Patent ID: 7651207
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling a light emitting portion for a liquid container in a printing apparatus that can print an image using a liquid supplied from a plurality of liquid containers, the method individually controlling the light emitting portions provided in the respective liquid containers, the method comprising the steps of: causing the plurality of light emitting portions to emit light, and modulating a driving pulse for each of the plurality of light emitting portions to control rates of a light emission period and a light emission halted period during a unit time, wherein the light emission period of at least one of the plurality of light emitting portions is set to overlap the light emission halted period of at least another one of the plurality of light emitting portions, and wherein the plurality of light emitting portions are controlled using a light emission command containing an identification code for identifying each of the plurality of light emitting portions and a control code for illuminating the light emitting portion identified by the identification code, and a light emission stop command containing an identification code for identifying each of the plurality of light emitting portions and a control code for stopping light emission from the light emitting portion identified by the identification code.