Patent ID: 8939560
Filing Date: 2015-01-27
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A liquid supplying apparatus, comprising: a tank receiving portion configured to receive a main tank, the main tank comprising a first reservoir configured to store a liquid in such a manner as to seal off the surrounding space and configured to shrink as the liquid is fed to the outside of the first reservoir; a sub tank disposed in a position lower than a position of the tank receiving portion, which comprises a second reservoir configured to store the liquid supplied from the first reservoir of the main tank set to the tank receiving portion; a liquid passage configured to communicate the first reservoir of the main tank set to the tank receiving portion with the second reservoir, whose one end portion on the side to be in communication with the first reservoir is configured to be joined with or detached from the main tank; a mover configured to move the tank receiving portion and the end portion of the liquid passage relatively to each other so as to join or detach the end portion of the liquid passage with or from the main tank set to the tank receiving portion; a liquid feeder configured to feed the liquid stored in the first reservoir of the main tank set to the tank receiving portion to the second reservoir through the liquid passage; a sensor disposed at the sub tank and configured to output a signal related to a level of liquid in the second reservoir; and a controller configured to: (a) control the mover and the liquid feeder; (b) determine whether a liquid volume in the second reservoir is less than a second predetermined volume which is less than a first predetermined volume; (c) operate the liquid feeder so as to feed the liquid stored in the first reservoir of the main tank set to the tank receiving portion to the second reservoir, when the controller determines that the liquid volume in the second reservoir is less than the second predetermined volume, in order to increase the liquid volume in the second reservoir up to the first predetermined volume or more; (d) determine whether the liquid volume in the second reservoir is equal to or more than the first predetermined volume based on the signal of the sensor after the operation of (c); (e) operate the mover so as to detach the end portion of the liquid passage from the main tank set to the tank receiving portion when the controller determines that the liquid volume in the second reservoir is less than the first predetermined volume; and (f) determine whether the liquid volume in the second reservoir is equal to or more than the first predetermined volume based on the signal of the sensor after the operation of (e).