Patent ID: 9144991
Filing Date: 2015-09-29
Classification: B41J,G01F

Abstract:
1. A liquid storage device, comprising: a liquid storage formed with a storage chamber for storing liquid; a plurality of first communication devices each configured to transmit a radio wave for carrying out short distance wireless communication; a second communication device configured to receive the radio wave transmitted from each of the plurality of first communication devices; and a controller; wherein the plurality of first communication devices being arranged in a configuration corresponding to a direction of a movement of a boundary surface between a stored area where the liquid is stored in the storage chamber and a non-stored area where the liquid is not stored in the storage chamber, the movement being caused by one of an increase and a decrease of an amount of the liquid stored in the storage chamber, a portion of the storage chamber being interposed between the second communication device and each of the plurality of first communication devices; wherein the controller being configured to detect a position of the boundary surface based on a reception status of the radio wave transmitted from each of the plurality of first communication devices and received by the second communication device; wherein the liquid storage device further comprises a storage configured to store a failure pattern representative of a failure that relates to a transition of a communication state of at least one first communication device of the plurality of first communication devices, the failure pattern being indicative of transition of the reception status of the radio wave transmitted from each of the plurality of first communication devices and received by the second communication device; and wherein the controller is configured to detect that there is a failure in at least one of the plurality of first communication devices which has transmitted the radio wave containing the failure pattern, when the transition of the reception status of the radio wave transmitted from each of the plurality of first communication devices and received by the second communication device contains the failure pattern stored in the storage.