Title:
DETECTING DEVICE FOR PRESENCE OF LIQUID IN TANK
Document Type and Number:
Japanese Patent JP3507125
Kind Code:
B2
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To provide a means which enables the presence of ink in an ink tank in an ink jet printer or the like to be detected by only one ink detecting device even when a plurality of colors are present and which enables the ink to be correctly detected at low cost without affecting the ink.
CONSTITUTION: A prism portion 2 is formed integrally with a transparent ink tank 1, and light is made to impinge on the prism portion 2 from a light source 4 at an angle somewhere between two critical angles, i.e., the critical angle of total reflection as determined by the refractive index of the ink tank member 1 and the critical angle of total reflection as determined by the air refractive index of the tank member 1, and the reflected light is detected by a sensor 5 so as to detect whether or not ink 3 is in the tank 1.
Inventors:
Masafumi Kamada
Takayuki Ninomiya
Kazuhiko Morimura
Masafumi Matsumoto
Takayuki Ninomiya
Kazuhiko Morimura
Masafumi Matsumoto
Application Number:
JP10677694A
Publication Date:
March 15, 2004
Filing Date:
May 20, 1994
Export Citation:
Assignee:
Canon Inc
International Classes:
B41J2/175; G01F23/28; G01V8/14; G01V9/00; (IPC1-7): G01F23/28; B41J2/175; G01V8/14; G01V9/00
Domestic Patent References:
| JP7218321A | ||||
| JP426695B2 | ||||
| JP5942664Y1 |
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Hiroyuki Niwa (1 outside)
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