Method and Apparatus for Measuring Remaining Amount of Liquid in Liquid Storage Container

An apparatus for measuring a remaining amount of liquid within a liquid storage container, comprising:

• a liquid storage container configured to store liquid;
• a suction tube connected to the liquid storage container, configured to suction and discharge the liquid, and which is provided with a light transmitting part made of a transparent or translucent material;
• a vision device directed toward the light transmitting part;
• and
• a controller configured to receive information about a size and number of bubbles from the vision device so as to estimate the remaining amount of liquid.

An apparatus for measuring a remaining amount of liquid within a liquid storage container, comprising:

• a liquid storage container configured to store liquid;
• an ultrasonic generator attached to an outer surface of the liquid storage container and configured to oscillate ultrasonic waves toward an inside of the liquid storage container;
• an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the ultrasonic waves returned after being generated by the ultrasonic generator;
• and
• a controller configured to estimate the remaining amount of the liquid by comparing waveform information of the ultrasonic waves received from the ultrasonic receiver to previously provided reference data.