Liquid consumption device having holder and detecting section

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417112-B2
Application number	US-201313753016-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2013
Priority date	May 30, 2012
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A liquid consumption device of the present invention has a holder in which an opening section is provided in a position to face a prism of an ink cartridge, a light emitting section, and a light receiving section. The holder has a region that changes a light amount of the reflected light emitted from the light emitting section and received by the light receiving section in a position spaced apart from the opening section at a predetermined distance in a main scanning direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid consumption device comprising:
a holder to which a liquid reservoir section provided with a prism is attached and being provided an opening section in a position to face the prism of the attached liquid reservoir section;
a light emitting section that emits light;
a light receiving section that receives reflected light of light emitted from the light emitting section; and
a moving section that moves the holder relative to the light emitting section and the light receiving section in a main scanning direction,
wherein the holder has a region that changes a light amount of the reflected light emitted from the light emitting section and received by the light receiving section according to a change in a relative positional relationship between the holder and the light emitting section and the light receiving section in the main scanning direction regardless of whether the liquid reservoir section is attached to the holder or not, the region being disposed in a position spaced apart from the opening section at a predetermined distance in the main scanning direction,
the region that changes a light amount of the reflected light includes a reflective region that reflects the reflected light toward the light receiving section, and a non-reflective region that lowers reflection of the reflected light toward the light receiving section than reflection of the reflected light from the reflective region, and
the non-reflective region is disposed at both ends of the reflective region in the main scanning direction.

2. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective region is provided on a bottom surface of a recessed portion formed in the holder so as to face the light emitting section and the light receiving section.

3. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein the non-reflective region has a surface inclined with respect to the main scanning direction.

4. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein the non-reflective region has a surface inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the prism.

5. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a control unit configured to obtain a position of the prism based on the light amount of the reflected light reflected by the region in the holder.

6. The liquid consumption device according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid reservoir section and the region that changes a light amount of the reflected light do not overlap each other when viewed from the light emitting section and the light receiving section.

7. A liquid consumption device comprising:
a holder to which a liquid reservoir section provided with a prism is attached and being provided an opening section in a position to face the prism of the attached liquid reservoir section;
a light emitting section that emits light;
a light receiving section that receives reflected light of light emitted from the light emitting section; and
a moving section that moves the holder relative to the light emitting section and the light receiving section in a main scanning direction,
wherein the holder has a region that changes a light amount of the reflected light emitted from the light emitting section and received by the light receiving section according to a change in a relative positional relationship between the holder and the light emitting section and the light receiving section in the main scanning direction regardless of whether the liquid reservoir section is attached to the holder or not, the region being disposed in a position spaced apart from the opening section at a predetermined distance in the main scanning direction,
the region that changes a light amount of the reflected light includes a reflective region that reflects the reflected light toward the light receiving section, and a non-reflective region that lowers reflection of the reflected light toward the light receiving section than reflection of the reflected light from the reflective region, and
the reflective region is disposed at both ends of the non-reflective region in the main scanning direction.

8. The liquid consumption device according to claim 7 , wherein the non-reflective region is an opening region.

9. The liquid consumption device according to claim 8 , wherein the reflective region is a bottom surface of the holder.

10. The liquid consumption device according to claim 9 , wherein a light amount emitted from the light emitting section toward the reflective region is larger than a light amount emitted toward the prism.

11. The liquid consumption device according to claim 7 , wherein the non-reflective region has a surface inclined with respect to the main scanning direction.

12. The liquid consumption device according to claim 7 , wherein the non-reflective region has a surface inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the prism.

13. The liquid consumption device according to claim 7 , further comprising
a control unit configured to obtain a position of the prism based on the light amount of the reflected light reflected by the region in the holder.

14. The liquid consumption device according to claim 7 , wherein the liquid reservoir section and the region that changes a light amount of the reflected light do not overlap each other when viewed from the light emitting section and the light receiving section.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Yoshida Junpei
• Nishihara Yuichi
• Yazawa Takayuki
• Yokoyama Hidetoshi

Classifications

• B41J2/1753

  Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts · CPC title

• G01F23/2921

  for discrete levels · CPC title

• B41J2/17566 Primary

  Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title

• B41J2002/17573

  using optical means for ink level indication · CPC title

• G01F23/2925 Primary

  using electrical detecting means · CPC title