Apparatus for measuring the amount of ink remaining in an ink tank
AssigneeBenq Corporation
InventorsTejung Hsu, Chih-Ching Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for measuring the amount of ink remaining in an ink tank using a sensing module and a detecting circuit is disclosed. The sensing module comprises a fixed device connected to the casing of the ink tank and a movable device connected to the bag. As the ink is ejected, the volume of the bag increases so that the movable device moves along with the bag. The detecting circuit, coupled with the sensing module, generates a corresponding detecting signal according to the variation in the relative position of the movable device and the fixed device, and the measurement of the ink amount is thus obtained.
Claims30
An apparatus for measuring an amount of ink remaining in an ink tank, the ink tank having a casing and a bag, wherein the bag is disposed within the casing, the apparatus comprising:
- a capacitor, including:
- a fixed electrode plate, connected to the casing, and
- a movable electrode plate, connected to the bag and moving with the bag as the volume of the bag changes, such that variations In capacitance of the capacitor are made according to a relative position of the movable electrode plate and the fixed electrode plate;
- and
- a detecting circuit, coupled with the capacitor and responsive to an from the capacitor Indicative of the variations in capacitance, for generating and outputting a detection signal, a magnitude of with is indicative of the amount of Ink remaining in the tank as the amount changes.
An Ink tank having an apparatus for measuring an amount of ink remaining in the ink tank, the ink tank comprising:
- a casing;
- a bag, wherein the bag Is disposed within the casing;
- a transceiving module for transmitting and receiving a transceiver signal, including
- a fixed device, connected to the casing, and
- a movable device, connected to the bag and moving with the bag as the volume of the bag changes, such that the transceiver signal varies in magnitude according to a relative position of the movable device and the fixed device;
- and
- a detecting circuit, coupled with the transceiving module and responsive to the transceiver signal, for determining, and outputting a detection signal indicative of the amount of ink remaining in the tank according to variations in magnitude of the transceiver signal.
An apparatus for measuring an amount of ink remaining in an ink tank, the ink tank including a casing and a bag, wherein the bag is disposed within the casing, the apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of fixed devices, connected to the casing and spaced at intervals;
- a movable device, connected to the bag and sequentially coupled with the fixed devices as the volume of the bag changes;
- and
- a detecting circuit, coupled with the movable device and the fixed devices, and responsive to a coupling relation of the movable device and the fixed devices, for generating a detection signal indicative of a changing amount of ink in the tank.
An apparatus for measuring an amount of ink remaining in an ink tank, the ink tank including a casing and a bag, wherein the bag is disposed within the casing, the apparatus comprising:
- an adjustable device, connected to the casing;
- a movable device, one end of which is connected to the bag and the other end of which is coupled with the adjustable device, for adjusting an interaction between the movable device and the adjustable device as the volume of the bag changes, such that an electrical property of the adjustable device varies according to the interaction between the movable device and the adjustable device;
- and
- a detecting circuit, coupled with the adjustable device, for measuring the varying electrical property and generating a detection signal having a magnitude indicative of the amount of ink remaining in the tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.