Patent ID: 8303061

Claim:
A fluid supply device, comprising: a main tank in which fluid is stored; a fluid chamber to which fluid is supplied from the main tank; a head that discharges fluid supplied from the fluid chamber, the head comprising a fluid discharge nozzle; a movable carriage on which the head and the fluid chamber are mounted; an expansion mechanism that causes the fluid chamber to expand so as to draw fluid from the main tank, the expansion mechanism actuated via a movement of the movable carriage; a suction mechanism that vacuums fluid from the fluid discharge nozzle and cleans the nozzle; a remaining fluid detection unit that determines a remaining fluid volume in the main tank; a comparison unit that compares the remaining fluid volume in the main tank with a specified value; and a setting unit that sets a cleaning mode selected from a group consisting of a first cleaning mode in which a first amount of fluid is vacuumed from the nozzle and a second cleaning mode in which a second amount of fluid is vacuumed from the nozzle that is less than the first amount; the fluid supply device cleaning the nozzles in the first cleaning mode when the remaining fluid volume in the main tank is determined to be greater than or equal to the specified value as a result of the comparison unit comparing the remaining fluid volume in the main tank with the specified value, and cleaning the nozzles in the second cleaning mode when the remaining fluid volume is less than the specified value.