path is provided between the wall and the atmospheric communication port.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Omura Atsushi
• Tajima Hiroki
• Tsukuda Keiichiro
• Yabe Kenji
• Tamaru Yuji
• Shimizu Naoko
• Seki Sayaka
• Takagi Yosuke
• Yoshikawa Shimpei
• Sato Ryo
• Toda Kyosuke

Classifications

• B41J2/175 Primary

  Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor} · CPC title

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17509 Primary

  Whilst mounted in the printer · CPC title

• B41J2/17563

  Ink filters · CPC title

• B41J2002/17579

  Measuring electrical impedance for ink level indication · CPC title