Liquid discharging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573380-B2
Application number	US-201615041391-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A printer which is configured so that an ink tank which accommodates ink is fixed and a user can refill the ink tank with the ink, includes one pair of electrodes which are disposed in the ink tank and serve as sensors for detecting whether or not the ink is present at a predetermined height (first threshold value). A control portion which controls the printer performs liquid presence detection to detect whether or not the ink is present at the predetermined height (first threshold value) by using the sensors, and performs initial filling which corresponds to the result of the detection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising:
a liquid discharging unit which discharges liquid to a discharged medium after an initial filling for filling with the liquid;
a liquid accommodation portion which is provided with a pouring port through which a user pours the liquid, and which accommodates the liquid;
a sensor for detecting whether or not the level of the liquid in the liquid accommodation portion is equal to or greater than a first threshold value; and
a control portion which performs the initial filling based on a result of the detection of the sensor, with the initial filling to the liquid discharging unit including a plurality of steps,
wherein, in response to the result of the detection by the sensor being less than the first threshold value after one of the steps of the initial filing is performed, the control portion postpones performing of next one of the steps of the initial filing which is intended to be performed next to the one of the steps of the initial filing.

2. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of liquid accommodation portions which accommodate plural types of liquid which are different from each other separately,
wherein the control portion postpones the performing of an n-th step for all of the liquid accommodation portions when the result of the detection by the sensor with respect to at least one liquid accommodation portion among the liquid accommodation portions is less than the first threshold value, before performing the n-th step which configures the initial filling, where n is an integer that is equal to or more than 2.

3. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the consumption amount in a step where the consumption amount of the liquid is the largest among the plurality of steps which configure the initial filling is less than a residual amount of the liquid in the first threshold value in the liquid accommodation portion.

4. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising;
a display portion which performs various types of display with respect to the user,
wherein the control portion displays contents related to the result of the detection on the display portion when the result of the detection by the sensor is at least less than the first threshold value.

5. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising:
a liquid discharging unit which discharges liquid to a discharged medium after an initial filling for filling with the liquid;
a liquid accommodation portion which is provided with a pouring port through which a user pours the liquid, and which accommodates the liquid;
a sensor for detecting whether or not the level of the liquid in the liquid accommodation portion is equal to or greater than a first threshold value; and
a control portion which performs the initial filling which corresponds to a result of the detection of the sensor,
wherein the initial filling to the liquid discharging unit is configured of a plurality of steps,
wherein the control portion postpones performing of a step which is intended to be performed next when the result of the detection by the sensor is less than the first threshold value in a state where each step that configures the initial filling is performed, and
wherein the control portion moves on to performing the step which is intended to be performed next when the result of the detection by the sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value in a state where the performing of the step which is intended to be performed next had been postponed in the initial filling.

6. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a plurality of liquid accommodation portions which accommodate plural types of liquid which are different from each other separately,
wherein the control portion postpones the performing of an n-th step for all of the liquid accommodation portions when the result of the detection by the sensor with respect to at least one liquid accommodation portion among the liquid accommodation portions is less than the first threshold value, before performing the n-th step which configures the initial filling, where n is an integer that is equal to or more than 2.

7. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the consumption amount in a step where the consumption amount of the liquid is the largest among the plurality of steps which configure the initial filling is less than a residual amount of the liquid in the first threshold value in the liquid accommodation portion.

8. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising:
a liquid discharging unit which discharges liquid to a discharged medium after an initial filling for filling with the liquid;
a liquid accommodation portion which is provided with a pouring port through which a user pours the liquid, and which accommodates the liquid;
a sensor for detecting whether or not the level of the liquid in the liquid accommodation portion is equal to or greater than a first threshold value; and
a control portion which performs the initial filling which corresponds to a result of the detection of the sensor,
wherein the control portion increases time required for the initial filling in a first case where the result of the detection by the sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value before starting the initial filling and the result of the detection by the sensor is less than the first threshold value during the initial filling, to be longer than that in a second case where the result of the detection by the sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value before starting the initial filling and the result of the detection by the sensor is also equal to or greater than the first threshold value at all times during the initial filling.

9. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the control portion increases the time required for the initial filling in a third case where the result of the detection by the sensor is equal to or greater than the first threshold value before starting the initial filling and the result of the detection by the sensor is less than the first threshold value during a period which is longer than that in the first case during the initial filling, to be longer than that in the first case.

10. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising:
a liquid discharging unit which discharges liquid to a discharged medium after an initial filling for filling with the liquid;
a liquid accommodation portion which is provided with a pouring port through which a user pours the liquid, and which accommodates the liquid;
a sensor for detecting whether or not the level of the liquid in the liquid accommodation portion is equal to or greater than a first threshold value; and
a control portion which performs the initial filling which corresponds to a result of the detection of the sensor,
wherein the control portion includes a consumption amount calculation portion which calculates the consumption amount of the liquid, and a count value which is updated based on the consumption amount of the liquid calculated by the consumption amount calculation portion, and
wherein the control portion performs reset processing of making the count value return to a predetermined value when the consumption amount of the liquid reaches a predetermined amount which exceeds the consumption amount when the liquid is consumed to a residual amount level that corresponds to the first threshold value from a state where the liquid accommodation portion is completely filled with the liquid, in a state where the result of the detection by the sensor is equal to or greater th

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Ishida Masayuki
• Koganehira Shuichi
• Ito Ryohei
• Tsukida Masaki

Classifications

• B41J2/17513

  Inner structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title

• B41J2/17566 Primary

  Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title